School Board and Teacher Agreement – The Board and local
teachers have reached a new collective bargaining agreement in conjunction with
the deal struck between the Alberta Government and the Alberta Teachers
Association - in effect from Sept. 2012 to Aug. 2016. The provincial deal dealt
with salaries, while the local bargaining unit came to an agreement on
non-salary items, such as personal leaves and teacher working conditions.
Calendar Approval - Trustees passed the final
draft for the 2014/15 school year. School will begin after the September long
weekend and extra professional development time has been worked in to
accommodate staff requests for more time to collaborate. This information was
garnered during the government-driven teacher workload study.
School Dominican Trip – Local parents and
students attended a special meeting to review the activities and safety
measures in place for the upcoming Dominican Experience trip in light of recent
news reports regarding Manitoba students who were exposed to theft on their
Dominican trip. The Board was satisfied with the information provided in order
for parents to make an informed decision with their children.
Downtown Revitalization (St. Paul) - A local committee wrote to
the Board with a proposal to erect a “Four Legged Spirit Being” statue in the
southwest corner of the Racette schoolyard. According to division policy, any
statue or public feature erected on school property must go through a number of
consultation processes. As a result, the Board agreed to bring this request to
Racette School Council first and also check with the committee with regards to
maintenance of the bear statue and its surrounding features.
Skiing Consent Form - A parent recently brought
forward concerns regarding the consent form for ski trips, particularly with
regards to indemnifying the school board in the event of any injury or death
... “including the negligence of
the school or its officers, directors, volunteers, or agents.” The Board agreed
to eliminate the last section in quotes since it is not on any other consent
forms.
Policy Review - Policy 10 Policy Making
and Policy 11 Board Delegation of Authority were reviewed with no changes. Next
month the Board will be reviewing Policy 12 Role of Superintendent and Policy
13 Appeals and Hearings Regarding Student Matters.
ASBA Second Languages Survey - the provincial trustees’
association is looking to its member boards for input on the future direction
of the Second Languages Task Force. It is currently considering putting most of
its focus on English language learners. The Board will be submitting its
opinions in the survey.
Learning Networks Ballot - Two candidates were
shortlisted for the open board position. Learning Networks offers professional
development options for staff in northeastern Alberta. The Board submitted
their vote for one of the candidates.
Mennonite Initiatives Committee - Trustee Rajoo was invited
to attend this recently-created committee with the purpose to connect local
Mennonites to different services within the Two Hills community. Trustees Rajoo
and Pederson will continue to attend future meetings as members of the Board’s
Mennonite Liaison Committee.
Nike High School Grand Prix request - due to the nature of the
request, the Board supported the local athletes’ trip to Toronto in spirit, but
not financially.
ASCA Conference - the Board passed a motion
to sponsor the registration and accommodations for two parents to attend the
annual Alberta School Councils’ Association conference in Edmonton, April 25 -
27. Further details will be emailed to School Council chairs.
Superintendent’s Report:
- Inclement Weather - Policies and procedures were reviewed in the latest inclement weather day on January 15 with extreme high wind conditions. For future inclement weather days, principals are asked to be at school earlier, if possible, in order to be part of the decision-making process and provide direction to staff and families. The existing policies still meet the division’s needs with the goal of safety first.
- Morning supervision - Administrators discussed supervision needs for elementary students arriving at 8:00 in the morning or earlier with the decision to provide supervision beginning at approximately 8:00 a.m. Individual cases where families may be sending their children unnecessarily early should be handled by phone calls.
- Jan. 23 - Catholic trustees and staff met with Bishop Terrio
- Admin Council Feb. 10 and 11 - reviewed C2 (teacher workload study) data and future plans.
- Upcoming:
- Feb. 26 - Board tour of Ashmont Schools
- March 13/14 - Kevin Cameron will be conducting Risk/Threat Assessment training for up to 80 people for staff and other local partnering community agencies.
- March 10-14 - substitute teachers appreciation week
- March 26 - Jr. High Math Olympics, 10 a.m., FG Miller
- FG Miller - “Slamming the door on bullying” - upcoming events and activities for bully prevention.
Financial Report:
- SPERD approved
for extra federal funding for FNMI students
- ASBA
completing survey on school board financial reserves
-
March 6 provincial budget announcement
-
East Central Francophone accepted the Board’s recent bid of $200,000 to
purchase two parcels of land to the north and west of St. Paul Elementary
Community School
Capital Projects - Mennonite School - slab
design for the new school is still under review
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