Grad at Clearwater Secondary School for the coming school year will occur on June 23 – two weeks later than in the past, according to principal Darren Coates.
The change means that most students will be finished classes and exams prior to the ceremonies.
It is based on student, parent, and teacher feedback.
There will be minimal staff turnover in the new school year, Coates reported.
“Dayton Fraser, who was on a one-year contract, is now continuing and we are pleased to have him with us for the long term,” Coates said.
“Our School Learning Plan (SLP), which we used to refer to as our School Improvement Plan, has shifted,” the principal reported. “CSS and just about every other school in the district typically list goals such as literacy, numeracy, and social responsibility. CSS and all the school in the district have now shifted to a palette of skills that reflect and support the new curriculum. This year CSS is focusing on two goals/skills. Assessment and Problem Based Learning.”
Coates said that the focus of their assessment goal is to implement FreshGrade, which is a replacement of the vastly popular Jupiter grades they used up until 2015/16. Due to freedom of information and privacy concerns they could no longer use Jupiter grades.
“After an extensive search for a replacement we are moving ahead with the use of Freshgrade, which is a Canadian-based, web-based program for grades, assessment, and feedback,” he said. “Freshgrade will allow for better communication of student learning between teacher, student, and parent.”
Clearwater Secondary's other goal, Problem Based Learning (PBL) is a longer term goal that will not be completed in one year.
“Along with our traditional instruction our goal is to include some more real world projects that reflect the tasks and challenges students will face in the world of work once they leave us,” he said. “The projects will focus not only on the content of what students are required to learn but also critical thinking, analysis, communication and collaboration. We will be looking for members of the community to act as resources and as an authentic audience.”
Other changes include an increase in the number of tutorial sessions. This year the school will implement twice a week, after school/lunch tutorial sessions led by senior students and supported by staff.
“Our enrolment appears to be up slightly due to a number of new families in town with school aged children,” the principal added. “Our exact numbers are impossible to predict until the dust settles at the end of September.”
Barbeque on Sept. 13
Clearwater Secondary School's Back to School barbeque will be held Tuesday, Sept. 13 at 5 p.m.
Those planning to attend are asked to please let the school know.
“We encourage parents to come out and meet their children's teachers face-to-face, shake their hands, and to share any concerns or information that will be helpful in collaboratively supporting their children,” the principal said.