District schools are holding various activities this week (October 16 to 22) which is Education Week in Saskatchewan.
This is “a time to celebrate student success and recognize our dedicated education professionals across this great province,” said a release.
This year’s theme: “Celebrating Today, Preparing for Tomorrow,” is about recognizing student achievement and teaching excellence that occur each day in our schools while continuing to prepare our students for a brighter future before and after graduation.”
During Education Week, several events were to be held in various school divisions across the province to celebrate student accomplishments and the remarkable work being done by the education professionals who support them on a daily basis, the release said.
At the Victoria School in Kamsack, a pancake breakfast prepared by the staff was served Thursday morning to parents and guardians, who were then encouraged to participate in their students’ classes. In the hallway during the week baby photos of staff members were posted and students were challenged to guess which photo belonged to which staff member.
Students-versus-staff dodgeball games were played during the noon hour at the Kamsack Comprehensive Institute. On Monday, it was the grades 5 and 6 students against the staff; Tuesday, grades 7 and 8, and Wednesday, grades 9 to 12.
On Thursday and Friday, the school’s library was converted into the Bookworm Café for a second year in a row. While cookies made by the Grade 9 home economics class was served with hot chocolate, the junior students were encouraged to make use of their talents to entertain with songs or poetry recitals.
At the Norquay School, Monday was bus driver appreciation day, and on Wednesday there was a pancake breakfast, open house and a scholastic book fair. There was also a volleyball game with students playing against staff and their coach. Spirit days were held each day, with each day bearing a different theme.
This fall, Don Morgan, Deputy Premier and Minister of Education, had the opportunity to visit many schools across the province and witnessed first-hand the great work being done by teachers and students, the release said. The students and staff at the North Battleford Comprehensive High School, for instance, showcased the success of their Gateways to Success program. Through this program, graduation coaches provide support for First Nations and Métis students to help them achieve their academic goals.
The Minister also visited W.F. Ready school in Regina. This is one of the many schools which showcased the use of valuable resources to improve their students’ literacy and love for reading through a variety of literacy instruction such as reading aloud, reading in a group, studying words and writing. They are also developing classroom libraries and frequently communicating with students’ families to support literacy.
“Models like this are being used in our schools across the province and are leading to amazing results, like in Vanguard where we recently learned that every student is reading at grade level from Kindergarten through Grade 6,” it said. “Improving graduation rates begins with our youngest students and that is why we are committed to increasing Grade 3 reading levels.
“We know that students who are reading at or above grade level are more likely to go on to be successful in school and to graduate.
“In our Saskatchewan Plan for Growth – our government’s vision for 2020 and beyond – two of our key goals are to lead the country in Grade 12 graduation rates and to reduce the difference in graduation rates between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students by 50 per cent,” it said. “Our schools and education partners have been working hard to achieve these targets and give all of our students the chance to succeed.
“Our government is putting the students first by investing in our schools and providing them with access to modern, safe and innovative learning environments that will help them learn and grow in this changing world.
“By ‘Celebrating Today, Preparing for Tomorrow’ it reminds us that we should take pride in the achievements of our students, parents and educational professionals, while continuing to improve and build a positive future because a great education helps our children become whatever they want to be and prepares them for whatever they might face.”
