On Wednesday November 28 the Foothills School Division gathered for their regular board meeting and ironed out some priorities for the 2018-2021 school years.

Assistant Superintendent Of Learning Services Caroline Roberts says part of that three year plan, is assuring their students are learning some valuable life skills.

"Something that we focus on, is the characteristics of responsible learners as well as developing competencies as a learner. Those include traits such as collaborating and problem solving and critical thinking. It's not just about curricular outcomes, but about developing those competencies and understanding what it means to be a successful student."

Roberts adds that assuring students have access to a variety of additional resources, is also on the to-do list.

"Making sure students know where to access support and who to access when they need additional help or guidance in certain areas, whether that be socially or emotionally or academically."

Roberts says this effort is all in support of assuring schools in the Foothills are a welcoming place for students.

"It doesn't really matter whether your in a rural or urban context, what's important in supporting students is pretty consistent. All of our learning this year is about leading and supporting of all of these commitments that impact student learning. Our goals of optimizing student learning is around personal excellence as well as one about cultivating and contributing to a safe and welcoming school culture. All of our individual schools will aim towards aligning their goals with those principles."

Roberts says these three year priorities are constantly changing.

"Any school that develops their education plan are attending to a living, ongoing and updating document. We are on an ongoing basis to asses the strategies that we put in place and the impact it's having on our students throughout the year."

 

 

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