An article outlining exciting changes for UBC-WKTEP next year appeared in several West Kootenay newspapers this past week. The changes, focusing on getting teacher candidates into schools and classrooms far more regularly, is introduced by UBC advisor to WKTEP, Linda Farr Darling, and supported by local districts. Check out one version of the article in the Nelson Star.
Many thanks go to the UBC-WKTEP students who took time during their busy practicum to act as judges for the West Kootenay Regional Destination Imagination Tournament on Saturday, Mar. 8 at Rosemont Elementary School in Nelson. Our teacher candidates were able to watch groups of elementary and secondary students solve complex problems and show their thinking in varied and creative ways as part of this international competition. Many of these young students will go on to the provincial competition later this month in Richmond. Thanks to co-coordinator Brent Cross, Vice-Principal at L.V. Rogers Secondary School in Nelson for the invitation to take part.
Last week, a group of ten WKTEP-UBC students made the long trek over to UBC Vancouver for the annual Education Job Fair. There was a good mix of rural and urban school districts both within and outside B.C. as well as a fair number of international recruiters. The students who attended felt they made some good connections and look forward to following them up in the summer.
This year’s WKTEP-UBC cohort was once again able to visit a local rural K-12 school as we are getting ready to wrap up before the holidays. The visit to Crawford Bay Elementary-Secondary School has become an annual event and is always greatly appreciated by our students. They are able to take part in a variety of multi-age classes, learn about the strong community connections, and enjoy an amazing healthy lunch made largely with locally grown foods. Many thanks to principal Dan Rude and the entire staff of the school for making our visit so positive.
A warm welcome back to our students who have returned to classes after two weeks in local schools, and a big thank you to the schools who hosted them:
S.D. 8 (Kootenay Lake)
Brent Kennedy Elementary School
L.V. Rogers Secondary School
Mount Sentinel Secondary School
Redfish Elementary School
Trafalgar Middle School
S.D. 10 (Arrow Lakes)
Lucerne Elementary-Secondary School
S.D. 20 (Kootenay-Columbia)
Castlegar Primary (Twin Rivers)
J.L. Crowe Secondary School
Kinnaird Elementary School
Our students came back very excited with lots of stories to share. They also learned a great deal from the experience and from their outstanding sponsor teachers. Thanks to everyone for all their hard work making this a great experience.
Once again, Action Schools coordinator Marion Hunter, former teacher and administrator and current WKTEP faculty advisor, presented a workshop for our teacher candidates on both daily physical activity and healthy eating. In the first part of the presentation, our students took part in a wide range of activities that could be implemented in their own classes and around their schools. After this vigorous workout, they learned about healthy food choices and were able to taste a variety of fruit and vegetables from the different colour groupings.
Afterwards, our teacher candidates left with some great resources they will be able to use in their upcoming practica. Many thanks to Marion and to Action Schools for supporting student health and education and for their ongoing work with teacher education.
Melissa Dalgaard, a WKTEP graduate from last year’s cohort, shares some thoughts and pictures about her new job at Bastion Elementary School in School District 83.
“I have managed to successfully complete the first two weeks of school and am loving it! I have 29 students in my Grade 5 French Immersion class (14 girls and 15 boys) and my classroom is in an annex…There are only two other classrooms in the annex, which are also Grade 5 classes, so it is pretty quiet. I am the youngest teacher on staff and am one of five upper intermediate teachers in the school.
“The school is K-5 and has about 420 students, 30 of whom bus, 75 walk/ride a bike, and the rest get driven to and from the school. The schools catchment area is the North Broadview area of Salmon Arm but because it is the only elementary school in SD 83 that offers French Immersion we get students from all over.”
Our students had a great day at Kokanee Creek Provincial Park today, despite the wet weather. We joined Rosemont Elementary School on a series of tours about the life cycle, habitat, and spawning of the Kokanee Salmon. Many thanks go to the park interpreters Joanne Siderius, Marilyn Lawrence, and Jenna Lintz for being such great role models for our teacher candidates.
We continued the tradition of having our students join local public schools on the first day of class to get a feel for the energy and excitement of the annual start up. It was an exciting day and our students really appreciated the opportunity to mingle with staff and students. Many thanks to Brent Kennedy Elementary School for hosting our elementary candidates, and Mt. Sentinel Secondary School for welcoming our secondary candidates.
We were once again fortunate to begin our year by joining SD#10 (Arrow Lakes) for two days of professional learning in beautiful Nakusp. Many thanks to new Superintendent Terry Taylor for the invitation and to all the teachers and administrators for welcoming us so warmly and sharing their knowledge and experience. While both days were very beneficial, our students particularly enjoyed the sharing of practice on the second day when they got a real insight into not only a variety of excellent programs and practices, but also the many positive aspects of working in a small rural district.
Another highlight of the trip was staying overnight in Nakusp at the Leland Hotel, the oldest continually running hotel in British Columbia. It was a treat to stay there, and dinner was fantastic.
