Prairie Rose Public Schools News Archive

<p><strong>1. Procedures related to the April 13, 2021, notice of motion to close New Brigden School</strong></p><p>Moved by L. Bedwell to delay the New Bridgen School procedure until the 2021-2022 school year.</p><p>Board members speaking in favour of the motion included L. Bedwell, L. Hertz, and S. Hammel. Reasons for delaying the motion included the timeframe for potential closure, ability to provide appropriate online community consultation in a remote rural area where internet connectivity is limited, added workload on administrative and school staff who are managing through a pandemic, and stress on the families and students who were completely unaware a notice of motion for closure was coming.</p><p>Board members who spoke against the motion included G. Dennis, P. Cursons, S. Angle and C. Hogg. Reasons for continuing forward with the current timeline of June 2021 were related to facility and maintenance costs, a timeline for consultation and decision-making that meets Education Act guidelines, and the challenges of putting a possible school closure on a newly elected board of trustees following the October election. It was noted that a Special Meeting could be held later in June to extend the timeline for consultation.</p><p>The motion was defeated by a vote of 3-4. A recorded vote was asked for by L. Hertz.</p><ul><li>In favour: L. Bedwell, L. Hertz, and S. Hammel</li><li>Opposed: G. Dennis, P. Cursons, S. Angle and C. Hogg</li></ul><p>Moved by C. Hogg that a public board meeting be scheduled for June 29, 2021, to discuss the motion for closure of New Brigden School. CARRIED.</p>

<p>From an early age, Brittney Peters knew that she loved being around children. Growing up in the Mennonite culture, Brittney was part of a large family and often spent time caring for her younger siblings. She loved to watch them grow and cherished the milestones they reached as they learned about the world around them. However, it wasn’t until she was much older that education became a priority in her life.</p><p>As is common in most Mennonite families, education was not emphasized as a priority. In most cases students attend school until the end of grade 9 and then move on to enter the work environment to help support their family. Brittney’s path started out much the same until she began housekeeping for a lady in Schuler who began talking with her about other possibilities for her future.</p><p>“I don’t even think she needed her house cleaned,” says Peters. “Her house was always spotless. I think having me there provided her with the opportunity to have the conversation about education and to push me in the right direction.”</p><p>Unlike others in her family, Brittney made the decision to give high school a try. Only weeks before her grade 10 year she registered at Eagle Butte High School. It was a decision that changed the path of her life and led her to a career in the education field.&nbsp;</p><p>“Grade 10 was kind of out of bounds for me”, says Peters. “I didn’t even know if it was even an option. I was living at the women's shelter at the time, and in order to avoid talking about my feelings in group sessions, I kept myself busy with school in the day and work at night. I ended up being really inspired by the teachers who took the time to get to know me and understand my background and where I came from. Their support really encouraged me to pursue this journey.”</p><p>Peters recalls entering high school without the skills to use technology or write an email. A teacher at the school took the time to work with her to learn these skills which gave her the confidence to carry forward beyond high school and obtain her education degree.</p><p>“When I saw the position open up at Burdett I was ecstatic”, says Peters. “I wanted to be there. I wanted to be that person that could push those kiddos who didn’t get pushed.”</p><p>“Brittney really strives to make good connections with her parents and students,” says Burdett principal Cheryl Rebmann. “As we are a mainly Mennonite school, Brittney’s background and ability to speak in German with her families is invaluable. As a young and enthusiastic teacher, Brittney is eager to implement new strategies, tools, and ideas that she believes will be well received by our community.”</p><p>In addition to teaching grades 1 and 2, Brittney Peters also teaches elective programs to the junior high students at Burdett School. This gives her the opportunity to have the same conversations with her students that the lady from Schuler and her high school teachers had with her.</p><p>“I love my junior highs”, says Peters. “I tell them. You might not know if you want to go to high school today. You might not know if you want to go tomorrow. You might not even know by the end of the year. I didn’t even know until two weeks before I went. But keep that door open. Three years is not a long time to keep that door open for yourself.”</p><p>The Edwin Parr Teacher Award is presented annually by the Alberta School Boards Association (ASBA) to six exceptional first-year teachers from across the province of Alberta. Each spring, Alberta school divisions nominate and recognize one outstanding teacher who will represent them at the zone awards ceremony. The Prairie Rose Public Schools board of trustees would like to congratulate Brittney and wish her luck at the Zone 6 awards event taking place in May.</p>

<p><strong>Home Plus+ Learning Network</strong><br>The board approved the name Home Plus+ Learning Network for the new home education learning program being launched this spring by Prairie Rose Public Schools. Superintendent Roger Clarke shared that Prairie Rose already has a home education school code that was set up under the former Prairie Rose Regional School Division which will be renamed for the new program.&nbsp;</p><p><strong>PRPS Modular Update</strong><br>Secretary Treasurer Ryan Boser shared that Prairie Rose has submitted a modular proposal to Alberta Education for the March 31, 2021 deadline. It was noted that the province has allocated $60-million dollars towards modular purchases and upgrades. &nbsp;Prairie Rose has requested a new modular at Eagle Butte High School and funds to demolish two aged portables at New Brigden School.</p><p><strong>Burdett School Presentation</strong><br>Principal Cheryl Rebmann and Vice Principal Amber Pinchin provided an overview of the unique learning opportunities happening at Burdett School. A major aspect of program development this year has been around reviewing literacy data and developing new goals and strategies to build capacity for each division (grades 1-3, grades 4-6, grades 7-9). As part of this work, unique learning games have been designed by staff to make literacy fun, interactive, and build student comprehension. The school also acknowledged first year teacher Brittney Peters who is the Prairie Rose Public Schools Edwin Parr nominee for 2021 and shared a number of exciting opportunities the school has been able to bring to students, despite the COVID-19 restrictions. <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uLDUfFRSwUY6pOxwOhu7SyPzgXaiH78z/view?usp=sharing"><strong>The school presentation can be found in the board agenda package.</strong></a></p><p><strong>Badlands Cre8tions&nbsp;</strong><br>Eagle Butte teacher Jimi Ricci provided an update to the Board about the Badlands Cre8tions entrepreneurial program. Due to COVID-19 it was noted that changes needed to be made to the direction of the program. In addition to bulk engraving, the class also focuses on niche and smaller orders and is branching out to clothing and logo design. As part of the class, students rotate through six entrepreneurial teams including sales, production, customer service, creative, financial and marketing. The Badlands Cre8tions website can be found at <a href="http://www.badlandscre8tions.com"><strong>www.badlandscre8tions.com</strong></a>.</p><p><strong>Mennonite German Liaison Update</strong><br>German Mennonite Liaison Randy Giesbrecht provided an overview of his role as the connection between Prairie Rose Public Schools and the Low German community. Unlike other positions in the school division, the Mennonite liaison supports families at school but also in the home which assists with gaining access to the services they need. Understanding the culture and leadership process within the German communities has been a key component to gain trust and build ongoing communication with the school division. The board thanked Randy Giesbrecht for his report and the important role he plays for bridging cultural connections.</p><p><strong>New Brigden School</strong><br>Board Chair Stuart brought forward a motion for the Board&nbsp;for the consideration to close New Brigden School at the end of the current school year. In his motion he addressed the low enrolment, financial challenges, and ability to provide enhanced programming for students at a larger school. The board voted 4-3 in favour (Hertz, Bedwell, Hammel opposed) on the notice of motion to explore the closure of New Brigden School. A tentative date of May 13th at 7:00 PM was proposed for the public consultation meeting. The executive team will collect data related to enrolment, transportation, staffing, facility and maintenance costs, and bring forward comparative data from other schools with enrolment of less than 35. The information will be shared with the community and parents in advance of the public meeting date.</p><p><strong>Financial Report Update</strong><br>Assistant Secretary Treasurer Candice Hintz provided a quarterly financial update to the board. Alberta Education revenues will increase by $921,000 from the fall budget. The increased revenues is due to schools will not being held harmless from enrolment decreases for the year, a one-time funding to support online learners and the critical worker benefit payment. It was also noted that expenses are projected to come in $998,150 over budget. The changes result in a $7,800 decrease in the projected deficit from -$351,140 to -$398,950.</p>