Skip to content

More engagement needed for three-year plan development

Wolf Creek Public Schools (WCPS) is hoping stakeholders in education will help out again with another survey.
42531ponokawolfcreekschools
Wolf Creek Public Schools - briefs.

Following on the heels of a successful response from the public, Wolf Creek Public Schools (WCPS) is hoping stakeholders in education will help out again with another survey.

In his report to the board of trustees on Jan. 19, superintendent Jayson Lovell explained the annual survey from Alberta Education about the accountability pillar will be sent out to parents before the end of the month and the hope is it will get a greater response than it has in the past, due in part to the tremendous participation in the online Thoughtexchange process WCPS recently completed.

The survey focuses on measuring student achievement and how that can be improved by having parents of students in Grades 4, 7 and 10 complete the form that is mailed out. Students and staff in those grades can do the survey online.

In a couple of WCPS schools, ones that have fewer than 120 students in Grades 4 to 12, will see all parents from Grade 4 and higher receive the survey.

School administrations have been charged with getting the surveys out and working to get as many completed as possible, stated Lovell.

“The hope is they can promote it and get parents to complete the survey. We are also looking at some creative ways to leverage and focus the campaigns on getting the surveys filled out,” he said, adding that will include using WCPS’s bulk email, text and phone messaging system.

2017-18 calendar

Staff at all WCPS schools will soon receive a brief survey to assist Lovell and trustees in finalizing the overall school calendar for the next school year as well as provide information so a draft calendar for 2018-19 can be drawn up.

Lovell stated the survey’s focus will be on whether staff feel the current 16 aligned calendar days, set aside for teacher and staff professional development, provides necessary time.

“We often hear about the number of student days in the calendar, but not from staff on the number of non-student days,” he said.

“The survey will give feedback on if we need to reduce or adjust and balance out those days, then we can reopen and rework that feedback into our three-year plan.”

Positive steps

Trustees were informed that WCPS has received approval from Alberta Infrastructure for four new modular classrooms two each at Blackfalds’ Iron Ridge Elementary Campus and Terrace Ridge School in Lacombe.

And in a bit of a surprise, Lovell told trustees the approval comes with notice the province will pay 100 per cent of the cost for delivery and set up of the four classrooms that will relieve the stress on both schools, which are presently holding classes in space previously used as a library and a music room.

Lovell added it was a positive sign to see the department send a representative out to check out the schools prior to the approval, as it could mean the government will give more consideration to WCPS’s capital building requests after seeing the state of the schools on the list.