The following is a summary of motions carried by School District No. 5 (SD5) School Board of Trustees during the June 10 meeting.

Motions Carried

• THAT the Board Authority/Authorized Course – Essentials for Online Learning be approved.
• Bylaw to Approve the 2025/26 Budget (Second Reading).
• Bylaw to Approve the 2025/26 Budget (Third and final reading), passed and adopted.
• Bylaw to close Grasmere Elementary School – Consent to all three readings of the School Closure Bylaw. • Three readings of the Bylaw to approve the closure of Grasmere School effective June 10, 2025.

CHAIR’S REPORT

From the Province

“Last year, the BCSTA participated in the CPR learning engagement meeting with the Ministry of Education and Child Care and recently received follow up information on the results of this engagement and advocacy.

“In follow up to the CPR learning engagement meeting the Ministry of Education and Child Careheld with your organization last year, I am writing to share the decision about how this learning will be added to the provincial curriculum.

Based on the feedback and suggestions we received from education partners and community health experts, the topics of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) learning will be added within the Grade 10 Physical and Health Education (PHE) curriculum. This change will take effect beginning July 1, 2025, for all schools in BritishColumbia to implement for the 2025/26 school year,” said Angie Calleberg, Executive Director, Curriculum and Assessment at Ministry of Education and Child Care. Learn more.

From the District

Additional information on Motions Carried by the Board:

Essentials for Online Learning course provides an introduction to the essential elements required for the successful completion of courses through online learning opportunities. Parents will also have access to this course, in order to better support their children.

There are three readings required to approve the budget for 2025/25. The first reading was held and passed in May 2025, with the following two readings passed in June 2025. It should be noted that the student enrollment, which determines how money is allocated to the budget, has shown an anticipated decline of 100 students. All schools, operations and levels of administration have worked diligently to ensure that educational needs of all students are equitably addressed in the 2025/26 Budget.

Bylaw 05-2025 School Closure of Grasmere Elementary School

Three readings of Bylaw 05-2025 have approved the official closure of Grasmere Elementary School. Several community engagement meetings were held during this year to discuss the potential future of the school site. The community requested a lease agreement be supported enabling the community to make public use of the grounds and further develop opportunities of community use through grants for the grounds and school building. Approval has been given to draft a lease agreement to be presented to the Board of Education in August 2025.

Community Engagement Meetings for 2024/25

The intended focus of the Community Engagement Meetings is to provide a presentation in each community as to the ties between the Strategic Plan for the district and success for students/anticipated areas of improvement for the following year. The presentations included a thoughtful reflection from each school as to the focus of their growth plans.

Graduation Ceremonies

One of the highlights of June each year is the formal recognition of students who have completed their Grade 12 Graduation Requirements. It is always a pleasure to watch the students walk across the stage, taking their first steps into adult life. If you have the time, I’m sure you will enjoy:

Sparwood Graduation                          May 31

KDS Graduation                                   June 19

Elkford Graduation                               June 26

Cranbrook Graduation                         June 26

Fernie Graduation                                June 27.

In Gratitude 

From the Board of Education of School District 5 (Southeast Kootenay) we extend our thanks to all staff members for the extra push required to get the last of our collective goals accomplished at this time of the year. Thanks to the graduating students with our sincere wish that you have a successful and rewarding journey and thanks to the parents, family members and community for supporting K-12 education. – Doug McPhee, Board Chair.

e-KNOW file photo

SD5

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