GHSD looks to expand on communication

Shannon LeClair
Times Reporter

 

With the announcement of new schools, and various other projects, Golden Hills School Division (GHSD) found 2014 to be a good year.
“We undertook a fairly significant parent and community engagement process last year and we had a great response from parents across the district,” said Bevan Daverne, superintendent of schools for GHSD. “Between our face-to-face meetings through school councils and responses to our surveys that went out we heard from over 1,100 parents. We received feedback on a number of areas, (such as) technology, our programming, report cards a number of areas.”
That feedback has been incorporated into planning for the 2015 year.
Staff at GHSD and on the board are also interested in hearing from the students to find out what they would like to see that will help them be engaged, happy, enjoying their learning and doing well academically.
“Kids that like going to school and like their school, love their school, have school spirit, are engaged in their school, also do really well in exams and it all ties back to what’s happening at the classroom and how we’re teaching and what we’re doing in the classroom,” said Daverne.
“We’re looking for a stronger kind of partnership and student voice in our district so we really do want to hear from our students (and) we’re looking for ways that will make that easier for everybody.”
The overall goal is to create a plan that will work with students, staff, parents and board members when it comes to communicating.
“We’re looking at a communication initiative, and we’re still in the planning stages. It’s not entirely easy, we’ve had some schools that (have already) piloted some direct and easy communication with parents and we’re looking rolling that out across the district now.”
GHSD wants to tie parent communication in with transportation and busing, in with weather problems and school problems, and other notifications from teachers and the schools so that it’s a more immediate and a quicker process to let parents know what is going on in the event of an emergency situation, or even just a reminder about parent teacher interviews.
GHSD is still looking to add and enhance various programs at schools within the division.
“Things like dual credit programming, things like some of our apprenticeship and business partnerships at the high school level and even some of our co-curricular and other core programming at the elementary and junior high level. We’re looking at all of those things to see what we can do to enhance what we have been doing in many areas,” said Daverne.
GHSD wants parents and students to love their schools and not want to go anywhere else.