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Myrtle Philip school receives grant to improve early literacy

Myrtle Philip elementary school has been awarded a grant to help identify and work with kids who may have trouble learning to read.

Myrtle Philip elementary school has been awarded a grant to help identify and work with kids who may have trouble learning to read.

The grant was awarded through the School Recognition Program, which is run out of the University of British Columbia's School Leadership Centre.

"I was excited to get the call," said Myrtle Philip Principal Ron Albertin.

"I think it is great.. When you put a proposal in to say, 'hey this is what we have done and this is where we want to go,' and they say, 'that sounds great,' that's exciting for sure."

The school will receive $3,000 to start up and operate a program to teach parents how to help improve student-reading skills in the classroom.

Obviously, said Albertin, the school needs parent volunteers to get the program up and running.

"But this is an excellent way for parents to get involved with the school and do something important," Albertin told a busy Myrtle Philip Parent Advisory Council meeting this week.

Albertin explained that the students are being assessed using a tool called the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills.

They are a set of standardized, individually administered measures of early literacy development. They are designed to be short (one minute) fluency measures used to regularly monitor the development of pre-reading and early reading skills.

The measures were developed to assess student development of phonological awareness, alphabetic understanding and automaticity, and fluency with the code.

Each measure has been thoroughly researched and demonstrated to be reliable. It also offers valid indicators of early literacy development and is predictive of later reading proficiency.

But where Myrtle Philip's project is falling down is in reaching each student who needs help. There simply isn't enough time or staff for every student who needs help to get intervention.

That's where the parents will come in. Once the kids are assessed trained parents will spend time with the kids one on one with teacher supervision.

Albertin believes the project really works. He points to statistics which show that the number of students at risk in the 2000-01 Grade 1 class fell by 8 per cent to 13 per cent over two years with intervention by the school.

And last year's Grade 1 class had only 6 per cent of students not meeting the benchmark for reading.

"We'd like to think that (was because of the intervention) so what we would like to do is provide more to see if we can get those numbers down even more," said Albertin.

Parents who are interested in volunteering should contact the school at 604 932 5321.

Whistler Blackcomb Foundation Technology Fund

Concerns were raised at this week's Myrtle Philip PAC about the technology plan being developed by the Howe Sound School District in order to receive the $275,000 offered by the Whistler Blackcomb Foundation for computers and related equipment.

In order to get the funds the school district must match the Foundation's money.

Some at the meeting were worried that the plan to centralize and standardize all technology in the district through the school board may not be in the best interests of Myrtle Philip school.

Under the current plan each PAC would donate thousands of dollars through the District Parent Advisory Council to the school district annually. But individual schools may not receive any upgraded technology for years.

Principals and teachers are currently being canvassed about the educational goals for technology in their schools. This information will be part of the plan put in place by the district and will guide what technology schools receive. This process is not unlike what currently happens.

PACs may opt of the project if they want.

Currently the school district is working on its technology plan and an educational plan, both of which are pre-requisites to get access to the grant money.

Top of the list under the technology plan is to standardize all computer systems in the district, which means getting rid of the Apple products in five district schools.

Work continues on this project, which will likely come up again at the next DPAC meeting in Pemberton on Feb. 16.

Bus schedule under review

Discussions are also underway about the current bus schedule. Many parents are concerned because students are arriving at the school up to 40 minutes before classes start.

Currently the bus brings kids to the school just after 8 a.m. and the bell rings at 8:40 a.m.

"We are discussing this right now," said Albertin.

"I think it is fair to say there is a problem and parents are upset because the kids are arriving so early."

The problem stems from trying to get the students to Whistler's three schools with the same number of buses used before Spring Creek Elementary opened earlier this month.

It would be possible to move the start time of classes to 8:30 a.m. but that would push back the when school ends and make it difficult to arrange bussing for the Kindergarten kids.

"There is a solution but it would mean looking at the Kindergarten run at lunch," said Albertin.