The High Prairie School Division Board of Trustees met via Zoom on Tuesday, December 20, 2022, for their regularly scheduled board meeting. The Board approved the agenda with updates and then moved into the agenda items.
Assistant Superintendent Pam Heckbert presented to the Board of Trustees on the Mental Health in Schools Pilot Project that High Prairie School Division received. The grant will allow for the provision of a Registered Social Worker with a Master's Degree in Social Work with a major in trauma-informed practice. HPSD will be partnering with the Fort Vermilion School Division, which has a similar student/family context, to focus on trauma-informed practices as universal support in schools. We will be providing regular training for teachers, support staff, service providers, and administrators through a workshop/supervision style delivery. The grant will also allow us to extend trauma-informed practices from classroom/school settings into the community. This will put tools in the hands of people to understand trauma and move and/or help others move to a state of better mental health, thus creating and sustaining healthier schools and greater communities.
Trustees received and accepted the Finance Report.
Trustee Tammy Henkel gave an update on the recent meeting of the Rural Caucus of Alberta. The Alberta Rural Caucus is implementing a website for their organization that will link back to partner websites and showcase rural education success stories. Additionally, the advocacy work that is being done by the organization is based on the aggregated advocacy points from partner school boards.
Board Chair Joy McGregor gave an update on the recruitment process for the new superintendent. Current superintendent and CEO Laura Poloz submitted her letter of retirement for the end of the 2022-23 school year. The meeting was then adjourned.