Ponoka Secondary Campus (PSC) School Council held its first meeting of the school year on Wednesday, Sept. 24 with some new faces joining the council.
Communication between the school and the parents/community was one of the main topics discussed, with Principal Ian Rawlinson giving a detailed briefing on the efforts undertaken by the school and staff to encourage parents to access information available on the school website. During the discussion, council members spoke of the differences in the way people may access information and Rawlinson said, in addition to what is already available on the school website, he would send a monthly letter to parents informing them of the general progress of the education process.
Rawlinson also reported that four students from the 18-strong leadership group were currently in Kelowna, B.C., taking part in a specially designed program alongside accompanying teachers.
According the Rawlinson, this year, there will be three literacy tests to measure the various types of literacy skills of students to allow teachers to decide what kind of interventions will help students to acquire and improve competence in literacy.
The council also appointed a representative for junior high school and one for senior high school, with representatives becoming focal points to liaise with various stakeholders on emerging or potential issues that will need to be dealt with. Junior high representative is Don Brookwell and senior high representative is Glenda MacLaren. A student representative will also be joining the school council alongside a member of teaching staff in the weeks ahead.
In terms of meeting schedule for the school year, the council made a tentative decision to organize monthly meetings with council sessions and informative gatherings aimed at parents being scheduled on an alternating basis, inviting as and where possible expert speakers to informative sessions. The first such session will take place on Oct. 29 with Sean Lougheed briefing parents on the IXL learning enhancement program being offered through the school and supported by the board. It is described as a valuable opportunity for parents to learn how to assist their children in online learning activities that can be done at home.
Principal Rawlinson informed the school council that CPR training had been added to the curriculum for Grade 10 students as part of their PhysEd classes and all students would have CPR certification by the end of the year.
More information on school activities and educational matters will also be communicated to the community through PSC submissions in Ponoka News in the coming weeks.