Department of Education and Early Childhood Development

P.O. Box 6000

Fredericton, NB E3B 5H1
Tel (506) 453-3678
Fax (506) 457-4810

September 15, 2023

Dear Families,

As we start the 2023-24 school year, I want to welcome you back to the classroom and
share some important updates with you.

Over the summer, we shared our plans for improving the learning experience of students
in our English Prime and French Language Learning programs. These plans were
developed in response to recommendations from a committee, co-chaired by the New
Brunswick Teachers’ Association, which included educators, families, community
members, students, District Education Council representatives, and other special interest
groups.

Starting this September, we are taking action on eight initiatives:

• adding more teaching positions to support the development of literacy and

numeracy skills for students in Grades K-5;
• adding more behaviour intervention workers to support students;
• creating guidelines around making student profiles to help teachers know their
students better;
• analyzing the existing administrative workload for principals and resource teachers
to plan improvements;
• launching NB Lead to support school leaders;
• providing more professional learning for educators on supporting positive learning
and working environments;
• launching a Centre of Excellence for Language Learning to strengthen French
language learning; and
• encouraging qualified supply teachers to be given contracts to ensure their
availability.

We have already begun working on these actions and work will continue throughout the
school year. This is a step in the right direction when it comes to improving the learning
experience in our anglophone schools. A set of longer-term recommendations are
expected to be shared by the steering committee later this fall.
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September 15, 2023

While this work has been a big focus at the Department of Education and Early Childhood
Development over the last few months, we have also been working on other important
matters.

We’ve been modernizing our curriculum and investing in the tools needed to deliver
education in the 21st century. Students in Grades 9 to 12 now require laptops and/or
tablets and we have a subsidy program to help families with the expense. This technology
allows us to incorporate digital platforms like Teams, myBlueprint and online learning
courses into the daily classroom experience.

We have also focused on literacy at all grade levels, including training our kindergarten
to Grade 2 teachers to implement the building blocks of reading continuum. New
curriculum based on this approach will be rolled out to all schools this year. We have
updated curriculum in civics, Indigenous and Black history, and modernized the overall
high school experience for our students to allow for more choices and flexibility for
students beginning in Grade 10.

We know students can’t learn when they’re hungry. We’ve partnered with Food Dépôt
Alimentaire to pilot school food programs at about 100 schools across the province and
we plan to expand further by the end of the year.

Career and life readiness has been a priority over the last number of years. Currently,
more than one in four high school graduates have participated in a co-op experiential
learning opportunity – and we hope to see that number grow as we continue to expand
our offerings. In addition to co-op, more than 10,000 New Brunswick students participated
in experiential learning to explore options for career and life pathways in New Brunswick.

We are also continuing to invest in our facilities. Our 2023-24 capital budget included
$110.24 million for major infrastructure projects that will enhance the quality and safety
of our facilities.

Building a better education system is our goal at the Department of Education and Early
Childhood Development. I am proud of the progress we have made, and I am excited
about the future. I wish you all a happy and safe return to school and a successful 2023-
24 school year.

Sincerely,

Bill Hogan
Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development