Kamloops This Week
Fewer graduates are returning surveys to the school district, though information from those completed indicate the majority of Kamloops-Thompson grads will be attending post-secondary classes.
This year, 64.3 per cent of surveys were completed and returned, down five points from the 69.7 per cent mark last year and well below the 91 per cent return rate 10 years ago.
Of those grads returning surveys, 65 per cent said they will be attending post-secondary school, with Thompson Rivers University being the predominant choice (39 per cent), followed by UVic (3.1 per cent), UBC (2.5 per cent) and SFU (1.3 per cent).
Thirty-seven per cent of students returning surveys said they will engage in part-time work next school year, while 20 per cent said they will be working full-time and 14 per cent said they will be unemployed.
Hours reduced
The number of minimum instructional hours in schools next year will be reduced slightly to allow for an extra day of implementation of the new curriculum.
Minimum hours of instruction for kindergarten will be 850 (down from 853), for Grades 1 to 7 will be 873.75 (down from 878) and for secondary grades will be 947.
Recording statistics
Video-surveillance data from the Kamloops-Thompson school district notes that, during the 2016-2017 school year, all 78 school buses used video surveillance on a daily basis; the maintenance yard had two cameras outside, recording after-hours to deter theft; South Kamloops secondary had one camera in the medical room, activated only when a student was in the room, and Twin Rivers Education Centre had five cameras outside, recording to catch vandals.
Lights, camera, education
Trustees have approved a new film studies course for students in grades 10 to 12. The course will allow students to learn about and develop an appreciation for fine art, foreign and independent films while comparing them to mainstream films.
Note the dates
There will be a change to next year’s school year calendar to accommodate the BC Winter Games in Kamloops and the Games’ use of schools. A non-instructional day will move from Jan. 19, 2018, to Feb. 22, 2018. In addition, the board has approved moving a non-instructional day from April 1, 2019, to April 8, 2019, to better balance spring break and the Easter weekend.