SD64 (Gulf Islands)
About the Gulf Islands School District
A community of learners
School District 64 is made up of the five island communities in the Southern Gulf Islands of British Columbia. The Gulf Islands enjoy Canada's mildest climate with cool wet winters and warm dry summers. The area is home to large numbers of artists, trees, marine life and spectacular scenery.
The Gulf Islands School District has eleven schools, seven of which are on Salt Spring Island. The School Board office is located in Ganges, also on Salt Spring. Just over 600 students attend Gulf Islands Secondary, the District's largest school. The school houses a large International Education Program and the Gulf Islands School of Performing Arts. The other schools are smaller, one with as few as 6 to 12 students.
Superscript Newsletter
A bi-monthly communication from Superintendent Jeff Hopkins.
October 2009
Superintendent's Report
December 2009 report by Superintendent Jeff Hopkins.
December 2008 report by Superintendent Jeff Hopkins.
-->District Calendars for the Current School Year
The Board Office maintains an online District Events Calendar
-->Available in PDF format, is a one page, four day week, instructional week calendar of the current school year.
Also available, is a one page local school calendar which compares the instructional days, and minutes of instruction per day, with the standard school calendar.
For the 2010/2011 school year
Four documents are now available:
Consideration of Local School Calendar Option for 2010/2011
4 Day Week Financial Projections for 2010/2011
5 Day Week Financial Projections for 2010/2011
Instructional Week 2010/2011 Calendar Draft
Facility Use
The District maintains an online Facilities Use Community Calendar. The website allows you to view the availability of facilities, brief information about booked events, and provides booking form downloads.
Achievement Contract
(District Commitment to Student Learning: 2009-10)
The complete District Achievement Contract is available in PDF format:
The Achievement Contract includes the following sections:
- Preamble
- Beliefs
- School District Context
- Response to District Review (Spring 2006)
- Summary of School/District Goal Alignment
- District Goals
- Early Learning Initiatives
For convenience, the District Goals are listed here:
GOAL ONE
To improve student comprehension of, and quality of response to, language-based media.
Objective a) to increase the number of students in who fully meet or exceed expectations in reading comprehension, according to BC Performance Standards.
Objective b) to further increase the number of students in who fully meet or exceed expectations in the “meaning” aspect of writing, as described in the BC Performance Standards.
GOAL TWO
To improve student performance in numeracy.
Objective a) By June 2010, 85% of students in Grades 1 through 9 will meet fully or exceed expectations relative to the Numeracy Performance Standards.
Objective b) By June 2010, any gender gap in numeracy in Grades 1 through 9 will be reduced to within a 3% range.
Objective c) By June 2010, 90% of students in Grade 10 will pass a Mathematics 10 (Essentials, Applications, or Principles) exam (Continuing objective from 2008 Contract).
District Bylaws, Policies and Procedures
A complete listing of all bylaws, policies and procedures.
Administrative Staff
| Positon | Who we are | What we do |
|---|---|---|
| Director of Human Resources | Linda Underwood | Labour Relations All Employee Groups Negotiations Recruitment Compensation Admin. Communication |
| Secretary Treasurer | Rod Scotvold | Labour Relations Support Staff Negotiations |
| Superintendent | Jeff Hopkins | Labour Relations Teachers Principals Vice Principals Negotiations Recruitment |
| Executive Assistant | Dawne Fennell | Management |
Executive compensation disclosure is available here.
School Board
Gulf Island residents elect the Gulf Islands School Board, a group of seven trustees, at large every three years. The community elects the board to represent them in the conduct of public education, and to exercise their judgment in setting policies and making decisions.
The School Act is the provincial legislation that defines the powers and duties of school boards, and the duties, rights and responsibilities of other partners in the public education community, including students, parents, teachers, principals and members of the community. The provincial Ministry of Education has responsibility for public education in British Columbia, sets the basic curriculum and provides the school district's funding.
The board establishes advisory committees to consult with a variety of partners, and makes decisions on the basis of clear educational philosophy and goals in keeping with the board's Mission Statements.
Scholarship Information
Many scholarships are made available to our students by our community. Students should see the Counselling Department for help with applications. In addition, opportunities offered outside of our school and district are posted on the white board outside the Counselling area and in the daily bulletin.
Important resources:
- Online Scholarship Database
- Graduate Scholarship and Bursary Application Instructions
- Sample Cover Letter as PDF, or as word processor