December, 2024
December 2-6, 2024
December 2-6, 2024
Good morning, Horizon.
The division office has transformed into Santa’s workshop as we prepare to deliver 151 Christmas hampers next week. These hampers will bring joy to 408 children, each receiving a gift, a book, and a stocking filled with essentials like a toque, mittens, socks, a toothbrush, toothpaste, candy, and floss. Families will also receive a grocery gift card to ensure they have the necessary food to make their holiday season a little brighter. Thanks to the incredible generosity of our Horizon community, we can also give away beautiful handmade quilts, scarves, toques, and other thoughtful items to include in the hampers.
Volunteers from RBC and MNP joined our staff on Wednesday evening to wrap gifts, while Leadership 20 students from Muenster School helped earlier that day to wrap and assemble boxes. From the Christmas boxes decorated by students to the donations and the many grants and donations, this project is a true team effort! Ultimately, so many children and families will benefit at a time when many of us are in a position to give so they are able to receive. If you are still interested in donating, please contact CFO Sarah Reding. Because of the generosity of so many, we can keep this project moving forward. Thank you, Horizon!! It is humbling to know our team is making such an enormous difference for so many less fortunate.
Saskatchewan School Boards Association AGM
Horizon’s Board of Education joined trustees from across Saskatchewan at the 109th Fall General Assembly in Regina from Sunday to Tuesday. On Sunday evening, Chairperson of the Public Schools of Saskatchewan Linda Mattock led the public section meeting. Christine Gradin finished her term with the SSBA as Central Constituency representative and provided her continued excellent leadership during this meeting as well as throughout the AGM. The Board was fortunate to hear from Jody Wilson-Raybould as she talked about courageous leadership on Monday morning. I think everyone came away feeling more inspired and empowered to approach challenges with integrity and determination. Her message about the importance of standing firm in our values and advocating for what is right resonated deeply, especially in the context of education and community leadership.
Other significant work of the SSBA involved voting on resolutions brought forward to the assembly, including a resolution related to the 2025 budget. The SSBA also had an awards ceremony, and recognition was given to Wynyard Elementary School, which won a Mosaic School Nutrition Challenge Grant to help support food security at the school. It was a wonderful evening that was kicked off by President Jamie Smith-Windsor and included speeches from the likes of Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan Russ Merasty and the Minister of Education Everett Hindley.
Trustees also heard from the presidents of several partner organizations, including LEADS, the STF, and SASBO, whose president is our own Communications Officer Jesse Green. The SSBA also bid a very fond farewell to executive member, former Horizon trustee Christine Gradin, and SSBA President Jaimie Smith-Windsor. Both trustees will be sorely missed on the executive of the SSBA. Elections were held for these vacant positions, and Dr Shawn Davidson was acclaimed as president, Lori Kidney was elected vice president, and Ronna Pethick was elected central constituency representative. Horizon Chairperson Garth Anderson led the voting processes for our Board for the two days.
Learning Improvement Plans
Superintendents Jacquie Bergerman, Trish Maxwell, and Bryan McNabb joined me again last week to discuss school data, student learning strategies, and SCC involvement with principals and vice principals during Learning Improvement Plan (LIP) meetings. We met with Archerwill, Rose Valley, Kelvington, Robert Melrose Elementary, Quill Lake, Wakaw, Cudworth, Bruno, Humboldt Collegiate, and Muenster schools. We will wrap up this session of LIP meetings this upcoming week, just in time for the Christmas break.
I know the next two weeks leading into the break will be extremely busy for everyone in the system, but we look forward to continuing to put in excellent effort so we can enjoy what I hope will be a tremendous break for everyone.
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
December 9-13, 2024
Good morning, Horizon.
I want to extend my gratitude to our students, staff, and SCCs for their incredible efforts in supporting their communities through food and gift drives this holiday season. It is inspiring to learn of food bank donations, local gift drives, and holiday kindness shining through in our schools. Your spirit of generosity is invaluable to our children and communities as it leaves a lasting impression about what is most important during the Christmas season. Giving is always better than receiving because giving impacts the human heart.
Christmas Hampers
This same spirit of generosity was on full display last Friday as our staff and trustees came together to assemble Christmas hampers for 151 families. Hampers will be delivered to families across Horizon before Christmas. We are recognizing the many contributions to this project on our website and through social media. I would also like to recognize our Board of Education, who supports and contributes to the project each year. Horizon has supported children and families through this wonderful project since December of 2014. Thank you to each of you for your efforts in support of this worthy cause.
Directors’ Leadership Team
We started our week with a virtual DLT meeting on Monday morning as principals and vice principals joined our senior leadership team for updates and action items leading up to Christmas. There is a great deal of work ahead of us as we prepare for a number of important initiatives coming down the pike, including the potential of a provincial assessment plan for ELA and Math. There will also be a focus on assessing reading and writing through this same initiative. On behalf of our school division, Superintendent Trish Maxwell has put out a call for teachers from Horizon to support this work. If you are interested, please talk to your principal or to Trish directly.
Learning Improvement Plans
We wrapped up the fall LIP meetings last week with Lanigan Elementary, Lanigan Central High, Annaheim, Punnichy Elementary Community, Punnichy Community High, George Gordon Education Centre, Sask Central Hutterian, Three Lakes and Raymore schools. Once again, we deeply appreciated the great work that goes into these school-level plans. The conversations with principals have shone a great deal of light on many successes and key areas for growth in our system. I look forward to our continued collaborative efforts toward further success for our students.
BHP
Our senior leadership team, along with Sandra Hessdorfer, met with BHP leadership on Tuesday morning to discuss opportunities to collaborate on mining and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) education. We are excited about the potential of this particular collaboration, and we look forward to sharing updates with you as these opportunities develop.
Board of Education
I joined Board Chair Garth Anderson, Vice Chair Mark Fedak, CFO Sarah Reding, Executive Assistant Marni Sogge, and Communications Officer Jesse Green for an agenda meeting on Tuesday afternoon. A great deal was accomplished, and we are set to meet with the board at their next regular meeting this week before the break.
Joint Operations Committee (JOC) Meeting
Trustees Linda Mattock and Melanie Craswell joined staff, including Superintendents Sarah Reding, Cory Popoff, and Justin Arendt, and Executive Assistant Marni Sogge joined me on Tuesday as we met with trustees and staff of Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools for our quarterly meeting. Linda was named Chair of the JOC, and her experience is essential in supporting both Horizon and Greater Saskatoon Catholic trustees, as everyone else is new to the JOC.
As we head into this final week before Christmas, I just want to share the gratitude that is in my heart. I am grateful to work with people who share the same passion I have for doing what is right and best for the students we are fortunate to serve. In our profession, relationships matter more than likely in any other profession. When I see success in a classroom or school, I learn quickly that the relationships are healthy, strong, and cultivated in a collaborative community of engaged learners. It is the foundation for all that we can do to support each child's success. For that matter, it is the foundation for our success as staff members.
As you head into the Christmas season, take these thoughts with you. And if you want to read an excellent book on this topic, pick up Love Builds Brains by paediatric psychiatrist and internationally acclaimed author and speaker Dr Jean Clinton. I will connect with you toward the end of this week for a final message before the break.
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
December 16-20, 2024
Good afternoon, Horizon!
It seems surreal that we are only five days from Christmas and a week and a half from the New Year. Time has flown so fast. I know I say that every year…, and I’m sure many of you do as well. I have been sick these last few days, so I have missed out on some of the events that I was looking so forward to participating in this last week. With that in mind, I hope you are healthy entering the break and can truly enjoy this holiday season.
2024 - The Year in Review
This past year has been another exciting one, filled with opportunities and challenges that we have worked through collaboratively. From capital projects getting off the ground in Kelvington and continued progression toward the completion of the new school in Lanigan, to gym floor replacements in many of our schools, Horizon has been fortunate to recreate learning spaces to make our schools safer and more accessible for our children and staff.
We continue to be so proud of our students and staff’s accomplishments. This past year, the Public Schools of Saskatchewan recognized Muenster School’s Headstrong team for a Student Citizenship Award in recognition of initiatives fostering citizenship and character building. For the fourth year in the past five, Horizon had a student, De Wet Luus from William Derby, named to the Provincial Youth Council. Wynyard Elementary School won a Mosaic School Nutrition Challenge Award and put the funding toward renovating their cooking lab and adding resources to student cooking classes and land-based learning.
An Indigenous education team from a school division was represented at the Canadian Western Agribition for the first time. Horizon’s Indigenous Education Team showcased place-based and Treaty education through hands-on activities and storytelling, receiving praise for Indigenous inclusion.
We continue to be amazed at the generosity of staff and businesses across Horizon. Now in its 11th year, the Christmas Hamper Project supports children and families throughout Horizon with gifts, grocery certificates, and other essential items. Our students contributed by decorating hamper boxes and holding fundraisers, which helped make the season so much brighter for 152 families and 409 children.
Horizon’s annual Student Agriculture Day is now permanently dedicated to agricultural themes, featuring livestock, equipment, and expert speakers to educate students about the industry. Stay tuned for 2025's Student Ag Day on June 10.
Mental Wellness continues to be such an important focus of our safe and caring goal and this year we introduced both Project 11, inspired by Rick Rypien’s advocacy for mental health, and the HELPme app to provide essential resources for safety, food security, and mental health support.
We have begun collaborating with our teachers on a new LINC agreement. This past year, we reached an agreement with CUPE Local 4799, which was ratified in May and reflects our continued commitment to a supportive work environment.
Horizon schools continue to provide for and maintain high participation in athletics and the arts, and they are supported by dedicated staff and volunteers, leading to numerous accomplishments, awards, and championships.
In November, School Board Elections were held, and we welcomed new and returning trustees, with Garth Anderson and Mark Fedak elected as Chair and Vice Chair, respectively. Horizon’s Board of Education wishes to sincerely thank outgoing trustees and those who submitted names for the election. Trustee and former chair Linda Mattock continues her role as President of Public Schools of Saskatchewan, an important role supporting our work across our province in our public schools.
Also, Horizon began our first Michif Language Program at Wakaw School, which exemplified our partnership with the Métis Nation–Saskatchewan and provided a unique learning experience for many of our kindergarten children in the area. Along with this vital work, administrators continued our important focus on Truth and Reconciliation training through the “Leading to Learn” professional development work conducted at schools with their staff.
And all this is only one picture of an entire catalogue of events and successes that Horizon’s Board, staff, and students have realized. I could spend the next three days sharing so much more that has happened in 2024. It brings me great pride when I think of how each of you has contributed to what has been a truly remarkable year. On behalf of the Board and my office, I express my deepest gratitude for everything you have done to support our children and your colleagues from across our system.
Boundary Review
On Tuesday, Board Chair Garth Anderson, trustee Melanie Craswell, Superintendent Justin Arendt, and I attended a boundary review related to a challenge by Prairie Valley School Division. They took the time to present their findings to a committee, and we did the same immediately afterwards. Our team did an admirable job with the presentation, and I want to thank each of them, along with our transportation department and Director’s office staff, who helped prepare the documentation for the event. We will await the decision of the committee in the upcoming weeks.
Arbitration
Earlier this year, the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation and the Government-Trustee Bargaining Committee agreed to binding arbitration to address unresolved matters in provincial collective bargaining. This week, the arbitration hearings are being held to consider key issues, including wages and class complexity, with the aim of reaching a fair and balanced resolution. We extend our gratitude to those participating in binding arbitration for their dedication to this important process. We look forward to receiving the arbitrators’ report and the resolution it will bring to these discussions.
Board of Education
The Board met for their regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, and highlights will be shared in the From the Board newsletter. Our division office staff and trustees enjoyed a potluck meal to celebrate the holiday season in lieu of a purchased lunch for the board. These funds will be donated to the Christmas Hamper project which has been such an incredible project of the Board’s. I routinely hear about the responses to our schools from families in need and how these hampers have taken so much pressure off them during this critical time of the year.
The Board’s audit committee met on Thursday to review the Quarter 1 financials and enterprise risk management reports. Newly acclaimed and returning committee chair Jim Lissinna led the meeting along with trustees Albert Pinacie, Cheryl Norleen, Pamela Wintringham and ex-officio members Chair Garth Anderson and Vice Chair Mark Fedak. CFO Sarah Reding and executive assistant Marni Sogge joined the meeting, and I joined via Webex. The committee heard the Quarter 1 report from Sarah and spent much time looking at the Enterprise Risk Management register. It was a great meeting to end the 2024 year, and I look forward to working with the Board and its committees in 2025.
National Ribbon Skirt Day - Mark your calendars!
National Ribbon Skirt Day is observed annually on January 4. As Horizon schools will be on winter break, we will recognize this important day on January 9, 2025.
December has been a flurry of activity with Christmas crafts, concerts, drama performances, athletic events, and all the incredible learning in our classrooms. I want to wish each of you a restful and enjoyable holiday break. I hope it is filled with time for you and your family to do what brings you the greatest joy. As a Christmas wish from the Board and my office, may your holidays be filled with peace, happiness, and the warmth of cherished moments with loved ones. Thank you for everything you have done for our children and families.
We look forward to working with each of you in 2025!
-Kevin
Kevin C. Garinger B.Ed., M.A.Ed., Ed.D. (Candidate)
Director of Education/CEO
Horizon School Division No. 205