The Local Weekly The heart and soul of our communities with news and information about the Sunshine Coast

The BC government is providing Decoda Literacy Solutions with a $1 million grant to support the organization’s literacy outreach programs in communities throughout British Columbia. Education Minister Don McRae made the announcement today at a Decoda conference in Vancouver on literacy and essential skills in the B.C. labour market. The $1 million in funding brings ... Read More »

All ‘Support Dry Grad’ donations from each store go to the local school district, which, in turn, provides the funding to the local grad committees. BC Liquor Stores customers can now help support alcohol-free events for graduating high school students by making a donation at the cash register to support the Dry Grad campaign. Contributions ... Read More »

School districts throughout BC are getting a boost from the BC government to help reduce their carbon footprint and save money. A total of $5 million is being provided through the Carbon Neutral Capital Program (CNCP) so 25 districts can undertake electrical and mechanical improvements to their schools. For example, air source heat pumps will ... Read More »

Premier Christy Clark marked Bullying Awareness Day – also known as Pink Shirt Day – by announcing grants to school-led anti-bullying efforts across BC. “By standing up against bullying, we send a powerful message – bullying has to stop, period,” said Premier Clark. “We can make this happen if we act together. With our ERASE ... Read More »

“I am pleased to see that Aboriginal students are once again making significant progress in their completion rates. We continue to look for ways to incorporate Aboriginal culture and history into our classrooms and ensure that our schools provide support and encouragement for these students.” Don McRae, Minister of Education More Aboriginal students completed high ... Read More »

Students, faculty and other representatives from across British Columbia’s post-secondary sector have been selected to advise on Canada’s first publicly funded open textbook project. In October 2012, Minister of Advanced Education, Innovation and Technology John Yap announced the move to offer students free, online, open textbooks for 40 high-enrolment and high-impact first and second year ... Read More »

The Sunshine Coast Board of Education has accepted the recommendation of the SD46 Evaluation Team for Bouygues Building Canada Ltd. & KMBR Architects to be the preferred design build team for the new Gibsons Elementary School.

The Evaluation Team, comprised of Patrick Bocking (Superintendent), Nicholas Weswick (Secretary-Treasurer), Rob Collision (Manager of Facilities), Deborah Luporini (Principal, Gibsons ... Read More »

The negative effects of bullying on mental health and emotional well-being are generally widely understood. What is gaining greater recognition is the importance of social inclusion to students’ ability to learn and succeed in educational environments. Social inclusion is when all people feel valued and a part of their community and their differences are respected. ... Read More »