Week of November 26—30, 2012

Superintendent’s Memo FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT

We have so many excellent teachers in BTPS! I am fortunate enough to be able to

visit many classrooms and witness some amazing teaching. Seeing students en-

gaged in their learning and teachers who are tuned into the individual needs of

students makes learning exciting. The

Alberta Excellence in Teaching Awards

is an opportunity to recognize effective

teaching in BTPS. Last year we were so

excited to have Ms. Monica To of JR

Robson reach the semi-finalist level of

this province wide selection process.

When one of the members of our BTPS

team is recognized, it speaks very high-

ly of our entire team. I encourage all

stakeholders to consider nominating a member of our team for this important

recognition of effective teaching. More information can be found at http://

education.alberta.ca/teachers/excellence.aspx or by contacting Assistant Superin-

tendent, Brad Romanchuk at brad.romanchuk@btps.ca.

We are living a bit of history as we witnessed the passing Bill 3 – Education Act- in

the Alberta Legislature. It is historic in that the current School Act was adopted in

1988, so we have not seen a substantive change in the legislation governing

schools in the province of Alberta for 24 years. While this new Act has been

passed, it is important to remember that the legislation does not come into effect

until the policies and regulations that accompany have been reviewed. We are

unsure of the timelines for this process; however I am certain that information on

this aspect of this new legislation will be shared in the near future.

To see the rest of this article, please click here.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

From the Supt. (cont’d) ...........2

Human Resources ...................2

From ASEBP ............................3

AB Ed Learning & Tech ...........3

Who are We? ............................4

Student Education Services .....4

In the News ..............................5

Items of Interest………………….6

MISSION: Buffalo Trail Public Schools is committed to maximizing student learning, in a safe and caring environment, supported by a highly effective team.

FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT (CONT’D FROM FRONT PAGE)

Information on the education Act can be found at http://www.education.alberta.ca/department/policy/education-act.aspx. Highlights of the Education Act from this website include:

Access to education

Raises the age of mandatory school

attendance from 16 to 17 years to encour-age more students to complete their high school education.

Increases the age of access to 21, al-

lowing students more time to graduate and aligning Alberta with the majority of other provinces and jurisdictions.

Bases residency on where the student lives rather than where the student's parent(s)

or guardian(s) live.

Student success and opportunities for learning

Confirms the Government of Alberta’s

commitment to a publicly funded education system that provides choice to families.

Emphasizes the importance of wel-

coming, caring, respectful and safe learning environments by defining bullying and requiring boards to develop a student code of conduct that addresses bullying behav-iour - including cyber bullying - no matter where or when it occurs.

Ensures that materials and courses used in schools reflect Alberta’s diversity and herit-age and respects the common values and beliefs of Albertans.

Governance and collaboration

Emphasizes the shared roles and re-

sponsibilities of students, parents, school boards and trustees.

Changes how separate school districts

are established, providing more opportuni-ty for public input.

Allows separate school electors the

choice of which school board to vote for or run as trustee in, improving the democratic process while protecting constitutional rights.

Compels school boards to collaborate

with post-secondary institutions and the community to ensure smooth transitions for students from high school to post-secondary education or the workforce.

Provides criteria around establish-

ment of charter schools, clarifies who may establish them and clarifies that they are required, where applicable, to provide spe-cialized supports and services.

Gives school boards natural person

powers, allowing more discretion to fulfil their responsibilities to the community within the limits placed on what they can-not do instead of what they can do.

Allows the Minister to direct boards to

co-operate on transportation where reason-able.

Allows the Minister to establish a composite board - comprised of both public and sepa-rate school divisions - only at the request of those boards impacted.

Administrative and financial responsi-bility

Allows boards to be more responsive

to the needs of their community when de-termining how to best provide safe and appropriate transportation to their stu-dents.

Allows the Minister to make regula-

tions respecting school fees.

Allows the Minister of Education to

cancel or suspend the registration or ac-creditation of a private school if the finan-cial administration of the school places the learning environment of students at risk.

Requires boards to establish an audit committee with public members.

Take care,

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HUMAN RESOURCES

Teacher Retirement Transition Strategy

This year’s application package can be found at: http://www.btps.ca/files/PDF/Human_Resources/FORMS/Teacher_Retirement_Transition_Strategy_oct_2012_-_v_1_1_BR__AJ_October_2012.pdf

Deadlines for application are as follows:

December 19th, 2012

(For February 29th

resignation)

January 23rd, 2013 (for

March 31st resignation)

February 20th, 2013 (for

April 30th resignation)

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(Education Act) Governance and collaboration

Emphasizes the shared roles and responsibilities of students, parents, school

boards and trustees.

3

LEARNING AND

TECHNOLOGY POLICY

FRAMEWORK UPDATE

Education has begun updating the

Learning and Technology Policy

Framework (2004), to better reflect

Alberta’s current technological

landscape. The framework will also

assist government and school

authorities in future planning, and

align our policies with the

principles and vision of Inspiring

Education.

The existing document is available

online at:

www.education.alberta.ca/admin/

technology/standards.aspx for your

reference.

Stakeholder discussions have

already begun through the School

Technology Advisory Committee,

which includes representation from

a variety of education stakeholders.

The framework will also be a focus

of the November 28 Jurisdiction

Technology Contacts event in

Edmonton. Additional details about

this work, including opportunities

to provide input, will be available

soon.

For more information, please

contact Edna Dach, Education

Manager, School Technology

Branch at 780-644-4586 (dial 310-

0000 first for toll-free access in

Alberta) or at

Edna.Dach@gov.ab.ca.

Source: In the Loop, November 2012. Edmonton: Alberta Education.

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FROM ASEPBP

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WHO ARE WE?

BTPS MISSION:

Buffalo Trail Public Schools is committed to maximizing student learning, in a safe and caring environment, support-ed by a highly effective team.

BTPS VISION:

To be dynamic leaders in empowering students to be caring, responsible, and con-tributing global citizens with a passion for learning.

BTPS VALUES:

Demonstrate integrity and transparency

Encourage innovation and collaboration

Embrace diversity and belonging

Provide opportunity and choice

Celebrate success and recognize excellence

Take ownership and

exhibit accountability

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STUDENT EDUCATION SERVICES

Upcoming Training for 2013 Hosted by Partners and VIBE

Grief Level Two Training: Childhood & Teen Grief Patterns and Issues & Stereotyping Grief Styles & Multicul-tural Traditions of Death and Dy-ing—Hosts: Walking Through Grief Society and VIBE April 20th and 21st,

2013 J.R. Robson Training Centre 5102 46th Street, Vermilion AB Registration is at 8:45 a.m. on April 20th The course will run: 9:00 a.m.to 4:00 p.m. April 20th and April 21st Snacks and lunch will be provided as well as all course materials. This is a 12 hour course. Registration cost: $300.00. Maximum participants are 15. Please email: Pat Calyniuk at pat.calyniuk@btps.ca to register for the course. An invoice will be emailed to you for payment. Payments must be received by the deadline and there are no refunds. Cheques will be payable to Walking Through Grief. Deadline for registration is April 1st, 2013

Childhood & Teen Grief Patterns (6 hours) and Issues & Stereotyping Grief Styles & Multicultural Tradi-tions of Death and Dying (6 hours). This course has group discussions, case studies, lectures and hands-on activities. If you have completed Level I then when you complete these two modules you will receive your level Two Certificate. If you have not completed Level I then at the end you will receive your certificate for the modules but would need to com-plete Level I to get your Level I and Two Certificates.

Mental Health First Aide for Adults Who Interact with Youth—Hosts: VIBE and Alberta Health Services Febru-ary 6th and 7th, 2013 or February 20th and 21st, 2013 J.R. Robson Training Cen-

tre 5102 46th Street, Vermilion AB. Reg-istration is at 8:15 a.m. The course will begin at 8:30 and end at 4:30 – snacks, lunch and workbook will be provided. This is a two day course. Registration cost: $60.00. Maximum participants are 20. An invoice will be emailed to you for payment. Please email: Pat Calyniuk at pat.calyniuk@btps.ca to register for the course. Deadline for registration is Janu-ary 15th, 2013.

Module I Certificate in Hope-ology—Host: VIBE April 10th, 2013J.R. Robson Training Centre5102 46th Street, Ver-milion AB. Registration is at 12:45 p.m. The course will begin at 1:00 and end at 4:15 – snacks and workbook will be provided. Registration cost: $20.00. Please email: Pat Calyniuk at pat.calyniuk@btps.ca to register for the course. Deadline for registration is March 31st, 2013. An invoice will be emailed to you for payment.

Module I is an introduction to Kids at Hope. It provides the framework by exploring the science of hope, optimism and success and how it can be instilled in all children. It is a 3 hour session that works through the Module I workbook

“Unleashing the Power of Kids at Hope”. It is assumed that upon the completion of Hope-ology, individuals from organi-zations and communities will under-stand the belief system of Kids at Hope and have the knowledge to inspire and transform their organizations or com-munities.

Module I should be considered by any-one working directly with or around children and youth in recreation cen-

ters, communities, schools and family services.

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Are you using your SQ Write materials to the fullest?

Join us for a FREE webinar on Dec 3, 2012 from 7:00-8:30 PM CST. Partic-ipants can purchase an SQ Write Teacher Kit at a 20% discount through the

month of December! Please email mail-to:teachingwhatworks@learningbydesign.com to sign up.

Title: Using SQ Write to Meet the Common Core and RTI Standards

Date: Monday, December 3, 2012

Time: 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM CDT

Buffalo Trail graduates receive Registered Apprenticeship Program scholar-ships

Six Buffalo Trail graduates were recipients of Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training Board Scholarships at The Future of Trades awards event held in Edmon-ton on November 16. There were 500 people in attendance at the banquet and awards ceremony to see these apprentices recognized for their excellence.

Buffalo Trail is proud of the two Hughenden School and four Kitscoty High students – all six graduated in 2012 - who won these $1000 RAP scholarships for excelling in their trade program and showing dedication and hard work as they strive to achieve their journeyman status.

The winners were:

Jeffrey Holte, Hughenden School Automotive Service Tech Norris Ford

Devon Froland, Hughenden School Carpenter Holte Builders Ltd

Wyatt Malanowich, Kitcoty HS Electrician Tarpon Energy Service

Dhillon Smart, Kitscoty High School Heavy Equipment Tech Smart Mechanical Service

Logan Zweifel, Kitscoty High School Heavy Equipment Tech Moody’s Equipment

Ryan Paul, Kitscoty High School Welding Carson Energy Services

“The Board of Trustees would like to thank all of the area employers who offer mentorship and work placements to our RAP students,” said Board Chair Darcy Eddleston. “It is through these types of partnerships that our schools are able to offer varied career experiences to our students. We congratulate the winners and applaud their commitment to excel-lence. We wish them all the best in their futures careers as journeymen.”

“Presently there are over 20 RAP students working in Buffalo Trail this year, so we are sure to see more award winners in years to come,” said Superintendent Bob Allen. “Jeffrey, Devon, Wyatt, Dhillon, Logan and Ryan’s accomplishment speaks to the continuing need for us to continue to offer programs such as RAP to provide as many opportunities as possible for our students to succeed.”

For more information on the RAP program, please visit the BTPS website www.btps.ca under Programs.

Many thanks to Deanna Forrester (KHS) or providing the information and student photo! GO BACK

IN THE NEWS

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“It is through these types of partnerships that our schools are able to offer varied ca-reer experiences to our students. We congratulate the winners and applaud their commitment to excellence.”

Jeffrey Holte, left, and Devon Froland, both former Hughenden School students, were just two of the six BTPS students that received RAP Scholarships

on November 16.

ITEMS OF INTEREST

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Comments about this newsletter? Please

email comments and suggestions to

Rosanne.isberg@btps.ca. We’d love to hear

from you!