Have a great summer. I am working on a newsletter that will be going out every two months. If you would like your email added, please drop me a line.
Current Topics
Staffing: At this time of the year, staff are reviewing staffing levels at each school throughout HRSB. These will be close to finished products, however the final allocations will not occur until early in the school year when Board Staff review attendance levels and increases/ switches within the Board. Staff works hard to try and get staffing within the provincial guidelines.
French Immersion: There are three schools within HRSB that may have late French Immersion not offered due to low levels of enrollment. French Immersion program delivery is going to be reviewed in the coming school year.
Budget: Please review the budgets that were passed on HRSB.ca. We have worked to get more money into the classrooms, particularly in EPAs, math mentors and literacy support.
NSSBA: At a recent meeting of the Nova Scotia School Board Association meeting in Cornwallis. We heard presentations on 21st Century learning and how our board and the Province need to change how we are developing and presenting curriculum to all of our students. The great news is that all of the boards want to do this. The bad news is that it is finding the right plan moving forward to implement massive change across the province. We also voted on the resolutions to bring forward to DOE and the Minister who attended part of the conference. The top five priorities are:
1) STRUCTURED FRAMEWORK FOR INTER-AGENCY COLLABORATION
Be it resolved that the Province of Nova Scotia mandate a structured framework to ensure resources and services are available in schools and comprehensively provided with equity, fairness, and adequacy to meet the needs of the province's children & youth by ensuring full collaboration and cooperation between all departments of government including Health, Justice, Education, and Community Services.Notes from May
2) INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF CURRENT FUNDING ALLOCATION METHODS
Be it resolved that the Nova Scotia School Boards Association request the minister of education to conduct an independent review of the current methods for allocating all available funding to school boards.
3) ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
Be it resolved that the Nova Scotia School Boards Association request that the Department of Education provide additional funding to school boards to support the provision of programs and services for students with special needs.
4) SUPPORT FOR ADVANCED PLACEMENT PROGRAMS
Be it resolved that the Department of Education support Advanced Placement Programs in Nova Scotia for the purposes of recognizing the Advanced Placement Program and that they address the funding equity issue of both Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs.
5) RESOURCES TO ENGAGE IN PROFESSIONAL COLLABORATIVE TIME
Be it resolved that the Nova Scotia School Boards Association urge the Department of Education to provide the resources necessary to provide time, both in the school calendar and within the instructional day, for teachers and principals to collaborate professionally and to engage in site-level, job embedded professional development.
Last month, I spoke strongly in favour of development in District 7 before we considered other new projects that were coming before the board, my comments are linked below. The board unanimously approved recommending for immediate review the Bedford South situation in order the look at the viability of having a new elementary school built as soon as money can be allocated. We also passed a similar motion for a merger of the Musquodoboit schools into one P-12 school.
Board meetings are now being shown live on haligonia.ca if you are ready for the excitement that is a Board meeting. Check hrsb.ns.ca for dates.
News and Notes
Congratulations:
To all of the Grade 12 grads throughout HRM and to all students who have successfully completed another grade.
To all the Lieutenant Governor's Awards Winners including:
Rachel Gullage and Jason Ross (CPA)
Natalie Gillis and bBenjamin Feltmate (SJA)
All of the schools that managed to raise in excess of $100,000 for Haiti.
Grade 5 students in Mr. Stickings' class at Grosvenor Wentworth Park School, winners of the national 'Racism. Stop It!' video competition for the second time in three years! Students accepted the award in Ottawa.