The HPSD Board of Trustees met on Wednesday, May 20 for their regularly scheduled board meeting. They accepted the consent agenda and moved into the remainder of the meeting.

High Prairie, AB - The HPSD Board of Trustees met via Zoom for their regularly scheduled board meeting. They began by approving the consent agenda and then moved into the rest of the meeting.

Finding balance in a world that has changed brings challenges for all families. Changes bring stress and anxiety which are natural reactions to new situations. During this time, parents are home schooling their children and as schoolwork rolls in, parents may feel overwhelmed. Finding a course through schoolwork, healthy activity, and family relationship building can be difficult to navigate. Strategy and planning are important aspects to moderate the responsibilities. Having child caregivers (parents, babysitters, extended family) complete educational time during the day can allow for family time in the evening. For younger families, family time can include reading together which provides relationship as well as literacy or playing board games can include elements of numeracy and teach ever important social skills. Balance means finding compromise, there may be some days when family time takes precedence over schoolwork and other days where schoolwork may take hold. This flexibility is important for families to remain mentally healthy in a time of elevated stress.

The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic has changed the face of education delivery in our province. K-12 curriculum has not been traditionally presented to learners remotely. This is not stopping our staff from continuing to meet the guidelines for continuing K to 12 student learning while in-school classes are cancelled due to COVID-19. Learning at all grade levels is continuing.

On Saturday, March 28 Alberta Education announced a change in funding for all K-12 school authorities. The change was identified as a 51% reduction to each school authority’s total transportation funding for April, May, and June and a 14% reduction in the Base Instruction Grant for May and June. Substitute teachers, educational assistants, support staff, and bus drivers are all funded out of those grants.

High Prairie School Division is committed to protecting the health and safety of our students, staff, and community. Access to High Prairie School Division playground equipment at all schools is prohibited as a precautionary step to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The High Prairie School Division Board of met via Zoom on Wednesday, March 18, for their regularly scheduled meeting. Trustees approved the consent agenda and proceeded with the rest of the meeting.

The HPSD Board of Trustees met on Wednesday, February 19 for their regularly scheduled meeting. The Board approved the consent agenda and made several additions to the agenda.

The 2020 Council of School Councils (COSC) meeting will be held on Monday, February 24th at 7 pm. High Prairie School Division would like to invite all school council members to join us for this event. The meeting will be hosted virtually from 3 sites across the division

High Prairie, Alberta – The HPSD Board of Trustees met on Wednesday, January 15 for their regularly scheduled board meeting. They began by approving the consent agenda with several additions.

We have been closely monitoring the novel coronavirus situation and would like to reassure you that our division has emergency preparedness plans in place. The risk to Albertans is considered to still be low. There are many common respiratory viruses circulating in Alberta and globally, such as influenza. This will be the most likely cause of a respiratory infection.

Alberta Education has mailed the annual accountability pillar surveys to parents and guardians of students in grades 4, 7, and 10 as well as to all parents and guardians of students in schools with under 120 students in grades 4-12. This important survey gives parents and guardians an opportunity to provide feedback about their child’s school. The information collected is used by our schools and our division to shape future decisions on the delivery of education.

Good luck to all students writing diploma exams! Should buses be cancelled on a scheduled diploma exam day, schools will remain open for writing. Students can begin writing an exam as late as 10:00 am for all morning diploma exams and as late as 2:00 pm for all afternoon diploma exams.

Welcome to 2020! We have opened our calendar survey for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 school years. The survey will close on Friday, January 31 at 4 pm. Follow the link below to help build school calendars that work for your family, school, and community.

High Prairie, Alberta – The HPSD Board of Trustees met on Wednesday, December 18 for their regularly scheduled meeting. Trustees discussed business arising from the previous meetings, specifically regarding notifications to delegations after they meet with the Board. It was stated that notifications are given to the organizations/groups that are represented as a delegation, if applicable, not necessarily to the specific person on the delegation.

High Prairie, Alberta – High Prairie School Division has reviewed the results from the Annual Education Results Report and prepared our Three-Year Education Plan which includes our detailed financial statements. We continue to use School/Community planning sessions, APORI survey data, Student Engagement Sessions, OurSCHOOL survey data, and face-to-face interviews with students, staff, parents, and community members to give us some excellent perspectives on what we are doing well and what we can improve upon. The information gathered from these engagement strategies are used to develop our three-year plan. The aggregated data is then incorporated into targeted strategies to facilitate student success and subsequently improve their achievement results.

High Prairie, Alberta – With diploma exams starting in mid-January, High Prairie School Division has organized a number of resources for students to support them as they prepare to write these important exams. These resources are in addition to school-based supports provided by the respective 30-level teachers at each of our senior high schools.

The HPSD Board of Trustees met on Wednesday, November 20, 2019, for their regularly scheduled meeting. The meeting began with a delegation from MNP Accounting on the audited financial statements. They noted the ongoing cooperation between the HPSD administration and staff and the staff of MNP Accounting.

High Prairie, Alberta – High Prairie School Division, along with other school authorities in the province, was required to look carefully at the way in which we do business. At a special budget meeting on November 20, 2019, the HPSD Board of Trustees, along with members of Executive Council, made a strategic plan for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year with respect to the recently released Alberta budget.

HOSTS Project is seeking 1 full-time position as a Success Coach. The individual is required to have relevant training and experience and position would commence January 5, 2020. This position is located in High Prairie and offers a variety of experiences working in schools and community settings.

High Prairie, Alberta – The Alberta Government released the 2018-19 provincial achievement test results and the 2018-19 diploma exam results. These standardized tests are one way of enabling Alberta Education, as well as parents, teachers, and school boards, to assess student achievement and to identify strengths and areas for improvement. HPSD was pleased to see successes in the Program of Studies and School Improvement measures.

High Prairie, Alberta – The HPSD Board of Trustees met on Wednesday, October 23, 2019, for their regularly scheduled meeting. They began by accepting the consent agenda, adding items to the agenda, and moving onto the agenda items.

The HPSD Board of Trustees met on Wednesday, September 18, 2019, for their regularly scheduled meeting. They began by accepting the consent agenda, adding items to the agenda, and moving onto the other agenda items.

Trustees and members from Executive Council attended the 2019 ASBA Friends of Education and Edwin Parr Awards Banquet in Peace River on September 11th. High Prairie School Division was pleased to announce New Horizon Co-op Manager Ryan Roy in Falher as the Division’s award recipient.

The HPSD Board of Trustees met for their regular board meeting on Wednesday, August 21, 2019.

High Prairie School Division invites bids for the sale of 6 buses. The bid package along with a description of the buses can be found below. For more information, please contact Harry Davis, Director of Transportation at hdavis@hpsd.ca or (780) 523-9508.

High Prairie, Alberta – The High Prairie School Division Board of Trustees met on Wednesday, June 19, 2019, for their Organizational and Regular Board Meeting. Superintendent Laura Poloz began the organizational meting by calling for nominations for Board Chair. Joyce Dvornek was nominated for the position. Joyce Dvornek accepted the nomination. With no other nominations from the floor, Joyce Dvornek was acclaimed as Board Chair and led the remainder of the Organizational Meeting. Ali Mouallem was acclaimed as Vice Chair

High Prairie School Division No. 48 provides education and school bus transportation for approximately 3,200 students. Education is carried out in 13 schools where 2,100 students are transported to/from school. Transportation operates 46 school routes including field trips with a varied bus fleet of 76 units in the province of Alberta with operations in Slave Lake, Kinuso, Joussard, High Prairie, Donnelly, Falher. We travel approximately 9,000 kilometres each day for 10 months of the year

High Prairie, Alberta – The Board of Trustees met for their regularly scheduled board meeting on Wednesday, May 15. Trustees began with a round of introductions for our new Ward 1trustee, Adrian Wong at which point he was then sworn in. Trustees then accepted the consent agenda and moved forward with the rest of the meeting.

Just a reminder that our schools in Slave Lake will be open Monday, June 3rd. We will continue to monitor the situation and should conditions change, we will post updates on our website and social media.

At C.J. Schurter School in Slave Lake there is a pile of fill dirt to be given away. It is located north of the bus compound. The removal comes with the following conditions:

High Prairie School Division would like to announce that our schools are open to all students who have been evacuated due to the wildfires. As long as we have enough space in our schools, we welcome you to join us for as long as you need. Please know that our thoughts are with you and your families. We would like to take this opportunity to return the generosity and kindness that was shown to our communities in their time of need.

The HPSD Facilities Department has a 1 ton Ford van; - year 2009 - serial number 1FTSS34P59DA91803 - 216599 kilometer - asking price $4800, OBO - unit #415 - located in the Maintenance Yard at 4008-53rd avenue - closing date, May 24/2019

The spring 2019 diploma exam prep schedule is no available. Students can register by going to https://forms.gle/DFRXKj4KyM5gKQQz8

Falher, Alberta – Krystin Morin of École Routhier School is the 2019 HPSD nominee for the Edwin Parr award. The Edwin Parr award is given to a first-year teacher who goes above and beyond in the duties normally expected of a teacher.

High Prairie, Alberta – The HPSD Board of Trustees met for their regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, April 19, 2019. Trustees began by approving the agenda and consent agenda as presented.

High Prairie, Alberta – High Prairie School Division is pleased to announce the appointment of 2 Vice Principals in the division. Jodi McMahon will be the new VP of Kinuso School and Deanna Sloan will be the new VP at Roland Michener Secondary School.

High Prairie, Alberta – High Prairie School Division is pleased to announce the appointment of Shelley Binstead as the Manager of Finance and Krista Hauffe as the Manager of Human Resources.

At their regularly scheduled meeting, the HPSD Board of Trustees approved a by-election for Ward 2. Notice is hereby given that Nomination Day is May 6th, 2019 and that nominations for the election of candidates for the office of school board trustee will be received at the location of the local jurisdiction office set out below within the period beginning on April 18th, 2019 and ending at 12:00 noon on Nomination Day, May 6th, 2019.

High Prairie, Alberta – The High Prairie School Division Board of Trustees met for their regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, March 20th, 2019. Trustees began by approving the consent agenda. The Board then moved into discussions on elections and by-elections as it relates to school boards.

High Prairie, Alberta – High Prairie School Division is pleased to announce Jody Frowley as the new Secretary Treasurer effective September 1st, 2019. Mr. Frowley has an MBA and is a designated chartered professional accountant. His MBA, CPA, CMA is from Saint Mary’s University and his BBA is from Acadia University with a major in accounting and finance

High Prairie, Alberta – The Board of Trustees met on Wednesday, February 20th, 2019 for their regularly scheduled meeting. They began by swearing in Steven Adams as the new trustee for Ward 4.

Slave Lake, Alberta – Steven Adams has been elected as the new Trustee for Ward 4. The position became available when former Trustee Joy McGregor resigned in October 2018. Steven Adams won the resulting by-election that took place on February 4th, 2019 with 136 votes. He will be sworn in as a Trustee in the coming week prior to beginning his trustee orientation and the upcoming regular board meeting on February 20th, 2019.

The HPSD Board of Trustees voted in favour of a by-election for Ward 4. The Returning Officer, Briana Lachance, can be contacted at the Town of Slave Lake at (780) 849-8000 regarding questions about the by-election.

High Prairie, Alberta – The Board of Trustees met on Wednesday, December 19th for their regularly scheduled board meeting. Trustees began by approving the consent agenda. In the correspondence, which is part of the consent agenda, Board Chair Tammy Henkel tendered her resignation effective April 18, 2019.

Here is the schedule for the bus transporting students to and from the respective diploma exam prep sessions.

High Prairie School Division has reviewed the results from the Annual Education Results Report and prepared our Three-Year Education Plan which includes our detailed financial statements. We continue to use School/Community planning sessions, APORI survey data, Student Engagement Sessions, OurSCHOOL survey data, and face-to-face interviews with students, staff, parents, and community members to give us some excellent perspectives on what we are doing well and what we can improve upon. The information gathered from these engagement strategies are used to develop our three-year plan. The aggregated data is then incorporated into targeted strategies to facilitate student success and subsequently improve their achievement results.

High Prairie, Alberta – The HPSD Board of Trustees met on Wednesday, November 21st for their regularly scheduled board meeting. The meeting began with the election of a new Vice Chair. The position became available after former Trustee Joy McGregor resigned as a Ward 4 Trustee in October 2018. Ali Mouallem, also from Ward 4, was elected as the new Vice Chair. Trustees then discussed Board Policy 8 - Committees. Karin Scholl has joined the Employee Recognition Committee and Ali Mouallem will continue to represent Ward 4 on the Slave Lake Joint Use Committee and, with his new role as Vice Chair, will chair the Planning and Priorities Committee.

It’s that time of year again! As much as we want to have our students in school each and every day, there are times when they are too sick for school. When making the decision to keep your child home, keep these quick tips in mind. You can also check out the Alberta Health Services website HEAL (Health Education and Learning) which is a “resource aimed at providing families across Alberta easily accessible, reliable information about common minor illness and injuries in children”.

High Prairie, Alberta – At their regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, November 21st, the HPSD Board of Trustees discussed the results from the feedback on Administrative Procedure 241 - Healthy School Communities. AP 241 was revised this summer and was brought to the board table for discussion in August.

Magalie Frechette of HPE Receives the Pierre and Madeleine Monod Award

The link below is to the survey on Administrative Procedure 241 - Healthy School Communities. The survey will be open until Thursday, November 15th. Thank you for your input on this important topic! https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/5VHLDQC

High Prairie School Division's Diploma Exam Preparation program is provided to help develop HPSD students' competence and confidence with their diploma exams. Students do not need to be currently enrolled in the respective course at school to participate.

High Prairie, Alberta – The Alberta Government released the 2017-18 provincial achievement test results and the 2017-18 diploma exam results on Tuesday, October 17th. High Prairie School Division is pleased with the positive results from across the Division. These standardized tests are one way of enabling Alberta Education, as well as parents, teachers, and school boards, to assess student achievement and to identify strengths and areas for improvement.

High Prairie, Alberta – The HPSD Board of Trustees met on Wednesday, September 19th for their regular board meeting. Trustees approved their consent agenda and proceeded with their agenda.

High Prairie School Division is pleased to advise that a new HPSD student progress report has been developed for all Grades 7 - 12 students. This report is designed with an intent to be "parent-friendly" and true to the expectations of provincial curricula.

HPSD has a number of buses for sale by tender. Please use the form below to submit a bid. Additional information, including where to submit a bid, are included on the form below.

Peace River, Alberta – Trustees and members from Executive Council attended the 2018 ASBA Friends of Education and Edwin Parr Awards Banquet in Peace River on September 12th. High Prairie School Division was pleased to announce Crystal Marschner of FCSS in Falher as the Division’s award recipient.

While it is common for children to suffer from illnesses such as the flu or colds, it is uncommon for an illness to be of such concern that it requires me to bring it to your attention. However, such are the present circumstances. Following a recent investigation, there has been an unconfirmed case that a student at E.W. Pratt High School has the mumps. Confirmation will take place later this week, however, we feel it very important to make you aware of the situation, especially for those students who are missing immunization or have declined immunization.

High Prairie, Alberta – The HPSD Board of Trustees met on Wednesday, August 22 for their regularly scheduled board meeting. Trustees approved their consent agenda and then reviewed the upcoming PSBA fall general meeting.

High Prairie School Division will be initiating a new literacy project over the summer called the Book AutoMobile (BAM). BAM’s aim is to encourage reading and to promote literacy throughout the summer in different communities across the division.