05-08-2018 GPPSD Board Highlights

Grande Prairie Public School District

May 8, 2018

BOARD HIGHLIGHTS Central Office, 10127 120 Avenue, Grande Prairie, AB, T8V 8H8

The Grande Prairie Public School District is a learning community in which every student succeeds BOARD OF TRUSTEES BOARD CHAIR John Lehners BOARD VICE-CHAIR Joan Nellis TRUSTEES Andre Ouellette Lesley Craig Lynn Driedger Paulette Kurylo Rob Martin SUPERINTENDENT Alexander (Sandy) McDonald ASSOCIATE SUPERINTENDENT, SECRETARY-TREASURER Norm Guindon ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT, HUMAN RESOURCES Nick Radujko ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT OF PROGRAMS & PLANNING James Robinson ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT, STUDENT SERVICES Christina Farquharson

REGULAR

BOARD MEETING

TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2018 06:00 P.M., CENTRAL OFFICE FUTURE BOARD MEETINGS:

June 12, 2018 (This is the final Board Meeting for 2017-2018 School Year)

Board Chair John Lehners presented Parkside Montessori teacher, Megan Layden, a Certificate of Achievement from the GPPSD Board of Trustees to recognize her being the District nominee for the Edwin Parr Teacher Award.

SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT Review of the April 17 Principal’s Meeting Superintendent McDonald provided the Board with an overview of content discussed at meeting. Among other business items, Principals were engaged in a review of district Administrative Procedures on student attendance and shared best practices for supporting students who struggle with their attendance. Additionally, Principals discussed inter-school athletics and the impact providing students the opportunity to participate can have for the individual student and building a positive school culture.

Strategies to support the organization of leagues and the staff who coach and supervise teams and clubs were also discussed at the meeting. Mr. McDonald shared with Trustees the appreciation school and district administration have for staff who volunteer their time to coach and supervise extra-curricular activities.

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GPPSD Central Office Administration Retreat Superintendent McDonald reported on the two-day Strategic Planning retreat that was held for the Central Office Education Executive team on April 18 and April 19.

He noted the focus of the retreat was to support and refine the specificity of District-level planning using the priorities identified in school plans. The team met at Central Office, reviewed a variety of sources of evidence of student achievement and school and student success within the District, and built the District Administration calendar for the 2018-2019 school year. Mr. McDonald reported to Trustees no substantial changes to the priorities identified in the current 3-Year Educational Plan were identified, and Trustees will review the priorities at their upcoming Board retreat on Friday, June 15.

Leadership Standards Project Trustees were updated on the continuing work school and district administration are engaged in to prepare for the implementation of the new Superintendent, Principal, and

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Teacher Standards, which come into effect September 2019. The District’s partnership with researchers from the University of Lethbridge was highlighted, with a focus on the work done monthly in schools to support the school administration teams’ understanding of the competencies in the Principal Leadership Standard. Mr. McDonald noted school administration teams are currently beginning planning, using generative dialogue and collaborative inquiry with teachers, for district-wide implementation of the revised Teaching Quality Standard.

The Board expressed interest in learning more about the potential of this work, after having heard school administration teams speak very positively about the impact of the work during recent assurance meetings.

A Bright Beginning Child Care Centre Update ($25/day childcare program) The Board was updated on the work that has started to support our District partnership with A Bright Beginning Child Care Centre group on a $25/Day program for Grande Prairie children. Staff from Maintenance and Student Services have initiated the process of working with the provider to begin planning the physical work needed to occur at the school site to be able to support their programming moving into Avondale School.

CULTURE & ENGAGEMENT School Assurance Meetings

May 8, 2018

Board for consideration. The combination of a decline in enrolments for the two years prior to the current year, the opening of three new schools in the past two years, and a relative downturn in the economy resulted in the District submitting a $1.2M deficit budget last spring. This year, a draft budget representing a $300,000 deficit was presented to the Board. Included in the budget is an increase in both the number of teachers and the number of educational assistants compared to the previous budget and no cuts to programs or services for students. Mr. McDonald shared his appreciation to District and School leadership for their commitment to the elimination of the deficit as a top priority this year to support positive growth in future years. A final budget will be brought to the next meeting to be approved by the Board for submission to Alberta Education by the end of May deadline.

ALBERTA EDUCATION

NEWS & EVENTS MAY 13 18 21

Mother’s Day Full day off for students as it is a Professional Learning Day for staff Victoria day

JUNE 1 Full day off for students as it is a Professional Learning Day for staff 17 Father’s Day 21 National Indigenous Peoples Day 28 Last day for students 29 Last day for staff JULY 1 Canada Day AUGUST 6 Heritage Day

Classroom Improvement Fund (CIF) Announcement Trustees discussed the recent announcement from Minister Eggen that the Classroom Improvement Fund program implemented this year will be renewed for next year. No details about the program have been announced yet, but Trustees and Administration are grateful for this announcement to provide additional supports for students and staff in schools. The CIF money allocated to schools provides a unique opportunity for schools to provide additional focus on their specific priorities. Administration is eagerly waiting for details about the 2018-2019 grant to be announced so schools can begin their planning to help contribute to the success of every student in GPPSD.

The Board discussed the importance of the School Assurance Meeting Process in their learning and work as an effective Board. Lesley Craig, a new Trustee to the Board, noted the assurance meetings are building a deeper understanding of the daily operations that occur in GPPSD schools. Trustee Paulette Kurylo commented on the positive leadership and instruction that is evident in GPPSD schools.

Board Chair Lehners summarized by identifying the sense of pride he has observed administrators have in the work of their staffs and of their schools in general.

BUSINESS SERVICES 2018-2019 Draft Budget Superintendent McDonald provided an overview of the past couple of years and presented a draft budget to the

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CONTACT INFORMATION The last game between the Oilers and the Flames resulted in Trustee Craig donning the winning team’s jersey for Trustee Martin.

www.gppsd.ab.ca

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MOHAMMAD HAIDAR Communications & Design Specialist 780-532-4491 Ext. 1013 mohammad.haidar@gppsd.ab.ca

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