Vol. 105 No. 46
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014
Box 40, 122 Main Street, Biggar, Saskatchewan S0K 0M0
email: tip@sasktel.net
20 pages
Phone: 306-948-3344
$1.25
www.biggarindependent.ca
Itterman re-elected to Sun West Board Chair At its annual organizational meeting, held October 26 in Saskatoon, the Sun West School Division Board elected a new Chair and Vice-chair. The Board re-elected
Karen Itterman as Board Chair this year. She is the trustee representing Subdivision No. 3 (Biggar and Landis). Ruth Griffith, representing the Town of Kindersley,
The Pipes, the pipes are calling . . . Jayden Sittler pipes in the colour guard during Remembrance Day Services at the Biggar Community Hall, November 11. Residents took time to honour those who gave us our freedoms, the country we love, the life we
was elected as Vice-chair. Both the Chair and Vicechair serve one-year terms. As chair, Itterman will act as spokesperson for the board, chair board meetings, annual meetings and
other public meetings. Griffith will stand in for the Chair when Itterman is unavailable to fulfil these responsibilities. Other trustees also volunteered to sit on various board committees and act as representatives for several outside educational organizations for the year. T h e n e x t regular Sun West Board of Education meeting will be held on November 25, in Rosetown. The Director of
now live. For one day of the year, we remember - let’s all take time to remember throughout the year, not just on the eleventh day, on the eleventh hour . . . (Independent Photo by Kevin Brautigam)
Asquith’s Operation Santa starts for another year Asquith’s Operation Santa is a Christmas Hamper program that was formed by a group of concerned citizens in Asquith who wanted to help needy people. The program is starting its thirteenth year. Every year, the community of Asquith and area is generous in their support, both monetary and in donated grocery items. Gifts for the children of the needy families have been donated in past years, as well as lovely hand-knitted toques and mittens for the children. Last year, the program provided hampers and groceries to seventeen family units, in which there were 32 children. Thanks to the generosity of the community, a small gift for each child was also provided with the hamper. The program is being run again this year, with a goal to provide grocery and
Christmas Meal hampers, as well as small gifts for the children, to the families that are needy. Request forms are available at the Asquith Co-op, the General Store, the Post Office and the Town office. All recipients’ names are very confidential; we protect each person’s dignity. Applicants are screened to ensure that help is directed where most needed. All requests for hampers must be turned in to the Asquith Town Office by December 5, 2014. If you are wanting to donate a small gift for a child, this must be turned in to the Town office prior to the December 5 deadline. We are appealing to our entire community to be a part of this. We would like to thank you for any help you might be able to give, be it in the form of a food drive for donated grocery items or
a cash donation. We do not give cash out to families or individuals, rather all cash donations are used
to purchase appropriate hamper items locally. For more information regarding Operation
Santa, please contact Holly at 329-4341 or Gail at 3294370.
Ready to pull the trigger . . . Pee Wee National, Josh Baduik settles the puck, ready to shoot on the ‘tender, November 8 as the Nats hosted the Macklin Mohawks. The Nats trailed throughout the game, but gave a good account of themselves, unfortunately falling to the ‘Hawks, 8-6. Check out the biggarindependent.ca this Friday for more pictures on the game. (Independent Photo by Kevin Brautigam)
Education, Dr. Guy G. Tétrault, Board Trustees, Superintendents of Education and other division office staff planned for the year during a three-day seminar. The group used the new Education Sector Strategic Plan and Hoshin Kanri process to to align the division’s strategic plan with initiatives and outcomes set out in the provincial plan. Part of this plan targets an increase in graduation rates amongst Saskatchewan students. The development and delivery of online educational programming is focused on providing students with more programming options thereby improving student engagement leading to retaining students in school until they graduate. The Sun West School Division Level 2 Hoshin Kanri matrix has an “Engagement” outcome as one of its priorities. That outcome is aimed at increasing equity of opportunity for all Sun West students no matter what school they attend. This strategy is also focused on improving transitions for students from school to work and/ or to furthering their education at post-secondary educational institutions. Online development is also being used to help fulfil the board’s policy 18 on infusing 21st Century skills and competencies for all students and staff. As the division moves towards a learning model of “Blended Education”, digitized learning materials in the form of online courses and online resources becomes paramount. The Distance Learning Center (DLC) at Kenaston School is busy developing these needed resources. The group discussed a business plan for a proposed stand-alone (DLC) building to be built in the town of Kenaston. The current DLC has outgrown the space available at Kenaston School and is now renting space at the community’s curling rink for teachers and should it keep growing as it has been, space for teachers will become a significant issue.