Judi Hunter – Ward 5 Trustee
The Board had a presentation from Bert Church High School sharing an entrepreneurship course in conjunction with Yellcanada.org. Yellcanada.org is a non-profit organization that partners with schools to provide support in teaching skills that develop an entrepreneur mindset. To apply, schools need to have a full class of thirty students who are committed to developing these skills, and then contact Yell Canada. Rocky View is currently considering a J block class where students from around the district could apply to join the class.
Another good news story about how curriculum is meeting student needs is a story from Brooks Alberta brooksbulletin.com/grasslands-public-schools-and-vancouver-film-school-team-up/
The community of Cochrane is growing rapidly and desperate for new schools and portable. Many years ago the Calgary Catholic School Board bought the Powell School Property for $1.00 under the agreement when they no longer needed it, the school would be sold to Rocky View Schools for $1.00. As Calgary Catholic has built a new school, the Powell Street School has been returned to Rocky View Schools. While the location is not ideal, we need space. Rocky View School Board approved a two-million-dollar renovation to bring the school to standards. Rocky View School Board has held two parent meetings asking for input on who should populate the Powell Street School.
The Board is accepting all input from the public through the in person session and also through the Engage tool on the Rocky View Schools website. The Board will use this information to help determine an accommodation plan for the school on April 27.
The Board has launched its advocacy plan around “Space for Students” and is seeking parent and stakeholder support for new schools which are funded by the province.
March 9 the Board met with the Minister of Education who assured the Board that all four schools would be built. However, there was no timeline given. The minister also indicated that there are supply chain issues with portables. Rocky View Schools has asked for 32 needed portables. That announcement is expected by May.
I read the book “A Minor Revolution- How prioritizing kids benefits us all” by Adam Benforado, published 2023. Mr. Benforado is a law professor at Drexel University. While the statistics look at United States data, I believe similarities exist within the Canadian context. The author considers changes to legislation to require a “children’s impact assessment” for any new government mandates and legislation. The book challenges some of modern parenting strategies, government processes that harm disadvantaged family and university funding models that saddle students with debt. He advocates for greater voice in decision making for minors. His ideas are worth debating.
Bearspaw School hosted its annual “Pi Day” where kids compete to identify as many decimals of pi as possible. The kids were treated to slices of pie provided by parents.
Congratulations to Cochrane High School on a successful production of “Little House of Horrors”. If you have not attended a high school drama production, it is worth investigating these opportunities. School drama productions hold their own against commercial productions. In addition, the school band department participation enhances the performance and celebrates the talents of our musicians.
Artificial Intelligence is making its presence in education. An app “ChatGPT” that will write an essay for students has been banned by many Boards. However one teacher makes a different case. “This is the future,” said Piercey, who describes ChatGPT as just the latest technology in his 17 years of teaching that prompted concerns about the potential for cheating. The calculator, spellcheck, Google, Wikipedia, YouTube. Now all his students have Chromebooks on their desks. “As educators, we haven’t figured out the best way to use artificial intelligence yet. But it’s coming, whether we want it to or not.” www.albertaprimetimes.com/national-lifestyle-news/amid-chatgpt-outcry-some-teachers-are-inviting-ai-to-class-6551731
The Springbank High School robotics team won a seat at the World Robotics Competition in Houston, the only Alberta Team to do so. The Team is awaiting approval to travel from RVS which disallowed travel outside of Canada this year.
The provincial government has distributed its budget allocation to school boards which is slightly better than other years which is good news. The Board is still working through the details of this budget and its rules. There have been some significant changes to the transportation rules with mandatory implementation in the 2024-2025 school year.
