David Livingstone Elementary School

Visit the Vancouver School Board for recent updates regarding the Job Action

September 2, 2011: Recess still on despite job action

The Vancouver School Board is not currently contemplating moving or cancelling recess at this time. The Vancouver school district has always employed Supervision Aides, rather than teachers, to supervise elementary students during lunch and recess. At secondary schools, the district has enough administrative staff to properly supervise students.

September 1, 2011: Update on Job Action

As you are probably aware, the BC Teachers’ Federation (BCTF), which represents the province’s public school teachers, is involved in negotiating a new collective agreement with the BC Public School Employers’ Association (BCPSEA), the bargaining agent for the province’s school boards. These discussions to date have not produced a settlement and the parties have indicated that they are not close to an agreement. As a result, the province now faces job action. The BCTF has said that the job action will be in phases.  The first phase is a “teach-only” campaign which will restrict teachers’ ability to participate in administrative duties and other non-instructional activities.

Despite these challenges, the good news is that schools will remain open. While job action may be frustrating for all, it is important to keep in mind that students will not be put in an unsafe or harmful situation. No matter what happens as a result of job action, your children will continue to be educated in a safe environment in the care of dedicated professionals in the classroom, the school office and on the playground.

We continue to hope for a speedy resolution to the contract negotiations. In the meantime, the Vancouver School District will keep parents informed of any developments around job action and its possible impact on student learning.  As more information becomes available, please check back to our website where we will be posting updates.

The district is committed to keeping parents informed of developments and providing current information. As a demonstration of this commitment, we have recently developed an app for the iPad and iPhone. The app will give parents current information and updates from your children’s schools. You will find a link to this app on our website and we welcome your feedback.

For information and updates regarding bargaining positions, see the BCTF website and the BCPSEA website.

Steve Cardwell
Superintendent of Schools

Divisions 1 and 2 Famous Person Project an Overwhelming Success!

On January 13th, 14th, and 17th, 2005, the students in Divisions 1 and 2 presented their Famous Person project to all the students, parents and a couple of special guests, including the Vancouver School Board’s superintendent, Chris Kelly. The following is a quote from the Vancouver School Board newsletter Board Highlights:

Grades 6 and 7 students at David Livingstone Elementary School participated in that Superintendent Kelly described as one of the most remarkable learning exercises he had ever seen. Each Grade 6 and Grade 7 student picked a person from history and then they researched their choice. Their efforts filled the school’s gym. The project took more than three months to complete and was patterned after the work of artist Judy Chicago, who is also an author and an educator.