Parents and teachers object to changes at Skeena, Cal — THE SCHOOL board is up against angry parents and teachers over the decision to make the new Skeena Secondary school a Grade 8-12 facility. Despite heavy protest at a board meeting Jan, 6 from teachers and parents who want Skeena to remain a grade 8- 10 school, acting superintendent Sharon Beedle said the board has made its decision, “Tt is an 8-12 school,” Beedle said, And the board has another tough decision to make — keeping Caledonia as a senior secondary school or con- verting it to become a second Grade 8 to 12 facility. At the Jan, 6 board meeting, parent Wendy Berg said the board should determine students’ needs before deciding what grades the schools should -have,~° - : “] think it’s way more important to gel a school we want and suils students’ needs,”’ she said. ' But school district secretary-treasurer Barry Piersdor{f said the district would lose its place at the top of the educa- tlon ministry's new construction list if the board reversed . ils decision to make the new Skeena a Grade 8-12 school. Geoff Parr, who represented teachers at Caledonia, said. the board’s decision shouldn't be based solely on money. He said if the board turns Caledonia into a second 8-12, school, it is setting itself up for failure, i “The unnecessary competition between two small 8-12 schools for students, ministry funds, fund raising money, scholarship funds, programs, resources, and staff will do . nothing but disrupt the education of students,’® he stated in a letter to school board chair Linda Campbell. He said the low number of senior students at the new school will decrease the number aud variety of courses that Centre closing CLOSING THE school district’s resource centre here may leave teachers without the tools to their jobs properly, says - their union president, Frank Rowe. The centre is to stop lending teaching material Feb. 1 to prepare a new system as of March 1. __ This new system will replace the resource centre which is being closed to ease the school district's budget deficit. Acting superintendent Sharon Beetle explained that Jong . ’ term material won’t be available to teachers for a month because inventory must be organized before the system is reorganized. ‘But Rowe says its unreasonable to make teachers prepare - their own resources. “Tt’s management’s responsibility to make resources are available to teachers,’” he said, Although he said he isa’t opposed to closing the centre to sure save money, he said “I am opposed to teachers not being . provided with sufficient materials and supplies to do their job.” * When Rowe asked Beetle a board meeting Jan, G6 what teachers should do when they can’t get resource materials, she replied: ‘What all good teachers have done in the past.” ; But Rowe said teachers shouldn’t have to dig into their own pockets to supply resources, “They have enough to worry about,’’ he said. “It’s tough enough dealing with the diversity of students that are presented in the classroom and.all the new cur- niciltim demands,’* he said) "°°" 0" _ Beetle said she doesn’t think students wili be greatly af fected by the changes. “Teachers say these long term items aren’t necessarily the items they think are the most important,’ she said, BC SCHIZOPHRENIA SOCIETY presents Lal ( (formerly called the Journey of Hope) FREE EDUCATION for families of persons suffering with severe depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, LEARN T TOCOPE NEXT CLASS STARTS on February 1, 1999. f SK TIME: 7:00 p.m. oo PLACE: Stepping Stone Clubhouse, Corner of Sparks and Park Street Terrace, BC IF INTERESTED, PLEASE, CALL: HEATHER BAXTER 685-8206 RILEENCALLANAN 695-3620 This od sponsored by Blue Ridge Ventures, “who resist change. ‘ school. * sure there’s equity and both school will be able to maintain The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, January 13, 1999 - AS can be offered. But Beedle said there are always people “T don’t know how representative those people are of the whole educational conumunity,”’ she said. - Beedle said students’ needs are the most important fac- tors and there are good advanlages of having an 8-12 ‘A smaller 8-12 school gives students an opportunity ta develop a feeling of belonging,” she said,» os ; “A smaller 8-12 school gives students an opportunity to develop a feeling. of _ belonging,” says acting superintendent Sharon Beedle, | pC Beedle said participation in intramural. and extra- curricular programs will also be enhanced because students will have more opportunities to participate because there are more options, ; , She also said fewer students drop out of Grades 8 -12 schools than at separate junior or senior schools. But she foresees some difficulties with an 8-12 school in that some courses in senior grades may be offered just once during the course of a school year or not at all depending upon how many students sign up. , Beedle added teachers may have to teach more courses in 8-12 schools and therefore may need more preparatio time. ; . Becedle said figuring out which students attend which school will take time to work out. . “If we have two secondary schools we have to mak programs that salisfy student’s necds,’’ she said. We’re On The Move... | 7-11 Sparks Street -s Bank of Montreal Ottawa Street: a _ 8 — ||| @p Avco q Hl Chalky’s On January 18, 1999, we’re moving our Avco branch located at 4557-A Lazelle Avenue to: 4664 Lakelse Avenue Terrace, B.C. V8G 4R1 “Come and see our new office located at 4664 Lakelse Avenue. 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