The Board Connection

Board recognizes importance of community feedback

Sept. 26, 2018

Welcome back to another school year! We are hardly a month in and it is already proving to be a busy and productive time.

Like students, your Board of Trustees is beginning a new year and is ready to get back to work after the summer break. One of the biggest areas we are tackling right now is reviewing our District’s Strategic Plan. Our previous plan was in place for the 2014-18 school years. The election of a new Board of Trustees last fall signals the time to reflect and make sure we have a sound plan in place that focuses our energy and resources, and ensures we are all working toward common goals.  

Overall, we are satisfied with the direction our school District is moving and we want to continue along that path. While we are fairly confident we are on the right path, it is important that we hear from the people we were elected to represent. This is an ongoing dialogue and most recently we held two sets of consultation events: one in the spring and one earlier this month.

Consultations in the spring identified three areas that students, staff, families and community members feel we should focus on for the next four years in order for all learners to achieve their greatest success. Based on this feedback, we will be focusing on making sure children have an excellent start to learning, success for every student and success beyond schooling.

At the sessions earlier this month, we heard from passionate families, staff and students that they appreciate our strong early learning and kindergarten programming, that learners have access to many different opportunities throughout their education and that we are on the right track with our Career Pathways model, which prepares students for success post-graduation. They also reminded us that we can always do more, and of the importance of family engagement.

Trustees are always open to feedback from constituents. Do not hesitate to call or email your Trustee if you have any feedback about what the Board is doing. From Oct. 3-14, you can also provide feedback by completing an online strategic planning survey.