North Canoe Elementary

Thanks to the work of parents, students, volunteers and community members, North Canoe School is not on the school closure list for this year. We are relieved and thankful. However, the work continues. The School District is facing important budget constraints and Malakwa school is on the school closure list. No one wants to close schools and underfunded education budgets affects us all. Please help by continuing to support our efforts. Write letters to your representatives asking that schools be kept open and fully funded.

A few thoughts to consider when writing:

• The last time the school system was threatened with school closures, the community banded together and successfully saved North Canoe Elementary from closure. We can do it again!
• The most “listened to” form of communication is a hand written letter, E-mails are less preferable/personal, especially when mass e-mailed, but any form of communication is better than none.
• The reason for considering closure of North Canoe Elementary is Provincial Education Budget Cutbacks. The provincial government is reducing essential social services, instead of removing the wasted costs involved in these services.
• Consider how bussing to a more distant school would affect your family’s schedule. (IE: Extracurricular activities, earlier wake up & bedtimes), North Canoe Elementary is the only school in the district where bussing is not required at this time.
• Consider how school events affect your neighborhood and sense of community.
• Recent renovations valued at over 1 million dollars invested in the school would be a waste of taxpayer money.
• Consider the impact of larger class sizes on education quality for each child.
• Consider social costs such as long term effects to healthcare, justice & social development influenced by education level/quality.
• Did North Canoe Elementary affect your decision to make this neighborhood your family’s home?
• North Canoe is still growing with many developments underway, and plenty of usable land, for housing development and growing families.
• North Canoe Elementary has been open for over 45 years. Many of the parents & grandparents in the neighborhood attended the same school as a child.
• What benefit has your family enjoyed from having North Canoe Elementary in your neighborhood?
• Impact to property values?

Most important to write to! The North Okanagan-Shuswap Board of Trustees
(School District #83) has the Final Decision on Local School Closures

North Okanagan-Shuswap Board of Trustees 2009 – 2010 Regular Board Meeting Schedule

7:30 – 9:30 p.m. at the District Education Centre

Sept 8, Oct. 13, Nov 10, Dec 8, Jan 12, Feb 9, Mar 2, Apr 13, May 11, Jun 8

Please, for our records, and to help our case, also send a copy to: PO Box 637, Canoe, BC, V0E 1K0

Also, some political muscle will be helpful too: