Monday November 20, 2023 | LANGFORD, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Without really outlining any details of current discussions about the Strategic Plan for 2025-2029 — or any analysis of the success or failures of the current strategic plan, the local Sooke School District (SD62) invites students, staff members, parents/guardians and community members to participate in survey about it.
The brief introductions to each question about ‘vision, mission and values’ may not provide enough information for an informed answer. This pre-selects for an already informed audience, with less room for people who care but may not feel they have enough background by which to participate.
The Strategic Plan is the SD62 Board of Education’s overall vision and goals they want the school district to work towards. The Plan is important as it guides decision-making, budget decisions, and the annual operational plans.
However, the fact that a broad base of input is being sought — and made easily available online — is a sign of positive growth of the school district that has in past years struggled to see its mandate as having much to do beyond staff, in-class students and facilities.
SD62 school facilities are located in Langford, Colwood and Sooke (with one school in Metchosin). Residents of Highlands and Juan de Fuca are also within the SD62 School District catchment.
About the survey:
The survey is about vision, mission and values.
- Vision: “We honour student voice and choice through engaging, purposeful and experiential learning in a safe and respectful community.”
- Mission: “To help develop informed, literate and resilient citizens through engagement in a safe, respectful and responsive School District #62 learning community.”
- Values: “Relationships, choice, respect, integrity, trust, safety, diversity, equity.”
The survey portal says that all responses are anonymous, with the option to indicate age, gender, any Indigenous self-declaration, and geographical location.
The survey takes about five to seven minutes to complete, depending on how much additional comment the participant provides.
Survey online to December 20:
The SD62 Strategic Plan 2025-2029 survey is open until Wednesday, December 20. Here is the survey link.
After you submit your responses, there is an option to print/PDF your full survey response.
Participant feedback will be assembled by staff and provided to the SD62 Board of Education as they start the process to renew the SD62 Strategic Plan 2025-2029.
===== LINKS:
Survey about upcoming SD62 Strategic Plan 2025-2029
===== ABOUT ISLAND SOCIAL TRENDS:
The news of SD62 has been covered at the board and committee level by Island Social Trends Editor Mary P Brooke since 2014.
Local education news was first published in West Shore Voice News (2014-2020) and then in Island Social Trends (mid-2020 to present. See: SD62 News Archive
Ms Brooke ran for SD62 school trustee (Belmont Zone – Langford, Colwood, Highlands, Metchosin) in 2022.
In 2023, Mary P Brooke was nominated for a Jack Webster Foundation award for a woman journalist who contributes to her community through journalism.
Mary’s four now-grown children attended schools in SD61 and SD62.