The last couple of days have been busy but extremely enjoyable. Sarah has pipped me to the post again so I wont describe the general itinerary of what the team has been up to over the last couple of days, as these are ably described below (with pictures!).

28th April - My meeting with Doug Pearson (Superintendent for District 83) on wednesday proved to be very interesting. The first half of the meeting was to discuss the roles and responsibilities of the various tiers of Government with respect to education - federal, provincial, district etc....Being so used to a highly centralised system, I found it particularly striking that each province is a seperate educational authority with a differing curriculum and a different qualifications framework. Some similiarities to Surrey in that as a school district it performs relatively well but is finding it increasingly difficult to sustain - particularly with less and less coming in from Government. It seems the strategy is to invest more into early years education as a way of 'frontloading' underperformance. The other striking part of the conversation was how unionised the teaching profession is in Canada - it seems that teacher strikes are not uncommon which makes for a fractious relationship between schools, their staff and the elected boards. We briefly discussed the issue of 'choice' - something very popular in the UK - this is something that Canada is also relatively keen on - particularly interesting was that the Government will fund private schools up to 50% if they can demonstrate an alignment with the curriculum and approach set by the School district.

I then went on to Salmon Arm secondary school (Jackson Campus) - unfortunately I was unable to meet with the principal or vice principal because of a minor emergency but I did get the chance to look around the school. Serving 400-500 kids (guess) it was impressive. Design focussed on natural light which gave the school a very light and airy feel. Departmental, the school had a central hub with 4 arms extending from it like a star. Interestingly I was told, that the innovative approach to school design was something that the present government had rolled back from since SA was built 10 years ago. The ministry of education put out a statement along the lines of "schools should be functional, their purpose is not to be aesthetically pleasing or architecturally significant" - not something you will find in the BSF literature.

29th April - again all very well explained by Sarah below. Tim Horton's was good, but for me the hydroelectric dam was the highlight - I was impressed to hear that over 95% of BC's power is sourced from hydroelectric power. It seems to me to be an incredibly reliable, clean, relatively low impact way of generating energy. Although not a vocational day, I did speak to a lovely couple of people when in Revelstoke about special schools. I was amazed to hear that in BC there are no special schools and all pupils are educated in a mainstream setting. Kids with SEN are graded between 1 and 3 in terms of need and funding follows that pupil usually in the form of a 1:1 teaching or learning assistant (which rarely covers the true cost). Inclusion is a hot topic in Surrey I think they would be interested to hear that there are not special schools at all and the pupil referral units were all scrapped two or so years ago - consequently there are relatively few exclusions. This all sounds great, but I do wonder how the teachers and parents feel about it, as this has to put a challenging burden on a workforce not always adequately prepared for kids with severe learning difficulties.

30th April - run in the morning to mount creek then a really nice day trekking, hay barn BBqing and learning about the First Nations in Canada. Many similarities it seems with Australia and aborigines. Past injustices on a collosal scale, 200 years on and you find a disadvantaged native people who score poorly on most socioeconomic criteria against the national average. Lots of interesting discussions with Bill and Zina and Fred and Lynda as well as a tour guide who took us to look at Tee Pees and Kekuli's on what the issues and respective challenges are.

Return home to meet up with Bill and family for one a beer before bedtime.

We're going on a bear hunt...

So today I bid farewell to my first home host Marie, who has taken great care of me over the past few days.  Her cats (Miss Puss, Scooter & Bobby) were also great fun!.  It was really sad to say goodbye as she has made me feel so welcome, but I hope we stay in touch and she comes to visit.  Her car is a Dodge Charger and out of this world - I am so jealous that she is driving it to Vancouver (5 hours) for her business conference.

Renee and Rick are now looking after me at their home on a new development.  They too have cats (OC and Taz) who are also very cute!  I'm also staying with Penny, which is great as we can gossip and catch up on all the events (although we are pooped when we get back after our trips!).

Today we headed out to Chase, a smaller village about 40 minutes (ish) away from Salmon Arm.  We met up with the Chase Rotarians and went to the Quaaout Lodge on First Nations land for lunch (Sockeye smoked salmon, salad and root beer - yum!).  We then were shown round the resort by Barbara, a First Nations person from a band (tribe) which is out of the area.  She showed us the Kekulis, and underground dwelling used in the winter - very similar to a roundhouse found in England.  She also explained about the First Nations, their history, belief system and issues associated with language and culture - it was very interesting.

We then went on a short hike up the Adams River where the salmon make thir annual run.  It was beautiful.  When we arrived to start the hike there was a sign warning of a Black Bear and her cub.  I got very excited, but unfortunately they were hiding from us.  We did however see a Bald Eagle, Red Squirrel and a variety of mean looking bugs!  The weather was also very kind to us.

The final trip of the day was with the Chase Rotarians to the Wolf Ranch for a hay barn BBQ.  The food was scrummy, the wine flowed and the company outstanding.  I'm sure the others will tell you all about Arnie, but he was a fantastic character with lots of stories.

We arrived home to Renee & Ricks at around 9pm, its now 10pm and I am pooped!  I'm going to head off, dream of black bears and wonder how I will do dragon boating tomorrow!

TTFN
Sarah

Revelstoke

We spent yesterday In Revelstoke, closer to the Rockies and on Route 1 across Canada. Lynda and Coleman were our drivers. The weather was wonderful, sunshine all morning. After coffee at Tim Hortons with president Gail and Pam from the RC, they took us to the Railway museum, which was really interesting and we watched many very long freight trains go past during the day. After lunch on the balcony looking at the mountains, we went to the Revelstoke Dam, one of 3 on the Columbia river in BC, there are 11 more in the US on this river. We had a private tour as the visitor's centre was closed officially. We then went to the Great Cedars boardwalk and the Skunk Cabbage boardwalk. The team got their first biochemistry lesson on Skunk Cabbage, fortunately the cabbages were not very smelly when we visited. After a short stroll around the very pretty town, we joined the RC of Revelstoke and their families for a 5th Thursday event in the United Church. Steven their CFO (chief fun officer) had organised the meeting and we were all made very welcome. The church members had cooked turkey and beef and the food was excellent. There was a Beatles quiz, and a presentation from their exchange student from Thailand and a lovely friendly atmosphere.

Update on the last few days

So here is a 'brief' overview of what I have been up to over the last few days....

So Monday we had a chilled out morning, in the afternoon we went on a walking tour of downtown Kelowna, visiting a number of cultural sports. Kathy, Bruce and Bud showed us around and it was great. We stopped by City Hall, saw an Olympic torch and also say Charles and Diana's autographs (I got a pic!). We visited a Japanese garden which was very tranquil, before heading back to the hotel.

The Rotary Club had arranged a car rally / treasure hunt for us, and I went out with Fred (aka James Bond) in hisBMW Z4 - with the top down! I wasn't a great navigator, so we didn't win (in fact we were the last back!!!) but it was great fun. We also went to our first Rotary Club (Okanagan Mission) and gave a very (very) informal presentation. Met a number of younger Rotarians who were great fun and also Carlos from Ecuador who was on a year exchange (aged 18).... he didn't speak English 10 months ago, but is now near perfect!

(above - Me & Carlos)

I think the glass of wine I had with dinner that night helped to give me 8 hours sleep!!!!!

U.B.C - Sarah, Kieran, Sue, Gewn, Doug, Penny, Kathy& Bruce

On Tuesday we packed up and moved out of Kelowna. Stopping at the University of British Columbia for a very informative tour, and then onto Vernon for our first presentation (to 120 people). It went really well with no hiccups (and no notes!). We all got some laughs. Lunch was the Talipa fish (I think), but I gave it ago (as I had promised to try new things out) and it was really nice with the mango salsa. We then took the 1.5 hour journey to Salmon Arm stopping in the Silver Star ski resort where it still had snow (and snowed!) we were in our element and had a small snow ball fight (it was too cold for anything else!). When we got into Salmon Arm, I met with Marie (my host for the first few days) who took me to her home and settled me in before heading out to the Prestige Hotel for our second presentation of the evening. I sat next to Marie and Mary who are great and we talked about travelling - it seems as though Rotarians travel alot! Our presentation went really well Went to bed early, but didn't sleep too well. But it meant I got up early to prepare for today's events....

... This morning we met with the Mayor of Salmon Arm who showed us around City Hall, before passing me onto Kevin and Melinda who are planners and Lloyd my Rotarian who was looking after me.

 Salmon Arm City Hall

We spent the entire morning comparing planning systems and being surprised at how similar and different they are! I'd say more but it would take up the entire email!! Went for a walk downtown to look at their 'heritage' buildings before heading to a micro-brew pub for lunch (had a local pear cider which was yum!). The morning was really intense and I got lots of information, but the afternoon was jammed packed.

 1/2 portion food at the brew pub!

We went to Rap Attack, which sounds like a tourist centre for hip hop, but is in fact a centre for fire fighters who repel (thats probably the wrong spelling) from helicopters to fight fires (mainly forest) in the depths of British Columbia. We were taken through their set up, walked up a 5 stories on a very steep ladder only to feel a bit queasy when I looked down at a short drop they have to train to repel on! Lloyd then took us over to a traditionally (but new - 2002) build log cabin which was beautiful. It would be very unlikely to see such a thing in the UK.

We got back to Salmon Arm on time and headed home, where I put my feet up for 5 minutes before Marie's dinner party (Penny came over with her hosts).  The evening was so funny, great company, great food and great local wine (including the ice wine which I must find!). Big thanks to Marie for hosting such a wonderful evening :)

I am now heading to bed as tomorrow will be an early start!!!!

TTFN
Sarah
x

the action starts from here

After some much needed R and R at the Manteo we set off for the first of what will likely be a number of action packed days - all described admirably by Penny below. I continue to be a little beaten up by the jetlag and lack of sleep but I am slowly getting there and starting to feel human again.

The activities to date have been run with military precision and it the hospitality shown by the Rotarian members has at times been overwhelming. Everyone is incredibly friendly and a joy to meet with and chat to - either in a Rotary club meeting or in the car on our way to the next activity.

I am really looking forward to meeting Doug Pearson and Principal Greg Kitchen tomorrow morning as I hope to learn a bit more about the system of education that is operated here. Being so used to a centralised system of education it will be interesting to understand more about the nature of the relationships between school boards, provincial authorities and schools themselves - given that there appears to be relatively little that is decided at the federal level.

As well as some key differences it seems there are many similarities between our two nations' systems - albeit it seems that their school population is in decline and rather than building schools for the future, they are closing them. Much more to be revealed tomorrow no doubt.

I am looking forward to a good nights rest - another fun packed day tomorrow!

Tuesday 27th April 2010

Phew....what a day! Two presentations down, only eight to go.

The day started with a visit to the University of British Columbia ('UBC'), Kelowna Campus. Gwen Ziln, a Rotarian and an employee of UBC kindly gave us a tour of the campus. I think we were all impressed by the quality of the buildings, and the provision of student study/social areas including flat screen TV's to watch movies! We then journed to Vernon, where we joined five Rotary clubs for lunch, and did our first presentation. I think we all did incredibly well, and there were no technical glitches (phew!). Lunch was followed by a trip to the Silver Star ski resort, which still had a covering of snow. The resort had only closed three weeks ago, but still had a fine covering of snow. Ironically it started to sleet as we travelled there. Following a brief play in the snow we travelled on to Salmon Arm to meet our host families, and joined three local Rotary clubs for a meal and our second presentation.

Tomorrow we will all have our first vocational visit. and I will have the privilege of meeting a retired Provincial Court Judge. I hope that this will provide me with the opportunity to learn how the Canadian criminal justice system compares and contrasts with the UK, and to discover the efforts which are being made in Canada to rehabilitate offenders.

After a relaxing morning, we had a wonderful afternoon exploring Downtown Kelowna with Kathy, and Bud and Fred from the RC of Okanagen Mission. We saw some wonderful art and quilting and were even taken to the Mayor's office, where we saw an Olympic torch and signed the visitor's book. The picture shows Penny and Sarah in the Japanese garden. We had a car treasure hunt, which was a really good way to see the area, before being made very welcome at the Rotary clubs meeting and giving our first informal presentation.

Kelowna

Just had a dry run of our presentation, all went well and stayed in the time frame. Just chilling in the hotel Manteo Resort before the start of our busy timetable tomorrow.

Our blog

We are hoping to write to the blog regularly, with pictures, so that family and friends and fellow Rotarians can see what we are up to, but they may come in a rush, like my 2 today. We are still getting used to the time change, so when I woke up early, I thought I would try to keep you informed. All the best
Sue

Day 1 - Kewlona

Well we all made it (just!) to Kewlona... Kathy, Bruce, Derek and Joan met us at the airport, and gave us a very warm welcome. The sun was also shining which was an added bonus.

Sue, Derek, Penny, Kieran, Kathy, Doug & Me on arrival!

The Manteo Resort is amazing, set on the lake with the most overwhelming views, to say it is beautiful is an understatement!!!! We checked in with ease and settled into the hotel, before heading to Kathy’s house for our orientation session. WOW! Kathy laid on a feast - local smoked salmon (the best I have ever tasted!), home made dips (the jalapeno and artichoke was scrummy!), salad with goats cheese (a new one for me) and buffalo ribs (which were so tender and delicious!). This was my first challenge, because normally I’m a bit reluctant to try new food, but I have made a promise to give new things ago and I am sure glad that I did!!!

The itinerary looks fantastic a great combination of vocational visits (planning departments, architects and developers for me), cultural activates and social events. Our first presentation is tomorrow in Vernon, where we hear we will be presenting to 120 people – I’m sure they will be kind!

So the jet lag is catching up with me – I awoke at 3:30am, and stayed in bed trying to force sleep for as long as possible – I made it to 5:30am when I had to get up and go for a walk! The lake was so calm and peaceful, and whilst there was a chill in the air, it was great to just take some time out to take it all in.

So it’s now just coming up to 7am and soon time for breakie. I have a chilled morning planned followed by an exciting afternoon (but more about that later!).

Right, time for more caffine!!!

TTFN
Sarah
x

Arriving in Kelowna

We were all relieved to see Kieran on the plane from Vancouver to Kelowna and were we met by Kathy (Butler) who had organised our exchange. She was very relieved to see us after all the chaos caused by the Volcano and I was relieved to have the whole District 1250 team in Kelowna on time. After a quick tour they took us to a beautiful resort by the Lake, where we are staying for 2 nights, and then we had a meal at Kathy's House - local sockeye smoked salmon followed by Buffalo ribs. All absolutely delicious. We had also been ferried around by Bruce and Derek and his wife, from the RC of Kelowna Downtown. Derek Bottomley is Districts 5060's Foundation Chariman, their equivalent to our John Penny. I believe he was born and bred in District 1250.

A morning in Vancouver

We were lucky to have the flight we had planned to Vancouver, a large number of people on the plane were returning home after being stuck in London because of the Volcano. Sarah had booked us into the St Regis Hotel which was very good and had the most enormous breakfast, a sign of meals to come perhaps. Here is a picture of Doug in the reception area, his hat already much admired by a fellow resident.
We had a lovely, if rainy, morning going up the Lookout and walking along with waterfront past Canada Place. Vancouver is a really lovely city.

Hello from Canada!

Just a very short note to say that Sue, Penny, Doug and I have arrived safely in Vancouver! Going to do some sightseeing in the morning before heading back to the airport to meet Kieran and head over to Kelowna.

The adventure begins!

 Doug, Moose, Penny & Sue at Vancouver Airport (waiting for Kieran to arrive from Las Vegas!)

Todays the day!

I can't believe that today the rest of the team will be flying out to Canada. Thankfully the ash cloud has dispersed and (I think) Kieran made it safely to the USA on Thursday. We will be catching up with him on Sunday to hear all his adventures and fly into Kelowna to officially start the GSE.

I have been so excited that I haven't slept too well the past few nights, but this has given me the opportunity to pack not once, but three times!! I still think I have too much, but need to cover every weather eventuality!!

Before I depart, I must thank my employers, Waverley Borough Council, for all their support and allowing me to have this extended period of leave. It is so exciting to be able to see planning in action in another country and I really hope that I can bring back some new ideas to try out in my own work.

Well, I best head off to rationalise my stuff again! Next time I write it will be from Canada!

TTFN
Sarah

Having looked forward to the trip for so long now, it seems very unlikely that I will make my Thursday flight. The reports aren't good - seems those pesky icelandics are getting their own back for us taking all our money out of their banks so they keep stoking that Volcano up just as the BBC were putting out media releases that the worst was over and things would get back to normal. Apparently two flights left UK soil today, one was an internal flight the other was a flight to Reykjavik!! oh the irony.

It is amazing how much chaos can be caused by a few planes being grounded - half the people at Surrey County Council seem to be stranded - my boss is stuck in Morrocco, the head of IT is stuck in Spain and most of our schools are atleast 4-5 teachers down because they are in Calais trying to negotiate a man and a boat to take them across the channel!

Anyway, I am sure things will sort themselves out soon - my only worry is that the rest of gang make their flight on Saturday and I have to wait ages for a reschedule - my come uppance I guess for trying to squeeze in a stag (bathchelor party) in Las Vegas and leaving early.

Lets wait and see what happens.....

3 working days to go! The final countdown......

Hey guys!

Only three days to go (volcanic ash permitting!)

I am getting increasingly excited with the prospect of spending one month visiting Canada and the States. I'm trying not to obsessively check the news regarding the flight/ash situation - latest news is that BA are meeting in Whitehall to encourage the Government to review the existing restrictions! We will just have to wait and see what happens, it is completely out of our hands.

I sympathise with the incoming team who were due to fly home today, and I hope that they can enjoy their extended holiday by visiting some places they wouldn't have otherwise had the opportunity to see.

Until next time!

Penny

The D1250 presentation

District 1250 Presentation 2010

View more presentations from mouikey.

What a night... it all feels so real now!

Tonight, the two teams met for the first time at the D5060 farewell dinner at Guildford Golf Club.  It was a brilliant evening, eveyone made me (and my hubby Rich) feel so welcome, and it was great to meet the incoming team.  The picture below shows the two teams together - this apparently is an unusual event!

It was lovely to hear about all their adventures, and also find out about D5060 and what we should expect.  I can't wait to see the apple blossom, and the beautiful landscape.  Each of the D1250 team were presented with two pins by D5060 - I will wear mine with pride, both on and after our trip.  I also got some packing tips from Kevira.

Well, you may have heard that a volcano has erupted in Icelend, sending a large plume of ash over the UK... hopefully this will have dispersed before D5060 make their way home at the weekend.  I really wish them all well on their return flights (and additional travel to London - Jim, and around Europe - Brad). I can't wait to catch up with them at District Conference... they will probably see that we have used their presenation as a template!!!

Here is the last photo of the D1250 GSE team all together before we head off on our travels:

From left to right: Sarah, Doug, Sue (Team Leader), Kieran, Penny

Hello!

I thought I would drop by to say hello and introduce myself... I'm Sarah Wells, one of the D1250 team members travelling to D5060 at the end of the month.  To say I'm excited would be an understatement!

Last night the team met at the Georgian House Hotel in Haslemere for our last formal meeting before we travel to Canada and America.  We spent most of the evening finalising our travel arrangements, sharing information, asking lots of questions, and checking our presentations.  It's all coming together and I hope the Rotarians in D5060 will enjoy our presentations and learn a little about where we live.

Tomorrow night the D1250 team will meet the D5060 team at their farewell dinner in Guildford.  I am really looking forward to meeting them, finding out how they have their trip has been and also picking their brains to get the heads up on the weather in D5060 (well I need to know what to pack!).

I am sure I will be on here again soon telling all the tales of my forthcoming adventure.
Sarah

The District 1250 team

Here is a picture of us all at an Orientation evening.
Roger Jude Chairman of the District GSE committee took the picture.
Going from left to right we are:
Doug, Penny, Sue, Kieran and Sarah

Welcome to the District 1250 GSE Team blog

We leave for District 5060 on April 24th, just over 2 weeks away. The District 5060 team are here and from their blog seem to be enjoying themselves. The weather has got a little warmer too. We hope to post information about our visit as we go along so that you can see what we are doing. The wonders of modern technology!! Sue