This past week was Transgender Awareness Week, and tomorrow November 20th is Trans Day of Remembrance. Take a few minutes to read the SOGI 123 Newsletter, which has resources and suggestions for educators on how you can honour trans lives that have been lost in acts of anti-transgender violence. 

BCSTA’s Indigenous Education Committee has launched the Trustee Knowledge Series in response to the B.C. Tripartite Education Agreement.

The objective is to help trustees, educators, leaders and the general public learn more about Indigenous issues in education. 

The BCPVPA is pleased to announce that we will again be partnering with the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation for the Jean Up! campaign in May 2022. The 2021 campaign raised more than $308,000 to fund innovative research, and tailor care to the specialized needs of kids in BC. Our friends at BCCHF have told us that a large part of the success of the campaign can be attributed to the support of our members! As we look ahead to 2022, if there are any materials or assets that would help you to fundraise in your schools, please contact sandra@bcpvpa.bc.ca, and we can communicate those wishes to BCCHF. 

The Ministry provides over 13,000 scholarships each year to graduating students. In this webinar, participants will learn about the different awards and how they work, from eligibility criteria and key dates to how to avoid errors that can cause students to miss out; participants can also take part in a question-and-answer session. This is a must-see webinar for scholarship administrators, career educators, school counsellors, staff entering data into student information systems, and others supporting student transitions to post-secondary study.

The webinar will include an introduction by Rob Hicks. Rob Hicks is the Ministry of Education’s Director of Student Transitions, overseeing the Provincial Scholarship Program in addition to dual credit policy and post-secondary partner relations. Followed by a presentation by Shona Perron, Program and Policy Lead, and Lescia Raagner, Provincial Scholarships Administrator. 

Register
November 24, 2021 3:30 - 4:30 pm

Topics: Student Inquiry, Passions, Interests & Questions 

Dates: 

• February 2, 3:45 - 5:15 pm PT
• April 13, 3:45 - 5:15 pm PT

The inquiry teacher is regularly inquiring into his or her students as learners and asking, ‘What are they revealing to me?’, ‘How might I respond?’ and ‘What next?’ (The Power of Inquiry p. 135). 

Last year NOIIE were able to bring Kath Murdoch to you via Zoom for an introductory session on creating inquiry-oriented classrooms. This year, NOIIE are pleased to be offering a three part series, in which she will be introducing us to many of the ideas included in her forthcoming book due to come out before the end of 2021. The focus of this new book is on personal inquiry: how to work with children’s personal passions, interests and questions. While Kath’s focus is primarily on K-8, her ideas cross all grades and ages. 

In this 3 part professional learning series, Kath Murdoch will work with participants to explore ways in which NOIIE can offer young learners the opportunity to inquire into the questions, interests, issues and passions that are important to them.  In conjunction with shared inquiry journey, opportunities to explore personal passions are highly engaging and allow learners to build their capacity as independent, thoughtful, reflective contributors to their communities.  Over the three sessions, Kath will share strategies and structures for supporting and guiding personal inquiries, various contexts in which personal inquiry can be developed and the role of the educator in the process, Drawing on her extensive experience working with teachers and children around the world, Kath will share many practical examples. Importantly, participants will be invited to reflect on the way they can include opportunities for personal inquiry in their own lives.

Register

Only a few more programs left until the end of the year from the series by Take Me Outside and Canadian Outdoor Learning Partners! 

• Nov 29: Creating a Safe Climate Future: An Interactive Workshop with Laura Sacks and Shea Wyatt
• Dec 2: Get Outside: Outdoor Learning in Winter virtual workshop with Pamela Gibson
• Dec 9: Outdoor Winter Gathering for Educators with CBEEN & Take Me Outside

With the ongoing need for continuity of learning in our system, the BCPVPA has opened up free access to BetterEducate for all BC K-12 educators. Develop a BetterEducate Profile | Collaborate with Colleagues | Browse and Share Resources | Develop your Plans – All on one platform! 

Learn more here

If you haven’t yet signed up for BetterEducate, visit the site and sign up for your free membership with the promo code BCPVPA123.  View Sign-Up Instructions

The Early Intervention Program (EIP) is a province wide professional support service provided by the BCPVPA at no cost to you and is completely voluntary and confidential. The program supports BCPVPA Benefits Plan members experiencing health-related personal and/or professional challenges. Find out more