September, 2024

Welcome Back!

Good morning, Horizon, and welcome to the most wonderful time of the year! I hope you had an amazing summer and found time to rest and relax surrounded by family and friends. I spent the first few weeks of July working but wearing my Canadian Association of School System Administrators (CASSA) and The School Superintendents Association (AASA) hats. It was great to be surrounded by my colleagues from across Canada and the USA, but I certainly enjoyed getting my camper out to Manitou for some relaxation of my own. I have been finalizing my dissertation with my university committee members and am still waiting to see if I have any further revisions or additions required. It has been a long haul, but I am beginning to see the light that will bring this learning experience to a level of closure. 

I am always interested to hear how your summer went, so please don’t hesitate to reach out via email and let me know. You can also stop me in the hallway when I am in your school and share your experience. I know some of you were either starting or completing your own higher learning while others spent time doing “course corrections” using a ball and clubs. Others of you travelled the world or enjoyed a beach or fishing boat, while others just stayed at home tending to your gardens. Whatever your experience, I hope it provided you with what you need to do the most energy-laden job in the world: working for our students!

Making an Impact

Honestly, this first week of the academic calendar is my favourite time of the year! Our schools are teeming with the excitement only our profession can elicit. I hope the first few school days with our children were smooth and filled with anticipation for the year ahead. We're so happy to have all of you back, and we can't wait to see what amazing things you'll accomplish this year with our students!

We are excited to welcome several new principals and vice principals to our Directors’ Leadership Team. Although I know it would be somewhat overwhelming with the expectations dump they received, I know they were glad to have spent a day of collaborative learning together in August. At our DLT meeting, I challenged administrators to think deeply about the children in our classrooms or schools who appear on the outside to be okay but may be struggling with many things on the inside. These challenges can range from food security to trauma-related experiences, to learning difficulties, to mental health concerns. This list is far from exhaustive; I am confident you can add many additional challenges and needs to a list that our children experience. However, what it does is speak to the work ahead of us to meet the needs of every child…to look beyond a potential facade and speak and act into the heart of those who may not be able or willing to articulate their struggles. And so, this is my challenge to each of us…to “Make an Impact” for every child in our care. It is not good enough to impact most of our children; we must shoot for perfection. Every child needs us, and if there was ever a team of 1500 adults who could do it, it would be here in Horizon.

Horizon Focuses

I know the week before school, we benefited from hearing Cadmus Delorme speak about Truth and Reconciliation, an excellent note to begin our school year. Cadmus shares his story in such a way as never to lay blame but to ensure a clear expectation for the future. We are all part of that journey! Each of you was involved in Leading to Learn, which focuses on ensuring anti-oppressive, anti-racist environments for our students. I trust that it was a good beginning looking at Sign Post 1, and it reaffirmed many of the practices you are already focused on in your work. I also took the time to share some administrative pieces for the new school year, including two new mental wellness programs with which we will be involved this year. We are excited to bring the Project 11 initiative to Horizon. It was founded by the Winnipeg Jets and owner Mark Chipman in support of Rick Rypien, the former NHL player who suffered from depression and died by suicide more than a decade ago. This initiative is well-aligned to our Saskatchewan curriculum and is a great support tool for the mental well-being of youth. We are also implementing the STOPit organization to bring the HelpMe app to our schools, allowing students and parents to connect with professionals in times of need for many of the issues I referenced earlier. As the year continues, I look forward to sharing the details of this excellent tool with families throughout our school division. 

Board Meeting

Our Board had a busy start to the school year, already engaging in their first meeting for 2024-25. You can read about their August meeting in the From the Board report. This month’s report includes pictures of each school’s Student Recognition Award winner from the 2023-24 school year and an update on the school projects in Lanigan and Kelvington. 

Personal Electronic Devices

As you all know, the Government of Saskatchewan announced a new “cell phone” policy this summer, so we have spent time working on the administrative procedure and messaging to share with families. Although the mandate is new, limiting cell phones during class time is “old hat” for many, and I think that our teachers and schools are well-positioned to continue managing the needs in our classrooms.

Michif Program

We are fortunate to offer a Michif program out of Wakaw School, with support from the Métis Nation of Saskatchewan. Last year, we began the journey, and this school year will mark the beginning of a fully integrated kindergarten program directed at learning Michif. We look forward to seeing the results of this important program as the year unfolds. 

Senior Leadership Team

Our SLT spent this past week doing some final critical planning while examining how best to support the needs of our ever-changing classrooms and schools. This work also included preparing the Directors’ Leadership Team professional development plans for the rest of the school year and discussing how we will ensure our schools’ Learning Improvement Plans align with our Board of Education's goals. 

When I wasn’t in meetings, I had the opportunity this past week to spend some time in schools, connecting with administrators, staff, and students as they worked through the first few days of the school year. I have always believed the work in our schools is pivotal, and being with some of you these past few days has been inspiring. I look forward to upholding much of the same this upcoming week, barring meetings that keep me in my office.

I hope you enjoyed the warm temperatures this weekend and are ready to tackle week two with our kiddos!

Have a great week, everyone. #MAKEADIFFERENCE

-Kevin

Kevin C. Garinger B.Ed., M.A.Ed., Ed.D. (Candidate)

Director of Education/CEO

Horizon School Division No. 205

[email protected]

@kevingaringer

Good evening, Horizon. 

I hope you had a great weekend. I got to spend some of my weekend in Rose Valley refereeing teams from across Horizon. I value the opportunities to see our students enjoying an activity they are passionate about. It’s also an excellent opportunity to connect with our staff and parents, who equally appreciate these opportunities. 

As we begin this new week, I want to share this quote from Adam Grant, organizational psychologist and writer. He said, “It’s hard to keep an open mind if you don’t have an open heart. You don’t have to agree with what people think, to learn how they think. You don’t have to share their identity to be curious about what shaped it.” These words are a great reminder to approach our work and interactions with empathy and care. As we move forward into the continued busyness of this week, I encourage us to remember the importance of listening and understanding, even if our perspectives differ. Through this openness, we continue to grow and strengthen our connections with each other.

Directors’ Leadership Team (DLT)

We began this past week with a virtual DLT meeting where we discussed several important topics, including the new cell phone policy, school community councils, upcoming collaborative learning days, and much more. We are hearing that the new cell phone policy is going well in schools, and some senior high school students have commented that it feels like a digital detox. If you haven’t seen the one-pager we sent to families and staff, please have a look. Personal Electronic Devices in Schools

Aside from the virtual meeting, I spent time again last week connecting with students, staff, and administrators as we continue navigating this new school year. 

Punnichy Career Initiative

CFO Sarah Reding, COO Justin Arendt, and I met with Amy Yeager, CEO, Andy Burgess, VP of Finance, and Deanna Gaetz, Business and Skills Training Director with Carlton Trail College on Tuesday morning to discuss our partnership in the Punnichy Community High School career initiative. There are initiatives that are ongoing with Carlton Trail and we continue to be excited about this work. However, with some added synergy through this partnership, there is even greater potential to provide more opportunities for our youth. I look forward to our continued discussions. 

Board of Education

I joined Board Chair Linda Mattock, Vice Chair Mark Fedak, CFO Sarah Reding, COO Justin Arendt, Executive Assistant Marni Sogge, and Communications Officer Jesse Green for an agenda meeting on Tuesday afternoon. We are set to meet with the board at their regular meeting this week.

Today is the call for nominations for November's upcoming school board elections. We appreciate the excellent work that our Returning Officer Patti Hack and CFO Sarah Reding have done to prepare us for this important event and look forward to receiving nomination packages over the next weeks.

Saskatchewan Distance Learning Centre

Superintendent of Learning Trish Maxwell and Coordinator of Learning Jeremy Rolheiser and I met with Sask DLC’s team on Wednesday to discuss the upcoming school year and how Horizon’s students can benefit from online learning with the DLC. We covered registration, funding, important dates, online facilitators (OLFs), reporting, student services, and a number of other items that have been shared with Horizon’s administrators.

New Hutterian School

In our June From the Board newsletter, we shared that a new Hutterian school will be joining Horizon School Division. The Hnidy Farms Hutterite Colony school will be established in early 2025, making it Horizon’s fourth Hutterian school. On Wednesday, I met with Minister Edward Hofer to discuss plans for the new school and to tour the facility. It is a magnificent site and will serve the colony members and children very well for years to come. We will have the new school in place in January or February, with a new hiring of a colony Principal expected in late November or early December. 

Lanigan School

We also met with the site team to review progress on the new school, which is coming along beautifully. Have a look at the upcoming From the Board for the latest pictures and updates.

That’s the update for this week - I hope everyone is getting into the groove of things and will have an excellent third week of school.

Have a great week, everyone. Thank you for making a difference for your students. 

-Kevin

Kevin C. Garinger B.Ed., M.A.Ed., Ed.D. (Candidate)

Director of Education/CEO

Horizon School Division No. 205

[email protected]

@kevingaringer

Good morning, Horizon.

I hope everyone felt that the collaborative learning day on Friday was a productive experience. Teachers, educational assistants, and librarians joined a session on resilience with Dr. Michael Ungar while school administrative assistants worked on our new online payment system. I want to thank everyone who contributed to organizing these collaborative learning events and the staff who attended and added to their professional toolkits. 

Last week was National Coaches Week in Canada, and I want to express my appreciation for all the coaches who dedicate their time and energy to our student-athletes. Your guidance goes beyond the game itself; you help shape these young people into confident, resilient individuals. As Ara Parseghian, a US College Football Hall of Fame coach, once said, “A good coach will make [their] players see what they can be rather than what they are.” Thank you for inspiring our students to reach their full potential.

Student Transportation Working Advisory Group

I am part of a provincial advisory group that looks at student transportation in Saskatchewan, along with other representatives from the League of Educational Administrators, Directors and Superintendents, the Saskatchewan Association of School Business Officials (SASBO), the Saskatchewan School Boards Association (SSBA), the Ministry of Education, Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI), and, at times, Transport Canada. Horizon Trustee Christine Gradin also sits on the committee as a member of the SSBA. Our meeting was focused on revisiting the student transportation issues in the education sector. Our committee reviewed the Federal Task Force on School Safety and their results from the School Bus Seat Belt Pilot. We also discussed the D250 standards that are in place in Canada and their impacts on student transportation in Saskatchewan. The D250 standards are the standards by which all school buses are required to meet in our country. We finished our meeting by discussing the significant cost increases in procuring school buses and the additional costs that seat belts would bring. Cost should never be the issue regarding student safety; however, whether seat belts would add to student safety is still being debated.

Board of Education

The Board met for their regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, and highlights will be shared in the From the Board newsletter. We had another excellent meeting focusing on the important governance work of Horizon’s trustees.

Senior Leadership Team

I spent time working through appraisals with Senior Leadership Team members last week. I appreciate the care and attention each of our superintendents put into preparing for their reviews and can confidently say that we are in good hands with this group of professionals supporting our Board’s strategic goals.

Public Section

I joined other Saskatchewan directors of education, board chairs, and executive members for a meeting of the Public Section on Thursday morning. Our own Horizon Board Chair Linda Mattock is chairperson of the Public Section. Linda did a tremendous job leading the meeting and engaging trustees in the necessary discussion around the work of the Public Section. 

Impact of eSports in K-12 Education

I joined an event where we learned about the transformative effects of esports in K-12 education on Thursday afternoon. 

Humboldt and District Gallery - Reconciliation Pilot

As part of my role on the Humboldt and District Museum and Gallery Board, we heard a presentation Humboldt’s Reconciliation Pilot from Heritage Saskatchewan and the Office of the Treaty Commissioner. Having many staff members in attendance was tremendous. Our senior leadership team was represented by superintendents Bryan McNabb, Cory Popoff, and Trish Maxwell, and we also had Amanda Moosemay, Indigenous instructional Coach, and Melanie Gray, administrative Assistant, joining the event.

Bryan McNabb and Melanie Gray served as advisors on this pilot project, dedicating time and expertise to its success. The Office of the Treaty Commission and Heritage Saskatchewan presented to the group of over 50 people who took part in the event that was led by Jennifer Fitzpatrick, Director of Cultural Services for the City of Humboldt. The reconciliation project has been in effect for about a year and has led to some important understandings regarding the path toward reconciliation in Humboldt and the area.

While our students are engaged in many exciting initiatives this school year, we only have our staff and community members to thank. You make a difference daily, and our students are fortunate to have you in their lives. Keep up the great work! Have a great week, everyone!  

-Kevin

Kevin C. Garinger B.Ed., M.A.Ed., Ed.D. (Candidate)

Director of Education/CEO

Horizon School Division No. 205

[email protected]

@kevingaringer

Good morning, Horizon.

I hope each of you had a wonderful long weekend. While schools were off on September 30th in honour of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, our Board and our Division office staff were celebrating this important day in our office. The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation offers an amazing opportunity to reflect on our past, where we are today, and what the future is meant to be. We reflect in this way both individually and as a school system. The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation states that its spirit name is bezhig miigwan, meaning “one feather.” Their website states, “Bezhig miigwan calls upon us to see each Survivor coming to the NCTR as a single eagle feather and to show those Survivors the same respect and attention an eagle feather deserves. It also teaches we are all in this together — we are all one, connected, and it is vital to work together to achieve reconciliation.” 

These powerful words remind us of the importance of honouring the experiences of Survivors and the ongoing journey towards reconciliation. As a school system, we are responsible for creating spaces where the truth can be heard and where respect, understanding, and healing are fostered. On September 30th and every day leading up to it and beyond, let us continue our commitment to learning, unlearning, and supporting one another in the shared pursuit of a more inclusive and compassionate future for all youth, especially our Indigenous youth. 

Senior Leadership Team

Last week, I completed the remaining appraisals with members of the Senior Leadership Team. I’m grateful for the thoughtful preparation each of our superintendents put into their reviews. It is clear that with their dedication and professionalism, our Board's strategic goals are well supported.

Director’s Leadership Team Professional Learning

The Director’s Leadership Team spent Tuesday in Humboldt for a professional learning session. It was incredibly meaningful to begin the day with the Bulyea Elementary Grade 5 and 6 class leading the land acknowledgment. Their thoughtful words grounded us in the importance of honouring our shared history, and it was inspiring to see students actively involved in this learning day alongside our principals and vice principals.

The day was rich with opportunities for reflection and collaboration. Our focus on supporting inclusion through instructional leadership, led by Horizon’s Senior Leadership Team, allowed us to explore how we can continue to create inclusive, welcoming environments for all students. Our conversations, whether over coffee or in smaller group settings, were invaluable in sparking new ideas and approaches. I also want to thank the Humboldt Regional Newcomers Centre for their insight into how we can better support newcomer students and families. Their presentation emphasized the importance of working closely with the SWIS (Settlement Workers in Schools) team throughout the year to ensure smooth transitions for our new students.

Our ongoing work on supporting inclusion remained at the forefront throughout the day, and I’m confident the collaborative spirit will guide us as we continue our efforts across Horizon.

Lanigan School

On Thursday, I joined the Lanigan School project team for our on-site meetings and a walk-through of the new school. A great deal of work has been accomplished, but there is also a lot that remains. Although the schedule is behind a little, there is still a strong focus for our students and staff to be in the facility by May 1, 2025. It is exciting to know that we are in the last six months until substantial completion. Beginning in late February, Horizon technology staff will begin their work to ensure the school is operating effectively for our staff. 

Canadian Association of School System Administrators (CASSA)

I joined the CASSA executive meeting on Friday morning along with colleagues from across the country to discuss items of common interest and to complete a cross-Canada check-in. Interestingly (or maybe not so), many of the same issues we are experiencing in Saskatchewan are common to the other provinces and territories. 

Grand Re-Opening of George Lamb Field

I had the pleasure of attending the grand reopening of George Lamb Field in Wynyard on Friday afternoon. Congratulations to Wynyard Composite High, and thank you for the significant donations of time, money, and expertise from the numerous community partners for their generous donations. It’s wonderful to see the upgrades which will ensure that programs like soccer and football and the many other curricular and extracurricular events have an excellent facility to compete and learn on for years to come. Thank you to everyone who made such a huge impact on the facility. A special thank you goes out to the leadership of teacher Ryan Peterson and principal Trevor Otsig. You knew who to connect with to get the job done, and they have delivered a field of dreams that is truly second to none in Horizon. Well done!

Have a great week, everyone!  

-Kevin

Kevin C. Garinger B.Ed., M.A.Ed., Ed.D. (Candidate)

Director of Education/CEO

Horizon School Division No. 205

[email protected]

@kevingaringer