Roeland Denooij - SD50 School Board Trustee

09/11/2022

It is with pleasure that I am announcing my intention to seek re-election as a board trustee for SD 50, Haida Gwaii.

Serving as your trustee for the last four years has been exciting and challenging. We navigated a pandemic, enriched our strategic planning, advocated for increased funding, worked to strengthen your trust in the board, and endeavoured to support our district schools in improving all student outcomes.

It would be an honour to continue working as your trustee. I am looking forward to working with the new board to fully bring our strategic plan into action. Our vision is for a compassionate, inclusive education community that fosters Haida culture, with dignity, respect, reciprocity, resilience, and personal success for all students.

04/18/2019

The sd50 2019-20 budget presentation is available online at www.sd50.bc.ca. We will be voting on the first reading of the proposed budget at the next public board meeting at port Clements Elementary School on Tuesday April 23rd at 6 pm. Attendance of all public meetings can be done online via google meet. Meeting codes and login instructions are available at the sd50 website. We hope to see you there.

School District #50 is a School District on Haida Gwaii British Columbia.

12/31/2018

BOARD OF EDUCATION
SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 50 (HAIDA GWAII)

ANNOUNCEMENT

The Board of Education of School District No. 50 (Haida Gwaii) is pleased to announce the Minister of Education’s appointment of Piet Langstraat to assist the board with processes that focus on student learning including governance, strategic planning, transparent recruitment process for the superintendent of schools position, and other district initiatives. He will be providing advice and support to the board on their new path with an emphasis on community needs and improving outcomes for our students.

Piet comes to Haida Gwaii with many years of experience in the education field, most recently retired as Superintendent of the Greater Victoria School District and subsequently providing support and advice to boards throughout the province in addition to the Ministry. Piet’s support of SD50 comes at no financial cost to the district.

Piet has held a variety of positions in education. He has served as a teacher, vice principal and principal at the school level. He became a senior administrator in 1999 and has been a Director of Technology, Assistant Superintendent in both rural and urban districts, Deputy Superintendent and Superintendent in two districts.

Please join us in welcoming Piet to the School District upon his arrival in January. He plans to visit all schools during his monthly visits to Haida Gwaii. We’re looking forward to gaining invaluable knowledge from Piet.

12/04/2018

What a week. Orientation and BCSTA Trustee Academy was informative and fun. Looking forward to enacting positive change to better student learning.

10/03/2018

VOTE FOR ME FOR SCHOOL TRUSTEE! OCTOBER 20 2018

Education that is uniquely Haida Gwaii. - I believe in using the unique aspects of Haida Gwaii to enhance education. Land based learning, farm to school programs, and the utilization of local expertise to create mentoring opportunities are all priorities for this district.

Accessibility - Our communities are spread out, and gas isn’t going to get cheaper. It’s time to explore the possibilities of online meeting platforms. PAC, DPAC, and Board meetings are all open to the public, and deserve to be as accessible as possible. Engagement is crucial in developing a district that is responsive to the needs of our unique environment.

Transparent and Responsive - You need to know what I’m doing, and why I’m doing it. You also need to feel that your voice is truly heard. I will strive to visit to all our schools throughout the district. Although I live in Tlell, my children go to school at Sk’aadgaa Naay and will soon go to GidGalang Kuuyas Naay. When a trustee is elected, we serve the whole district.

Focus on the Arts - Music, fine-art, dance, and all other creative forms of expression should have a greater role in our children’s education. This includes supporting Haida Cultural practices. Finding funding and allocating resources for arts programming will be explored.

Language - Xaayda Kil must be a part of all our student’s learning. From daily interactions to fully immersive studies, I will strive to continue the work of my predecessors in fostering programs that will assist in the promotion of Haida language.

Seeking new partnerships and improving the current ones - It is time to find funding beyond the provincial funding stream. Preparing our youth to join the workforce means investing in their health, mental health, and real life work skills.

Truth & Reconciliation - The attempted cultural genocide perpetrated by the residential school system will forever be remembered. Education on Haida Gwaii must continue to strive to be a leader of Truth and Reconciliation.