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INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Superintendent…...................2
Curriculum ............................ 3
SES..................…………………..4
Transportation…………………..4
Around BTPS ........................5
Continued on next page
Superintendent’s Memo
For the Week of April 20th-24th, 2015
COMMENTS ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER?
Please send your comments or
suggestions to [email protected]
We’d love to hear from you!
BUFFALO TRAIL PUBLIC SCHOOLS
1041 10A Street
Wainwright, AB T9W 2R4
P: 780.842.6144
F: 780.842.3255
www.btps.ca
Twitter: BTPS#28
MISSION: Buffalo Trail Public Schools is committed to maximizing student learning,
in a safe and caring environment, supported by a highly effective team.
FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT...
Email: [email protected]
Answer the question on page five and
have your name
entered for a prize!
This week we celebrate a part of our team that is integral to our
success! Administrative and Executive Assistants Appreciation Day is
Wednesday, April 22nd and while we are appreciative of their hard
work each and every day, this is a chance to recognize them for their
hard work! The role of what used to be the “secretary” is one that has
grown increasingly more complex in the administrative and executive
assistant roles that we have in our schools and central services today.
Many years ago, the role consisted of answering the phone, writing
letters and greeting the public. Today, if you are in one of our schools
or at central office, you will see administrative and executive assistants
answering phones at a much higher frequency, writing letters, greeting
many more visitors, inputting data into Powerschool, working in
Bellamy to input expenses and balance the SFG, completing on-line
Visa statements, coordinating user agreements for school facilities,
receiving multiple calls from parents regarding attendance, contacting
multiple parents to confirm student absence, communicating messag-
es from parents to their children regarding after school arrangements,
assisting the principal in accessing Powerschool reports on attendance
and student marks, assisting teachers with electronic input of marks or
attendance, reviewing the initial steps in a school lockdown drill, com-
municating data from Powerschool regarding student allergies and
preventative/emergency measures… the list is endless. I often wonder
if we were able to bring a “secretary” from 50 years ago and drop her
into the role of administrative and executive assistant today, how she
would react. I think that it is safe to say that the differences would be
overwhelming!
Central Services Admin:
Back Row—L-R:
Sara, Connie, Dallas,
Faye, Pam, Dennice, Va-
lerie, Front Row—L-R:
Stacy, Deb, Gayle,
Melissa, Jody
FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT (FROM PAGE 1)
GO BACK
2
Our administrative and executive assistants are the face of our organization. Most often they are the
very first human contact for those who are new to BTPS. Whether it is by phone or in person, these
very important people provide the first impression of BTPS. We are so fortunate to have such an effec-
tive team of administrative and executive assistants in BTPS and the first impression that they give is
that BTPS is a caring organization and we are a great place for children to learn!
On behalf of the BTPS Board of Trustees and the 5000 members of our BTPS team, I would like to ex-
press our sincere appreciation to the administrative and executive assistants in BTPS! WE APPRECIATE
ALL THAT YOU DO! THANK YOU! This week, is a week to celebrate you and I hope that every member
of our team will take a minute to stop and share with their administrative or executive assistant how
much we appreciate their hard work!
Have a look through this week’s memo to find pictures of our administrative and executive assistants in
action!
Take care,
Patti @ Amisk
Patti @ Amisk
Trish @ Hughenden
Merna @ WES
Paula @ WES
Gail @ Marwayne
Linda @ SOL
Sharon@ KHS Sharon, Denise &
Trish @ WHS
Anne @ Dewberry
CURRICULUM FNMI TEACHER RE-
SOURCES
FEATURES:
The 8th Fire - Indigenous in
the City: CBC
television broad-
casts this vibrant
kaleidoscopic
hour, which intro-
duces a diverse cast of Indigenous
characters living in cities. They are
united in a shared bond as Canada's
First Peoples and in their determi-
nation to reassert their culture
within a wider population of non-
Indigenous Canadians.
http://www.cbc.ca/8thfire/2011/11
/indigenious-in-the-city.html
Edmonton Police
Service - LEGACY OF
HEROES: One hun-
dred and thirteen years
ago, Alex Decoteau
made Canadian policing
history. The young Metis man from
Sask moved to Edmonton in 1909.
Two years later, he joined the Ed-
monton Police Department, becom-
ing the first Aboriginal police of-
ficer in Canada. Alex’s life story is
the subject of LEGACY OF HE-
ROES, a digital comic produced by
the Edmonton Police Service.
http://www.edmontonpolice.ca/Ne
ws/SuccessStories/LegacyOfHeroes
AlexDecoteau.aspx
3
PD Opportunities:
Upcoming Sessions to check out: Apr 23, 2015 Learning Commons Developmental 3-Part Series (Judith Sykes & Linda Shantz-kerestezes) Day1 at St. Paul Day 2&3 on
Webinar REGISTER Here
Of Interest:
Science Giants grant: 2 of 14 winners were schools in BTPS in
2014. Its that time again, to remind our schools that applica-
tions are now being accepted by Devon Canada. Devon Canada
has developed grant programs available to schools to improve
the communities where we live and work. Junior/senior high schools that
demonstrate innovative approaches to science education are eligible to apply for
a grant up to $5,000. Check it out: http://www.devonenergy.com/social-
responsibility/community-relations/communities/heavy-oil-canada/devon-
canada-grants Deadline: May 8
Spring is here!! Bring water to life in your classroom. Teaching
tools to support you include Lesson Plans, Teaching tips, Webi-
nars and Helpful Publications. Check out this flyer with more
information: http://www.4edu.ca/archives/email/2014/
Evergreen/Evergreen-apr-01-2015-e.html
ORC at learnalberta.ca: Here's a reminder that we (Alberta schools)
have licensing to use Visual Thesaurus and similar products through
the Online Reference Centre (ORC) at the learnalberta.ca website.
Recently schools were given the login for Visual Thesaurus product,
which was a big hit! Make sure to visit learnalberta.ca to explore other products
that interested teachers might find useful in the classroom. Questions?
email [email protected] http://www.learnalberta.ca/
OnlineReferenceCentre.aspx?lang=en
GO BACK
Susan @ Mannville Bev @ KES Debbie @ VES Gerri @ VES
AROUND BTPS…..
4
STUDENT EDUCATION SERVICES
Inclusive Education
Certificate of School Completion
As of April 1, 2015, a new process will be in place for Certificate of School Completion applications. Certificates will now be automatically generated using student information in the Provincial Approach to Student Information (PASI) upon nomination through the Credentials tab by the principal/assistant principal of the student’s school. This will bring the certificate in line with the other high school credentials that are automatically generated through PASI. The submission period for the 2014/2015 school year will open on April 1, 2015 and extend to De-cember 31, 2015.
The Certificate of School Completion can be awarded to students with a significant cognitive disability who have competed their high school education.
This certificate can be awarded based on the criteria below:
The student, due to a significant cognitive disability, is not able to achieve any of the following certificates or diplomas:
Alberta High School Diploma
Diplôme d’études secondaires de l’Alberta
High School Equivalency Diploma
Diplôme d’équivalence d’études secondaires
Certificate of Achievement (IOP)
Certificat de réussite
Certificate of High School Achievement (Knowledge and Employability)
Certificat de réussite d’études secondaires (Connaissances et employabilité)
The student has worked on the goals and objectives in their instructional support plan
By the end of the current school year, the nominee has been a student for at least 12 years (and is 17 years of age by March 1 of the current year)
The nomination is submitted during the student’s last year of high school
The student’s registration on PASI usually includes one of the following special education codes at the time of school completion: 41, 43, 44, 52. Registrations containing other special education codes can be submitted through PASI but will be reviewed manually by Learner Services. If you require access to PASI, please contact your school authority’s data coordinator.
Information on the Certificate of School Completion can be found at http://education.alberta.ca/admin/supportingstudent/schoolleaders/certificate.aspx
For additional information regarding student eligibility for the certificate, contact Learner Services Branch, at [email protected] or at 780-415-0783. Dial 310-0000 first for toll-free access in Alberta.
To view the rest of Crystal’s article, please click here. GO BACK
Karen @ EH Walter Anita @ Clandonald Loretta @ JR Robson Heather @JR Robson
GO BACK
5
TRANSPORTATION
NEW: 2015-2016 BUSSING FORMS: The Board has passed a motion to set the 2015-2016 Transportation Fees as follows: In Town/Ineligible/Trans to Caregiver 1 Child (ECS – GR 12) = $260.00/year In Town/Ineligible/Trans to Caregiver Family Rate (ECS – Gr 12) = $520.00/year Yard Service Year Round = $370.00/year Yard Service Part Time (ECS or Winter Service or Am/Pm only) = $185.00/year
All forms have been revised and are ready to print for your kindergarten registration nights, and for any new families coming in next year. If you or they have any questions, please call the Transportation Office at 780-806-2052 or 780-806-2054. Click here for the Transportation Registration forms on the BTPS website.
2015-2016 TRANSPORTATION INFORMATION PAMPHLETS:
Now that the fees have been set I have updated the Transportation Information Pamphlet for 2015-2016 and I will be having it printed next week. Hopefully it will not take too long to get them printed and out to the schools. For now I have posted it on the website and you can print it and copy it yourselves. Click here for the 2015-2016 Transportation Information Pamphlet.
FIRST AID COURSES:
If your school is holding a first aid course, can you please let your bus drivers know? A few of our drivers are in need to renew their first aid courses and it would be convenient to be able to have them take it at the school. We have talked to Don Doherty for those of you having Don do the instruction. Thank you.
REMINDERS: TRY-A-TRADE:
Please review the Try-A-Trade Schedule so you can get your per-mission slips and times out to par-ents. If you have any questions about the schedule or the bussing, please email Valerie Warchola, Transportation Assistant, at [email protected].
NEW BELL TIME SCHEDULES:
A reminder to fill in the Google Form with your anticipated arrival and departure bus times for the 2015-2016 school year. https://docs.google.com/a/btps.ca/forms/d/1-nZJ9rRkWzwVizXjPe9WLca-WiMtBZCf3XeOX3M93uk/viewform
Chrysti Mannix
Director of Transportation, Buffalo Trail Public Schools
[email protected] (780) 806-2051 Office
The winner from last’s week ??? is Kaleigh-
Anne Strickland @ SOL. Congratulations!
Thank you to everyone who participated.
AROUND BTPS….
6
GO BACK
Congratulations go out to Brandon Clayton, Skylar McCoy, Shelby Oliver and Trevor VanGenderen (Marwayne students), and Emmet Ford (Kitscoty). These BTPS students completed the High School Firefighter Course in March! This course gave our students the skills and experience required to become participating members of volunteer rural fire departments, and gives them their first step in pursuing a career as a fire fighter. Additionally, our successful students are now eligible to pursue the international certification for the NFPA 472 Dangerous Goods Awareness Level, which is one of the NFPA standards that qualifies its members as experts in their field. The Firefighter Course is one of the CTS courses offered annually through our CTS-Lakeland partnership. To take the course, our students travelled to Lakeland College’s Vermilion campus. And as part of the learning, students used world class fire fighter equipment at the Fire Training Centre. Submitted by: Linda Koskie
Wellness Within Our Division
We are nearing the end of our first year of the School District Wellness Implementation grant. In February, a small committee composed of teachers, administrators, and a trustee met to work on devel-oping a wellness policy for our division. The work done from that day was then taken to the board meeting held April 8th. Our next meeting is sched-uled for May 7th in the afternoon at VES where we will go over the recommendations made by the board and continue to work on developing a BTPS Wellness Policy. Carlie from Alberta Health Ser-vices has shared that getting this far with our policy in our first year of implementation is great!
Erin and Carlie attended the March 26th Leadership meeting in Wainwright and spoke to the adminis-trators within BTPS regarding wellness in our schools. Administrators were very positive and sup-portive of bringing wellness into our schools!
We are holding one more meeting for our Health Champions to have a chance to get together on April 27th in Wainwright from 9-3. We are hoping to have our Health Champions focus on their school’s Healthy School Planner as well as get some action planning done for their individual schools. We are looking forward to this day, as it will be a time to network and get feedback from colleagues on ideas for our Health Champions!
Submitted by: Erin Hinton
Holly @ EH Walter
Lisa @ Vermilion Outreach Annette @ Dr. Folkins
Nadia @ Delnorte
