Message from the President of the Springbank Community Association:
Happy New Year! At the Community Association, our 2020 priority is to improve connections within our community. We are working through a few ideas, including:
- Evolving our social media into a community hub by sharing local stories, events and more. As a first step, we are introducing a “Volunteer of the Month” section.
- Improving our newsletter to bring residents relevant information. Are there topics you would like to see from us that aren’t currently being covered?
- Reaching out to our local schools to hear what those 2000 students are up to and sharing out with our community.
We challenge our community to:
- Ask how can we be better neighbors this year:
- How well do you know your neighbors?
- Do you have elderly neighbors in your community that could use some help with snow removal or spring clean up?
- Do you have a neighborhood watch program setup on your street or within your community? Go to cfparcw.ca/about.html for more info.
- Do you have a community contact list, in case of emergency, to reach out for help or share suspicious activity, or just to connect with your neighbors?
- Celebrate one another – share stories of kindness and generosity within our community on our FB page – visitor posts welcome!
- Photos, videos from our community are encouraged! Take a picture at your local event and share it with us at www.facebook.com/ springbankcommunityassociation.
- Give a shout out to a great coach, teacher or child in our community.
Springbank Community Association: Community Volunteer of the Month
Karen Tereposky is a linchpin in the strong and growing Springbank Soccer Club. When Karen’s own daughters were becoming involved in soccer, she noticed that there were too few female coaches. In typical Karen style, she did something about it. Karen started coaching grassroots soccer in 2007 and has since coached or assisted on boys and girls’ teams U8-U15 in tiers 1 to 4, as well as with the Zone 2 Alberta Winter and Summer Games teams. After coaching in Springbank from 2011-2014 and also serving on the SSC Board, Karen coached with two city clubs before returning to coach in her community. Her Coach Education includes: NCCP FUNdamentals, Learn to Train, and her Alberta Provincial C License. She also plans to complete her Children’s License next year.
Karen encourages her players to take risks, regardless of the result. Because of this “it’s okay to fail” philosophy, her players quickly develop excellent ball control and skills. More importantly, these young women develop confidence and belief in themselves under Karen’s guidance. On top of contributing countless hours to Springbank Soccer Club and being a role model for her players, Karen is a mother of three and an Employment & Insolvency Lawyer at Field Law.
Thank you, Coach Karen for your substantial contribution to making Springbank a great place to live and play.
If you would like to nominate a great local volunteer for our “Volunteer of the Month”, send an email to news@springbankcommunity.com.
Rockyview Schools Trustee Update for Springbank and Area schools:
Alberta Education is in the process of rewriting and updating curriculum and it is important that we reflect upon what it is that all citizens need to have as a common reference point for decision-making related to science, math and engineering as it affects our daily lives.
The increasing speed, scope and breadth of scientific, technological and engineering advancements will continue to impact cultural norms, values, economics, and work. I read an interesting document on K-12 education: A Framework for K-12 Science Education – Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas (2012) (www.nap.edu/download/13165).
I have included this report for you as I believe as a society we should be discussing – “What do we really want from our education system?” Increasingly, schools are being asked to take on roles that have not been the traditional roles of school. Schools are also being asked to educate a wider range of student abilities. All of these choices impact educational outcomes and costs. Many of these decisions have been by default and not by design, in my estimation.
A look at a schooling within other countries show an array of differences
- The number of hours in the school day
- Access to private tutoring in the evening
- Free lunch programs
- Age at which differentiated programming begins
- Education and management of special needs students
- The land base upon which schools are built
- Teacher training
- Use of outside specialists in instruction
All of us want a world-class educational system, and we are nervous about tinkering with a system has demonstrated success, that has established standards and pathways to certification. At the same time, we are witnessing economic pressure on our systems, a challenge to the status quo at the post-secondary levels where industry is actively recruiting our brightest students and providing in-house training and support. We are witnessing increasing number of university graduates who are unemployed or underemployed, and where many students have no seat at the university as entrance requirements have been elevated to unrealistic percentages.
I believe the time has come for public discourse on the role of schooling and what society values in the education of its children.
Budget Cuts
For the remainder of this school year we will not see the impact of the recent budget cuts. However, in the 2020-2021 and possibly the 2021- 2022 school year, we will see impacts. I taught during the Klein years. We got through it. We will get through this round of cuts.
Our staff and administrators are some of the best in North America. They are knowledgeable, caring and committed. So, despite what the economy has in store, your children are in good hands.
Submitted by Judi Hunter,
RVS Trustee Ward 5
