KERRISDALE ANNEX CLASS PLACEMENT INFORMATION
Parents as Partners
Classroom teachers, administration, and support personnel seriously consider many variables
when creating classes for the following school year. If you have information you would like us to
consider during our class placement process, you are welcome but not required to send us a
note by Friday, June 5th or email directly to Dana at dhritiu@vsb.bc.ca. Any letters that
indicate specific teacher requests will not be considered. We anticipate that many of our classes
will be combined grade classes next year. Please feel free to use the class placement form if it
helps (also attached).
Please confine your comments to your child’s learning style, interests, and friends she or he
would like to be with next year. Please do not request a particular teacher. The letters are shared
with staff as we create the classes. While your input is valued, the final organization of the classes
remains with us. Although the process seems simple, it is actually quite complicated. Here are a
few factors we consider in placing students appropriately:
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Teachers decide which teaching style will best complement each child’s learning needs
We attempt to create an equitable balance between boys and girls
We try to balance new English language learners and special needs students across
classes
We consider social maturity and needs
We consider the local collective agreement between the Vancouver Board of School
Trustees, the B.C. Public School Employer’s Association and the B. C. Teachers’
Federation that limits the number of students in each Kindergarten class to 22 and
primary class to 24
We take academic achievement into consideration and try to create classes that are balanced in
this respect. For example, if your child is in a combined grade 1/2 class, there will be a variety of
ability levels in both grades. Years ago, ‘split’ classes were created with high achievers in the
lower grade and low achievers in the higher grade. This is no longer considered best practice and
there is now a great deal of research to support combined classes made up of children of a variety
of age levels and of varying abilities.
When we place children, we balance their needs as an individual and the needs of the class as a
whole. We use our best judgment, existing data, and discussion to make the choice of the best
learning environment for each child. It is important to understand that it is only on rare
occasions that we change student’s placement as it upsets the balance that the staff has
worked hard to create.
If you have any questions, please call 604-713-5488.
Thank you for your support,
Natasha Miladinovic
Vice Principal
PARENT INPUT CLASS PLACEMENT FORM
Student name _____________________ Male ___ Female ___
Present grade _____________________ Division ___
Type of learning environment best suited to my child’s needs:
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Additional information that is unknown to current
teacher/administration and would be useful to consider when placing
my child:
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****** PLEASE NOTE ******
THIS FORM IS INTENDED TO ASSIST TEACHERS IN THE PLACEMENT OF
STUDENTS. THE COMPLETION OF THIS FORM IS NOT A GUARANTEE OF
PLACEMENT NO FORM WILL BE ACCEPTED IF NAMES OF STAFF ARE USED
NO FORM WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER Friday, June 5, 2015
RETURN THIS FORM TO THE OFFICE