As the school year gets underway, parents and caregivers are getting their schedules in order and checking the school calendars to make sure they have child-minding or plans in place for non-instructional days. I have received many emails, texts and questions while out door knocking about what various non-instructional days on the school calendar mean and why we have them. All good and fair questions.
I put together this information piece to help parents understand, to the best of my ability, what these different days are for and why our school district has them.
Curriculum Implementation Days (1)
These days are to provide targeted training for teachers regarding the implementation of the new BC K-12 curriculum which is currently being phased in.
Non-Instructional Days (4)
These are local professional development days as per the collective agreement between the New Westminster Teachers’ Union and the school board.
Provincial Pro-D Day (1)
A non-instructional day for school / community interaction as provided in the Ministry calendar.
Collaboration Days (4 days with early dismissal at 11:45am)
The purpose of staff collaboration time is to bring together school staff to engage in meaningful activities and discussions specific to their unique school community to support and enhance student progress and achievement. During collaboration time, teachers work directly with peers within the school setting to share, discuss and learn from each other to enhance their teaching practice within the four pillars of education:
• Curriculum
• Instruction
• Assessment
• Social / Emotional Learning
Source: NVSD
Early Dismissal – Parent / Teacher Conference (4 days with early dismissal for students at 12:45)
These are for parent / student conferences at the schools and for administrative / reporting purposes as per the collective agreement.
Administration Day (1)
A year-end administrative day for school teachers and staff as per the collective agreement.
Please note: these non-instructional days do not take away from student learning time as the Provincial government sets out minimum hours of instruction for all grade levels.
Teachers in British Columbia public schools are unionized. Their work year is defined by the Collective Agreement that is in place between teachers (represented by the New Westminster Teachers’ Union) and the Board of Education.
The negotiated terms of the legally binding contract include the provision of non-instructional days for professional development, administrative days and parent / teacher conferences.