Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools is excited to share the launch of a new program for individuals to receive the training needed to become an Education Assistant (EA) in the district.

Building Education Assistants through Mentorship (BEAM) is a six-month, part-time program that provides participants with the training, a paid internship and the mentorship required to become an Education Assistant.

The program combines in-class sessions, observations, and a paid internship alongside an experienced Education Assistant mentor. The program is flexible and allows participants to maintain their current employment while receiving training to become an Education Assistant. Once complete, program graduates are qualified to work as an Education Assistant in Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools.

If you or someone you know might be interested in becoming an EA through the BEAM program you can find out more information at sd68.bc.ca/BEAM

The Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools Board of Education is required by the School Act to pass a balanced budget for the upcoming school year by June 30. We encourage everyone to participate in this process.

Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools’ annual budget spending and priorities are guided by the district’s Strategic Plan. The Strategic Plan lays out three specific goals for the school district:

• Student success:
  • Increase literacy success rates for all students
  • Increase numeracy success rates for all students
  • Increase graduation rates for students: who identify as Indigenous, who have disabilities and diverse abilities, and/or are Children and Youth in Care
• Student and employee wellness:
  • Increase the number of students who feel welcome, safe and have a sense of belonging in their school
  • Increase the number of employees who feel valued and/or engaged
• Truth and reconciliation:
  • Increase awareness of and access to resources available to support hul’q’umi’num language learning
  • Create and share district-wide, Syeyutsus Principles of Teaching & Learning

The Board of Education’s role is to ensure that the necessary resources and funding are in place to achieve the goals in a manner that is sustainable over time.

In February, budget discussions began with the presentation of enrolment projections, the 2025-26 draft budget calendar and the presentation of the 2024-25 annual amended budget. The process continues until the Board of Education adopts the budget in May 2025. Read more.

The library at Cinnabar Valley Elementary is expanding, thanks to a $5,269 grant from the Indigo Love of Reading- Adopt a school program! The program gives 100 percent of the funds raised by each store location directly to the adopted school for the purchase of new books and literacy materials for their school and classroom libraries.

Dover Bay Secondary is hosting the 4A Senior Boys' Basketball Island Championships starting today through Saturday. The top two teams will head to Provincials! Dover Bay's Senior Boys' Basketball Team plays tonight (Thursday, Feb 20) at 6:00 pm and Friday at 8:00pm in the Dover Bay Secondary gymnasium.

Rutherford Elementary is currently undergoing renovations so that it is a fresh and welcoming space for students and families this September.

Rutherford underwent $1 million in renovations in 2021 in order to host Pleasant Valley students while Pleasant Valley was undergoing seismic work. The work in 2021 included upgrades to the school’s heating, ventilation, air conditioning and electrical systems as well as cosmetic work.

In addition, before Rutherford opens in September 2025, the following upgrades are currently underway:

• Interior classroom renovations
• PA system upgrade
• Exterior painting
• Siding renewal
• Signage update
• Heating controls upgrade
• Flooring upgrades
• Furnace replacements

Stay up to date on the latest Rutherford Elementary opening news on our website.

Did you know?

The Province of BC funds all school seismic upgrades in BC. Working with Engineers and Geoscientists BC, the province has a comprehensive school seismic mitigation program.

Find out more.

Nanaimo’s recent snowfall turned out to be the perfect setting for our French Immersion elementary schools to celebrate Carnaval!

Carnaval is the world's oldest, and largest, winter festival that celebrates French-Canadian culture and traditions. Students were able to celebrate just like children in Quebec would, with sledding, sculpture building and even a visit from the famous mascot Bonhomme Carnaval! The puffy mascot embodies the joys of winter.

Students also learned about the traditions, music and culture of Carnaval and played games and sang songs in French. All students in grades 4-7 were invited to the Landmark cinema where they enjoyed a French Film- La Guerre Des Tuques. Thank you to Canadian Parents for French for supporting these activities.

For more French-Canadian culture- all families in Nanaimo can visit the Maple Sugar Festival on Feb 21-23rd! There will be music, dancing, maple sugar tasting and more.

Since October, Grade 3 and 4 students at Rock City Elementary have let their reading go to the dogs- a very special therapy dog named Pax!

Through St. John's Ambulance's therapy dog program, Pax and his owner have visited the class to allow students a chance to read out loud to Pax. The Paws 4 Stories program supports students' love of reading and literacy.

Not surprisingly, Pax enjoys the Dog Man book series, but also listened closely to the delicious-sounding Pizza and Taco series when we visited this week. He is a Labrador, after all!

At the Strategic Directions Committee of the Board of Education February 12, there were three presentations by NLPS staff:

• Jacquie Poulin, Assistant Superintendent and Justin Green, District Vice Principal (Teaching & Learning), presented on the development of a new NLPS Learning Framework focused on numeracy.
• Stephen Epp, Principal of John Barsby Secondary, presented on John Barsby Secondary’s Learning Leaders.
• And Kerri Steel, Director of Instruction (Inclusive Education Elementary, presented on the BEAM (Becoming an Education Assistant with a Mentor) program.

You can watch the presentations here.

The Strategic Directions Committee also made the following recommendations to the Board of Education to:

• empower staff to apply for childcare spaces funding to create a child care facility at Dufferin Learning Centre.
• approve up to two additional elementary school sites in the North End to host District operated Before and After School Care in September 2025.
• approve a pilot for cost-recovery based summer programming at appropriate sites determined by staff for summer 2025.
• give the 2024/2025 NLPS Amended Annual Budget Bylaw all three readings on February 26, 2025.
• adopt the Amended Annual Budget of the Board for the fiscal year 2024/2025 at the Board of Education meeting on February 26, 2025.

You can watch a recording of the meeting here.

Ready, Set, Learn is a free family-friendly playtime for children 3 to 5 years old and their families. The program supports fostering positive connections between families, schools and supportive community agencies. The next Pizza and Play for Preschoolers dates are February 25, 27, Mar 3 and 10. Click here for more details.

Nanum - to talk, have a discussion.

Pink Shirt Day, celebrated annually on the last Wednesday of February, is a powerful day to raise awareness about bullying and to stand up against it. The day began in 2007 when two students in Nova Scotia, Canada, took a stand against bullying by organizing a protest after a classmate was bullied for wearing a pink shirt. Today, it has grown into an international movement aimed at promoting kindness, inclusivity, and respect.

Join us in making a difference by wearing pink on Wednesday, February 26, 2025, and showing your support for those affected by bullying. Together, we can help create a world where kindness and respect lead the way.

Learning with Syeyutsus is a free, virtual speaker series offered in collaboration with UBC Press and Vancouver Island Regional Libraries in support of the Truth & Reconciliation Commission Call To Action #57. Now in Season 5, our focus is on sharing inspiring stories of strength, resilience, and the thriving cultures of Indigenous peoples to broaden understanding of Indigenous experiences today. Each curated topic brings historical and contemporary perspectives of Indigenous cultures and ways of knowing, through lenses of art, law, education, environmental knowledge, and activism. We invite you to join us in this powerful learning series.

NLPS District News is produced by the NLPS communications team. We welcome your questions and feedback! You can reach us at communications@sd68.bc.ca