By David F. Rooney
Revelstoke will once again host visiting students from Ono Cho, Japan.
RSS Principal Mike Hooker, sitting in at Tuesday’s School Board meeting for Superintendent Anne Cooper who was away at a conference, said approximately 24 students are expected to be here Jan. 15-20.
“We’re looking for home-stay families right now,” he told trustees, adding that an itinerary is being drafted in anticipation of their arrival.
Anyone interested in hosting a student should contact the SD 19 office at 250-837-2101.
***
The percentage of Kindergarten students who are poised to begin reading when they enter First Grade continues to rise.
A graph (see below) shown to trustees on Tuesday shows that more than 70 per cent of local children are ready to read when they complete Kindergarten. That’s the result of the intensive Early Learning work by Revelstoke educators.
***
Revelstoke’s success in reducing the vulnerability of children entering the school system is about to receive some national exposure.
School Board Chairman Alan Chell said Tuesday that a reporter with the National Post newspaper is working on a story that, in part, focuses on the community’s success.
He said he was contacted by the reporter who hopes that by highlighting Revelstoke’s success people in Ontario will consider adopting some of the same practices that have worked here.
Revelstoke was recognized two months ago for having the least vulnerable children in British Columbia. That was the second time in a row that the community was recognized in this way by a province-wide study. A story about Revelstoke’s success that appeared in the Vancouver Sun a couple of weeks ago was widely circulated locally.
Chell said he will be notified by the National Post when the story goes to press. And The Revelstoke Current will ensure that you know when and where you’ll be able to read it.
***
Students at Arrow Heights Elementary School will be expected to achieve higher grades in math this year, according to the set of goals the school has set for itself.
The 2009-2010 goals in Numeracy for AHE set a target that calls for 90 per cent of students in Grade 4-7 to achieve a C+ or better in their final math marks. They also demand that 90 per cent of students who write the Foundation Skills Assessment test in Grades 4 and 7 “meet or exceed expectations.”
As for literacy, there are two goals:
- 90 per cent of primary students shoudl be reading at their grade level by Grade 3.
- 90 per cent of students in Grades 4 and 7 should be “sustaining or achieving reading fluency and comprehension” at their grade level.
***
Mountain View Elementary School students will be expected to become better readers this year, according to the school’s 2009-2010 goals.
The goals call for 80 per cent of students to receive a C+ or better in language arts and 90 per cent of Grade 4 and 7 students to meet or exceed expectations when they take the province-wide Foundation Skills Assessment tests.
The school’s numeracy goals demand that 80 per cent of students achieve a C+ or better.
***
Mount Begbie Elementary School will be expected be better readers, too.
That school’s literacy goals call for 75 per cent of First Grade students, 85 per cent of Grade 2 and 90 per cent of Grade 3 to to meet or exceed expectations.
Mount Begbie did not set any goals for numeracy.
