PWPSD Board News - January 19, 2023

 
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JANUARY 19, 2023
 
Inspiring all learners to become confident, collaborative and ethical citizens motivated with a passion to achieve a sustainable future.
 

Guiding Our Future

Guiding Our Future is a project and conversation about working together to map out a sustainable path forward for junior high programming in the communities of Beaverlodge and Hythe, and ensure a positive experience. Any decision we make will have an impact on students, staff, and families. We need your voice as part of this conversation to ensure our Board of Trustees makes informed and thoughtful decisions.
 
This conversation launched on Tuesday, January 24 and will conclude on Friday, February 24, 2023. Upon conclusion, all input and feedback will be collected, analyzed, and shared with Administration, the Board of Trustees, and all participants before the end of the 2022-2023 school year.
 
Any corresponding change in school offering requires review and approval by the Board of Trustees, and subsequent implementation. Depending on the magnitude or scale of the change this process may take significant time to complete.

Visit Guiding Our Future for more information.
 

PWA students off to Toronto

Peace Wapiti Public School Division (PWPSD) Superintendent Bob Stewart has approved Peace Wapiti Academy's request for national travel to Toronto, ON this upcoming April.

 

School calendars approved

The Board approved the 2023-2024 School Year Calendar and 2024-2025 Draft School Year Calendar; they can be found on our website.

 
Peace Wapiti Public School Division is excited to begin the new year with two teams supporting positive mental health and wellness among its students, families and staff.

Mental Health Capacity Building
The Mental Health Capacity Building (MHCB) is a promotion and prevention program that provides programming to increase mental health knowledge, skills, and behaviours that bolster protective factors in children and youth so they can achieve the best possible health outcomes across their lifespan.

The MHCB team offers universal programming both in the classroom and at the community level. It works with these demographics to promote positive mental health by raising awareness, increasing knowledge, building skills, and fostering positive community norms. The team's goal is to develop mental health literacy and build capacity throughout the Division, to develop common language and understanding for teachers, administrators, students and families.

The MHCB program is funded by a grant made available through Alberta Health Services.

Outreach Program

In September 2022, PWPSD was awarded a grant through Alberta Health Services intended to provide funding to help promote healthy learning environments and make a positive impact on the mental health of students and families, and within our school communities. With this funding, the Division has created a pilot project: The Peace Wapiti Outreach Program.

The Outreach Program is designed to provide direct support to students and families, and to assist in the reconnection to learning and the greater community in a meaningful way. The team works to bridge the gap in services identified between students and families. 

You can learn more about PWPSD Support Services on our website.
 

Numeracy at PWPSD

Numeracy Coordinators Nicki Nightingale and Rhonda Giesbrecht shared what they've been working on, including an exciting new project, with the Board. As numeracy coordinators, Ms. Nightingale and Ms. Giesbrecht work to advance the programming and teaching of mathematics within PWPSD schools. They:

  • Provide support to teachers and administrators to reach their numeracy professional development goals.
  • Teach in classrooms to model evidence-based instruction and/or intervention.
  • Conduct research to provide evidence-based practice for instruction and assessment.
  • Create a data bank of resources.
New Project
The PWPSD Numeracy Coordinators have been busy working with Richelle Marynowski from the University of Lethbridge to develop a replacement screening assessment, beginning with junior high grades. MIPI, the assessment tool currently being used, has been discontinued, so the team hopes to create a replacement tool that will give educators throughout the Division solid, useful data that will help inform their practice.

Research Proposal
Ms. Nightingale and Ms. Giesbrecht are also working with the University of Lethbridge and two other divisions in Alberta on a research proposal that aims to address the equity and student learning gaps in numeracy in Grades 4-8 through the implementation of Number Talks. The goals of the project are to:
  • Increase student confidence and improve competency with numeracy at the upper-elementary and middle school levels; and
  • Promote equitable numeracy and teaching practices that benefit the learning of Indigenous students, English Language Learners, and students with identified learning difficulties.
 

Committee & Meeting Reports

  • Trustee Piebiak presented the Rural Caucus Meeting Report
  • Trustee Clarke presented the PSBC Meeting Report
  • Trustee McIntosh presented the Policy Review Committee Meeting Report
  • Trustee Riding presented the ASBA Zone One Meeting Report
  • Trustee Crane presented the Transportation Appeal Committee Meeting Report
  • Trustee Speager presented the Health & Safety Committee Meeting Report
  • Trustee Piebiak presented the Communications Committee Meeting Report 
 

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PWPSD BOARD NEWS
A report on news from Peace Wapiti Public School Division,
published following each Board Meeting.

Content and Design:

Kayla Klava, Communications Officer, [email protected] 
Peace Wapiti Public School Division,
Central Office, 8611A-108 Street, Grande Prairie, AB T8V 4C5  

For more good news, see the News & Announcements section on our website at www.pwpsd.ca
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