EDUCATION

1. H1N1

• Unusually high student absenteeism has been reported on our website.  All schools have had students missing school due to illness; Winkler Elementary and JR Walkof have had more students away than normal.

1. Christmas Programs

• Garden Valley School Division schools hosted twenty six Christmas programs and concerts in the last two weeks. Thank you to all students and staff for sharing their gifts and clearly proclaiming the message and miracle of Christmas.

2. H1N1

• The peak of the second wave of H1N1 seems to have come and gone with the greatest number of students and staff being away in mid November. With vaccinations now nearly complete our hope is that the third wave, expected in the spring of 2010, will have minimal impact. The School Board thanks all staff, students, and parents for their cooperation and understanding during the H1N1 pandemic.

1. School Construction / Space Update:

• Former Division Office – the four classroom facility, known as GVC East, accommodates 100 GVC students and opened in mid November.  
• Prairie Dale School – A public information meeting was held at the Southwood School November 17, 7:30 p.m.  The School Board reviewed floor plans and answered questions regarding the new school, now officially known as Prairie Dale School. Congratulations to Serena Peters, a Southwood student, for submitting the winning name.
•  New High School

1. Thank you to everyone who submitted names to the ‘name the new high school contest’ which closed December 9, 2009.  The School Board will announce the new name and award the $250 prize at the January 12, 2010 board meeting.
2. Interviews to select the project architect to design the new high school are scheduled for December 22, 2009.

2. Winter Bus Route

• Both City of Winkler winter bus routes are now running. The Winkler Elementary and Parkland route started December 1, 2009.

 FINANCE

1. Collective Agreement between Garden Valley School Division and Garden Valley Teachers Association      Ratified.

• Garden Valley Teachers Association ratified the new collective agreement on December 14 and the School Board ratified the agreement at their December 15 Board meeting.
• The term of the agreement is July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2010.

OTHER

1. Garden Valley School Division Strategic Plan

• The school board, senior administrators, and school principals met November 5-6, 2009 to prepare the Strategic Plan for 2010-11 school year. 
•  The plan was finalized and approved at the December 15, 2009 board meeting. New strategic plan priorities include: 

1. Increase efforts in Public Relations and Communication. With rapid growth and much change experienced in the last five years, a comprehensive public relations package will be implemented.
2. Review Organizational Capacity. During the 2010-11 school year we will conduct a division-wide ‘system review’ of all departments, programs, and activities. The goal is to use the gathered data to make decisions that will maximize human and material resources to increase student learning.

• Priorities that will continue include:

1. Facilities – new school construction and land acquisition.
2. Assessment – implement the new assessment policy and student report cards.
3. EAL (English as an Additional Language) –meet the needs of new students with English language needs.