Golden Star Awards – Application Deadline April 15
The Excellence in Public Education Committee is eagerly awaiting applications for the 2023 Golden Star and Golden Star Legion Awards. Please make sure active teachers in your district are aware that they can be recognized for outstanding programs involving their students with seniors and veterans in their community. Application deadline is April 15. See the Golden Star Award section on the BCRTA website. Information on applying has been sent to the president of each BCTF local in the province.
Heritage Fairs
We have also established a relationship with BC Heritage Fairs. Some BCRTA members currently volunteer with this organization that sponsors student involvement with various research/learning projects. See the BC Heritage Fairs website for more information. In a move similar to our Golden Star Awards, we will offer book prizes to regional winners of the annual heritage fairs throughout the province.
Grants for Storytelling Training
Remember Noel Bentley’s excellent “Telling Our Stories” presentation at the 2022 AGM? We have made provision for BCRTA branches to invite Noel to further that conversation by having him as a Branch ‘guest’ either in person (Lower Mainland Branches or by zoom (Branches and zones throughout the province). Grants will be made to offset Noel’s costs. If you are interested, please contact Steve Bailey at sdbailey504@gmail.com . One of our BCRTA goals supported by the Excellence Committee is to encourage and equip our members to celebrate their personal and professional lives through story telling.
Supporting Public Education
In its advocacy role, the Committee has requested that BCRTA president, Arnie Lambert, write letters on behalf of our membership directed at government urging full funding of public school needs in BC and scrutiny of private school funding – particularly in the light of recent revelations about a particular situation involving a Vancouver private school. A second letter will reiterate our BCRTA policy about qualified teachers in every BC classroom and the need to improve teacher recruitment in our province.
This year, the Excellence Committee will support the BCRTA in making a submission to the government of BC’s Standing Committee on Finance. This exercise will give us a voice in the budget planning process – particularly identifying education budget priorities. The BCRTA will be able to add its insights to those of other educational stakeholders. A message has been sent to Branch presidents making them aware of a request for our members’ ideas about education budget priorities. We note that the recent “Speech from the Throne” only mentioned education budgeting in terms of ‘building new schools’. All ideas for in-put into BC’s next education budget are welcome! If you would like to contribute to this important conversation, send your ideas and comments to Larry Kuehn at larry.kuehn@gmail.com before March 15.
