We hope that the upcoming year is a rich and rewarding experience for everyone. We are committed to working with parents so that this year will be the best possible year for all students. Please join us as part of the Wiltse team – “Working and Winning Together”.

MISSION STATEMENT

“Wiltse School is committed to providing a safe, caring environment to develop life-long learners with a positive self concept.”

CORE VALUES

The ethos of the school should be set firmly within the following framework of values:

§ To respect ourselves, others and property.

§ To develop caring and co-operative relationships among staff, parents and children.

§ To appreciate the value of learning

§ To develop a positive and realistic self-concept.

§ To encourage students to be motivated life long learners.

SCHOOL BOARD OFFICE

School District #67 (Okanagan Skaha)

425 Jermyn Avenue

Penticton, B.C. V2A 1A4

Phone: (250) 770-7700 Fax: (250) 770-7730

Office Hours: 8:30-4:00 (Monday to Friday)

School Bus Information Contact:

Berry & Smith Trucking @ 492-4042

PERSONNEL

Ms. Wendy Hyer, Superintendent of Schools

Mr. D. Burgoyne, Assistant Superintendent/Human Resources

Mrs. Pam Butters, Director of Instruction

Mr. Tom Schimmer, District Principal

Mr. F. Regehr, Secretary-Treasurer

Mr. R. Shongrunden, Asst Secretary-Treasurer

Mr. J. Hickling, Director of Maintenance

BOARD OF SCHOOL TRUSTEES

Ms. C. Denesiuk Mr. T. Siddon

Mrs. S. Clarke Mr. D. Perry

Mr. L. Little Ms. L. Van Alphen

Ms. G. Manning

SCHOOL & COMMUNITY CONTEXT:

Wiltse Elementary is School is located on the east side of Penticton on bench land that is being rapidly developed for housing. The school opened in the fall of 1992 as a K-7 elementary school and underwent the transition to a K-5 school when School District No. 67 reconfigured to a middle school model in 1999. The school serves a diverse catchment area that includes the Wiltse Flats neighbourhood, the area around the north shore of Skaha Lake, the orchard/hobby farms along Valleyview Road, and East Lakeside Road south to the new subdivisions of Lakeshore Highlands and Heritage Hills. The catchment area is the most rapidly growing area of Penticton. The current student population is slightly over 300.

The school consists of sixteen classrooms, a computer lab with thirty stations, areas for small group instruction, a well-stocked library and, a large multipurpose room and an excellent gymnasium. Wiltse School is a large part of the local community. The building is used by community groups four nights per week and frequently on weekends. The school is very fortunate to have extensive grounds that provide students with excellent play and sporting areas. The district’s maintenance department keeps both the building and grounds in excellent repair.

Parent Advisory Councils (PACs) are a way for parents to support their children and their school. According to the School Act, every parent or guardian belongs to their school’s PAC. PACs provide an avenue for parents to advise the school on any matter relating to the education of their children. The School Act recognizes that parents have important insights and perspectives that can enhance decision-making in schools.

Each year an election is held for PAC executive and appointed positions, and those parents help steer the PAC through its many responsibilities. Parent participation can involve simply attending the monthly PAC meetings, volunteering to help with certain events in the school or taking on an executive position. We encourage you to attend the PAC meetings and help us determine the direction of PAC sponsored events and fund-raising activities.

Our Wiltse PAC has been an active and valued partner in helping build a sense of community in the school. It has provided a Fun Lunch Program every Friday, operated a Safe Arrival Program every morning, purchased guitars for the guitar club, provided a clay tile art project for all students, purchased “Pikes Peak” playground equipment, purchased sound field systems to aid in instruction, purchased a quality sound system for the gymnasium, sponsored a teacher/staff appreciation week, and provided funds to support the swimming, skating and skiing programs in the school. We hope that you will support your child by helping PAC build a supportive community of students, parents, teachers, assistant and administrative staff at Wiltse School.

WPAC Executive 2009/2010

President Derek Hurst 492-6765 Vice President Laura Kuypers 490-0965

Treasurer Shannon Pickard 492-5217 Safe Arrival Coordinator Brenda Kelly 493-4204

The one-to-one reading program is a literacy program offered at Wiltse Elementary School. Children in grades one to five who are struggling with one or more aspects of their reading, and who are not receiving other specialized support in the school, are eligible to receive one-to-one tutoring for thirty minutes, three to four times per week for an eight week time period. Trained volunteer tutors provide a supportive environment, helping to improve reading fluency and comprehension. If you are available to volunteer one and a half hours per week for an eight week commitment between October and May, please contact the school.

Notes: *School District No. 67 schools are closed for the provincial spring vacation week, March 8 through March 12, 2010 and for the following week, March 15 through March 19, 2010. This second week of spring break occurs as a result of four teachers’ professional days and one school improvement planning day, normally taken throughout the school year, being taken in August prior to the beginning of the school year.

Curriculum is what all students in the province are expected to know and be able to do in each subject area at each grade. The curriculum for a given subject is outlined for teachers in an Integrated Resource Package (IRP) which you can also read and review.

IRP’s are packages of information that contain suggestions about ways to teach, how to assess students and which resources could be used in the classroom. IRP’s also, most importantly, include “learning outcomes” for specific grades. Learning outcomes (also referred to as “content standards”) are the required elements of curriculum – they describe the knowledge, skills and attitudes students are expected to develop by the end of a particular grade.

School Boards are required to provide students in Kindergarten to Grade Five with an educational program that meets the learning outcomes set out in the following IRP’s:

In Kindergarten to Grade Five, schools are required to offer 23 hours and 45 minutes of instruction per school week (note, recess is 15 minutes/day = 75 minutes per week). The following provides a summary of the required areas of study and recommended time allotments.

ª = in the primary years, teachers determine time allotments for each required subject area

· Upon their arrival, students should put away their gear and proceed outside, or to their classroom, if their teacher has unlocked the door and is supervising. Supervision on the playground begins at 8:30 a.m. and ends with the departure of the last bus at approximately 2:50 p.m.

· Students should only use the main entrance of the school before 8:30 a.m. to attend pre-arranged activities such as early team practices, or in case of emergencies.

· Unless it is an “inside day” because of bad weather, students are expected to go outside at recess and lunch hour.

· Students eating their lunch at school, will eat their lunch in their own classroom and are expected to remain there until 12:00 p.m. Students are expected to be finished their lunch and go outside, or to a teacher supervised activity, no later than 12:10 p.m. Students who bring a note from home requesting that they be allowed to stay inside due to illness will be accommodated.

· There are several out of bounds areas which students must stay away from: parking lot/stairs, behind east end of gym, the upper field, the service/fire access road and the Nature Trails. Students may only use these areas if under the direct supervision of a teacher.

A "Safe Arrival" program run by W.P.A.C. volunteers takes place each morning. Please telephone the "Safe Arrival" number, 490-0842 before 9:00 a.m., if your child will not be attending school. Please advise us of any changes in home, work, or emergency phone numbers.

Students who become ill during the day should advise their teacher immediately. Our policy is to get students home as quickly as possible when they are ill. We will call parents and ask them to pick up their child. Please do not send your child to school if he/she is showing signs of ill health.

Students are welcome to ride their bikes to school. We encourage parents to ensure that your child is familiar with the rules of the road and bicycle safety. The use of bicycle helmets is the law and students must wear a helmet if cycling to school.. Students are expected to walk their bicycles on the school grounds and to lock them securely in the bicycle stands provided. Once bikes are secured students should move immediately to their play area.

A student volunteer Safety Patrol, controls the crosswalk across Wiltse Boulevard, before and after school. Students are expected to cross at this crosswalk, follow patrollers’ instructions, and walk their bicycles across. Please assist our Safety Patrol by not parking or stopping in a location that will block their visibility.

School evacuation drills will be conducted at least six times throughout the year to practice student and staff emergency procedures.

Calendars and Newsletters 2009-2010
September	October	November	December	January
February	March	April	May	June
Living Greener Pledge

School District No. 67 (Okanagan Skaha) 2009-2010 STANDARD SCHOOL CALENDAR for all Schools
Schools Open	Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Thanksgiving Day – schools closed	Monday, October 12, 2009
Professional Development Day	Friday, October 23, 2009
Remembrance Day – schools closed	Monday, November 11, 2009
Schools close for Winter Vacation	Friday, December 18, 2009 (last day of school)
Schools Reopen	Monday, January 4, 2010
*Schools close for Spring Break and Teachers’ Professional Development Days and School Improvement Planning Day	Friday, March 5, 2010 (last day of school)
Schools Reopen	Monday, March 22, 2010
Good Friday	Friday, April 2, 2010
Easter Monday	Monday, April 5, 2010
Victoria Day - schools closed	Monday, May 24, 2010
Administrative Day (students not in attendance)	Wednesday, June 30, 2010

FOUNDATION STUDIES	K – 3	4 – 6
Language and Citizenship Language Arts Social Studies Second Language (Grades 5-8)	üª	35% ü ü Grades 5 and 6 ü	- approximately 500 mins./wk.
Science, Math and Technology Mathematics Science Information and Computer Technology (Grades 4-10)	üª	30% ü ü (Skills and concepts included in all subject areas)	- approximately 425 min./wk.
Physical Education	üª	10%	- approximately 140 min./wk.
Fine Arts Dance Drama/Theatre Music Visual Arts	üª	10% ü ü ü ü	- approximately 140 min./wk.
Applied Skills Technology Education Home Economics Business Education	üª	ü (Skills and concepts included in all subject areas)
Personal Planning Student Learning Plans (9-12) Career Development Personal Development	üª	5% ü ü	- approximately 80 min./wk.
Selected Studies		In Grades 4-8, 10% Additional time may Be allocated to any Of the above areas of Study. Either provincial Or local curriculum May be used for Additional time.	- approximately 140 min./wk.
TOTAL	100%	100%