Good News Items
- Trustee Debra Lozinski commended Lac La Biche on the banners put up along Main Street to mark Pink Shirt Day.
- Trustee Cheryl Edwards thanked the school councils in the Bonnyville area for welcoming her to their meetings over the last couple months.
- Trustee Edwards complimented Bonnyville Centralized High School on a well organized Youth Philanthropy Initiative that saw students prepare presentations on local non-profits. The group that was judged to have the best presentation was given a $5,000 cheque to present to the non-profit that they featured. This year's donation went to Lakeland FASD.
- Trustee Edwards also attended an APPLE Schools presentation at Glendon School and thanked that organization for the great resources they are providing for schools in NLPS.
- Trustee Blair Norton thanked Aurora Middle School for the opportunity to be a guest judge at the school's recent lip sync competition. He was impressed by the talent and the level of engagement of the students.
- Trustee Garry Kissel commended Glendon School on hosting a wonderful Family Literacy Night that featured activities in each elementary classroom and a supper arranged by the school council.
- Trustee Kissel also congratulated the Glendon Library Board on a successful Grand Opening of the Glendon Public Library which is housed at Glendon School.
- Trustees Roy Ripkens and Lois Phillips complimented the Endless Skies Teachers' Convention Association on planning excellent professional development. Both were impressed with the quality of the speakers.
- Nicole Garner, Communications and Public Relations Manger, presented the Board with highlights from school's throughout the division. The full presentation is available on the NLPS website: Good News - February 28, 2024.
2023 Friends of Education Presentation - Brayden Torresan
The Board presented a 2023 Friends of Education Award to Brayden Torresan for his long-term commitment to support athletics at J.A. Williams High School in Lac La Biche. For the last 10 years he has coached multiple sports, refereed and volunteered to help with tournaments and other sporting events at the school.
More information is available on our website: 2023 Friends of Education Award - Brayden Torresan.
2024-2025 School Calendar
The Board approved the 2024-2025 School Calendar with several changes made as a result of feedback received from stakeholders.
Jeannine Ellis, Director of People Services, noted that the three areas commented on most frequently in the calendar engagement were the school year start date, having a March break versus a break aligned with Easter, and potentially shifting the division's system-wide professional day to the day after Halloween.
In the approved calendar, students will start school after the Labour Day long weekend. School staff will return to work the week before, with three organizational days and one professional development day taking place August 27-30.
The draft calendar that was shared for feedback featured a spring break at the end of March. That has been changed in the approved draft to a spring break that aligns with Easter instead. That break will take place April 14-21, 2025.
IGNITE, the division's system-wide professional development day, remains on Oct. 28. While staff and parents had noted some advantages to shifting the event to Nov. 1, changing the event to a Friday would create other challenges and would impact student and staff participation in extracurricular opportunities scheduled for that day and over the weekend.
Ward Boundary Review Update
The Board set a date to meet with the consultant that was hired to do a review of the Board's ward boundaries. Phase one of the review is almost complete. The Board will review the work completed in phase one and determine if they want to proceed to the next stage or not.
Policy 27 - Staff Recognition
Following a consultation with staff, the Board approved changes to Policy 27 - Staff Recognition.
Communications and Recognition Committee
The Communications and Recognition Committee presented an update to the Board's Student Leadership Award. The award has been renamed the NLPS Impact Award and it has been expanded to include all students in the division, not just graduating students.
Truth and Reconciliation Committee
The Board's Truth and Reconciliation Committee will be meeting with the Buffalo Lake Metis Settlement Council in March. It is also working on setting up meetings with the Kikino Metis Settlement Council and Fishing Lake Metis Settlement Council.
Finance Committee
After reviewing a recommendation from the division's auditor, the Board's Finance Committee recommended that a maximum of $4.2 million be invested in a combination of a high interest savings account, GIC's, and bonds to generate revenue for the division. Secretary-Treasurer Paula Elock noted the funds would be invested in a manner that would not affect cash flow for the division. The committee's recommendation was approved by the Board.
Support Staff Liaison Committee
The Support Staff Liaison Committee will be sharing a survey with the division's support staff on March 1 to collect information from support staff on a variety of topics.