Frequently Asked Questions 1. General. How big is the Richmond School District? Richmond is British Columbia’s fifth largest school district, with eleven secondary schools, 37 elementary schools, and 1 annex and a student body of nearly 23,000 plus over 200 international students. How do I know what school to send my child to? Normally students attend the school in their catchment area. If you are uncertain about which is your child’s catchment school, call the board office at 604-668-6000. All schools, with their addresses, phone numbers, and names of the principal are listed in the schools section. What if I want to send my child to a school in a different neighbourhood? You are required to fill out and sign a District Transfer Form, available from the district office or from the catchment area school. The form has to be initialed by the principal of the catchment school, and submitted to the principal of the requested school by March 1 of the preceding school year. Applications will be considered under the criteria listed in the district policy. How are school grades organized? Elementary school includes students from Kindergarten to Grade 7. Kindergarten to Grade 3 are the primary grades, and Grades 4 to 7 are the intermediate grades. Secondary school includes Grades 8 and 9 in the Intermediate Program and Grades 10 to 12 in the Graduation Program. Grade level is based primarily on the student’s age. At what age are children required to be registered at a school? All children between ages 6 and 16 must be registered at a school. A child who turns 5 before December 31 of that year is eligible to attend kindergarten. The next year, attendance is compulsory, and a child who turns 6 before December 31 is placed in Grade 1. Students may remain in school until age 19 if they turn 19 before July 1 of that school year. How do I register my child at school? If your child is just beginning Kindergarten, if you have just moved to Richmond, if your child has been attending private school or home schooling, or if you have just moved to a new school attendance area within Richmond, you can go to your local school and register. In order to ensure placement in your catchment school for the following September, you must register your child by June 15 of that year. If you are unable to register by June, then you may register your child at the District Registration Centre at the school board office during the summer. Details are in the Student Placement Policy folder under District Information, at our website at www.sd38.bc.ca. If you don’t have access to the internet, you can call the District Placement Officer at 604-668-6000. If you register your child after June 15, he/she may be sent to another nearby school in the district, if the catchment school is full. If placed at a nearby school, the student may return to the catchment school at any time during the school year, once space and resources are available. If your child is returning to school after school opening in September, you must complete a Notice of Late Return form, available from the school, and submit it to the school office by June 30. Without this written notification, she may be required to attend another school in the district if space doesn’t allow attendance at her catchment school. When does the school year begin and end? The school year starts in September, the day after Labour Day for most schools, and ends on the last Friday in June. (Secondary students do not attend regular classes during the last two weeks of June but may be writing exams.) For specific dates for this year, you can check the electronic calendar on our website at www.sd38.bc.ca. If you don’t have access to the internet, contact your catchment school. The phone numbers are listed in the schools section. What hours do children attend school? Most students attend school from Monday to Friday for six hours a day, although all kindergarten students attend for a half day. Since hours vary slightly from school to school, you can phone your school office and find out when the school day begins and ends. The phone numbers are listed in the schools section. What about school holidays? Students do not attend school on statutory holidays, winter and spring breaks, and summer holidays. They also don’t attend on days set aside as non-instructional days. Each school sends home information about holidays and other days that the school is closed for instruction. Richmond schools respect cultural and religious holidays. Parents are asked to advise their child’s teacher if their child will be away from school to observe special holidays. What are professional development (ProD) days, when are they, and what purpose do they serve? Each school in the district has a number of Professional Development (ProD) days, or non-instructional days, set aside each year. On these days students do not attend school. Some ProD days are district-wide while others are organized by teachers at the school level. The purpose of ProD days is to provide staff with the workshops, discussion groups or other forms of learning about current changes in curriculum, instruction methods or implementation of new programs. Professional development is more than the ProD days, as individual staff members, teams, and sometimes groups of schools pursue a variety of opportunities outside of the designated days. What medical conditions should I tell the school about? You should let the school know immediately if your child has: • a seizure disorder (epilepsy) • diabetes • asthma • severe allergies • anaphylactic shock due to severe allergies • any unstable medical condition which might require calling an ambulance if the child’s condition were to change. What do I do if my child is to be absent from school? Phone and advise the school before classes start in the morning. The school numbers are listed on page 56. Many schools have an Early Warning System to identify children who should be at school but aren’t. Some schools require a note from home explaining the reason for a child’s absence. If your child needs to leave the school during the day, check with your school or school handbook to find out the proper procedure. What happens if my child is ill and unable to attend school for an extended period? Our Hospital/Homebound Program serves both elementary and secondary students who are away from school due to hospitalization and/or illness for periods of two weeks or longer. If you require this program, contact your child’s school. Requests for this service are made by the school-based team. 2. Counseling Services What counseling services are available at the elementary level? We have Area Counselors who provide counseling for students in a “family” of elementary schools. Area Counselors help individual students deal with their needs, and they respond to critical incidents affecting students at school. Area Counselors work as part of a team in determining difficulties of individual children, and they cooperate with teachers to find ways to support these children in the classroom. Teachers or administrators will alert parents if there is a need for counseling, and they will also respond to parents’ requests for counseling services. If you have concerns about your child’s learning, about her behaviour, or about anything else, please talk to the classroom teacher. The teacher can then make a request for area counseling services if needed. For further information about Area Counselors, you can contact your school principal. What counseling services are available at thesecondary level? Secondary counselors are available at any time during the school day. A request for service can be made by parents, school staff, or by students directly. Secondary counselors assist students with personal concerns as well as with course selection, career exploration, scholarship opportunities, or applying to post secondary institutions. 3. Assessment of Kindergarten Students. How are children of kindergarten age assessed? DISCOVER: Learning Strengths (DLS) is a screening program to assess the learning strengths of kindergarten students. DLS is performance-based, which means that students carry out tasks such as drawing, counting, building, classifying, assembling puzzles, and storytelling. DLS looks at all forms of intelligence – linguistic, logical-mathematical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, kinesthetic, spatial, naturalistic, and musical. 4. Additional Student Support Services. Are there any programs for children and youth whose needs cannot be met within the regular classroom? Yes, our district has a number of such programs. However, our primary commitment is to provide an inclusive program and additional support as required to enable all students to be successful in their neighbourhood school. For information about what options are available, you can contact your principal or the district office. How do schools decide how the requirements for special needs students will be met? Each school has a school-based team consisting of administrators, teachers, parents (of the child with a special need), counselors, educational assistants, ESL teachers, speech and language clinician, and other professionals as needed. These teams determine what kind of support children with special needs require. The overall approach is to build a comprehensive program for each child, and, in the interest of providing continuity and establishing consistency in relationships, to minimize the number of professionals working with a child. What support is available for Hearing Impaired and Visually Impaired students? The district has itinerant teachers who specialize in instruction for both hearing impaired and visually impaired students. They are part of the school-based resource team that decides how best to meet the child’s learning needs. What support is available for gifted students? Teachers use a range of techniques for identifying gifted learners, which allow for language and cultural differences as well as different types of intelligence – linguistic, logical-mathematical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, kinesthetic, spatial, naturalistic, and musical. Observations of parents, teachers, and the children themselves are key in the identification process. The needs of gifted learners are assessed individually and extra support is provided when it is necessary for the student to thrive. That support can take many forms and is described in an Individual Education Plan (IEP). What support is available for mental health needs? In partnership with Richmond Mental Health Services, the school district operates the Richmond School Program, a mental health program for elementary aged children. All requests for service are coordinated through the Area Counselor at the child's home school. Treatment for children will not proceed without the involvement and consent of parents. This program remains open during the usual school breaks. There are also community supports dealing with counselling related issues. School counsellors can help direct people to appropriate services. 5. English as a Second Language. What support is available for students for whom English is a second language? The support needed for students learning English as a Second Language (ESL) comes under two broad categories. There are those requiring Basic Interpersonal Communications Skills (BICS), and those requiring Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP). Students who are acquiring conversational fluency (BICS) receive some support outside the regular classroom. When students move on to acquire academic language proficiency (CALP), support is required within the classroom. Levels of support have been divided into five categories, ranging from the Level 1 beginner level to the Level 5 near-fluent level. Students in levels 1 to 4 receive direct support from an ESL teacher, either in their classroom or in the ESL teacher’s room. In addition, all ESL students receive support from their classroom teacher. How can I access the services of an interpreter? District Cultural Interpreters offer service in a variety of languages that reflects the diverse linguistic population of Richmond. In addition to Cultural Interpreters the District also maintains a pool of trained volunteers who provide support to families and schools for general, non-confidential interpreting and translating needs. Cultural Interpreters provide a bridge between school district staff and students and parents in situations where language or cultural differences impair communication. They also provide a translation service on occasion. Because there are so many students and parents who require interpretation or translation services, it is not possible to provide an interpreter in every situation or to translate all documents. Therefore, the district is heavily dependent on parent and community volunteers. We also work closely with local immigrant serving agencies. Parents may inform their local school of their need for Cultural Interpreters. The schools will then make the necessary arrangements. 6. French Immersion. Can you tell me about your French Immersion Program? Designed for students whose first language is not French, this bilingual education program is open to all Richmond students. Between Kindergarten and Grade 12, students follow the regular BC curriculum, studying approximately half of their time in English and half in French. Graduates of the program can participate easily in French conversations, take post-secondary courses with French as the language of instruction, and accept employment with French as the language of work. Richmond’s Early French Immersion program (EFI) is available for students who enter Kindergarten or Grade 1. For the first three years of the program, teaching is in French only. Then, from Grades 3 to 7, the English Language Arts is taught one hour per day. In Grades 8 to 10, 50% of courses are offered in English; in Grade 11, 75% of courses are offered in English; and in Grade 12, all courses but one are offered in English. Students receive a bilingual diploma upon finishing Grade 12. There is also a Late French Immersion (LFI) program, which begins in the Grade 6 year. LFI provides an intense language learning experience that enables students to join the EFI students in Grade 8 French Immersion. Richmond French Immersion programs are provided in schools that also offer the regular English program. The resulting multilingual school environments give students many opportunities to develop an openness towards other linguistic groups. 7. Career Development. What Career Preparation programs does the district provide? Career Preparation Programs offer an innovative approach to education that combines academic studies with realistic work placements in local businesses in the community. Career Preparation Programs are designed for students who wish to graduate from secondary school and, at the same time, develop career awareness and relevant skills. Students may begin their Career Preparation Program as early as Grade 10, however, most courses are completed in Grades 11 and 12. All programs will lead to post-secondary education at Universities, Colleges, Vocational or Technical Schools. Upon graduation, a student’s transcript will indicate completion of the Career Preparation Program. In some cases, this may lead to preferential admission to a post-secondary program. The Work Experience component of a CP Program provides an opportunity for students to learn to assume responsibility; to gain knowledge and attitudes necessary for successful job performance; to acquire good work habits; to develop an understanding and appreciation of the relationship between formal education and job success; to learn how to work cooperatively with fellow workers; and to put into practice skills learned in school. Career Technical Consortium Programs (CTC) CTC Programs provide Entry Level Trades Training (ELTT) or Pre-Apprenticeship training. Some programs may be available within specific secondary schools, others are offered at Kwantlen University College (Newton Campus). During Grades 11 and 12 students can complete secondary school graduation requirements as well as Level 1 Technical Training in a specific trade. Secondary School Apprenticeship Program (SSA) Apprenticeship training combines paid workplace training and technical, in-school training. Apprenticeships are two to five years in length depending on the trade chosen, including six weeks of technical training per year. Students start the first year of their apprenticeship while still in secondary school. The technical training will be given at one of the local colleges. This is a venture with students, employers, the Richmond School District, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Advanced Education, and the Industry Training Authority. Visit the Industry Training Authority website at: www.itabc.ca Career Development Website To find out more about Career Development opportunities visit: http://public.sd38.bc.ca:8004/~careers/ This website includes the Career & Counselling Centre website (CCNews) and is applicable to Grade 10, 11 and 12 students. It provides information about career and post-secondary options such as career fairs, program information sessions, entrance tests, campus tours, scholarships, and exchange programs. The website also provides information on post-secondary applications, employment, volunteering opportunities and entrance tests. 8. Summer School. Does the district offer summer courses? Several summer school programs for both school-age and adult students are offered by our Continuing Education department: Full Credit Grade 10-12 courses, Remedial (failed) Grade 8-11 courses, English as a Second Language courses, and many Enrichment classes that both develop interests and support academic studies. Fees are assessed to recover costs. 9. Continuing Education. Is there a Continuing Education program? Continuing Education offers learning opportunities on a cost-recovery basis to youth and adults, making use of our school facilities afternoons, evenings and weekends. Program areas include Adult Secondary School Completion (Literacy to Grade 12), Arts, Business and Careers, Computers, Family Life, Health, Home Arts, Home Improvement, Languages (including Adult ESL and after-school ESL for youth), and Personal Development. Several diploma programs such as Legal Secretary, Professional Florist, Medical Office Administration, Office Administration, Business Management, and Sales & Marketing enable students to find employment in these fields, or to continue to post-secondary studies. 10. Province-Wide Tests. What province-wide tests do children receive and what are they for? Province-wide tests are administered at all BC schools. Students in Grades 4 and 7 receive Foundation Skills Assessment (FSA) tests in Reading, Writing, and Numeracy. Their purpose is to provide information to curriculum developers and policy makers about how the school curriculum is meeting the needs of students. Mandatory Provincial examinations are administered to Grade 10 students in Science, Mathematics and Language Arts and to Grade 11 students in Social Studies and to Grade 12 students in a total of 21 academic courses. All Grade 12 students in British Columbia participate in at least one examination session per year, depending on their school’s timetable. These exams help to determine students’ eligibility for graduation and for university entrance. Provincial exams are held annually in our schools in January, June and August. 11. Revised Graduation Program How has the Graduation program changed? The Ministry of Education has revised the Graduation Program Requirements for students beginning Grade 10 in 2004. There are several key changes to the Graduation program. Grade 10 is now considered part of the Graduation Program rather than the Intermediate Program. To graduate, students must complete a minimum of 80 credits over the three-year Graduation Program. Planning 10 Planning 10 is a required course designed to help students develop the confidence and skills they need to become self-directed individuals who display initiative, set priorities, establish goals, make thoughtful decisions, and take responsibility for pursuing their goals in an ever-changing society. This course replaces Career and Personal Planning (CAPP) 11/12. Graduation Portfolio To graduate, students must demonstrate their achievement in information technology, personal health, employability skills, education and career planning, and art and design by assembling a Graduation Portfolio. The completion of this portfolio, which is mandatory for all graduates, is worth 4 credits towards graduation. It replaces the previously required completion of a Student Learning Plan. Provincial Examinations As part of the 2004 Graduation program, all students are required to write a minimum of five Graduation Program Exams: 1. Grade 10 Language Arts 2. Grade 10 Science 3. Grade 10 Mathematics 4. Social Studies exam attached to the Grade 11 or 12 course taken by the student. These four exams account for twenty percent of a student’s final course mark. 5. Grade 12 Language Arts exam attached to the required course taken by the student. Grade 12 exams account for forty percent of a student’s final course mark. 12. Enriched Programs. Does the district offer an International Baccalaureate program? Yes, the International Baccalaureate (IB) program is offered at Grade 11 and 12 and is based on a curriculum originally developed for students whose parents moved frequently around the world and thus required a consistent course of study. IB is also used as an enriched academic curriculum in selected public schools in North America. In Richmond, it is offered at Richmond Secondary School. Students have the option of taking individual courses for an IB Certificate, or they may obtain an IB Diploma by taking a full program of IB courses. Upon completion of each course, all IB students must take a final exam administered through the program. Students may receive university credit for IB courses they have successfully completed. What is meant by Advanced Placement? Several Richmond secondary schools offer Advanced Placement (AP) Courses, which are university level courses offered to Grade 12 students. A student who successfully completes an AP course and scores a high mark on the AP exam, may receive entry level university credit for that course. Are there any other enriched courses available? Yes, many schools have an Incentive Program for classroom groupings of students in Grades 8, 9, and 10. In these classes, teachers encourage students to take initiative and responsibility for their own learning. 13. Resolving Concerns. Who should I contact if I have a question about my child’s education? The first person you should speak to is your child’s classroom teacher. What do I do if I have a problem that can’t be resolved by speaking with the teacher? The next step is to ask for more help by involving the principal of the school. Most issues can be resolved at the school level. If more help is needed, you can speak to the Area Superintendent for your school, then the Superintendent, and then the Board of Trustees. It’s always best to solve the problem with the people directly involved.