Dear parents, students and VSB staff members:

Welcome to the 2010-11 school year and all the promise and opportunity of a new beginning.

It is an exciting time for Vancouver schools and there is much to be proud of with our extensive range of programs and services that serve one of the most richly diverse populations in the country.  It is also a challenging time as we deal with some difficult decisions about the best use of our resources.

In the coming months we will be exploring and discussing a balanced school calendar, also referred to as year-round schooling. We'll be consulting with communities about a potential Aboriginal-focused mini-school - a school-within-a-school. You'll also be hearing more about the latest buzzwords in education "21st Century Learning" as we consider strategies and tools that enhance teaching and engage students.  We will also be consulting with schools and parents as we consider potential school closures as a possible cost-saving measure. We know parents are anxious to know more about this process and we will keep up-to-date information available at www.vsb.bc.ca/school-closures

We encourage parents to participate in PACs and we will continue to seek their voice through the representation on the District Parent Advisory Council (DPAC). As always we welcome input and ideas and we encourage you to check our website (www.vsb.bc.ca) regularly to find out what's happening in the VSB and how you can participate. You can also find trustees' email addresses at www.vsb.bc.ca/about-vsb/trustees so you can contact them directly.  

At the Vancouver Board of Education we are pleased to welcome two new Associate Superintendents - Dr. Jordan Tinney and Ms. Maureen Ciarnello. They both bring strong leadership experience from their respective former school districts and will help ensure the high quality of Vancouver schools.

In the coming year you can follow us on Facebook where you can 'Be a Fan' of the VSB (watch for the link from the VSB webpage). You can also sign up for our Twitter tweets by following SD39.

So here's to the new school year filled with successes, challenges, innovation and celebrations - and most of all, lots of learning!

Best wishes for a great school year,

Patti Bacchus
Chairperson, Vancouver Board of Education