In March the Good Spirit School Division (GSSD) released its Strategic Plan Report which included information about initiatives and programs within the school division, as well as updates and achievements within the division.
GSSD exists to provide the highest level of student learning and well-being, according to the information contained in the report. All students will experience learning environments rich in the opportunities and experiences necessary to promote intellectual, emotional and spiritual growth.
Long-term goals, outlined in the report, are as follows: by June 2020, at least 85 per cent of GSSD students will be at grade level in reading, writing and math; at least 90 per cent of students exiting Kindergarten in GSSD will be ready for learning and GSSD will achieve a three-year graduation rate of 85 per cent.
Early Learning encompasses both Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten.
Pre-Kindergarten provides a quality education that nurtures the socio-emotional, intellectual and physical development of children that meet criteria established by the Ministry of Education. The program focuses on nurturing self-esteem, school readiness, and speech and language development.
“Kindergarten is a place where your child will learn and grow; where you can expect a stimulating learning environment, active learning and appreciation for diversity,” the report says. The Kindergarten program advocates development of the whole child: socio-emotionally, physically and intellectually.
In Kindergarten, students come first, it says. GSSD educators put extra care and attention into everything they do, so that each child will have a positive introduction to their school years. Kindergarten staff looks forward to sharing each child's unique talents and gifts and getting to know his or her individual needs.
Parents/caregivers should model a positive attitude towards school, it says. Research has offered evidence that the attitude of the parents/caregivers toward education has a strong impact on student success.
Kindergarten is easier when children have basic skills such as knowing
their name, address and phone number; being able to put on shoes and getting coats and boots on and off; being able to use the bathroom and wash their hands, and knowing how to co-operate with other children through sharing and taking turns.
Read to children and recite traditional verses, rhymes and stories, it says. Children need to hear the rhythm of language and they benefit from repeating the same stories and verses over and over again. If their parents/caregivers value literature, then children usually will too.
Provide writing tools and paper for children and encourage them to "write" lists and thank-you notes.
Help children explore their environment by taking them to libraries, stores, farms, lakes, museums, art galleries and parks, it says. These are great opportunities to talk with children about what they see, hear, smell, taste and feel. These outings will expand their horizons and enhance further learning. For example, a story about a farm will mean much more to a child if she or he has visited one.
Play time is learning time, it says.
“If you are registering your child/children during the summer, please be advised that schools will be open for registration one week prior to classes. Check the GSSD school calendar for start dates at www.gssd.ca.”
Victoria School is one of many GSSD schools that has jumped on the Energy Bus, it says.
At Victoria School, students have read and worked through the picture book The Energy Bus for Kids during assemblies every week. They have learned the five rules of the Energy Bus: “Create a Positive Vision, Fuel Your Ride with Positive Energy, No Bullies Allowed, Love Your Passengers and Enjoy the Ride.”
Their enthusiasm and positivity is felt throughout the school as they make positive choices for their day.
The staff at Victoria School has also made a commitment to joining the Energy Bus. All staff members received a copy of TheEnergy Bus by Jon Gordon. Every other Monday, staff meets as a group to discuss a few chapters and the 10 rules to live by as outlined in the book.
Staff has enjoyed this professional development opportunity. The positive discussion and time for reflection has helped to ensure they are giving their best to their students and their lives in general. Being a positive team is a choice they are making at Victoria School.
Following the election of the new Good Spirit School Division Board of Education, the role of administration is to provide members with knowledge to assist in performing governance responsibilities, the report says.
One such area encompasses knowing the state of the facilities. In the past the board has physically toured all schools and non-school buildings to gain this knowledge over a three-day period.
In an effort to reduce governance expenditures, a pilot project was undertaken to provide the board with a tour of five facilities at the February board meeting. This tour used a combination of pictures, data and commentary provided by the facilities team and school administrators. Teresa Korol presented on each of the five locations, answered questions and provided comparative information to baselines that had previously been established.
The first of three meetings with the newly formed GSSD gender and sexual diversity leadership team took place on March 3. It was facilitated by Kyla Christiansen who is currently serving as a consultant within the Prairie Valley School Division and who also works with Fyrefly Saskatchewan.
An invitation was extended to all staff within GSSD and 20 people were selected from various schools across the division to serve in this capacity.
“Our desire is to build internal leadership capacity in this area so that we might provide strategies, suggestions and support to all schools within our division,” it said.
Some of the primary goals of this team will be to: assist in the planning and delivery of site-based workshops to GSSD students and staff about sexual and gender diversity; assist in developing a deeper understanding of the effects of bullying and how safe spaces benefit everyone, and support schools within the division to assist with the acquisition of curricular resources which support instruction within this area.
Good Spirit is committed to developing an administrative procedure and assisting schools in fulfilling their ethical and professional responsibilities to provide safe, equitable, and inclusive learning environments for all students and staff regardless of their actual or perceived differences.
Future workshops will assist in the planning and delivery of teacher and student in-services on the initiation, growth, and maintenance of advocacy groups in schools throughout the division, the report says.
GSSD is proud to support opportunities outside the classroom, it says. This year 22 schools within the division took student groups to Duck Mountain, Asessippi or Thunder Mountain parks.
Every year World Read Aloud Day is celebrated to call attention to the importance of reading aloud and sharing stories. This year, World Read Aloud Day was celebrated on February 16 by millions of people from over 100 countries.
The Preeceville School Community Council, in collaboration with Preeceville school staff, hosted a reading party on the evening of February 16 to celebrate World Read Aloud Day. This was an event for all ages that drew a positive response from the attendees.
The evening’s activities provided families with the opportunity to visit classroom libraries and reading areas, browse the Take a Book/Leave a Book collection, learn about Tumblebooks, RAZKids, Epic and Goodreads, and of course, read together.
Attendees were also able to explore various literacy displays throughout the school including the giant book display where everyone was encouraged to take a “shelfie” and families were encouraged to tweet pictures from the event using the hashtag #preecevillereads.
Earlier in the day, the Grade 10 students read aloud to elementary students to celebrate World Read Aloud Day. Students spent the previous week and a half practicing their storytelling skills to ensure an engaging performance.
Preeceville School takes pride in and encourages the interaction of all students across grades and is leading the way in cultivating a culture of reading and keeping literacy a priority, it says.
Included in the Strategic Plan Report was a sports update. At the Junior District Curling event held in Yorkton on January 27 and 28, Kamsack Comprehensive Institute won the boys division gold; Yorkdale Central, silver, and Preeceville, bronze.
In the girls division, Yorkton Regional won gold; Saltcoats, silver and Preeceville, bronze.
In the mixed division, Sturgis Composite won gold; Preeceville, silver, and Sacred Heart/Canora Composite, bronze.
Persons interested in viewing the complete Strategic Plan Report are able to access the full text by going to www.gssd.ca.
