Friday, May 5, 2023

Breakfast - Airport Ballroom Foyer

Opening Remarks & Acknowledgements

Minister of Education and Child Care
The Honourable Rachna Singh

Attendees can submit questions for the Minister until April 5th.

9:30 am

BC Education Partners’ Panel
Carolyn Brody, BC School Trustees Association (BCSTA)
Teresa Downs, BC School Superintendents Association (BCSSA)
Brian Leonard, BC Principals and Vice-Principals Association (BCPVPA)

Engaging with the leaders of some of our main partner groups, focusing on Collaboration and Leadership. Panelists will share input and insight geared to parents, Parent Advisory Councils and District Parent Advisory Councils from the perspective of their roles including improving engagement and frameworks for resolving issues. Attendees are encouraged to submit questions in advance with a deadline of April 5th.

Truth, Healing and Reconciliation
Swee alt (Denise Augustine), Superintendent of Indigenous Education (Secondee)
Brad Baker, Associate Superintendent of Indigenous Education (Secondee)

This presentation will share information and facilitate discussion regarding education’s role towards Truth, Healing, and Reconciliation. We will also explore the role of parents and Parent Advisory Committees in this journey.

Integrated Child and Youth Team
Julie Strutt, PSO, Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions
Asli Kucukbumin, Program Lead, ICY Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows

The Provincial Support Office (PSO) within the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions provides backbone support to communities that are implementing Integrated Child and Youth Teams. The PSO will co-present on the topic of Integrated Child and Youth teams in partnership with Asli Kucukbumin, one of the ICY Program Leaders in Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows.

Understanding the Rights of a Student
John Gaiptman & Paula Fowler, BCCPAC Advocacy Team
Rick Moore, Appellant, Moore v. British Columbia (Education)

We will provide an overview of the process of advocating for your student's needs, using your district’s Appeals bylaw and the School Act. Rick Moore will join us to share information about his ground-breaking case and experience with the Human Rights Tribunal.

Lunch Break with Featured Speaker

BC Ombudsperson: Our Role and Impact
Jay Chalke, BC Ombudsperson

BC Ombudsperson Jay Chalke will talk about the types of concerns parents can bring to his office about public schools and will also highlight the potential outcomes that may result from his office’s investigations.

Communicating Students Learning
Melanie Stewart, Assistant Deputy Minister - Learning and Education Programs Division, Ministry of Education and Child Care

This session will provide an overview of BC’s new province-wide K-12 student reporting policy, which will provide more consistency for parents with respect to what information they can expect to receive from teachers with respect to their child’s learning. While for many districts this new policy will not represent any change, some will see shifts in reporting practice. All students will continue to receive letter grades and percentages for grades 10-12 and no impact on post-secondary admissions is expected.

The Consent Café: An Innovative K-16 Consent Education Program
Chelsea Corsi, Senior Wellness Coordinator, Counselling, Academic Support, & Assessment, TRU Faculty of Student Development
Tanya Pawliuk, Associate Teaching Professor, School of Social Work and Human Service, TRU Faculty of Education and Social Work

The Consent Café is a K-16 activity-based consent education, communication, and sexualized violence prevention and response program for youth and young adults founded by Chelsea Corsi and Tanya Pawliuk. We invite you to learn about the Consent Café, the frameworks that underpin our work, and the process of curriculum alignment, partnerships, collegial engagement and relationship-building contributing to our success. The Consent Café is conducting a pilot partnership with School District 73 Kamloops-Thompson that will offer the Consent Café to all rural and urban grade 8 students in the district in 2022-2023.

Deputy Minister - Christina Zacharuk, Ministry of Education and Child Care

Meet the Candidates & Returning Board Members