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RCMP school liaison officer supported

Whistler’s three schools may be in line to get a full time police school liaison officer. RCMP Cst.

Whistler’s three schools may be in line to get a full time police school liaison officer.

RCMP Cst. Michelle Nesbitt told the Myrtle Philip Parent Advisory Committee meeting this week, "that there was a chance that a full time position is going to be created."

The PAC overwhelmingly approved the idea and voted to send a letter of support to the RCMP.

Nesbitt, who is currently the Community Policing Officer, already spends time in the schools with the DARE program and others.

"There are tons and tons of benefits of having a school liaison officer in the school," she said.

Last year two youths in elementary school confided to Nesbitt that they had suicidal thoughts. She was able to intervene and help the families get the help they needed.

Her presence also acts as a deterrent for youths thinking of doing illegal things, such as dealing drugs or committing acts of vandalism.

And it teaches youths that a police officer is someone you can trust and get help from and not just the billy club-carrying, gun-wielding law enforcer portrayed on TV or in the media.

There have been concerns raised by parents in the past over the idea of having a police liaison officer said PAC chair Cathy Jewett.

Some parents were worried about having a gun in the school while others were concerned that their kids might be arrested on the spot for doing something stupid and illegal and hauled off to jail.

The concern was that their kids might pay a heavy price for a moment of poor decision-making in an otherwise trouble-free time.

Nesbitt explained that the gun goes with the uniform.

"But I have talked about this in the DARE classes and after the first couple of days the curiosity stops," she said.

And as for kids being arrested, that would only be the case if the youth carried out a violent crime or continued with the illegal behaviour even after repeated warnings.

"We now by law have to pursue other avenues than court," said Nesbitt.

Those may include restorative justice, meeting with parents, writing letters of apology, or doing community work.

Nesbitt is not allowed to talk to youth about their alleged criminal behaviour with talking to the parents first.

If the plan goes ahead the position would be created in 2005.

But it is early days yet and all the stakeholders must be involved and on board before discussions with the municipality, which would fund the position, can take place.

Next PAC meeting

The next Myrtle Philip PAC meeting will be held March 23 at 7 p.m. at the school. The date was changed due to spring break. The next coffee get together will be hosted by Grade 2 parents and will be held March 26. Coffee and goodies will be available when you drop off your kids for school.

(Whistler Secondary PAC meets Tuesday, Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. at the school)

Learn how to talk to your kids about sex

It is never too soon to talk to your kids about sex. But many parents shy away from the subject because they just don’t know what or how to say all the things they want to.

Well help is at hand. The Coast Garibaldi Health Unit is hosting two education evenings for parents on how to speak about sexual health. The first will be on March 9 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Whistler Secondary School library. The date for the second is yet to be set.

It will be led by Rae McDonald a nurse/educator who has worked in the field of sexuality education for five years.

To reserve a seat call 604-932-3202 or register at the public health unit on Lorimer Road.

Whistler Blackcomb Foundation donation for technology

The technology in the district has now been inventoried and its hoped that the education plan and technology plan will both be completed by March.

The Whistler Blackcomb Foundation has given $275,000 to the school district to be used for technology over three years. In order to access the fund the school district must match that either by itself or with donations from other places and contributions by the PACs throughout the district.

While there are a few wrinkles still to be worked out trustee Don Brett told the PAC this week, "We will find some way to match the funds and make this work for our kids."

Some parents have voiced concerns over how much PACs would have to put in.

If the PACs had to find all the matching funds – which they don’t – each school would have to put in about $6,000 per year.

In reality said Brett the donation by PACs will be far less than this.

New policy for enrolling kids in non-catchment area schools

If you want your kids to go to a school other than the one designated by the school board then you must have your request in by March 1.

A wait list was established last month that would priority order the students in accordance with the category – non-catchment and non-school district – and the date and time of application.

If space and facilities are available then the student will be accepted on a first come, first serve basis in accordance with the following priorities:

1. A catchment area child;

2. A non-catchment area child who resides in the school district;

3. A non-school district child who resides in the province of B.C.

A student who applies after March 1 may be considered for enrolment at the discretion of the principal.

If parents wish to appeal the principal’s transfer decision they must submit a letter by April 7.

Parents and stakeholder groups will be advised by May 31 of the placement practices for the coming year.

Parents who applied for transfer will be notified by June 30 of the status of their application when submitted between March 1 and June 15.

For more information go to: www.sd48.bc.ca

Secondary School Futures community workshop.

Whistler’s first school future’s community workshop, held last week, was huge success with over 90 people attending the session.

School board superintendent Dr. Rick Erickson said several priorities were established during the meeting.

"An important one was flexibility," said Erickson.

Parents and other stakeholders wanted to know more about how they could maximize the number of courses on offer for students by sharing resources with the other high schools.

For example, said Erickson, some youths in Whistler wanted access to automotive courses but currently they are only available in Pemberton. And some youths here were interested in having more flexibility in the school schedule so they could work seasonally.

"The table discussions were quite lively and I think quite productive and I found them particularly informative, being new to the area," said Erickson.

"I was also really impressed with the wide variety of participants."

The top five priorities that came out of the workshop were:

• To offer greater choice and flexibility;

• To continue the pursuit of excellence in all areas of the school;

• To foster community support for the school and for the school to support the community;

• To maintain a healthy school climate;

• To continue to encourage the attendance of international students.

Pemberton held its workshop yesterday and another will be held in Squamish next month.

The workshops were put together because high schools are facing several new issues including a new Grad Program, calendar options, school-within-schools options, social responsibility issues, teacher advisor options, new technology options and so on.

When the workshops are over the information will help set a course for the secondary school programs for the next five years and trends may be identified which can help with goal setting.

They also ensure that all education partners are involved in the discussion from teachers, support staff, students, parents, school trustees and the community.

More information about the workshops will be available on the school district Web site (www.sd48.bc.ca) in the coming days.

Private school seeks scholarship recipients in Whistler

St. Michaels University School in Victoria is targeting Whistler for school scholarships.

This is the first time in St. Michaels 96-year history that it has offered scholarships. Each one is worth $10,000 and is available for youths in Grades 8-10 starting in September.

The scholarships are renewable annually. The school offers a strong academic curriculum including 16 university level advanced placement courses as well as performing arts programs and sports.

For more information go to www.smus.bc.ca

Interest in French immersion

Myrtle Philip PAC will be sending a letter to the school board expressing interest in having an immersion program at the school.

The request comes as the Canadian Parents for French, a national network for the promotion and support of French Second language learning opportunities for young Canadians, highlights recent studies underlining the educational advantages of learning a second language.

"Learning a second language is an important experience in itself. However, this research shows that the process of learning French or other languages can have a positive impact on a child’s development regardless of their goals or aspirations," said Melanie Tighe-lovsin, president of CPF, B.C. and Yukon branch.

The studies by scholars at York University, MIT, the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and the Montreal Neurological Institute show that bilingual students develop an ability to ignore distraction and concentrate their attention. Learning a second language also teaches students to separate tasks when the rules change, such as the rules of language.

People who speak two languages early in life quickly learn that names of objects are arbitrary so they deal with a level of abstraction very early.

Immersion is not supposed to cost any more to offer than the regular school program but since class size often dwindles the costs can be slightly greater than for a regular grade.

Districts who offer the program also get extra federal funding.

"There is no question that there is the market in communities such as Whistler to start the program," said Adrian Dix executive director of CPF.

He also believes offering this option strengthens the public school system by offering parents another choice.

"Every time you keep someone in the public school system in the community that is $6,000 in funding for the whole system, so financially this is a very good deal. You are offering something extra and you get extra funding for offering it."

Parents who are interested should contact CPF at 1-800-665-1222 or go to www.cpf.bc.ca.

The organization set a new record for French immersion this year with 33,400 province wide, and it will come up to 38,000 by 2010.

Dix believes the increase in numbers is due in part to a realization by parents that their kids need new and different skills if they are to succeed in the future.

"The children of forest workers are going to have to be able to do different things with different skills," he said.

"But even more important than that, the program has worked educationally.

"Students are developing concentration skills and work habit skills that are remarkable, and secondly they are developing language skills. Learning a second language teaches you a lot about language and communications."