Chinook's Edge School Division staff and teachers are geared up for the upcoming 2017-18 school year, says superintendent Kurt Sacher.
And with about 11,000 students expected in the division's 43 schools this year, there's plenty of preparation to do, he said.
"We are really excited to start a new school year and you can feel the buzz across the school division," said Sacher.
"We have 32 new teachers involved in a three-year program for new teachers that we provide to support them as they transition into an increasingly complex area of work."
There will be approximately 600 teachers and 600 support staff members - which include educational assistants, custodians, bus drivers and family wellness workers - in Chinook's Edge when classes get underway on Aug. 31, he said.
The new school year will see teachers, students and support staff focused on four key directions, he said.
"The first one is in the area of literacy, doing the best we can in helping students learn how to read and write," he said.
The second direction focuses on "academic excellence and rigor in programming right across the jurisdiction," he said.
"We have high expectations for students because we believe in them," he said.
The third direction focuses around career transitioning, he said.
"That whole notion is setting kids up for their future where their passion aligns with their skills and abilities and their dreams," he said. "We really believe in working with the Community Learning Campus in Olds in setting up exciting opportunities. It motivates our students in that middle to high school area when they have something to strive for in the future that excites them. It makes sense to develop the skills to achieve those dreams and goals and passions."
The fourth direction focuses on social and emotional outcomes, he said.
"Our teachers across the division will tell you that they are dealing with increasing complexities with young people coming in who struggle more than they have in the past when it comes to self regulation, dealing with some anxiety and issues like that," he said.
"We have a real focus on supporting our students to self-regulate and take care of themselves in a social and emotional way."
There is also a focus on helping teachers and staff, he said.
"Sort of a sidebar to that is that we believe that we need to support our staff and our teachers with respect to their own wellness so that they can do the best job they can in that whole area of social and emotional outcomes," he said.
"We have an initiative led by Wanda Christensen (associate superintendent in charge of student services) across the jurisdiction on staff wellness. We are essentially finding that so many of our schools already had some excellent practices with embedded staff wellness opportunities.
"We are basically sharing the best ideas we can find across the division and bringing in other supports to enhance that whole are of wellness."
Student enrolment numbers in the division should be comparable to 2016-17, he said.
"We expect to be the same or slightly above (last year)," he said. "We have basically seen slow, steady growth across the division."
The division has been in touch with the minister of education regarding the need for a new school in Carstairs, he said.
The division is also gearing up for the October 2017 election of trustees, he said.
"We have to support the election process so we bring in additional staff on a temporary basis to help us with all the polling sites and that whole process," he said.
Nomination packages must be in place by Sept. 18, he said.
"On that date we will know if there are any elections in any of the nine wards," he said.
The division will continue to work with the government to address bus funding issues, he said.
"We are really excited to start a new school year and you can feel the buzz across the school division."Kurt SacherChinook's Edge superintendent
