Peace Wapiti Public School Division January 29, 2015 Board News Central Office, 8611A-108 Street, Grande Prairie, Alberta T8V-4C5 | www.pwsd76.ab.ca Inspiring all learners to become confident, collaborative and ethical citizens motivated with a passion to achieve a sustainable future. Upcoming Events Second semester begins Monday, February 2 Excellence in Teaching Awards Nominate a PWSD teacher or principal by Friday, February 6. Download the nomination package at http://education.alberta.ca/teachers/ excellence.aspx. North West Regional Skills Canada Competition Registration Minister Dirks chats with Grade 12 students Jocelyn Wright and Kallum McDonald during a tour of Peace Wapiti Academy. PWSD voices concerns during Zone 1 meeting with Minister Dirks – Transportation, capital projects and mental health resources top the list B February 10 - April 23 Registration opens at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, February 10 and runs until Thursday, April 23. The competition will be held on Friday, April 24 at Grande Prairie Regional College, Fairview Campus. Family Day Monday, February 16 No classes. Next Board Meeting Thursday, February 19 10:30 a.m., Central Office. Kindergarten Registration Beginning Thursday, March 12 Visit www.pwsd76.ab.ca/SchoolInfo to find a school near you. Also, a fillable PDF registration form for the 2015-2016 school year will soon be posted to this website. Simply save, complete and print the form and bring it, along with your child’s birth certificate, to a PWSD school near you. Forms will also be available at school offices and Central Office. oard Chairs and Superintendents representing School Divisions in Zone 1 – Northwestern Alberta met with the Hon. Gordon Dirks, Minister of Education, in Grande Prairie on Tuesday, January 20. The group voiced concerns around sustainable, predictable funding. Stacey Pelland, PWSD’s Board Vice Chair, brought forward the need for funds to support transportation and capital projects, and received reassurance that the new Whispering Ridge school project will move forward despite the economic downturn. Superintendent Sheldon Rowe expressed the need for appropriate funding to address mental health issues. Following the meeting, Minister Dirks toured Peace Wapiti Academy for a first-hand glimpse of the positive impact High School Redesign, an Alberta Education initiative, is having at the school. Facilities Report and IMR Projects Report – School maintenance and construction projects on track D uring the summer and fall of 2014, PWSD’s Facilities Department oversaw general maintenance and repairs at all schools. Regular maintenance work included screening and varnishing of gymnasium floors, summer cleaning, carpet steam-cleaning, fire alarm systems testing and verification, inspection and maintenance of fire extinguishers, servicing and cleaning of all More news from Peace Wapiti Public School Division: Change Air units, and testing and verification of all emergency and exit lighting. Schools requiring additional maintenance work were handled on a case-by-case basis. Larger projects included the delivery and installation of two modular classrooms at Clairmont Community School. A link, connecting the units to the main building, is in the process of being built. LaGlace School saw an expansion to their staff parking lot, along with a new facade. The roofing project at Peace Wapiti Academy has been completed. In preparation for the replacement Robert W. Zahara Public School, two modular classrooms were moved to the existing daycare. The modernization project at Teepee Creek School is ongoing. http:/bit.ly/PWSD-Facebook @pwsd76 Upcoming FNMI events J oy Joachim, PWSD’s Horse Lake Educational Representative, highlighted upcoming FNMI events in her report to the Board: • The annual Spirit Seekers Youth Conference will be held on March 6-7 at GPRC. • A career fair for high school students will take place near the end of the school year – date TBA. • National Aboriginal Day, June 21. Subscribe online: www.pwsd76.ab.ca January 29, 2015 2 New skating rink for Bezanson – Policy Review Committee selects PWSD to enter into multi-use agreement new Chair, updates policies S ince 2012, the Bezanson Fire Department Society has been working hard on developing a new skating rink for the community, and the results were evident during a presentation to the Board on January 29 by Wade Doris, President of the Bezanson Fire Department Society, and Harold Bulford, Station Captain. Phases 1 and 2, which included clearing the site, laying down the asphalt pad, removal of an overhead power line, and installing the boards, are now complete. Remarkably, all work was fully funded through grants, fundraising and volunteer labour. Mr. Doris said the new 56’ by 120’ ice surface will double as a year-round facility for ball hockey and events, and will improve health and wellness in the community. Mr. Bulford expressed thanks to the PWSD Board for permitting the Society to construct the facility on Bezanson School property. Fundraising is underway for Phase 3, an opensided roof structure which will ensure clear sight lines for student supervision. During the meeting, Mr. Doris and Mr. Bulford requested permission to connect the facility to the electrical transformer at Bezanson School. The pair are also seeking assistance from the Board in developing a multi-use agreement for the facility, and securing necessary development and building permits from the county when the engineered drawings for the roof are completed. D uring a meeting of the Policy Review Committee on January 12, 2015, Trustee Sharilyn Anderson was selected as Committee Chair. Also, the following policies were updated: • Policy BDC – In Camera/Committee of the Whole and Policy BC – Organization of the Board: A guideline and procedure were added to provide a method for the Board to meet in emergent situations. Changes were approved via a recorded vote. • Policies HKC– Course Challenge and HKD-Waiver of Normal Prerequisite Courses: The Board voted to rescind these two policies. • Policy HK – Student Assessment, Grading and Reporting: Guideline and Procedure #2 was updated and #3 was added. • Policy HGCG – Off-Site Activities: Updated to allow verbal consent for field trips under certain conditions. Other updates were made to ensure consistency with the AB School Boards’ Insurance Exchange (ASBIE) OffSite Policies and Procedures Manual. Template letters have been developed for blanket field trip permission and for volunteers requiring criminal checks. • Policy of the Month: The current button to access the Policy of the Month, found at www.pwsd76.ab.ca, will be replaced by a button for PWSD staff to access the online Employee Self-Serve portal. The Committee plans to move the Policy of the Month link to the online Policies handbook, and Trustees will continue to include it as an agenda item for discussion at School Council meetings. ASBA Zone One Meeting Report T rustee Anderson reported on the Alberta School Boards Association (ASBA) Zone One meeting she attended on January 28, 2015. Travel requests reviewed by Board T he Superintendent has provided approval for two Grade 9 students from Helen E. Taylor School to travel to Ottawa in March, 2015 for the Forum for Young Canadians; and for twelve members of the Spirit River Regional Academy Girls Volleyball team to travel to St. John’s Newfoundland for a tournament in October, 2015. Board approval for all travel is pending compliance with PPolicy HGCG – Off-Site Activities. pWSD Board News A report on news from Peace Wapiti Public School Division, published following each Board meeting. Content and Design: Angela Sears Communications Officer [email protected] Subscribe online: www.pwsd76.ab.ca Good News Students achieving career goals early, thanks to RAP Two Grade 11 students at Peace Wapiti Academy who are pursing trades certification through the Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP) gave presentations at Careers: The Next Generation’s Regional Advisory Meeting on Monday, January 19. Cale Lindstrom (l) is working toward becoming an electrician and Dakota Dreger (r) is pursuing hairstyling. Bonanza School celebrates 30 years with Club Moo Club Moo, Alberta’s school milk program, has recognized Bonanza School for 30 years of participation. The program began in 1985 with nine schools and has grown to more than 340 schools today. Beaverlodge Elementary School to host fundraiser for hospital building project In support of the upcoming Mighty Peace Day, the Grade 6 Leadership Team will host a “We Act” Day Campaign and Carnival on Friday, February 6 during physical education class, starting at 8:30 a.m. This carnival event will feature 10 game stations, and all funds generated will be directed to the Beaverlodge Hospital Building Project. With a $2.00 admission fee, students will have access to eight free carnival games. Two additional games will be priced at a dollar each. Cupcakes will be sold for a dollar. Jump Rope for Heart Bonanza School will host a Jump Rope for Heart event on Thursday, February 12. On Friday, January 23, LaGlace School was among the top 10 schools in the AB, NT and NU region for online fundraising for the campaign. The school has raised $4,463.90 to date, surpassing their $4,000 goal. For more good news, check out the News & Announcements section on PWSD’s website at www.pwsd76.ab.ca.