The Ministry of Education has mandated the addition of two non-instructional days this year to support new
curriculum.The two days are being used to help teachers get up to speed on the changes. The curriculum is
being redesigned to respond to how the world is changing, and to better equip students for after they graduate
in a way that is both engaging and personalized for studentsThere will also be "more indigenous knowledge
added throughout the curriculum", said Vancouver North Island Teachers Association (VINTA) President,
Shawn Gough, in a brief interview over the phone. Parents are able to attend one of the two non-instructional
days. The day that parents are allowed to attend is on Feb. 29 at the Civic Centre in Port Hardy from 9 a.m. to
3 p.m. The non-instructional day will discuss the 'whys' and the 'whats' of the curriculum changes. The second
non-instructional day on Tuesday, May 24, which is not open to parents, will focus on 'how' the teachers will go
about implementing the changes. Regarding what kind of changes will be made to the curriculum, Gough said
there will still be a "strong focus on the basics, like math and writing, but the teachers will now be able to
explore the subjects in more creative ways."