The Prince Albert Catholic School Division has approved their new four-year Strategic Plan after over a year of work and feedback in the division.
The previous Strategic Plan ran from 2023 until 2026. Director of education Lorel Trumier said the division is excited to enter a new era.
“We did debate whether it was a three-year or four-year strategic plan,” Trumier said. “Because the Ministry of Education has a plan to 2030 we felt it necessary to align the next strategic plan to follow along and run a parallel to the provincial plan.”
The new plan has five priority areas including Catholic Faith Dimension, Learning priorities in academics, connections, transitions and relationships
“The fourth area that we’re going to look at is obviously building the capacity with our children to have a better understanding of building mental health and well-being so that they are going to support themselves in this endeavour,” Trumier said.
“We’re fortunate in our Catholic schools that we have the added dimension of our faith to support us in that manner.” The fifth area is working towards Truth and Reconciliation.
“(It’s) ensuring that we are inspiring success for all of our Indigenous children,” Trumier said.
The plan mirrors the objectives put forth in the Provincial Education Plan.
“We have our own local priority added to that with our Catholic faith dimension, and I would be remiss in saying that we actually have our faith dimension woven in all of these areas, but we certainly have put some plans in place to continue to grow and understand our faith and continue on our faith journey,” Trumier said.
The Strategic Plan covers the years 2026-2030 and will officially come into effect at the beginning of the 2026-2027 school year.
Trumier said the Faith priority would be aligned with the five marks of Catholic Education.
“When it comes to our priority around our faith dimension, we’re using, again, the five marks of Catholic education to deliver, support, celebrate, rejoice in our faith dimension,” Trumier said. “Those are building that sense of community with all of our children, all of our families, and rejoicing in a God-centred life.”
The second priority of learning priorities in academics has goals around improved outcomes in all things academic including reading, writing and math.
“Those are areas that we’ve gone very deep in to improve student learning and achievement,” she said. “Everyone in our system has a role in those areas, so it’s important that we outline what we’re expecting and what we want to support our children.”
She explained that the Strategic Plan outlines instructional and curriculum milestones to have students achieve to the best of their abilities. Connections, transitions and relationships is based around moving between grades and finishing high school and going forward into work life.
“We’ve looked at each of the critical transition points that our children will walk through from pre-K to grade 12,” Trumier said.
“That’s a big step for children, even though they may be in the same school. It’s important because the expectations grow as they grow on their achievement levels.
“We’ve put some emphasis in those key strategic places where children transition, but we will remain very focused on relationships and connections with our children all the way through,” she explained.
One area of focus in mental health and well-being is a framework around supporting students in trying to reduce anxiety.
“We keep hearing about anxiety in our society, and we need to teach children there are some forms of good anxiety and some forms that are not so good,” Trumier said.
She said they want to support social emotional growth as part of the work that they do so that children can use their feelings to regulate how they are doing.
“I’m very excited about the work that’s happening in that domain,” she said.
For work in Truth and Reconciliation they are using Inspiring Success is a Ministry of Education policy that has the intent to support First Nations students in a way that supports their knowledge.
“Inspiring Success is really trying to engage in cultural opportunities, culturally responsive education strategies like land-based learning, inspiring success, and our calls to action as we work through our curriculum and treaty education,” Trumier said.
Yes, and I see the SCBA Indigenous Committee again, which you’ve focused on in the past as well.
Trumier added that she is excited about the plan and the good work that went into creating it.
The plan was built through feedback from staff, SCCs and aligned to the new provincial plan.
michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca
