North Vancouver

District Overview

The North Vancouver School District (NVSD) is not only “the natural place to learn”, it is also “the natural place to work”.  Our mandate is to provide world-class instruction and a rich diversity of engaging programs to inspire success for every student and bring communities together to learn, share, and grow.  With almost 2500 staff members, the district’s 25 elementary and 7 secondary schools provide a safe, culturally diverse, and nurturing environment for approximately 16,000 students.

Noted for its progressive approach to instruction, firm belief in Inclusive Education, advocacy for indigenizing learning, and emphasis on social-emotional learning, the NVSD is a great place to start or continue your career.

Regardless of your role, you will be part of an organization that believes the work you do contributes greatly to our students’ success.  Join the NVSD where our shared values of Trust, Respect, Responsibility, and Collaboration are lived every day.

NVSD takes pride in its schools as vibrant learning communities that have:

• a focus on student engagement and learning
• a culture of teamwork and collaboration
• appreciation for adult and student diversity
• a strong sense of community and collective responsibility
• systemic structures to support professional collaboration and meaningful involvement of stakeholders
• ongoing and relevant communication of student learning

Graduates from North Vancouver’s schools develop knowledge, competencies and understandings that allow them to contribute meaningfully to our global communities.  They utilize thinking skills to acquire academic knowledge and curricular competencies; develop as effective communicators who collaborate with a range of audiences in a variety of contexts; learn to apply sound problem-solving and decision-making skills; exercise creativity and innovation; and build interpersonal relationships within and beyond their school communities.  NVSD students are well-rounded and develop as unique and widely competent global citizens.

Engagement of students and staff members is high in North Vancouver given the inclusive and personalized nature of our schools and instructional programs, and the effective district-level supports provided.

Regional Diversity

From coastal beaches to mountain forests and ski hills, the traditional territories of the Squamish and Tsleil Waututh peoples, on which our North Vancouver schools reside, provide year-round unparalleled place-based learning opportunities. We are deeply committed to supporting the history, culture and traditions of Canada’s Aboriginal Peoples.  Likewise, we embrace and celebrate the rich diversity of our district’s students, families and staff members.  This diversity is reflected in our wide array of programs and services.  Our students have access to a variety of programs, personnel and services to foster their academic, personal, and social growth.

Specialty Programs

Our Elementary Specialty Programs include:

• Artists for Kids After-School Art
• Artists for Kids Paradise Valley Summer School of Visual Arts
• Band and Strings Program
• Early French Immersion
• Late French Immersion
• International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP)
• Grade 4/6 Outdoor School Program
• Grade 3 Skw’une-was Cultural Program
• StrongStart

Our Secondary Specialty Programs include:

• Academy Programs: Artists for Kids Studio Art, Basketball, Dance, Digital Media, Field Hockey, Hockey, Outdoor Education, Soccer, Volleyball
• Advanced Placement (AP) Program
• Apprenticeship Training and Work Experience
• Distributed Learning
• Experiential Outdoor Environmental Leadership
• French Immersion
• International Baccalaureate (IB) – Middle Years (MYP) and Diploma Programmes
• Performance Learning Program
• Semester System
• VCC Culinary Arts Level 1
• Young Entrepreneurship and Leadership Launchpad (YELL)

In addition to the above-mentioned specialty programs, North Vancouver has distinctive facilities in which to offer one-of-a-kind educational experiences.  These include the Artists for Kids Gallery at the Education Services Centre on Lonsdale Avenue, and Cheakamus Centre, a 420-acre facility located in Paradise Valley near Squamish, as well as many newly built and revitalized school sites.

NVSD also prides itself on strong support of Aboriginal Education as evidenced by efforts to indigenize the curriculum, intentionally incorporating First Peoples Principles of Learning, and leveraging of Squamish and Tsleil Waututh community members’ and educators’ wisdom.  Our Skw’une-was Cultural Program at the Cheakamus Centre, and installation of welcoming figures carved by local artists at many of our sites, provide further evidence of NVSD’s value of British Columbian First Peoples’ teachings and contributions.

Our specialty programs include band, the Artists for Kids gallery, early and late French immersion, International Baccalaureate, Aboriginal education; international education and distributed learning. Special needs students are well supported. The district has strong participation in extracurricular athletics, band , choir and student leadership. We are also very proud of our residential environmental education centre located near Squamish, BC.

Community Culture

North Vancouver is home to a multicultural population, and is the perfect location for individual, family and community pursuits. Opportunities abound for residents and visitors to enjoy indoor and outdoor recreational and cultural experiences. These offerings bolster North Vancouver as the “natural place to learn” for community members of all ages, abilities and interests.  North Vancouver’s schools – their facilities, staff and programs – capitalize on the district’s environment and community resources to provide enhanced learning experiences for all students.  Community partnerships enable students to view themselves as valued members of, and contributors to, the greater North Vancouver community.

Draw for Employees

Progressive

NVSD is forward-thinking in its active pursuit of innovative practice.  We are not content with the status quo; if “the way we do things here” is not optimal for student learning we seek ways to adapt and change.  Ongoing reflection enables the District to gauge the effectiveness of its practices at all levels of the organization, and move forward in a positive and progressive way.

NVSD is a provincial leader in curriculum development, substantiated by locally developed resources inclusive of, though not limited to, Literacy 44, Math 44, CR4YR, and the NVSD Curriculum Hub.  To optimize use of these resources, we are fortunate that our teams of local educators who conceptualized and contributed to these widely-used resources have provided in-house training for their use.

Pedagogical risk-taking is encouraged and supported in North Vancouver.  Teachers employ innovative instruction and assessment practices, and Learning Services personnel, inclusive of Family of Schools Teacher-Leaders and Technology Coaches provide instrumental support to our innovative teaching staff.

Inclusive

NVSD has a strong sense of community – all members of our professional team are valued for their important contributions to helping our students succeed.  From our facilities, custodial and maintenance staff who provide our students with a safe and clean learning environment, to the Educational Assistants who provide instrumental support to our students with unique learning needs; From our ICT team who keeps our technology and communications systems functioning, to our Human Resources and Occupational Health and Safety personnel who provide invaluable employee support; From our team in Financial Services who support balanced operational spending and ensure everyone is paid, to our esteemed teachers and educational leaders; Every staff member has an important role to play.

Supportive

As part of the NVSD family, staff members have opportunities for ongoing professional growth and development.  The District invests in its people by helping them build professional capacity and maintain personal wellness.  Some of the ways NVSD supports its employees include:

• Locally-developed and delivered in-service and training
• Ongoing professional development initiatives and offerings
• Comprehensive information and resources
• Employee wellness programs

North Vancouver supports its new teachers and Teachers Teaching on Call (TTOCs).  In conjunction with the North Vancouver Teachers’ Association, the District provides a mentorship program through which new teachers are matched with experienced teachers to enable mentorship and professional collaboration.  TTOCs accrue seniority for every day they work, and they convert to continuing contracts after accruing one year or 190 days of aggregate seniority.  This is unique to North Vancouver.

Collaborative

Professional collaboration is valued, evidenced by systems and structures in place to enable North Vancouver employees to work together.  Time for staff collaboration is built into our yearly school calendar to provide our educators opportunity to jointly construct and reflect on instructional programs and practices.  Collaboration within and between schools is supported through our Family of Schools model.  The District further supports its employees’ professional development by way of Collaborative Inquiry and Professional Networking grants.

Salary and Benefits

Contracted employees, including those employed on a part-time basis, typically receive a comprehensive benefits package including:

• medical, dental, and extended health plans;
• group life insurance benefits;
• teachers’ or municipal pension plan;
• extended health benefits for dependents of deceased employees;
• accidental disability insurance;
• salary indemnity plan benefit;
• supplemental employment benefits on maternity leave;
• comprehensive wellness and employee and family assistance programs.

Allowances

Teachers in positions with special responsibilities, such as first aid attendants, athletic coordinators, IB coordinators, counsellors, helping teachers, school psychologists, teachers in-charge, and department heads may receive a financial allowance of up to $7,300 annually.

For specific details about North Vancouver’s compensation, salary, and benefits, please refer to the North Vancouver Teachers’ Association’s/CUPE’s collective agreement.