bc ministry of education homework guidelines

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How to Make a BC Ferries Reservation

BC Ferries vessels can fill up quickly, especially during popular travel times such as public holidays. Luckily, you can make reservations quickly online, so you can skip those long sailing waits.

What Is BC Ferries?

If you want to travel to Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, Haida Gwaii or another one of British Columbia’s other stunning island or inlet communities, your best bet is to take a ferry. BC Ferries is a publicly funded company that offers ferry services around Canada’s west coast, and there are few alternatives. Within the province, the company is the sole ferry operator. You can take a Washington State Ferries boat to southern Vancouver Island, but otherwise, travel options from Washington are limited. There are some flights that operate between the mainland and Vancouver Island, but the prices can be steep. As a publicly funded company, BC Ferries prices are comparably low. However, that paired with the limited number of options means that popular routes can fill up quickly. Reservations are recommended in the summer months and around major Canadian and provincial public holidays such as Victoria Day, Family Day, Easter, Christmas, Canada Day and BC Day.

Does BC Ferries Offer Reservations on All Routes?

BC Ferries only offers reservations on select routes, as this helps keep the sailing process organized in popular destinations. Routes that offer reservations for standard vehicles include Vancouver (Tsawwassen) to Victoria (Swartz Bay), Vancouver (Tsawwassen) to Nanaimo (Duke Point), Vancouver (Horseshoe Bay) to Nanaimo (Departure Bay), Vancouver to the Southern Gulf Islands, Powell River to Comox, Port Hardy to Bella Coola and Port Hardy to Haida Gwaii. For other routes, your best bet is to show up early to ensure you get on the next sailing. However, routes that don’t offer reservations don’t tend to be too congested.

What Kinds of Reservations are Available?

BC Ferries offers reservations for standard vehicles, commercial vehicles, livestock vehicles, groups and foot passengers. Standard vehicle reservations cover most types of personal vehicles along with their passengers. RVs, trailers and motor homes are also covered in this category. Commercial vehicles are defined as registered vehicles that weigh more than 12,125 pounds (5,500 kg). Livestock vehicles include non-commercial vehicles carrying livestock such as horses or cows. Groups can include any group of people with 10 passengers or more, but they have to be traveling in a single vehicle to make a group reservation. Foot passengers include any passenger arriving without a vehicle. Unlike vehicles, foot passengers can only make reservations over the service’s telephone hotline.

How Do You Make an Online Reservation?

To make BC Ferries reservations online, go to the service’s official website and click on the reservations option in the main menu. From there, you can choose which kind of vehicle you’d like to reserve. Select an option and choose a departure date, a departure terminal and an arrival terminal. Fill in your passenger details and vehicle details, review your travel itinerary, and pay for your tickets to confirm your reservation.

Where Can You Find Fare Information and Schedules

If you’re still in the planning stages of your trip, you can find BC Ferries fares and schedules online on the service’s website. This includes standard BC Ferries sailing schedules and package deals that include hotel rooms in popular destinations such as Victoria.

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bc ministry of education homework guidelines

Homework: How much is too much?

Bev Shaughnessy says she and her daughter are being eaten alive by the homework monster. Arieanna, a Grade 4 student in Delta, gets at least 10 hours of homework a week, according to Shaughnessy. The nine-year-old girl would like to play baseball, ride horses and cheerlead. But there s no time, Shaughnessy says. One night a week of Brownies is all they can manage. “The poor kid is run ragged. It’s overwhelming and very stressful. She can’t sleep and I’m so wired I can’t sleep,” Shaughnessy says. “I’m at my wits end.” As the school year heads to a close, many parents are questioning whether their children have received too much or too little homework. An informal online probe by The Province of 341 B.C. parents of children in Grades 1 through 12 shows widespread unease with homework volumes. Thirty-eight per cent of parents — more than one in three — say their kids are getting too much homework. Twenty-six per cent say they re not getting enough, while 36 per cent say it s just right. Twenty-three per cent of parents report that their children get five to 10 hours of homework a week, while 14 per cent say it’s more than 10 hours. Homework, long a battleground between teachers, parents and students, is coming under more scrutiny than ever as the divide grows between resisters and proponents. Teachers are assigning it but many students don’t bother to do it. Parents’ negative attitude to homework generally intensifies as the amount of homework grows, according to one study. Other research has found that parents resistance to homework can affect a child’s attitude toward school as a whole. A few elementary schools across the country have banned homework. One in Barrie, Ont., found marks went up following the ban. REINFORCING MISTAKES Parents who feel their children are being assigned too much homework say it’s cutting into other activities. “What happens when homework takes away all the negotiable time from children so that play and recreation, hobbies, friendship development and creative activities are usurped?” the Canadian Education Association asks in a recent paper. “This can’t be good. Children need time to relax and renew.” Homework can aggravate mental health challenges by adding stress to students’ lives. A 2008 survey of parents by University of Toronto researchers is peppered with caregivers’ comments about burnout and low self-esteem. And the rigours of children’s homework can even put stress on their parents marriage, the survey found. Homework can also trigger tension between different cultural groups in which parents have conflicting expectations of how much is needed, experts say. Even its proponents concede that poorly designed or inappropriate homework may hurt student achievement. Research over the past 10 to 15 years shows homework to be an exercise that would have some merit to it but not a whole lot, says Ron Canuel, president-CEO of the Toronto-based CEA, a non-profit group whose members include school boards, teachers and other educators. UBC education professor Sandra Mathison says lots of homework at the elementary level does little to help make kids better students. “At the elementary level there is very little evidence to suggest that homework contributes very much to academic achievement,” says Sandra Mathison, a University of B.C. education professor. “At the secondary school level, there is more evidence to suggest that homework has a potentially positive impact.” Homework’s defenders cite what Mathison calls its morals-building capacity its ability to nurture a strong work ethic, self-discipline and sustained concentration. “There’s nothing wrong with that but, frankly, I don’t think many of the forms of homework accomplish this,” she says. Homework that simply extends the school day by asking students to repeat what they re doing in class is not productive, Mathison says. “Homework that gives students ‘practice’ like math worksheets, spelling words, vocabulary has a common-sense appeal, but in many cases repetition of activities is no guarantee of understanding,” she says. “If students haven t mastered the knowledge or skill they may be reinforcing mistakes and misconceptions, and homework may lead to frustration and be de-motivating for students.” Kathy Sanford, a University of Victoria education professor, says that without the support of thoughtful learning in class, students may not even know how to start homework. “This is frustrating for the learner and parent, and meaningless,” Sanford says. 10-MINUTE RULE PROPOSAL Phil Winne, an education professor at Simon Fraser University, says studies show “pretty strongly that homework is a good thing as long as you re sent home well prepared to do the work.” Winne points to a 2006 study that found an average student given appropriate homework scored 23 percentile points higher on tests than an average student who was not assigned homework. “There are a lot of conflicting messages and the poor parents are trying to figure out what’s best,” says Sanford. “Parents are frustrated with the amount of time expected to be spent on homework and want their children to have other quality time. “There are a lot of reasons why homework is really an impediment for families.” Experts are divided on how much homework is too much or too little or whether it should be assigned at all. They agree, however, that quality of what is assigned is more important than quantity. “Not all homework is created equal,” says Winne. “It’s not the time per se that matters but the characteristics of the work and the readiness of students to do it.” Poorly structured homework for which students have been inadequately prepared in class may actually do harm. “The positive effects of homework relate to the amount of homework that the student completes rather than the amount of time spent on homework or the amount of homework assigned,” say American researchers Robert Marzano and Debra Pickering. Some researchers have proposed a 10-minute rule for homework. This means that all daily homework assignments combined should take 10 minutes multiplied by the students grade level. The 10-minute time frame can be extended to 15 when required reading is included. Mathison says homework lasting more than 30 minutes daily for elementary students and one to two hours across all subjects for secondary students is unproductive. “If kids are overburdened with extra work, we run the risk of disillusioning them from schooling overall,” Sanford says. PARENTAL SUPPORT Parents play a key role by supporting learning outside of school and monitoring their children s progress regularly, says the Canadian Education Association. “It is important to be positive,” the association advises parents. “If homework leads to bad feelings between parents and children, it can have negative effects on both school and home relationships.” A 2008 study by University of Toronto researchers found that 75 per cent of parents believe their children now have “somewhat” to “much more” homework than they did as children. But nobody is putting homework on an endangered-species list. According to OECD research, the amount of time 15-year-olds in Canada spend on homework has shown little change between 2003 and 2012. “Personally, I think that a little bit of homework is a good thing. It suggests to students that there is learning to be done outside the walls of the classroom,” Winne says. “There is an opportunity to take more responsibility for your learning. It creates space for investigating things of great personal interest.” The world doesn t need people who are good at memorizing things, Sanford says. It needs people who can ask good questions, analyze and work collaboratively. “I don’t think (homework) is changing fast enough,” Sanford says. “We have lots of work to do.” If there is one thing about out-of-classroom learning on which educators agree, it s the need to read. As a result, homework is expanding to include activities that engage students in reading large amounts of text. Relevant activities range from online research to cooking to fiction to taking photos, making videos and building models. Chilliwack parent Scott Verwold believes homework can play an important role in children s lives by preparing them for eventual life outside the classroom and by building their work ethic. But his daughter Davina, a Grade 4 student, is assigned no homework, says Verwold. In previous years, Davina got more homework and did extra work voluntarily. Now that she gets none, the idea of doing extra seems onerous to her, Verwold says. Verwold is disappointed by her teacher s no-homework policy and worries the lack of homework may affect her future. “We’re in a very competitive day and age and it’s getting to be more so,” Verwold says. “It seems like schools are not preparing our kids for the competitive worlds that they will be entering in a few years.” TEACHERS TAKES ON THE OFTEN THORNY ISSUE Tanis Maxfield has been in the thick of the homework debate from two sides. As a teacher and a parent, she has witnessed the range of opinion on homework and learned when to assert and when to accommodate. “You get parents who don t believe in homework and those at the other end of the spectrum who want a daily homework regimen,” the Grade 6 French immersion teacher says. “Some believe in homework but do not feel it s important to be on top of their children and make sure they are doing it.” Still others have told Maxfield that it s more important for their children to take part in sports or music. Those parents don t want homework to detract from these pursuits. Her suggestion to parents across the spectrum is to encourage their children to read. For French immersion students, this ideally means 10 to 20 minutes reading in English and French. Maxfield says reading sources can include magazines, websites and graphic novels. Maxfield, who has two teenage daughters, has also been subject to teachers varying approaches to homework. Some have assigned large volumes of nightly homework, others have assigned none. She says her children have benefited from having to adjust to a variety of homework philosophies. “You want your children to be able to accommodate a wide range of people, expectations and workloads,” Maxfield says. They must adjust to a wide range of differences if they re going to be resilient and follow a successful path through life. Jonathan Dyck, a high-school math and English teacher in Langley, says homework can be overdone and overused. Dyck does not formally assign homework in math and leaves it open to students if they wish to practise more at home. Dyck especially encourages students in the senior grades to take charge of whether they should do work outside of the class. “Most really appreciate that approach,” he says. “It prepares them for the transition to post-secondary, where they have to be more self-directed.” A B.C. Ministry of Education spokesperson said the ministry does not have any regulations, laws or provincial policies on homework. B.C. Teachers’ Federation president Jim Iker says the teachers union has no formal policy on homework. Iker says he personally believes teachers should have the independence to tailor a homework strategy to best serve the diverse needs of students. Economically disadvantaged children will find homework more of a struggle than others, he says. “When you have kids come to school without any breakfast and sometimes without lunch, how can you expect them to do homework?” Research shows that advantaged 15-year-old students in OECD countries spend an average of 5.7 hours a week on homework, while disadvantaged students average 4.1 hours a week. “Advantaged students are more likely than their disadvantaged peers to have a quiet place to study at home and parents who convey positive messages about schooling,” one researcher says. HOMEWORK HOURS AROUND THE WORLD In 2012, 15-year-old students around the globe spent an average of 5.9 hours a week doing homework, one hour a week less than in 2003, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development says. The decline in homework may reflect the growing importance of the Internet in adolescents lives and changes in teachers ideas about whether to assign homework, and how much is adequate or too much, the OECD says. “Evidence … suggests that after around four hours of homework per week, the additional time invested in homework has a negligible impact on performance,” the OECD says. The following is a list of the average hours of homework per week assigned to students in select countries, chosen from a table published by the OECD in 2012: Shanghai-China: 13.8 Russia: 9.7 Singapore: 9.4 Italy: 8.7 U.S.: 6.1 Australia: 6 Hong Kong: 6 Canada: 5.5 Mexico: 5.2 U.K.: 4.9 Germany: 4.7 New Zealand: 4.2 Japan: 3.8 South Korea: 2.9 Finland: 2.8

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bc ministry of education homework guidelines

Government of B.C.

Student Reporting

Date came into force or revised.

Revised and under review

Policy statement

Boards of Education must provide parents of students with a minimum of five reports describing students' school progress. Reporting to parents should be timely and responsive throughout the school year.

For Grades K-9 beginning in the 2016/17 school year, Boards of Education will either

A. Develop and follow local student reporting policy and procedures set by the Board for Grades K-9, which must meet the Interim Student Reporting Guidelines for Grades K-9 as outlined below, or B. Follow the revised Student Reporting Policy as outlined below.

For Grades 10-12, Boards will follow the Student Reporting Policy.

The Ministry of Education and Child Care is redesigning curriculum and assessment to fit with the modern education system needed for today’s world. Redesigned curriculum for Grades K-9 is being implemented in the 2016/2017 school year. In addition, parental engagement about student progress reporting is taking place during the 2016/17 school year.

To provide flexibility beginning in the 2016/2017 school year, Boards of Education that have developed or are developing new student progress reporting policies and procedures for students in Grades K-9 may use these practices if they meet the Interim Student Reporting Guidelines contained in this policy.

See the following Ministerial Orders and Regulation:

A. Interim Student Reporting Guidelines for Grade K-9

Boards of Education will establish district policy outlining local procedure, which must follow the Interim Guidelines for Student Reporting for Grades K-9. These Interim Guidelines ensure that parents are receiving timely reports that meet these provincial requirements. Local policy and procedures should address how parents will receive letter grades and the form to be used for reporting. Boards must provide to the Ministry a copy of their reporting policy and information on public consultation done in developing the policy. Please send to studentpr[email protected] .

During the school year, Boards of Education must provide parents of students with a minimum of five reports describing students' school progress. Rather than focusing on formal and informal reporting to parents, reporting will be timely and responsive throughout the year, following district policies and procedures.

Reporting must include a written summative report at the end of the school year or semester.

Reports to parents will provide information about students’ progress in relation to the learning standards of the curriculum.

Summative reporting for Grades K-3

At the end of the school year, Boards must provide a written summative report to parents. Summative reports will use descriptive written comments that address the student’s progress in relation to the learning standards of the curriculum in all areas of learning as set out in the Required Areas of Study Ministerial Order. (See link to Ministerial Authority above.)

Summative reporting will also include student self-assessment of core competencies, with teacher support.

Summative reporting for Grades 4-9

At the end of the school year or semester, Boards must provide a written summative report to parents that address the student’s progress in relation to the learning standards of the curriculum in all areas of learning as set out in the Required Areas of Study Ministerial Order. (See link to Ministerial Authority above.)

Board policies and procedures will determine the use of letter grades on summary reports. Boards will provide letter grades to parents upon request.

Summative reporting will also include student self-assessment of core competencies, with teacher support as appropriate for the student.

B. Student Reporting Policy (revised)

During the school year, Boards of Education must provide parents of students with a minimum of five reports describing students' school progress. Three of the reports will be formal written reports, one of which must be a summative report at the end of the school year or semester.

The two informal reports to parents may include: telephone calls, student-led conferences, parent-teacher conferences, use of journals, e-mails, and other means. Schools and teachers determine how they will informally communicate with parents.

For the following areas of learning, the three formal reports will include a performance scale and descriptions of progress in relation to the learning standards set out in the curriculum:

For the following areas of learning, the summative formal report at the end of the year will also include descriptions of progress in relation to the learning standards set out in the curriculum:

The summative report will include student self-assessment of the core competencies, with teacher support.

Grades 4 – 5

For the following areas of learning, formal reports will include letter grades and written reporting comments to indicate students' levels of performance in relation to the learning standards set out in the curriculum:

For students in Grades 4 and 5, Boards may choose to provide letter grades to parents in a document other than a report card.

For the following areas of learning, the three formal reports will use written reporting comments, or a performance scale accompanied by written reporting comments, to indicate students' levels of performance in relation to the learning standards set out in the curriculum:

Physical and Health Education

For the following areas of learning, the summative report will also include written reporting comments, or a performance scale accompanied by written reporting comments, to indicate students' levels of performance in relation to the learning standards set out in the curriculum:

The summative report will include student self-assessment of the core competencies, with teacher support as appropriate for the student.

In Grades 6-9, formal reports will include letter grades and written reporting comments, where deemed appropriate, to indicate students' levels of performance in relation to the learning standards set out in the curriculum for the following areas of learning:

The summative report at the end of the school year or semester will also include student self-assessment of core competencies, with teacher support as appropriate for the student.

Grades 10 - 12

The Interim Student Progress Reporting Guidelines for Grades K-9 do not apply to Grades 10-12. Nevertheless, reporting to parents should be timely and responsive throughout the school year.

In Grades 10 to 12, formal reports will include letter grades, percentages and written reporting comments, where deemed to be appropriate, to indicate students' level of performance in relation to the learning outcomes set out in the curriculum for each course or subject and grade.

When students are meeting the Prescribed Learning Outcomes of the Graduation Transitions Program, a comment of "Meeting requirement" will be made on the term and final reports. A comment of "Not meeting requirement" will be made at any time when students are not meeting the Prescribed Learning Outcomes of the Graduation Transitions Program. Where a "Not meeting requirement" comment is made, it is recommended that a further comment is made to outline a plan for the student to meet the requirement.

Upon successful attainment of the Graduation Transitions Program, "Requirement Met (RM)" will be recorded on the student's transcript.

All formal reports should contain a description of student behaviour, including information on attitudes, work habits, effort and social responsibility.

Students with Special Needs (all grades)

Where students with special needs are expected to achieve or surpass the learning curriculum standards or learning outcomes of their learning program, regular reporting procedures will be used to indicate progress. Where it is determined that a student with special needs is not capable of achieving the learning standards or learning outcomes of provincial or Board Authority Authorized curriculum, and substantial course or program modification is necessary, specific individual goals and objectives will be established for the student in his or her Individual Education Plan (IEP). Reporting to parents will be in relation to these specific individual goals as they relate to each XSIEP or LD (locally developed non-credit) course in which the student may be enrolled. It may not be appropriate to provide letter grades to all students.

Students on Modified Curricula (all grades)

For students with special needs who are not working toward the learning standards or learning outcomes of the curriculum but rather toward individualized goals or objectives in an IEP, the most appropriate form of reporting for the student should be determined by the School Based Team.

If letter grades are used, it should be stated in the body of the student progress report that the grade is given in relation to the individualized goals and objectives and not in relation to provincial or Board Authority Authorized curriculum standards and core competencies.

ELL and FLL Students (all grades)

Where an English language learner, or a French language learner in a Francophone program, is following the learning standards or learning outcomes of the provincial curriculum or a local program, regular reporting procedures are used to show progress. Where these students are not following the learning standards or learning outcomes of the curriculum, the written report must contain comments describing what the student can do, areas in which he or she requires further attention or development, and ways of supporting his or her learning.

Use of the Letter Grade "I"

The letter "I" will be used to alert parents when students, for a variety of reasons, are not demonstrating minimally acceptable performance in relation to the learning standards or expected learning outcomes. The "I" may be used at any time during the school year on informal or formal reports. The underlying principle is that parents and students should be alerted to a problem as soon as teachers detect it.

When an "I" reporting symbol has been assigned:

The "I" letter grade must be converted to another letter grade or percentage:

An "F" letter grade can only be assigned if an "I" reporting symbol was previously assigned, or as a result of failing a provincially examinable course.

Procedures related to policy

For more information, consult the Permanent Student Record Instructions

Core Competencies

Related Resources

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Share this Story: B. C. teachers free to give students zeros for incomplete assignments

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B. C. teachers free to give students zeros for incomplete assignments

Teachers don’t like zeros any more than students do, but there are no rules in B.C. public schools that would stop them from giving a goose egg to a student who deserved it. Unlike Edmonton teacher Lynden Dorval, who was fired Friday after he ignored a school policy against awarding zeros for incomplete assignments, B.C. teachers have professional autonomy and may mark students as they see fit, Susan Lambert, president of the B.C. Teachers’ Federation (BCTF), said in an interview.

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Teachers don’t like zeros any more than students do, but there are no rules in B.C. public schools that would stop them from giving a goose egg to a student who deserved it.

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Unlike Edmonton teacher Lynden Dorval, who was fired Friday after he ignored a school policy against awarding zeros for incomplete assignments, B.C. teachers have professional autonomy and may mark students as they see fit, Susan Lambert, president of the B.C. Teachers’ Federation (BCTF), said in an interview.

B. C. teachers free to give students zeros for incomplete assignments Back to video

Dorval’s dismissal sparked a countrywide debate about student assessment and highlighted an issue that teachers have been discussing for years. Some say giving a zero is more about punishing a student for bad behaviour than grading his or her learning, but others insist a zero is the only mark possible when an assignment is ignored.

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Lambert said she doesn’t like zeros personally because they don’t contribute to student learning, but sometimes there is no other choice. “Teachers need a range of options ... (and they) need to have zeros available as a last resort.”

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The education ministry advises it has had no conversations with B.C. school districts or educators about a no-zero approach. “That being said, a no-zero policy or policy of similar nature, would be developed and implemented by a school district, not by the Ministry of Education,” spokesman Matt Silver stated in an email.

Independent schools have more latitude than public schools to set their own rules. But Peter Froese, executive director of the Federation of Independent School Associations of B.C., said he made inquiries Monday and found no evidence of a ban on zeros in those schools either.

Michael Ewen, a Surrey public school teacher and a New Westminster school trustee, said he gives his students every opportunity to finish their assignments but he will give zeros when work is not done. “I do not deduct marks for late work, but I cannot mark what I do not get.”

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The controversy points to a more pressing issue than whether teachers should give zeros, he said. The real question for him is when will schools ditch report cards in favour of continuous assessment that ensures students and their parents know exactly which lessons have been mastered and which ones still needs attention?

“When I give a zero for work not completed and handed in, despite all my efforts and interventions, it is my failure as an educator,” Ewen said. “Giving zeros is simply an admission that we, as teachers, were not successful within the constrained system as it now exists.”

A former school superintendent who now works as a consultant says no teacher who understands assessment and cares about students would give zeros. “Assessment is intended to provide students with feedback about what they know and what they do not yet know. Assessment is not about reward and punishment,” Bruce Beairsto wrote in a recent blog post for the Canadian Education Association. “You shouldn’t get marks for trying hard, or being a great person, or complying fully with your teacher’s expectations and you shouldn’t lose them for being offensive or absent or even lazy. You get marks for what you know, pure and simple.”

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Giving zeros can have a devastating effect on averages, noted Shelley Green, president of the B.C. Principals’ and Vice-Principals’ Association. “There is a big difference between work habits and achievement. In many instances, giving a zero can be a reflection of work habits,” she noted.

Assessment practices vary across the country. In Ontario, new guidelines were introduced in 2010 to allow teachers to give students zeros when they fail to submit assignments, a practice that was previously discouraged in many schools. The Edmonton public school board said it does not have a no-zero policy and school principals are free to set their own rules in such matters.

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What Canada's school boards say about kids and homework

This article was published more than 13 years ago. Some information may no longer be current.

bc ministry of education homework guidelines

Fernando Morales/The Globe and Mail

Toronto District School Board

The TDSB's policy states that homework should not be assigned to kindergarten students, nor should it be assigned on holidays. For students in Grades 1 to 6, homework should be "differentiated to reflect the unique needs of the child." In early grades, any homework should take the form of reading, playing games and interactive activities, such as building and cooking with the family. For students in Grades 7 and 8, completion time for homework should be an hour or less. In Grades 9 to 12, homework should have an estimated completion time of two hours. Moreover, the policy states "effective homework assignments" need to be based on the curriculum, should be given feedback, should require no additional teaching outside the classroom, and do not require resources or technology to which students may not have access.

English Montreal School Board The EMSB does not specify how much homework should be assigned, so the amount can vary wildly. But general guidelines say homework tasks should be given regularly, and it "shall be appropriate to the students' level of achievement and shall reflect the specific needs of individual students or groups of students." It also notes the capacity for students to handle homework increases as they advance. Michael Cohen, the board's communications and marketing specialist, said the onus is on parents to research the school whose academic expectations best suit their children.

Calgary Board of Education The CBE recommends that students in Grades 1 to 3 not be given formal assignments, but recommends five to 10 minutes of systematic study a night, mostly involving reading. For students in Grades 4 to 6, teachers may use their discretion, but assignments should focus on reading and should not exceed 20 minutes. Students in Grades 7 to 9 are expected to study 30 minutes to an hour a night. Grade 10 students are expected to do 11/2 hours a night; those in Grades 11 and 12 are expected to do two hours a night. "While the Board is anxious to promote the supportive role of the home in the child's education, it is anxious at the same time not to interfere with the child's pursuit of other wholesome non-school interests of educational, cultural, or recreational value," the policy states.

Vancouver School Board

The VSB's policy was last updated in 1994, and is currently under review. It states that no formal homework should be assigned to children from kindergarten to Grade 3, and students in Grades 4 to 7 should devote no more than 30 minutes a day to homework. Students in Grades 8 to 10 should do no more than one hour; Grades 10 to 12 should devote no more than two hours. As of press time, school board officials were not able to say whether the new policy would change the amount of recommended homework time.

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Editorial code of conduct

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The Vancouver School Board does not guarantee the quality, accuracy or completeness of any translated information. Before you act on translated information, the Division encourages you to confirm any facts that are important to you and affect any decisions you may make.

The Vancouver School Board is committed to parent, family and community engagement, and it is our hope that by providing this tool on our website that we are making our information more accessible to families whose first language is not English and thereby enabling better engagement in public education.

Additional School Policies

Responsible attendance in classes is crucial for success in school. Students are expected to be in attendance, on time and on task in all their classes. Excused absences due to illness and so on must be verified with a note from parents or guardians, even if there has been phone notification of the absence.

Absence notes from parents or guardians must include the following information: date and reason or the absence, parent signature and a contact phone number where the parent can be reached. Any absence for which a note is not provided will be deemed an unexcused absence. Students are responsible for having each teacher sign the note and for returning it to the office.

The SYNERVOICE phone system will automatically notify parents of the name of the student and the class or classes missed. Parents may contact the school at any time to enquire about their student’s attendance.

Poor attendance can lead to the student failing the term or year in any given class, and can have a negative effect on honour roll standing and eligibility for a number of awards. Students in senior grades (Grades 11 and 12) may be asked to leave the school and pursue other educational options. Parents and guardians are asked to work with the school in helping students to become responsible attenders. This may require coming to the school to meet with counsellors or administration.

Students who need to leave school during the day for illness or appointments must sign out at the office.

The Ministry of Education sets guidelines for the amount of homework to be given to BC Secondary students. On average, Grade 8 and 9 students should be doing 1 or 2 hours per night. Senior students (Grades 10, 11, 12) should be doing 2 hours per night, more if they have a heavy course load. There are many reasons for giving homework.

Teachers may want learners to:

Homework is a partnership and we all play important roles.

The Student’s Role

The Teacher’s Role

The Family’s Role

Throughout the school year Homeroom classes may be held. During this time announcements are made and important information is given to the students. Students will also be given report cards, forms and information that need to go home.

CELLULAR TELEPHONES/iPODS

The use of cellular phones and other electronic devices are not allowed during class time. If a student is found using a cellular phone in the class or in the hallway during class time it will be confiscated and passed on to the appropriate administrator.

The use of iPods and other electronic music devices in classrooms is prohibited unless the teacher has expressly given his or her consent.

There is no student parking provided on the John Oliver School site. Student cars found in the parking lot may be towed. Students and staff are asked to be considerate of neighbours when parking on the street.

FIELD TRIPS

Occasionally, a portion of the transportation costs of field trips may be assessed to students participating in the field trip. However, no student will be denied the opportunity to participate in a required field trip because of cost. Students who are unable to pay the fees should contact their counsellor.

INTERNET AND E-MAIL USE POLICY

The Internet and e-mail were developed as research tools and have the potential to be a tremendous resource for all students. With access to the global network comes the availability of material that may not be of educational value or suitability in the school setting. The use of an assigned John Oliver students account must be in support of educational research and within the objectives and goals of John Oliver. You must realize that you are personally responsible for this provision at all times when using electronic information. Therefore, all John Olive students must observe the following rules of etiquette.

Core rules governing the use of the Internet

You are not allowed to:

Remember that the above list is just a guideline and is in no way exhaustive. Common sense, good manners and taste are always expected of John Oliver students. Violation of any of the above rules may result in the termination of the account for the remainder of the school year with further disciplinary action, possibly involving the administration and/or police, highly likely.

GENERAL INFORMATION SCHOOL FEES

Please see the Fee Schedule found here : https://www.vsb.bc.ca/schools/...

Some elective courses have additional fees to cover the cost of supplemental supplies and materials. No student will be denied participation in such courses because of lack of funds. Students who are unable to pay the fees should speak to their counsellor.

EXTENDED ABSENCE

John Oliver expects that all students will be in regular attendance from September to June. Absence from school limits student achievement and progress. Extended absences may lead to course failures and to the loss of student timetables as we cannot guarantee that a place can be held for the student. The decision to take students out of school for vacations or family visits is a family decision. Teachers are not able to provide extra work or engage in repeating instruction or extra tutoring. Class time is important and it is not possible for the teacher to make up for the time the student has missed.

Every student is provided with a locker to store personal belongings and school supplies. Valuables should not be brought to school, or they should be left for safe-keeping in the office. Lockers are NOT secure. Neither the school nor the Vancouver School Board has insurance to cover the loss by theft or damage of texts, library books, or personal property of students.

In September students will be assigned a locker. All grades are encouraged to purchase heavy duty locks ($10) from the school for their Physical Education class and Locker. No student is to move his or her locker without first getting permission from the Vice-Principal in charge of lockers. No student is to share a locker with another student. These measures are to ensure greater locker security. A repair cost may be levied if a locker is damaged or defaced.

Students receive textbooks directly from the subject teachers at the beginning of the school year. The care and maintenance of these books is the responsibility of each student. Subject teachers will check and assess books at least once during the school year. Students must pay the cost of replacing lost, or stolen books, and repairing damaged ones.

LEARNING COMMONS (Library)

The John Oliver LC is here to support students and staff. Through collaboration with classroom teachers, students come to the Learning Commons to work their assignments. The Teacher-Librarians can help with finding information, locating books, using databases and creating citations using the MLA 7th (Modern Language Association) format. Access to the collection is by using WEBCAT the online catalogue. There is a wide collection of material available including fiction, graphic novels and non-fiction books. Students have access to online resources including:

Digital resources are available 24/7. Username and passwords are available from the Teacher-Librarians. We have a variety of devices for students to use in the LC. WIFI access is available for students own devices. Be sure to check out the website for the LC. Hope to see you often during the school year.

Visitors on legitimate school business should contact the school and make appointments to see teachers, counsellors, or administrators. All visitors must report to the main office.

STUDENT PHOTOGRAPHS

Student photographs are taken early in September. All students are photographed at no charge for a Trans Link Go Card. Students may purchase photograph packages from the school photographer. Cost is based on the type of package purchased.

SCHOOL YEARBOOK

The school yearbook is a record of student activities for the current school year. All students will have their pictures included in the yearbook, which is distributed near the end of June. It must be ordered and paid for in advance, or will not be available to the students. The cost can be found on the Fees schedule.

The Cobb County School District does not guarantee the quality, accuracy or completeness of any translated information. Before you act on translated information, the District encourages you to confirm any facts that are important to you and affect any decisions you may make.

The Cobb County School District is committed to parent, family and community engagement, and it is our hope that by providing this tool on our website that we are making our information more accessible to families whose first language is not English and thereby enabling better engagement in public education.

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IMAGES

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Acknowledgements
About SCS
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Bc Ministry Of Education
BC Ministry of Education Update

COMMENTS

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