The BCPVPA is sorry to say farewell to Emily Rogness, but we are delighted to announce that she has accepted an executive assistant position with the Langley School District. Emily has worked as the Assistant to our Member Support Services team, has been involved in a variety of BCPVPA initiatives, and has supported the BCPVPA Committees, BC Student Voice, and BCPVPA Student Scholarships. We will miss Emily, and we wish her all the best as she begins the next phase of her career. 

Our annual Leading: Back to School digital magazine is now available. You’ll find articles from your colleagues, BCPVPA staff, and other educators and experts, sharing tips and tools for back to school and thoughtful articles to provide inspiration on your leadership journey. 

Read this weeks featured articles:

What Guides & Directs Our Practice?
Need a refresher on the regulations, policies, and standards that guide the roles & responsibilities of school leaders? Check out ‘What Guides & Directs or Practice’ in this issue of Leading: Back to School. 

Fall Health for Leading
How can school leaders ensure a healthy, thriving school community? The answer is in the well-being of their employees. Rochelle Morandini, BCPVPA Director of Member Well-being, outlines the leader’s role in creating a culture of connection & well-being, and ways to support staff members who may be struggling. 

Affinity Spaces
Affinity Spaces create a place for conversations about race, identity, and lived experience; they are a way to promote diversity and inclusion in our communities and the education sector. Learn more about the Asian Edchat sessions hosted by our member Wayne Chow (SD42), created to talk about the challenges of being an Asian educator, to share thoughts on addressing anti-Asian racism in education, and to discuss what educational leaders are doing in their schools to bring about change. 

Visit the BCPVPA Member Portal

To set up your password, follow the simple instructions sent in the August 31 Member Update, and log in anytime via the Sign In option on our website.

What will you find in the Member Portal? Check out the overview, and we’ll bring you highlights each week in eNews as we continue to add content to the site.

This week’s highlight: The Member Support Services tile in the Member Portal has information on compensation – salary and benefits, contracts, and pensions & retirement, along with a number of guides and legal & regulatory resources to support your practice. This library will continue to grow, and we’re here to answer any questions!

For more information about the Member Portal, contact sandra@bcpvpa.bc.ca

September’s Principl(ed) Podcast dropped on Tuesday September 7 in honour of ‘back to school’! In episode 13, host Chris Horton shares his live conversation with BC Vice-Principals Katie Marren and Holly Zurak, recorded at BCPVPA’s 2021 Essentials for Aspiring School Leaders. As a Principal or Vice-Principal, how do you represent your core values in your school leadership?

Listen on  iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts and more! Link to your favourite platform here.

The Principl(ed) Podcast is a made-in-Canada monthly series that connects with BC school Principals and Vice-Principals who are working everywhere in the province, from the smallest rural schools to the bustling urban centres. 

The BCPVPA requests expressions of interest from current BCPVPA members to plan Essentials for New School Leaders (Formerly called Short Course I)  

ENSL is a grounded experience with the BCPVPA Standards and Planning Guide to support newly appointed Principals and Vice-Principals in their new roles. The committee discusses and plans: the structure, delivery, theme, keynote speakers and breakout sessions for the program.  

The tentative meeting dates are: 

• September 29, 8:00 am - 10:00 am 
• October 27, 8:00 am - 10:00 am 
• January 26, 8:00 am - 10:00 am 
• April 20, 8:00 am - 10:00 am

Applications due Sept. 22, 2021 

Apply

The BCPVPA Leadership Planning Guide is responsive to and reflective of current organizational practices. Much of the guide relates directly to responsibilities found in the School Act and Regulation, the Workers’ Compensation Act, the Fire Safety Act and other statutes, Ministerial orders, and policy documents.  

This review will include a focused look through the lens of equity. Each revision is undertaken by a committee of practicing Principals and Vice-Principals, and we invite you to apply to be part of the review team.  

The tentative meeting dates are: 

• October 6, 8:00 am - 10:00am 
• November 3, 8:00 am - 10:00am 
• December 1, 8:00 am - 10:00am 
• January 12, 8:00 am - 10:00am 
• February 2, 8:00 am - 10:00am 

Applications due Sept. 22, 2021 

Apply

The BCPVPA Leadership Standards were first established in 2007 and they have been continually reviewed and revised to stay current and relevant. This review will include a focused look through the lens of equity. Each revision is undertaken by a committee of practicing Principals and Vice-Principals, and we invite you to apply to be part of the review team. 

The tentative meeting dates are:

• October 7, 8:00 am - 10:00 am 
• November 4, 8:00 am - 10:00 am 
• December 2, 8:00 am - 10:00 am 
• January 13, 8:00 am - 10:00 am 
• February 3, 8:00 am - 10:00 am 

Applications due Sept. 22, 2021

Apply

Thank you again to the more than 1,000 BCPVPA members who completed the Thriving in Education Survey in May. Rochelle has been engaged in reviewing the data with Verita HR Services, as there is a great deal of complex information to assess, collate and connect. In August, Rochelle presented the Executive Survey of outcomes to the BCPVPA Board of Directors. We expect to have a preliminary report available to members soon. 

The BCPVPA has extracted an abbreviated guide which provides a summary of changes to the plans and guidance issued on August 24, 2021, by the BC Ministry of Education and the BC Centre for Disease Control/ BC Ministry of Health.

BCPVPA Member Guide: Provincial Health & Safety Update August 2021

These are the links to the documents released August 24:

BC K-12 Education Recovery Plan

Provincial COVID-19 Communicable Disease Guidelines for K-12 Settings

BCCDC Public Health Communicable Disease Guidance for K-12 Schools

BC COVID-19 Protocols for School and District Administrators and Staff