High Prairie School Division No. 48

The HPSD Board of Trustees met on Wednesday, April 25th for their regularly scheduled meeting. Trustees began by approving their consent agenda.

There will be a community engagement session on May 3, 2018 at Georges P. Vanier School in Donnelly from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. All parents and community members are invited to join us to give input into focus areas.

The HPSD Board of Trustees met on Wednesday, March 21 for their regularly scheduled board meeting. Trustees began by approving the consent agenda.

The Board of Trustees met on Wednesday, February 21st for their regular board meeting. Trustees approved the consent agenda and then proceeded into the rest of the agenda items.

The Board of Trustees approved the 2018-19 school year calendar at their regular board meeting on Wednesday, February 21st. The Board approved the calendar as presented by the HPSD administrators (HPSD Principals and Vice Principals) with one modification to preserve instructional time in the second semester. The 2018-19 school year calendar can be found on our division website.

High Prairie School Division is pleased to announce the appointment of Shawn Oliver as the Division’s new Safety Officer. Shawn has a wealth of training and experience in the field of safety and has been working in the High Prairie area since 1989. He has extensive certification through the Alberta Construction Safety Association as well as experience in safety program development. Shawn took part in training for Violence Threat Risk Assessment later last month.

Annie McKitrick, MLA for Sherwood Park and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Education, toured High Prairie Elementary School last week along with Program Co-leads Heather Dechant and Christine Bouchard. High Prairie Elementary School is one of the HPSD schools participating in the provincial nutrition program.

The HPSD Board of Trustees met for their regularly scheduled board meeting on Wednesday, January 17th. Trustees reviewed the nomination forms for the upcoming Public School Boards’ Association of Alberta awards for special contribution to public education and long service nominations for school trustees. Nominations will be brought to the next board meeting.

As an annual check-up on the education system, the Accountability Pillar provides an opportunity for Alberta Education and school authorities to ensure that we are equipping students for success.

The Board of Trustees met for their regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, December 20th, 2017. Trustees approved their consent agenda and then proceeded with their new business and action items.

We want your input on the 2018-19 and the 2019-20 school calendar. You can access the survey on our website and social media sites. This survey will end on January 31st. Thank you for your support!

A District-Level Student Council meeting was held at the HPSD Learning Support Centre on Monday, December 18th. 16 students in Grades 6-12 representing schools across the division came together to form the new group. Students were recruited through recommendations put forth by school staff members. Students met to strategize ways to recruit new members, identify strengths and room for growth, and plan next steps.

High Prairie, Alberta – High Prairie School Division has reviewed the results from the Annual Education Results Report and prepared our Three-Year Education Plan. The Division continues to use School/Community planning sessions, APORI survey data, Student Engagement Sessions, OurSCHOOL (previously Tell Them From Me) 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 then 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 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.

The new Board of Trustees met for their first regular meeting on Wednesday, October 25th at the HPSD Learning Support Centre. Trustees began by removing the correspondence from their consent agenda.

High Prairie, Alberta – The newly elected HPSD Board of Trustees met on Wednesday, October 18th for new trustee orientation and an organizational meeting. Tammy Henkel was acclaimed to continue her role as Board Chair; Joy McGregor was also acclaimed to continue her role as Vice Chair. Tammy Henkel was also appointed to continue as the HPSD representative for TEBA. The following committee appointments were made:

High Prairie, Alberta – High Prairie School Division is pleased to announce the unofficial results of the 2017 election for school trustees.

High Prairie, Alberta – The Alberta Government released the 2016-17 provincial achievement test results and the 2016-17 diploma exam results on Tuesday, October 17th and 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.

The High Prairie School Division Board of Trustees feel obliged to respond to the article in the South Peace News on Wednesday, September 20, 2017, entitled “Some councilors feel snubbed”. Mayor Linda Cox and several councilors talk about the “old hospital” land as being the best fit for the new Northern Lakes College consolidated campus. The Town of High Prairie, Big Lakes County, Northern Lakes College, High Prairie School Division, and Holy Family Catholic Regional Division have worked in partnership with the vision of a new college and perhaps the joining of high schools to that college. We hoped that the new hospital would be built, everyone moved over, the old building demolished, and the site cleaned up and ready to build if the province funded a new college.

High Prairie, Alberta – The HPSD Board of Trustees approved a transfer of land to Northern Lakes College at their regularly scheduled board meeting on Wednesday, September 20th. The motion was approved to facilitate the construction of a modern, consolidated post-secondary campus with the opportunity to support an integrated high school when it is announced by the Alberta Government. High Prairie School Division is thrilled to be able to provide NLC with the land so that the college can begin construction in the spring of 2018.

HPSD Trustees met on Wednesday, August 16th for their regularly scheduled board meeting. Trustees began by approving the consent agenda and then moving onto the rest of their agenda items.

Chantel Campsall has been hired as a new Career Coach for the Slave Lake area. Chantal will be joining the team of HPSD Career Coaches who engage students in the development and implementation of their transition plans. Motivated students frame future plans that connect their school experiences to real life situations. They are integrally engaged in their own learning and they achieve academically. We have recognized the need for increased career counselling services in order to help students envision viable and captivating future plans.

Northern Lakes College in partnership with the Canadian Welding Association Foundation, Shell and Careers: The Next Generation will be hosting a Mind Over Metal Welding Camp in High Prairie. This is a one week camp for youth between the ages of 12 to 15 to introduce them to welding. The camp will run from Monday to Friday from 8:30 am - 3:30 pm.

Staff from across High Prairie School Division were honoured at the annual Long Service Awards held in High Prairie on Friday, May 26th. Over 80 staff members from HPSD were honoured for their years of service to the Division. Also recognized was Bob Owens, Principal of Georges P. Vanier School and Heather Caudron, Principal of Joussard School. Bob Owens was High Prairie School Division’s nominee for the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence.

High Prairie School Division is pleased to announce the appointment of Patrick Kennedy to the position of Vice Principal of Roland Michener Secondary School. Patrick will be taking over the position from current Vice Principal Matthew Carter beginning in the 2017-18 school year.

High Prairie School Division is pleased to announce the appointment of Monique Dubrule as the Vice Principal of Georges P. Vanier School. Monique has been a teacher at GPV since 2005 and has been in a LEED (Leading Education Every Day) position for the past year. In the LEED position, Monique has been able to job shadow administrators to gain a further understanding of school administration.

Students from within the tri-jurisdictional region are attending land-based learning at Marten Lakes. This is part of the joint transition project aimed at improving the transition process for students coming from NSD to both HPSD and HFCRD. Land-based learning is one of 3 key strategies that the school authorities are implementing to enhance the student transition process.

High Prairie School Division is pleased to announce the appointment of Julia Drefs as the new Curriculum Coordinator. The Curriculum Coordinator will travel throughout the Division and work with teachers to implement curriculum from Alberta Education.

High Prairie School Division is pleased to announce Christopher Gardner as a new Vice Principal at Kinuso School. Christopher will be joining Principal Golda David and Vice Principal Brita Goldie. Mr. Gardner is currently teaching at Kinuso Outreach School. He has over 5 years of experience in the classroom and has considerable experience prior to his teaching career working in different capacities with vulnerable youth and adults and additionally with persons experiencing mental health issues.

High Prairie School Division is pleased to announce the appointment of Brennan McDonald to the position of Supervisor of Instruction, Inclusion. Through restructuring at the Learning Support Centre, Brennan McDonald is assuming the role as current Supervisor of Instruction Treva Emter has been appointed to the position of Assistant Superintendent of Learning. Brennan’s role will include supervision of the Learning Support Teachers and promoting inclusion within the division.

High Prairie School Division is pleased to announce the appointment of Kyle Tucker as the Vice Principal of Prairie River Junior High School. Kyle has 4 years of experience in education, all of which are with Prairie River Junior High School. Kyle is also a Power Skating Instructor with the High Prairie Minor Hockey Association. He is the Athletics Coordinator, Health Champion, Acting Administrator, and mentor for new teachers at PRJHS. He also coaches/volunteers for many of the extracurricular programs at PRJHS.

High Prairie School Division is pleased to announce the appointment of Neil Barry as the Principal of E.W. Pratt High School. Neil has 15 years of experience in education with 14 of those in the classroom and the other as a Principal at his last school. Neil was a School Counsellor for 7 years in addition to teaching regular classes. He has coached extracurricular basketball at all of his previous postings.

The new contract negotiated by the Alberta Teachers’ Association and the Government of Alberta has impacted the 2017-18 school year calendar. The new cap on assignable hours for teachers has required HPSD to adjust the calendar to decrease both operational days and professional development days. New Teacher Orientation and both Divisional Professional Development Days have also been tentatively cancelled. This will result in an operationally shortened school year. The total number of instructional days has increased by 1 day.

High Prairie School Division is pleased to announce the appointment of Pam Heckbert as Principal of Georges P. Vanier School. Pam has been with High Prairie School Division for her entire teaching career. She has over 18 years of experience in the classroom and has been the Vice Principal since 2014.

High Prairie School Division is pleased to announce the appointment of Jessica Sachs-Cardinal as the Vice Principal of Lakeside Outreach School. Jessica has been with High Prairie School Division for her entire teaching career with nearly 13 years of classroom teaching experience, all of which was at Kinuso School. Ms. Sachs-Cardinal has also been the designated Acting Administrator at Kinuso School for the past 2 years and is currently in the Leading Education Every Day (LEED) Program which is the HPSD administration preparation program.

The HPSD Board of Trustees met on Wednesday, May 17 for their regularly scheduled board meeting. Trustees moved to accept the new consent agenda which approved all reports to the board, correspondence, identified action items, and several items in closed.

High Prairie School Division is pleased to announce the appointment of Treva Emter as the new Assistant Superintendent of Learning.

High Prairie School Division is pleased to announce the appointment of Golda David as the Principal of Kinuso School. Golda has nearly 10 years of experience in the classroom and has spent the past year as the Acting Principal of Nampa Public School.

Let’s Talk Science, an award-winning, national, charitable organization focused on education and outreach to support youth development, returned to Prairie River Junior High this month. The volunteers that come to our school bring science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) to life by sharing their passion and experiences.

The HPSD Board of Trustees met for their regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, April 19th at the Learning Support Centre. Trustees began the meeting by acknowledging that their meeting was taking place on the traditional land of the Aboriginal People from Treaty 8.

The Schedule for the 2017 semester 2 diploma exam prep. is listed below. It can also be found on our calendar. The prep classes are at no cost to students. Lunch and transportation are provided for students.

Roland Michener Secondary School has many reasons to be proud of their students. RMS students are exceeding provincial averages for academic achievement and surpassing expectations for exemplary citizenship. Although the following are but a few examples of both, they are certainly not the only ones.

Kinuso Student Rayeann Saitz achieved a perfect score on her Math 30-1 diploma exam this past January. Of the 11,000 students across the province who wrote that exam, only 250 earned a perfect score. In addition to Rayeann, one other HPSD student earned 100% on their exam. That student is Campbell Rea from Roland Michener Secondary School.

Members of the Northwest Regional Learning Consortium met at the HPSD Learning Support Centre on Tuesday, April 4th. The members from Zone 1 are from the FNMI Walking Together Joint Advisory Committee. The group met to discuss the efforts from all school divisions in Zone 1 to close the FNMI achievement gap.

Taryn Beaupré of Kinuso School is the 2017 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. Ms. Beaupré is described by her Principal as stellar. “She is always creating new ways for her students to approach tasks, is full of innovative ideas, and instills a passion and energy for learning in all her students.” stated Principal Leon Tkachyk.

At High Prairie School Division, we firmly believe in supporting our students to follow the career path that calls to them. Sometimes that path is towards higher education, sometimes it is towards a trade, and sometimes it is a mixture of both. Our Division promotes education and growth for all students regardless of their race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, or any other factor or trait that has no impact on a student’s education.

High Prairie School Division is very pleased that the Alberta Government has continued to fund the school nutrition project. The Government of Alberta made an announcement on April 5th on its plan to expand the program to all school jurisdictions in the province. Our division was 1 of 14 jurisdictions that piloted the project this school year and it has been very well-received by our schools and students. École Routhier School and High Prairie Elementary School partnered with local grocers, to provide lunches for over 200 students per day and another 100+ snacks per day. Freson Bros. in High Prairie and New Horizon Co-op in Falher have been instrumental in this program’s success. Thank you to both of our local grocers and to the Government of Alberta for making this nutrition project a reality. We look forward to continuing with the nutrition pilot project in our division.

High Prairie School Division is thrilled to hear that the Government of Alberta is investing $21.6 million over the next four years for Northern Lakes College to design and consolidate their High Prairie campuses. The new facility will accommodate 250 students, address future growth plans, meet employment demands in the region, and increase campus energy efficiency.

The Board of Trustees met on Wednesday, March 15th for their regularly scheduled board meeting. Trustees reviewed Board Policies 8, 9, and 10. Trustees had reviewed policies from other school jurisdictions to ensure that we were meeting and exceeding the current standard by Alberta school boards.

High Prairie School Division is pleased to announce Jody Frowley as the new Director of Finance. Mr. Frowley has a MBA and is a designated chartered professional accountant.

The Kinuso Playschool Society in partnership with Kinuso School received $40,162 towards their new playground equipment. The monies come from the Community Facility Enhancement Program which is administered by Alberta Culture and Tourism and aims to foster healthy, vibrant communities across Alberta.

Former E.W. Pratt student Larkin Stokes has received the Alberta Premier’s Citizenship Award. Larkin graduated from EWP in the 2015-16 school year and was the school’s nominee for the prestigious award.

The HPSD Success Coaches gave a presentation to the Board of Trustees on Wednesday, March 15th on the work they have done to-date, their plans moving forward, and the successes they have realized in their roles.

The Board of Trustees approved the 2017-18 school calendar as presented at their regular board meeting on Wednesday, March 15th. The calendar was developed by the administrative team consisting of Principals and Vice Principals with respect to the valued input from the annual calendar survey and the coterminous school jurisdictions with which we have shared transportation services.

UPDATE(2:52) Hold and Secure has been lifted from Kinuso School. Students will be dismissed and buses will resume as usual at the end of the day.

We received a threat directed to our school, EW Pratt High School. The RCMP and school staff have been notified. We are going into a hold and secure situation at E.W. Pratt at this time.

ATB Financial and High Prairie Elementary have introduced their Junior ATB Program to the students of HPE. “Since 2009, the Junior ATB Program has taught financial knowledge and life skills to elementary students within the walls of their own schools. The Junior ATB Branch introduces students to the basics of money management and financial literacy as they create their specific savings plan and goals.

The HPSD Board of Trustees met for their regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, January 20th. After reviewing the information around Naloxone kits, it was found that they are not available to school divisions at this time. The upcoming divisonal PD day was also discussed; it is taking place at E.W. Pratt on April 28th.

E.W. Pratt and High Prairie School Division are pleased to announce Eric Larson as the first graduate from that school in the 4th Class Power Engineering Program with his ABSA (Alberta Boilers Safety Association) Certification. Eric’s father is also a Power Engineer at Plain’s Midstream east of High Prairie. The cost to take the program outside of high school can range between $5,000 to $6,000. While in school, Eric was able to take this program at no cost. Doing so, he earned his credits and is now recently graduated with his ticket and is actively seeking employment.

High Prairie School Division is pleased to announce Tahza Cardinal as a new Success Coach working in Kinuso School. Tahza will be working with Joyce Hunt, another Success Coach at Kinuso School. In addition to serving the hamlet of Kinuso, the school serves Driftpile Cree Nation, Swan River First Nation, Faust, and the County of Big Lakes.

Robert (Bob) Owens, Principal for Georges P. Vanier School in Donnelly, has been nominated as the High Prairie School Division candidate for the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence. Bob has been an educator with High Prairie School Division since 1980. He is a graduate of our division and has selflessly given of himself to improve the educational environment and increase the learning opportunities of not only his students but also of his colleagues. His exemplary work has impacted and continues to impact the lives of countless generations of students through his long and successful career at our division.

Breakfast Club of Canada has begun supporting Prairie River Junior High school, by providing nutritious breakfast to students throughout the school year. In addition to supporting PRJHS, Breakfast Club of Canada is supporting High Prairie Elementary School.

During the winters in areas that get snow, this practice will protect damage to both the wiper blade (the rubber itself) and the wiper motor.

Heather Caudron, Principal of Joussard School, was nominated by High Prairie School Division for the 2017 Canada’s Outstanding Principal award. Canada’s Outstanding Principals recognizes outstanding contributions of principals in publicly funded schools. It honours principals from every province and territory in Canada who demonstrate innovation, entrepreneurial spirit and who have done something truly remarkable in public education. Heather, a 35 year veteran with HPSD, is a staff member who exemplifies the qualities of an outstanding principal and received a standing ovation by her colleagues upon announcement of her nomination. As a requirement of the nomination, students and staff from Heather’s school wrote letters to voice their support. A full copy of Heather’s nomination and letter of support from Superintendent Laura Poloz is attached to this media release.

The HPSD Board of Trustees met on Wednesday, December 21st for their regular board meeting. The Board discussed and responded to the ASBA Strategic Plan Survey. Trustees were in favour of many strategic priorities and key results. The Board felt that ASBA should adhere to their mandate and that they must also be a stronger voice in the province regarding key issues such as the curriculum change and the carbon tax.

Education Minister David Eggen toured High Prairie Elementary School on Tuesday, November 29th, the first of many school visits to observe the newly initiated nutrition pilot project. Minister Eggen was greeted by Grade 6 ambassadors Connor Norgaard and Noralee Cunningham to offer a tour of the school followed by lunch with the Grade 6 class.

We want your input on the 2017-18 school calendar. You can access the survey on our website and social media sites. This survey will end on January 19th. Thank you for your support!

The Board of Trustees met on Wednesday, November 16th for their regular board meeting. The meeting began with a review of Board Policies 3 and 4. The Board has been thoroughly reviewing all policies and has been referencing best practices from other school divisions’ policies.

High Prairie School Division is pleased to announce the appointment of Manuel Bulosan to the position of Senior IT Technician. Manuel has been a Computer Technician for HPSD since October 2015.

High Prairie School Division is pleased to be participating in the Government of Alberta’s nutrition pilot project. The Division was chosen along with 13 other jurisdictions to participate in the pilot, based on greatest need as determined by socio-economic status (SES) data from Statistics Canada.

The interruption of drug trafficking is a priority of the Slave Lake RCMP Detachment. One of the RCMP initiatives is bring awareness to the communities with respect to drug use.

The Government is launching a series of initiatives known as “Future Ready” that will co-ordinate and improve education and skills training to better prepare kids for success in a changing economy, starting with a major consultation on future Alberta curriculum.

The Alberta Government released the 2015-16 Provincial Achievement Test results and the 2015-16 Diploma Exam results on Friday, October 7th and 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 21st to hold their regularly scheduled meeting. Trustees discussed the upcoming PSBA Fall General Meeting and reviewed a policy proposal from PSBA. They then reviewed the Report to the Board format which schools use to develop their annual presentations.

Joussard, Alberta – The new school in Joussard held its Grand Opening on Friday, September 16th to an audience of local dignitaries, government officials, and neighbouring school jurisdiction trustees and superintendents. The ceremony included speeches from Board Chair Tammy Henkel and Municipal Affairs Minister Danielle Larivee. Minister Larivee also presented the school with a bronze plaque to commemorate its official opening.

Peace River, Alberta – Division Trustees and members from Executive Council attended the 2016 ASBA Friends of Education and Edwin Parr Awards Banquet in Peace River on September 22nd. High Prairie School Division was pleased to announce Martin Deerline of High Prairie as the Division’s award recipient.

High Prairie, Alberta – Staff and students returned to regular classes this past month as HPSD commenced its 2016-17 school year. This year the Division is supporting nearly 3,200 students across 13 schools.

High Prairie School Division is pleased to welcome Bee Calliou Schadeck as our guest speaker for the October 28th Divisional Professional Development Day. The day is designed to support our school division as we work collaboratively to improve the quality of learning for all our students while putting a special emphasis on closing the First Nations, Metis, and Inuit Achievement Gap.

On September 10th grab your camera and film your life for Canada In A Day – a crowd-sourced film to celebrate our Canada's 150th, airing on CTV in Summer 2017.

High Prairie School Division is pleased to announce the appointment of Matthew Carter to the position of Vice Principal of Roland Michener Secondary School and Brita Goldie to the position of Vice Principal of Kinuso School.

Every year, more than 20 million children across North America ride school buses. One of our partners in education, Thomas Built Buses, has an excellent list of safety tips for students.

High Prairie School Division is selling 6 school buses. Click below for full details and bid information.

After many months of hard work and long hours, High Prairie School Division is excited to debut its new website powered by SchoolMessenger.