The Good Spirit School Division (GSSD) is facing difficult decisions that will need to be made regarding the allocation of resources within the division.
At the regular board meeting held in April at the Fairview Education Centre board room, Sherry Todosichuk, deputy director of corporate services, discussed the challenges associated with the reduction of funding to the GSSD that were contained in the proposed 2017-2018 Saskatchewan Party budget released in March.
Todoschuk indicated in the board report release that all facets of the organization would be impacted as a result of reduced funding, but stressed that all budget decisions would be made with thoughtful consideration for both students and staff.
In an attempt to reduce the possibility of teacher redundancies across the school division, the Board of Education passed a motion allowing those teachers eligible for retirement to receive a retirement incentive equal to 25 per cent of a year salary. Written notice of retirement would need to be submitted to the director of education/CEO on or before May 5 to be eligible for the incentive, the report said.
On March 16 the Sturgis School Community Council made a motion to rename the consolidated Sturgis Elementary School and Sturgis Composite High School, to be Sturgis Composite School. The school in Sturgis is slated to open in the fall of 2017 it said.
In accordance with Board Policy 2, whereby the naming of schools and other board-owned facilities is considered to be a selected responsibility, the board approved the proposed name for the consolidated school located within the community of Sturgis.
Good Spirit School Division received four bids regarding the HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) installation at the Sturgis Composite High School. The board was informed that Penguin Refrigeration had submitted the lowest bid in the amount of $69,080 excluding GST.
The board approved the Norquay School Community Council (SCC) loan application for the gym flooring project up to the amount of $50,000 as recommended by the board finance committee, it said.
In partnership with the facilities department, the Norquay SCC is fundraising to assist in the gym floor replacement project which is scheduled for completion during the summer.
Students from Preeceville School were accompanied by Leslea Hanson, a teacher, and Doug King, principal, to enjoy lunch and share highlights from their school with the Board of Education, the report said.
The students highlighted numerous activities that happen within their school which assist in building a positive school culture. They shared how Spirit Days planned for all grade levels assist in developing a “sense of belonging.” The students also spoke of the strong connection Preeceville School has with their community members.
The students spoke passionately about how the environment and instruction within their school has resulted in a renewed interest for different genres of literature, it said.
Also highlighted in the presentation was the Breakfast Café which has ensured that students have the “fuel” necessary to learn throughout the day. Doug King reported that behaviour incidents are down since implementing the universal breakfast program.
Upon conclusion of the presentation one of the student representatives shared the focus on “mindfulness” within Preeceville School, it said. The idea that respect for self and those around one is assisting to promote a caring environment, exemplifying the Good Spirit School Division values of “belonging, respect, responsibility, learning and nurturing.”
Persons wishing to read the full report from the April board meeting may access it on the gssd.ca website.
