Oyama Traditional School

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Oyama Traditional School^[1]
Location
Oyama, British Columbia, V4V 2E1, Canada
Information
School number	2323008
School board	School District 23 Central Okanagan
Superintendent	Mike Roberts
Area trustee	Anna Hunt-Binkley
Principal	Mrs. M Hewitt
Staff	18 Staff Members
School type	Public Elementary school
Grades	K-7
Language	English
Area	Oyama
Motto	Citizenship • Responsibility • Respect At Oyama Traditional School we strive for personal excellence and foster traditional values of citizenship, responsibility and respect.
Mascot	Warrior
Team name	Warriors
Colours	Red, Navy, White
Founded	1913
Enrollment	168 (December 10, 2007)
Homepage	www.ots.sd23.bc.ca

Oyama Traditional School is a public elementary school in Oyama, British Columbia part of School District 23 Central Okanagan.

1 History
2 Programs
3 Activities
4 References
5 External links
- 5.1 School Reports - Ministry of Education

[edit] History

Oyama Traditional is centrally located in the heart of Oyama, one of the four wards within the District of Lake Country. Oyama is primarily a rural and agricultural area (fruit trees and cattle). Many professionals choose to make Oyama their home base because of the quality of life offered in this small community and its close proximity to the larger centres of Vernon and Kelowna. This diverse blend of farming and global culture work together to enhance Oyama’s unique social landscape.

The majority of children attending Oyama Traditional live in single-family dwellings. During the fall of 2001 the District of Lake Country redesigned the community sector plan to accommodate more housing development, thus ideally allowing for a continuous flow of children into Oyama Traditional to address future enrollment needs.

Oyama Traditional is blessed with an extremely active and supportive relationship between the school, parents and the community at large. Since 1913, the school and the Oyama Community Club have worked hand in hand to provide the school a venue for pageants, concerts, fundraisers, and community/school meetings. In turn, the school PAC participates in the annual Oyama Fun Day hosted by the Community Club. The school has had various equipment donated by the Community Club from funds raised through activities. The PAC and school have loaned audio-visual equipment to the Community Club for community events. There are regular announcements in the school and community newsletters promoting each other’s events, as well as a central bulletin board at the school for posting community events. The school benefits annually from over 100 parent and community volunteers assisting with school teams, sports days, field trips, school concerts and the One-to-One reading program.

Throughout the 2003/2004 school season, the parents and community took a pro-active role in finding ways to keep the elementary school in Oyama open. Oyama residents live by the philosophy that “it takes a whole community to raise a child” and the school in Oyama has been the heart of the community since the turn of the century. It was determined through surveys and public information meetings that with its history, family involvement, and school support, the change to Traditional in Oyama would be an ideal fit for the community.

[edit] Programs

SCHOOL PHILOSOPHY

At Oyama Traditional School, the concept of Traditional means high expectations in student achievement, behaviour, and social responsibility. At OTS we are committed to a student-centred approach which meets the unique needs of all learners. The teachers use best teaching practices to create an optimal learning environment and empower students to make good choices. Parents are partners in their child’s education. A strong sense of unity between parents and teachers creates an optimum learning environment.

VALUES (Citizenship, Responsibility, Respect)

We believe …

• students maximize their individual achievement when high standards and high expectations are reinforced both at school and at home. • optimal learning will occur in a structured environment where skills and concepts are presented in a sequential manner at the student’s ability level. • the support, positive contributions and active participation of parents plays a vital role in helping students improve their learning and the feeling of belonging to the school community. • behaviour expectations, clearly defined and communicated in the school code of conduct, creates an environment in which students act in a respectful and responsible manner. • our teachers’ongoing commitment to professional development, utilizing current research on learning and skill development will improve student achievement in all areas of the curriculum. • to foster respect and a positive self-esteem, students must be given opportunities in all subject areas to be successful and discover their strengths.

SCHOOL SUPPORT PROGRAMS

Learning Assistance Teacher

In consultation with classroom teachers, our Learning Assistance teacher provides intervention strategies and additional programming for students identified as having some learning difficulties. Math and Language Arts are the main focus on the Learning Assistance program. Students experiencing severe learning difficulties, usually in reading, listening, writing, or math, will receive additional attention and will have Individual Education Plans (or IEPs) prepared after discussion among the Learning Assistance Teacher, classroom teacher and parents. Besides strategies for improving learning in target areas, the IEP may also contain strategies for assisting in the students’ emotional and social development, as difficulties with schoolwork often lead to stress for the student.

IEPs may also be written for a student who is not being challenged academically by the regular school program. This may include extra work with the Learning Assistant teacher during the regular school day.

The Learning Assistant Teacher may also recommend that a Psycho-Educational Assessment be completed by a School District Psychologist. This assessment determines learning strengths and weaknesses and suggests strategies that the teacher can use in the classroom to help the student reach his/her potential.

Librarian

A Teacher-Librarian is available in our school one day a week. During this time she will be working with classroom teachers, supporting classroom programs and teaching library and research skills. Volunteers would enable us to have the library open other parts of the day so that students can exchange library books. Volunteers should contact the Teacher-Librarian or principal to help if they can volunteer.

Aboriginal Support Worker

Each school in School District #23 is assigned a First Nations’ Advocate to work with Aboriginal students. This program is intended to assist aboriginal students to achieve greater success in all school programs by providing personnel who are familiar with and sensitive to the values, beliefs and needs of the aboriginal community from which the students come, as well as the needs of the school system. Services such as tutorial support, elder or peer counseling, individual or group support from students with issues about self-esteem and/or cultural identity, and home school coordination could be provided in this program. Oyama Traditional School enjoys the visit of our assigned First Nations’ Advocate for one half day per week.

Counselor

Students experiencing difficulty can be referred to the counselor by the classroom teacher or parents directly. The counselor can be reached by leaving a message with the school secretary. Counseling of students will include initial parent contact and regular follow up with the family where requested. Currently Oyama Traditional has our counselor visit for one day a week.

School-Based Team

The purpose of the School-Based team is to examine ways to provide the best learning environment for the referred student and to support the referring classroom teacher. The School-Based team composition changes with the needs of the student, but may include the principal, the classroom teacher, Learning Assistance teacher, counselor, speech/language pathologist and parent.

DISTRICT SERVICES

Speech/Language Services

The Speech/Language Pathologist works with students who have delayed language development or communication problems. Any questions you have concerning your child’s speech or language skills can be referred to the School Speech pathologist.

Public health Nurse

Upon entry into Kindergarten, children are due a booster immunization of DPT and Polio. There are several baby and Immunization Clinics provided by the Health Unit in the area. Please phone the Health Unit to arrange an appointment if you have not already done so. Vision and hearing screening is no longer provided within the school system. Parents are asked to be vigilant and arrange screening with appropriate professionals as they see fit. Hepatitis B immunization will be offered again to all Grade 6 students. Information and consent forms are distributed in the fall. Any questions you have concerning the health of your children can be referred to the School Nurse, at the Health Unit or leave a message at the school.

Head Lice

Please notify the school if your child has head lice. Treatment information is provided by the school. Please note that the presence of head lice does not reflect on cleanliness, parenting or income of a family. Anyone can get them. Head lice is spread easily through schools and childcare centers. Children’s heads often touch when playing together or working on projects. Students often share or trade personal items such as combs and may store coats and hats close together.

Communicable Diseases

Please report any communicable disease to the Public Health Nurse and the school. While the responsibility for providing medical information and controlling the spread of a communicable disease belongs to the Health Unit, the school may insist with the dissemination of information to staff, students and parents. Both the school and the Public Health Unit need to know about measles, mumps, chicken pox, etc.

Hospital Homebound Program

This service is available to students who are absent from school for long term (two weeks or more) medical reasons. The services provided include hospital and home visits by a qualified teacher, liaison between home and school and access to educational resources to support the students’ program of study