Field Trips and Exams: It must be June

The end of the year is fast approaching and with it our year end field trips. This year Bill 22 and the resulting BCTF job action has put teachers in a difficult situation. For us, year-end field trips and our camping trip are an integral part of our program. The activities complement our classroom learning as well as providing opportunities for celebration and closure to our year together. The BCTF plan demands, however, that teachers limit their excursions to regular instructional hours. Over the past weeks, we have discussed how we would comply with our union directives without adversely affecting our students.

After much deliberation, Mme Brault, Mme Balabuch and I have decided to continue with our scheduled (and in some cases, paid for) excursions but we, as teachers, will limit our involvement to regular school hours (8:30-3:00). Most of our trips will occur within these hours, but for the camping trip to French Beach, this will require parents be responsible for supervising breakfast, afternoon and evening activities. We will be on site if we are needed, but will be "off duty." We are in an unusual position, but hope that this modification of our role and yours will allow for a very successful year end for all.

Today I sent home a year-end trip package with information and forms for all activities. Please indicate if you can join us for any of the trips (especially for the French Beach camping trip), complete the paperwork, and send in $40 to cover the cost of all excursions. As always, please contact me or Mr. Ross if the cost is a limiting factor to participation. Forms are due next Friday, June 1st.  If you are joining us overnight, please also have a criminal record check completed by the Victoria Police Department as soon as possible if you have not had one done in the past year. The school office can provide you with a letter to have the criminal record check fees waived. We will be having more organizational meetings over the next weeks for students, after which they will have a better sense of what camping equipment and food they will need to bring. Forms can be found here.

Please note that students who have incomplete grade or who have not completed major assignments will not be permitted to attend trips. There is a curriculum completion day coming up on June 7th and I will let you know at the end of next week what work is missing, if any.

We do have final exams coming up on June 14th and 15th, in Math, English and Socials. Mme Brault has already distributed review question booklets for Math. Mme Balabuch and I will be doing in-class review and teaching study skills. For Socials, students can review their work and duotangs from the entire year, label blank maps with the places studied, and compile point form study notes on each of the units. They can predict what "big concept" (environment and culture, messages that changed the world, roles in society, etc.) questions I might ask and answer them. They can also review or download unit work on the class wiki. Please note that the  Lit Circle Final Project is due this coming Wednesday.

Thank you very much for your ongoing support.