LATEST ARTICLES

Mel-Bex Awards returns and recognizes longstanding Melfort businesses

The return of the Mel-Bex Awards saw two longstanding Melfort businesses recognized with two of the major awards.

Melody Motors walked away with the Business of the Year (16 employees and over) Award, with George Home Hardware received the Heritage Award at the Melfort Trade Alliance Chamber of Commerce (MTAAC) Awards Gala on Saturday, March 22.

Ena McAuley, who owns George Home Hardware along with her husband Jeff McAuley, said the award showed the impact the business has made in Melfort.

“To me what it means is people recognize and appreciate the fact that we’ve been a member of the community as long as we have, and are part of the business community,” McAuley said.

Saturday’s ceremony took place at the CJVR Performing Arts Theatre in the Kerry Vickar Centre.

McAuley said that there was a strong group of contenders for the Heritage Award.

“Everybody’s been here for a long time,” she said. “I don’t think there should just be one winner. I think everybody deserves to be acknowledged because business isn’t easy, and if you can do it for as long as we have, it’s hard.”

McAuley said what keeps George Home Hardware going is that it is a team effort.

“It’s not just Jeff and I going to work every day,” she explained. “It’s our staff, it’s the customers that support us, it’s a number of things you know. The community is why we’ve been here as long as we have been hands down.”

Melody Motors general manager Ken Madraga was surprised to win a Business of the Year Award. Like McAuley, Madraga said there were many businesses who could have won the award.

“There are so many good businesses out there and there’s a lot of success that’s happened since COVID,” he said. “We’ve noticed it, and you notice it in the community. There were many very good nominees.”

Madraga said Melody Motors has held its own over the last several years, despite challenges brought on by COVID. He was pleased to see the business’ efforts recognized.

“We’ve been in business for over 60 years, but to be able to win that award, we just continue doing what we do,” he explained. “We’ve learned an awful lot over the years, especially through COVID, as to what really drives our business.”

Madraga said people are the most important part of running a good business, and that means being committed to customer service.

“That’s why I’m really proud that they were recognized for doing such a really good job for the Melfort community,” he said.

The other major award winner was another longstanding local business Golden Grain Bakery who received the Business of the Year (15 employees and under).

Melfort MLA Todd Goudy, Prince Albert MP Randy Hoback and Melfort Mayor Glenn George all provided greetings. There was also a speech by Lloyd Muntain, president of the MTACC.

The event was emceed by business owner Amanda Perrot, when the Gala needed to be extended she held a panel discussion with all of the award winners who were present. MTACC executive director Cal Gratton presented the awards that did not have a sponsor.

The Property Appearance Award was presented to Dress Well With Giselle and the Community Involvement-Non-Profit Award was presented to the Melfort and District Museum. The Community Involvement-Business/Corporate Award was presented to Realty Executives Gateway Realty.

The Customer Service Award was presented to RJ’s Urban Garden Cafe.

Junior Citizen of the Year Josey Hovdestad received the award from Gratton and electrified the crowd with her speech.

Michael Oleksyn/Daily Herald Melfort Junior Citizen of the Year Josey Hovdestad made a speech at the Mel-Bex Awards Gala on Saturday, March 23 at the CJVR Performing Arts Theatre in the Kerrry Vickar Centre.

In a unique twist, Citizen of the Year Kerrie de Gooijer was curling in the Farmer’s and Friends Bonspiel at the Melfort Curling Club and could not attend. She did pass on a speech to Gratton to read to the audience. She was recognized for her work chairing the Curling Club Revitalization Committee.

Both Madraga and McAuley were happy to see the Mel-Bex Awards return after seven years. Madraga appreciated the fellowship with other business owners

“What I really appreciated is seeing so many familiar faces because when we’re working, we’re working and we don’t see everybody every day. I see them when I’m able to take time off and I’m going to go to their stores on the weekends and things like that too,” Madraga said.

McAuley noted that it was great to have them back because of a strong Chamber of Commerce.

“I am very happy that the Mel-Bex Awards are back. I give huge kudos to the Trade Alliance for their strength. I think they are doing an amazing job. Being a former board member and former president myself I know how much work it is, and I’m so glad that this opportunity is back to recognize businesses,” McAuley said.

The evening concluded with a performance by comedian Kelly Taylor.

michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca

Success of new early years instruction model outlined for Catholic board

The Prince Albert Catholic School Division says a new resource system implemented at the beginning of the school year is having a positive impact on reading skills among pre-Kindergarten to Grade 3 students.

The division has implemented Heggerty resources, which are based on phonics and phonemic awareness, as part of their 2023 to 2026 Strategic Plan. At the board of education’s regular meeting on March 18, a delegation of superintendent Charity Dmytruk and St. Catherine Grade 2 teacher Krista Lambert showed trustees the impact the program is having. PA Catholic Education Director Lorel Trumier said it’s great to see.

“We really wanted to have our board exposed to the new resources that we had purchased and to see the work that our staff are doing in terms of professional development to support students reading and writing,” Trumier said.

Phonemic awareness is the ability to notice, think about and work with the individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words. For example, this comes through learning how the mouth moves when pronouncing words.

Heggerty lessons are aligned with Saskatchewan curriculum and provide evidence-based explicit instruction on both phonetics and phonemic awareness. Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 3 teachers like Lambert have received two full days of training in Heggerty and reading instruction.

“We’re pleased that Krista was able to take time and come and share some of the nuances that she has within her classroom to talk about the explicit instruction procedures of Heggerty,” Trumier said. “We’re seeing some success, and we want to celebrate that and also acknowledge the work that our staff are doing in this effort.”

Heggerty is based in part around phonetics and visual aids Trumier explained that this is part of having a balanced literacy approach.

“It’s not just exposure to text and exposure to story. It also requires the ability for students to decode words and have some phonemic awareness to ensure that they can decode and support their skillset,” Trumier said.

Heggerty lessons provide a scope and sequence to instruction in phonemic awareness. They also align language instruction from Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 3 across all schools in the division.

“It’s a very tactile form of instruction where you can see (students) learning how to move their mouth when they’re saying it and that kinesthetic part of it makes it very engaging,” Trumier explained.

In Pre-Kindergarten, students receive 35 weeks of systematic play activities aimed at the three-year-old to four-year-old classroom. In Kindergarten, it is 35 weeks of phonemic awareness lessons. In Grade 1 it is explicit phonetic instruction combined with phonemic awareness. In Grade 2 it is 12 weeks of daily phonemic awareness. Finally, in Grade 3 it is intervention curriculum focused on developing phonemic awareness.

“We’ve prepared our classrooms from pre-Kindergarten to Grade 3 to have this programming involved,” Trumier explained. “It was a significant investment and we’re feeling that it was very successful and we’re looking forward to the future successes because these skills scaffold into learning. As they progress through those early years, they’ll have more exposure to that very intentional instruction on phonemic awareness.”

One benefit according to Dmytruk and Lambert was that the phonemic instruction was engaging and fun for students. This is done through use of visual aids and Lambert leaves a student who performs best on a day with a Hedgehog doll. The Hedgehog doll was presented to teachers at the end of one of their Professional Development days around Heggerty.

michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca

Japanese visitors getting full Canadian experience with dancing and curling

A group of 20 Japanese students are in Prince Albert as part of an educational visit to St. Mary High School, and on Monday afternoon they took part in the weekly dance at the Prince Albert Heritage Centre.

The students are from the Kenmei School in Japan and are in Prince Albert from March 19-31. Nao Matsubara and Nika Kawakana are both from Hyogo, Japan and are part of the group, which came with two staff.

During the regular dance, the Japanese students performed a Grasshopper Dance and learned two steps and polka from seniors at the Heritage Centre.

Both Matsubara and Kawakana said that they enjoyed dancing at the Heritage Centre after lunch.

“Fantastic,” Matsubara said.

Matsubara said the six days have been great in Prince Albert.

“Yeah, really good,” she said.

“I learned many things in Canada and so a good place.”

Dancing with seniors at the Seniors Centre is one of several recreational activities students have participated in since arriving. They also visited the Prince Albert Historical Museum and curled at the Prince Albert Golf and Curling Centre. Kawakana was excited to learn to a sport the students had never tried before.

“It was really good,” Kawakana said. “It was a little difficult but really good. I like it.”

Michael Oleksyn/Daily Herald The group of 20 Japanese students who visited the Prince Albert Heritage Centre on Monday posed with Heritage Centre board members while the dance went on behind them.

The Kenmei students and staff are based in a classroom at St. Mary and are invited to take part in classes like Drama and Physical Education. That was how they were able to learn to curl.

Both Matsubara and Kawkana said that St. Mary High School has been welcoming.

“The students are very kind,” Kawakana said.

“The student eat lunch together and are very kind friend and friendly and talk,” Matsubara added.

Michael Oleksyn/Daily Herald Japanese students took part in the regular Monday dance at the Prince Albert Heritage Cente on Monday. The group of 20 Japanese students are leaving on Sunday.

Because the event is organized by the community and not run by teachers, the program has not been affected by the ongoing Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation job actions, outside of some minor inconveniences.

Tour organizer Jeannette Eddolls said on Wednesday that the group continues to be busy, with a trip to Wanuskewin Heritage Park still to come.

“They played a Phys Ed game with the students. They are going to have a performance, and activities with parents and students tonight (Monday) at the school, and Wednesday night these kids are saying thank you to the parents and are putting on a performance for them at the theatre,” she said.

This was the first time since 2019 that a group of Japanese students has visited to Prince Albert.

“The whole experience is great,” Eddolls said. “It’s the first time in five years.”

Eddolls said that this group of 20 students was special as the first one to return to Prince Albert.

The lunch at the Heritage Centre was planned because noon-hour supervision was withdrawn at Ecole St. Mary and the cafeteria was closed.

“We thought about dancing, but we targeted it because we had to be out of the school for lunch,” Eddolls said. “We just said to the seniors, ‘is alright if we join the dance?’ They said yes, so it was as easy as that.”

Eddolls said that was an example of how quickly things can happen in Prince Albert.

The students will leave for home on Sunday afternoon, according to Eddolls.

Both Matsubara and Kawkana would recommend being part of a trip to Prince Albert to younger Kenmai students.

“It was a really great place,” Kawakana said.

After having challenges struggling to find host homes for the students Eddolls was able to fill all of the spaces. Each student was able to stay with a host family for the visit. Host families could only speak English to the Japanese exchange students.

“It was stressful this time because (after) five years, my family base was gone,” Eddolls said.

“I think without exception the students are having a wonderful experience with their host families based on the feedback,” she added.

Matsubara and Kawakana each got to do special things with their host families.

“We sang karaoke at home with my host family and with my host family’s friends,”

Kawakana said

“I saw many cows,” Matsubara added.

She was also excited to see the Aurora Borealis.

The Sisters of the Presentation of Mary first started hosting Japanese students at the former Rivier Academy. Even though the school no longer exists, Eddolls said officials and students in Japan still wanted to make the trip.

The Prince Albert Catholic School Division Board of Education approved the visit in April 2023.

michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca

Art of portraits taught at workshop in Margo Fournier Arts Centre

0

There was a chance to learn about the art of portraits at the Margo Fournier Arts Centre on Saturday.

Saskatoon oil painter and figure artist Aarin Rinias conducted the workshop after being invited in late 2023 by Jesse Campbell. The class was fully booked with 10 people including prominent Prince Albert artists Jerome Mrazek and George Glenn.

“We do 40-minute poses,” Rinias explained. “Amery, the model, sits there for 40 minutes and everybody does their best to draw him.”

Rinias said attendees work with the same model, but do their work independently.

He also did a demonstration and broke down rules about facial structure and other basics of creating portraits.

“Tthen I let them go at it,” he said. “I walk around and just see how they’re doing, if they’re struggling with anything, if they’re happy about anything, if they’re dissatisfied or looking for a certain result and I work with them to get it.”

During each session, model Amery Martin would assume a new position or change a characteristic such as having his hair down after having his hair up.

Rinias said that the key to being a great portrait artist was a tough question to answer.

“Obviously, (it’s) doing your best to capture the essence of the person you’re trying to draw, whether that’s representational with how they look or whether it’s just capturing an energy or mood or an intensity or everything,” Reinis said.

“I think it’s up to the artists to find their own success in a portrait, just like with any art. Are they satisfied with their work? Are they challenging themselves? Are they growing as an artist? Are they trying? Are they failing? Those are all good things.”

Reinis said that he was glad to be in Prince Albert and appreciated the opportunity to teach the workshop.

“Teaching helps me grow as well, right? I have to be considerate of what I’m looking at, what they’re doing, what I’m doing have to think about how I do things,” he said.

michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca

Catholic Division selected for Teacher Innovation Fund grant

The Prince Albert Catholic School Division was a successful applicant for the recently announced Teacher Innovation Fund.

Minister of Education Jeremy Cockrill unveiled the program in January. The aim is to promote teacher-led solutions to classroom needs.

At the board of education’s regular meeting on Monday, March 18 director of education Lorel Trumier told the board that Ecole Holy Cross School Grade 3 teacher Simon Lambert had been a successful application.

“We are happy that we were actually one of the school divisions that will receive a project,” Trumier said. “Simon Lambert was the teacher who initiated the innovation project … and there were several things that he wants to work on to improve the environment that the students work in to help him with his instructional strategies.”

For the pilot project that will run until the end of the 2024-2025 school year. Lambert will receive $70,000 to equip his classroom with microphones, adaptable desks that can be converted to standing desks, and other items.

“(It’s) things like having some technology available to him and some self-regulation kinds of elements within his classroom and some sound system,” Trumier explained. “All these pieces are pieces that are going to help him do his job and ultimately make the environment more amenable and conducive to learning.”

At the time of the announcement by Cockrill, the Saskatchewan Teachers Federation (STF) was beginning their still ongoing job actions and it was viewed as a distraction from the Classroom Complexity component of the STF job action rationale.

Trumier said the division was pleased to have an initiative selected.

“That’s what he wants to work on that innovation and we’re glad that he was able to receive those dollars. It’s a great coup for Holy Cross,” she said.

According to Trumier, the Ministry of Education will be monitoring for the success of each initiative.

michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca

Catholic School Division aims for upgrades to St. Mary and Holy Cross

The Prince Albert Catholic School Division has submitted funding applications for minor capital upgrades to Ecole St. Mary High School and Ecole Holy Cross.

The division submitted the applications to the Minor Capital Renewal Funding program for 2025-2026.

“Our schools are aging and what we’re trying to do here is ensure that the ministry is aware that we do have needs in this round for minor capital requests,” Education Director Lorel Trumier said. “We had identified that Holy Cross and St. Mary would be two schools that could benefit from a minor capital project.”

To be eligible for Minor Capital Renewal funding, a project must involve structural renovations, additions and/or demolition ranging in cost from $1 million to $10 million. The project must also be completed in a two year time period.

“Fingers crossed, we’ll have that opportunity because … those projects are to extend the life of the school,” Trumier explained.

The Minor Capital Renewal for Holy Cross project will allow the school to address safety risks and allow programming to continue uninterrupted. It includes items like replacement of doors and windows to improve energy efficiency and re-landscaping around the building to address drainage issues, among many items listed. The project is planned to start in 2024-2026 and end in 2026-2027.

The Minor Capital Renewal for St. Mary project will allow the school to address safety risks and allow programming to continue uninterrupted. It includes items like replacement of air handling units and heating system components and replacement of windows and doors to address energy efficiency. The project is planned to start in 2024-2026 and end in 2026-2027.

“We do have very nice facilities, (but) there are parts of them that are aging, boilers and mechanical and roofs. Those cost a lot of money to maintain, but it doesn’t mean we have to tear down the school and build a new one,” Trumier said.

This is the third year for the Minor Capital Projects Renewal Funding program. The last project approved was St. John Community School.

The division was notified in early June, 2023 that the Ministry of Education has approved proceeding with the renovations. The budget has been approved for $2,100,000.

The project included renovations to improve the bathrooms, kitchen and library. Other interior upgrades include the replacement of boilers, roof top units, windows, lighting, doors, flooring, wheelchair lift, furniture, equipment, relocatable classroom roofing and surveillance are also included in the project.

Trumier said adding life to the buildings will benefit to the division.

“We just need some support in ensuring that we can maintain them,” Trumier said.

The deadline for applications to the program was Feb. 29.

Catholic Division looking to extend partnership with PBCN

The Prince Albert Catholic Division is looking to extend a partnership with the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation that began in this school year.

The two groups submitted a proposal to the province as part of the Invitational Shared Services Initiative (ISSI) in June, 2023 and received approval later that month. The ISSI develops partnerships between First Nation education authorities and provincial school systems.

“We’ve had such a strong partnership this year that’s really come to some good work,” Trumier said. “We are hoping that Peter Ballantyne, Cree Nation will want to join that Shared Service Initiative in a partnership and we have no reason to believe that they wouldn’t.”

The ISSI is part of the provincial government’s response and ongoing commitment to the recommendations found in the Joint Task Force on Improving Education and Employment Outcomes for First Nations and Metis People.

The goal is to improve outcomes for First Nations Students living on-reserve attending provincial schools. Every school division in the province was invited to submit ISSI applications.

In addition to improving outcomes, the project application must also be mutually beneficial to both parties, not already be funded by other sources, address one of the Inspiring Success Framework goals, and respond to one of the TRC Calls to Action.

The ISSI supports the division’s Strategic Plan in the areas of Inspiring Success, instruction and assessment and mental health and well-being.

During Monday’s school board meeting, superintendent Charity Dmytruk, who spearheaded the application, made a recommendation to extend the partnership for 2024-2025.

“I want to make sure that the board is aware that we would like to proceed again,” Trumier said. “Obviously with the strong relationship that we have, that would be something that is helpful both to the students in our system that are students of the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation.”

michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca

Brezden officially recognized as 2023 Citizen of the Year

Barry Brezden would rather give praise to others than receive praise for himself.

He had to get used to it at the Coronet Hotel on Friday, however, when the Lakeland Saskatchewan Senior Fitness Association (SSFA) president was recognized as Prince Albert’s 2023 Citizen of the Year.

“It’s a little bit overwhelming,” Brezden said. “Me personally, I would rather be giving those types of comments to other people rather than people talking to me.”

Brezden was recognized with a formal Citizen of the Year Banquet at the Coronet Hotel on Friday evening. He said he was amazed and grateful for the compliments he received during the evening, but credited the people he worked with for his success.

During his speech, Brezden said everyone in attendance deserved to be named Citizen of the Year.

“I am always looking for the benefit of everybody else rather than me, and none of that will happen without a group of people around you,” he explained.

Brezden said learned he would be named Citizen of the Year prior to a meeting at the Bison Café in February. He was taken aback to hear the news by Kinsmen President Wes Moore.

“Wes just advised me that I won the Citizen of the Year award and I said, ‘Oh, that’s nice.’ Brezden remembered.

Since becoming president of the SSFA in 2022, Brezden has made an impact by bringing together various organizations to raise their profile along with the SSFA. These include the Prince Albert Legion, Off the Cuff Improv and many partner businesses.

He said his goal has always been to get seniors active, beginning when he lived in British Columbia and extending to when he moved to Prince Albert.

Michael Oleksyn/Daily Herald (L to R) Kinsmen President Wes Moore, 2023 Citizen of the Year Barry Brezden and Daily Herald Publisher Donna Pfeil pose with the plaque recognizing Prince Albert’s Citizen of the Year at the Citizen of the Year banquet on Friday evening at the Coronet Hotel.

“The people my age, seniors, they always say there is nothing to do. Well, I said, ‘Well, what would you like to do?’ And some people would tell me some people wouldn’t tell me,” Brezden explained.

“I guess the biggest thing I can help them with is to get them active because I learned back then that you can control Alzheimer’s and dementia and depression and all that kind of stuff by being active.”

When he moved to Prince Albert his passion for seniors fitness grew. He wanted to start a club, but didn’t have a vehicle, or know where to begin. That changed with the SSFA came knocking.

“I saw the ad in the paper and it was just like the Good Lord said, ‘here.’ We already had the SSFA going (but) not so much out in Lakeland. Sandra (Greenwood) and I were the first two members and then I said, ‘OK, let’s take the ball and run with it’ and that’s where it started.

“I am absolutely passionate about getting anybody (active), not just the young people, not just the old people. Anybody over 18 can join our club,” he added.

Brezden also does not believe in electronic forms of communication like email and walks to visit in person everyone who sees during the week. 

Brezden noted that the SSFA has both Facebook and a website.

“I just want anybody and everybody to check it out because we have we don’t have just our events on there,” he explained. “We take all kinds of events. We take events that other clubs in town are having, club partners and we put that on there. I know that I’ve had lots of people tell me that that Facebook page is second to none. Just check us out.”

He again encouraged anyone over 18 to put their $20 in and join the SSFA.

“Get your membership in and you know what? You will never look back because I’ve had people who absolutely said no. Then I told them and they said to come to a couple of events and before they left the second event, they gave me $20,” he said.

Once you join you get discounts at local businesses with your membership.

“We’re interested in local businesses and that’s it, small guys,” he added.

“We don’t force anybody to do anything but you know what you’re missing, you’re missing. You know if you don’t join this club, you’re missing because we have something for everybody.”

The emcee for the evening was Brezden’s friend Adreanna Boucher. Before supper was served Boucher and Brezden did an impromptu improv act.

At the head table were Kinsmen President Wes Moore, Prince Albert Mayor Greg Dionne, Daily Herald Publisher Donna Pfeil, Boucher and Brezden.

Brezden was introduced by Boucher, who told the story of first meeting Brezden before they became partners with the SSFA through Off the Cuff working with them as well as acting workshops presented by Boucher.

Dionne presented Brezden with recognition from the City along with a City of Prince Albert Award of Merit.

Michael Oleksyn/Daily Herald Prince Albert 2023 Citizen of the Year Barry Brezden is presented A City of Prince Albert Order of Merit plaque by Mayor Greg Dionne at the Citizen of the Year banquet on Friday evening at the Coronet Hotel.

Moore presented Brezden with the Citizen of the Year plaque. Daily Herald Publisher Donna Pfeil presented Brezden with a framed image from the Daily Herald when he was named Citizen of the Year earlier this year.

Brezden had speeches talking about his commitment to the community done by Sandra Greenwood and Glenda Goertzen of the SSFA and Prince Albert Legion President Rick Hodgson.

Pfeil, Dionne, Prince Albert Northcote MLA Alana Ross and Moore each gave speeches recognizing all that Brezden has done with the SSFA and as a citizen of Prince Albert. Boucher also read a letter from Prince Albert Carlton MLA Joe Hargrave congratulating Brezden on his selection.

Also on hand were former Citizen of the Year honourees Kris Eggum, Harris May, Frank Moore, Marjorie Bodnarchuk, Marie Mathers and Joel Longworth on behalf of Val Longworth.

The Citizen of the Year Award has been handed out every year since 1958. Winners are chosen by a committee that includes members of the Prince Albert Kinsmen Club and Prince Albert Daily Herald.

Recent Citizen of the Year winners:

2022 – Marjorie Bodnarchuk

2021 – Marie Mathers

2020 – Margaret Ferguson

2019 – Janet Carriere

2018 – Felix Casavant and Derek Smith

2017 – Ron and Shelley Horn

2016 – Sheryl Kimbley

2015 – Duane Hayunga

michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca

Sask Rivers adopts revision to new Strategic Plan

The Saskatchewan Rivers School Division has updated their Strategic Plan for 2024 to 2030.

Director of education Neil Finch updated the board on changes during their regular meeting on Monday.

The revisions were made after several months of consultation with division senior leaders, school principals and vice principals, SCC chairs, and students from Saskatchewan Rivers Students for Change and were approved by the board. The Strategic Plan replaces the one that ran from 2021 to 2024.

“It (the plan) really did not come into play until about fall of 2022, so we only had two years really with the Strat Plan,” Finch explained. “It was really hard to go deep into what was in it. This way with the longer term plan, we can go deeper and try to make the improvements that we’re hoping to.

“I think we’re just excited that we get to dive deeper into our focus areas, which we think are quite important,” he added.

The five priorities remain the same: Learning and Innovation, Mental Health and Well-Being, Inclusion and Cultural Responsiveness, Citizenship and Relationships, and Governance and

Leadership, but changes to the focus areas within the priorities have been shifted to better reflect the aspirations of the division to offer multiple pathways for excellence in education, according to a press release.

In learning and innovation, the division added exemplary instruction, assessment and feedback practices and experiential play-based learning goals.

Inclusion and cultural responsiveness goals include acknowledging and encouraging equity, diversity, and inclusion for all individuals and groups (including LGBTQ2S+ and newcomers).

Finch said the previous strategic plan was short, but they were able to enhance and revise it to create new plan.

“I would say that the bigger changes would be including experiential play-based learning within our Strat Plan including land-based learning as a focus,” he said.

The division has created four metrics to determine if the strategic plan is succeeding. They are student achievement, common supports, improving the quality of student work over the quantity of work, and being able to respond to changing needs in the division.

Finch said it was important to add metrics that can help them monitor progress.

“I think just more accountability around measuring whether we’re achieving our Strat Plan or not. That piece was absent in the Strat Plan so we wanted to add that in to give us some accountability around the measurable that can exist within a Strat Plan,” he said.

michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca

STF escalates job action with 4-day province-wide withdrawal of extracurricular activities

The Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF) has announced a province-wide withdrawal of extracurricular activities for all of next week and a withdrawal of noon-hour supervision on Monday, March 25 by six local teachers’ associations including the Prince Albert Area Teachers Association (PAATA).

The withdrawal will run from Monday, March 25 until Thursday, March 28, with no classes scheduled for Good Friday.

“For weeks we have made it clear that job action would escalate if government continued its refusal to negotiate or agree to binding arbitration on class size and complexity – the issue that is most important to teachers,” STF President Samantha Becotte said in a press release.

“The withdrawal of extracurricular activities during the four days leading up to spring break demonstrates that teachers remain steadfast in their call for sustainable funding for prekindergarten to Grade 12 education.”

Withdrawal of extracurricular activities means teachers will not provide voluntary services involved in the organization, supervision or facilitation of activities including athletics, non-curricular arts, field trips, student travel, graduation preparations, school clubs and other activities.

The withdrawal of extracurricular means that the open house at Carlton Comprehensive High School that was rescheduled to March 26 will again not happen as scheduled.

“We know the importance of extracurricular activities in the lives of both students and teachers; teachers do not want to see the cancellation of events and experiences that are meaningful to students,” Becotte said. “Government’s unwillingness to compromise leaves us no other options when it comes to negotiating a contract that provides predictable, ongoing supports for students and schools, and recognizes the important role played by teachers.

“This is the longest-ever job action by Saskatchewan teachers, but we would halt sanctions immediately if government would either agree to binding arbitration on the single issue of class size and complexity or provide the Government-Trustee Bargaining Committee with a mandate that includes that issue.”

The withdrawal of supervision on Monday will also affect students in the Holy Family Catholic School Division, all schools in Holy Trinity Catholic School Division, all schools in Northeast School Division, all schools in Prairie Spirit School Division, all schools in Living Sky and Light of Christ Catholic schools divisions and Sakewew High School (North Battleford).

Withdrawal of noon-hour supervision means STF members will not be available to supervise students who are eating lunch at school or taking part in noon-hour activities. Although teachers, including principals and vice-principals, often provide lunch-break supervision, it is not part of their contracted professional duties. Student supervision is the responsibility of the school division and supervisors are not required to be teachers.

With the announcement of this withdrawal next week the Daily Herald asked for comment from the Prince Albert Catholic School Division and Saskatchewan Rivers School Division but did not receive a response in time for deadline.

The STF stated that they appreciate the continued strong support of parents, caregivers, students and other organizations and individuals across the province.

They said that hundreds of community members joined teachers in a crowd of 6,000 people at the Legislative Building on Wednesday and supporters contributed to a strong presence at all 32 demonstration sites throughout Saskatchewan.

Since January, nearly 400,000 emails and phone calls have been made to MLAs, locally elected school board trustees and leadership of the Saskatchewan School Boards Association in support of publicly funded education and to urge government to give its bargaining team a mandate to negotiate class size and complexity.

The Ministry of Education emailed a statement from Minister of Education Jeremy Cockrill saying the province was “extremely disappointed” by today’s decision, and accused the STF of targeting extracurricular activities across Saskatchewan.

“While it was heartening to see teachers, students and parents work together to ensure some activities continued despite the STF’s sanctions, we want to ensure students aren’t negatively impacted any further,” Cockrill said.

“As I indicated publicly yesterday, work has been underway to find a path forward with the teachers’ union. Not only have we moved on many of the items that the STF has asked for, but we are also prepared to create an accountability framework connected to the historic multiyear funding agreement,

“If the union leadership wants teachers to be a part of that process, they need to stop focusing their efforts on disrupting learning and cancelling activities, and start focusing their efforts on bargaining. That is the same message I delivered to union leadership earlier this week,” he added.

He concluded by saying that he will have more to say next week on how the government is working to ensure students have opportunities they deserve like graduation.

michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca

Transportation report once again positive for Catholic Division

The Prince Albert Catholic School Division board of education received an updated on the division’s transportation services during the board’s regular meeting on Monday.

The Bus Contractor Review and Statistics report is a periodic review of First Student compliance with their internal processes and policies along with pertinent statistics. Director of Education Lorel Trumier said the division has a fine relationship with their transportation provider First Student.

“Once again First Student has done a great job ensuring safety is the priority here for students,” Trumier said. “It’s always nice to get a clean report from that audit in terms of documentation of the statistics that we review.”

Chief Financial Officer Greg McEwen gave the report at Monday’s meeting. It featured data from Sept. 1, 2023 to January 31, 2024.

Trumier said that First Students does a lot of work to maintain such a great record of compliance.

“They did a great job, and they’ve continued to do a good job,” she said. “They are changing with the times as well, because we know that they track their buses and their monitoring speeds, and stops at corners and those kinds of things.”

As of 2024, the age of the average bus is 12-years-old. Around 1,300 students were transported. There were no routes cancelled due to mechanical issues, two route cancelled due to weather, three routes cancelled due to having no driver available and two routes cancelled for unspecified reasons.

The inspection documentation portion shows that there are currently 30 drivers and no spare drivers. First Student currently operates 34 vehicles in the division.

The compliance report concludes that there is nothing to indicate that First Student is not compliant with their training and inspection process.

The average capacity of buses utilized is 72 per cent. The average one-way bus ride is 30 minutes and the longest one-way bus ride is 90 minutes. There was one accident reported in the time period.

The report is compiled in consultation with the local First Student manager.

michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca