The Good Spirit School Division (GSSD) is planning for the future, and to that end has unveiled it's strategic plan for the next five years.
Dwayne Reeve, director of education, says there are five strategic priorities in the plan. He says the most important priority is student learning and wellbeing. That, he says, is the guide for the rest of the plan. Other priorities are equitable opportunities, people engagement, sustainable infrastructure and accountability for all.
"When you look at it, you see that our success is our students and our people that work with them on a daily, and that's what we're focusing on," he comments.
The plan was developed with the involvement of students, staff and the public at large, beginning in January 2011. Reeve says that the consultations revealed what the division did well, and where it needed to improve on.
Some changes will be implemented in the first year as part of the overall plan. After the success of academic coaching plans in the school, the division has added an additional math coach and literacy coach to the division. As well, there will be a universal implementation of the leveled literacy intervention that has worked well in some schools already, he states.
There will be a division-wide nutrition policy implemented as well.
There will also be a review of the Grade 10-12 programs to make them more engaging and valuable to students. There will be sound field amplification in the K-1 classes, something Reeve says promises immediate results. He also promises changes in communication, and this will be revealed later.
Part of the changes to communication will involve the way that bus cancellations are handled by the division, something Reeve admits has been a consistent sore spot for community members and needs to be addressed.
There will also be efforts put forth to make the division more transparent and efficient in the allocation of funds.
This is just some of the plans for the first year, Reeve says, and given that it is a five year plan it is only the start of the changes the division will see in its attempt to improve and be a better place for learning in the community.
He also says that since this is a five-year plan, it's subject to change as situations change within the division, but that they will keep focused on their five priorities.
The full plan is available online at www.gssd.ca.
