Trustee Report - February 13, 2013

Two Hills Mennonite sod turning – Sod turning event date set for April 3 1:30 pm on site.  Local and provincial dignitaries will present.

School Calendar – After a review process by school councils and administrators the 2013/14 calendar was approved and passed by the Board of Trustees.  Spring break will be left as presented in calendar draft 1 – it is following policy.  May 12 PD will move to May 16.

Promotion of 2013 School Board Elections – Information regarding upcoming trustee elections to be held on October 21, 2013 will be posted on division website, social media and advertised in local newspapers. There are two free sessions sponsored by the ASBA for individuals interested in school trusteeship. More information can be found at www.asba.ab.ca

Saddle Lake Arbor Funding Request – The division is very much in favour of the Saddle Lake Arbor project however we are unable to support financially.

Locally Developed Courses – The Board of Trustees approved the acquisition and use of Workplace Essentials skills 25-35 and Reading 15-25 as locally developed courses to be implemented in the 2013-2014 school year subject to any required approvals by Alberta Education.

Policy Review 10 & 13- trustees discussed policies 10 (Policy Making) and 13 (Appeals and Hearings Regarding Student Matters). Both policies are currently under review by the policy committee.

Incident Communications – the Board discussed communication protocols during an incident.  All communications are based on two priorities: protection of students and staff. All communication must have consideration given to criminal justice and the School Act as well as respecting and protecting the privacy and well-being of individual(s). This protocol is also reflected in the Fair Notice letter that is sent home every fall.

Alberta School Council Association Annual Conference & AGM – the Board approved and passed a motion to once again sponsor 2 parents from different school councils to attend the annual ASCA conference and AGM to be held in Edmonton on April 26-28.  Sponsorship is limited to conference fee and accommodation costs. Contact your local trustee for more information.

After School Care – An inquiry was made regarding the availability of the division providing after school care for students.  The Board is open to the concept if there were interested community partners but we are currently not in a financial position to operate a program solo at this time.

Bishop Meeting – The Board of Trustees will be meeting with newly installed Bishop Terrio on April 24 2013 for an informal meet and greet.

Superintendent Report :

• Alberta Education visited with Racette staff over lunch and debriefed over the Racette incident. Positive overall.
• School Websites have had some minor issues over the past few weeks and are being worked through. We apologize for any inconveniences.
• A fire occurred at the division’s maintenance shop.  Fire was limited to a small area but there was extensive smoke damage.  Insurance estimates could be 1-2 million dollars.  Thank you to fire responders for their quick and diligent response.
• There was some discussion at the recent administrators meeting regarding timing of Elementary report cards. Decision was made to leave them as is.
• Division Pow Wow to be tentatively held on September 20 2013 (June can be a conflict with exams and weather).
• Communications – all schools will be equipped with phones that plug into fax lines to ensure working phones during power outages.
• March admin meeting changed to March 20^th due to more information being available after the March 7 provincial budget announcement.
• Mallaig school to host the Board of Trustees for a tour and presentation on February 27.
• Threat assessment training to be late Fall.
• March 7 will be the announcement of the Provincial budget. Area school councils may be discussing 2013-14 school fees.  Some scholarships are having issues with regards to returns on investments due to low rates.  The Community Spirit grants have been extremely helpful in keeping them fluid.
• As of February 13^th 9 Racette students are attending school at the Regional High School site and 5 students have relocated to Portage site.

Capital Projects Update- FG Miller progress is going well but slightly behind due to steel orders. The Racette modernization is on schedule with possible completion by end of March with some exterior to be done when weather permits.  THMS received 8 bids with Jen-col Construction being awarded the successful tender.  Shop fire – most of the damage occurred in the warehouse but there is smoke damage to other areas.  Operations are still underway at current site but a construction trailer may be needed during reclamation process.

Trustee Attendance Schedule - 3 trustees will be attending the Rural Education Symposium in Canmore on March 3-5.  On February 27 the Board of Trustees will be attending Mallaig school for a tour/presentation. That same day the Board will meet with MLA Shayne Saskiw by videoconference.

Subdivision Application – The division received notice of an application for subdivision adjacent to the SPECS playground. We are aware that this is part of the East Central Francophone board’s process for selling their land.