School (board) is out for summer!

The term end meeting of St Paul Education Regional Division No. 1 (SPERD) was held on Thursday, June 21. The next meeting will be on September 12, 2018.

 

Massive garage sale at Ashmont School!

Kids in Ashmont are enjoying two extra days of summer holidays while their teachers and all available hands move from the old school to the new school. Not only is the school being replaced, but so is all the furniture. So, surplus equipment is being donated to other schools in the division or to service clubs, or being sold a rock-bottom prices!

The existing structure will be demolished in July.

 

Parents don’t post

Because of concerns about personal safety and regulations under FOIP (Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy), photos of classroom events or field trips should not be posted to social media. Some kids are vulnerable and may be in danger if their pictures are shared publicly. So, parents who bring birthday cakes to their children’s classes must keep the cute snaps off the web.

For public events like awards ceremonies, children whose privacy is protected are accommodated for.

 

New Myrnam School is a new learning centre

Opening its virtual doors to flexible education this fall, New Myrnam School will be operating the Myrnam Outreach and Homeschool Centre.  Junior and senior high students who require upgrading, or are working, extensively involved in sports or arts pursuits, parenting, unhappy in school, under medical restrictions, recovering from addictions or abuse, or for any other reason require an individualized program can work from home, attend the school, or enjoy a blended approach to education. See https://www.mohc.ca/ to find out more.

 

Myrnam’s Construction Trades Education Centre (CTEC) exists through a partnership between the Village of Myrnam and SPERD. It has room and equipment for large construction projects and can accommodate courses in 3D design and printing, CNC routing, welding, and green energy and sustainable energy development.

 

New curriculum coming

“It’s an ambitious project to overhaul the entire curriculum,” noted Assistant Superintendent Dalane Imeson, “but I think the finished product will be pretty teacher friendly.” A draft of the new kindergarten to grade 4 curriculum has been unveiled. Features include Health and Phys Ed being combined into one course, dance and drama being offered as classes when staffing is available, literacy and numeracy benchmarks, and a significantly reduced number of outcomes. Implementation will begin in September 2019.  Kindergarten to grade 4 teachers are going to be pretty busy at their professional development days for the next year!

 

Set a new course

Learning Strategies 15, 25, and 35, to be offered at St Paul Alternate Education Centre and Regional High School, is aimed at high school students who need support to be successful learners across all subject areas. With help from teachers, educational assistants, parents and peers, students learn to improve organization, build time management skills, develop study skills/learning strategies and use class assessments as learning tools.

 

Gideon’s request denied

At the May meeting, a delegation requested permission for Gideons to once again distribute Bibles to grade 5 students in division schools. The request was denied in compliance with a policy statement that “schools are not vehicles for … the solicitation of students and their families by commercial, cultural, political, religious, or special interest groups.”

 

Accountability pillar holds up

Superintendent Glen Brodziak is content with the results of this spring’s accountability pillar survey, saying, “We’re doing well. All the credit goes to our schools and our kids and our parents.” The pillar is based on surveys of parents, students, and teachers and recognizes satisfaction levels in six areas: safe and caring schools; student learning opportunities; student learning achievement; preparation for lifelong learning, world of work and citizenship; parental involvement; and continuous improvement.

Policy receives an “A”

SPERD has been awarded an A grade on the Alberta School Boards’ Tobacco Policy Report Card for its policies aimed at educating students and staff about the harmful effects of not only tobacco, but also cannabis/marijuana, e-cigarettes, shisha, and hookah/waterpipes.  SPERD picked up its award at a ceremony in Edmonton on Tuesday, June 26.