This Week in Horizon 2024-25 » January, 2025

January, 2025

This Week in Horizon School Division header featuring a photo of Kevin C. Garinger, Director of Education, alongside the Horizon School Division logo.

Happy New Year, everyone, and welcome to 2025! I hope you had a chance to recharge and rejuvenate over the holidays. We certainly had terrific mild weather and lots of snow. For some of us, those are perfect conditions for sledding and building snowmen with little ones…and big ones. I hope you were surrounded by the people you wanted to be connected to this Christmas season. It is not always easy for families to come together; I know this first-hand. 


I spent the majority of my holiday with a viral infection that wore me down a little. With my family spread out from Saskatchewan to Alberta, I still felt fortunate to get to Edmonton to see my two oldest sons and their significant others. I also got to see my youngest and his family toward the end of the holiday. Having grandchildren around at Christmas time is amazing, as I am sure some of you are keenly aware! 


I also took the time to do some book reading/listening over the break, finishing the last little bit of “Trust and Inspire” I had left to read by Covey and listening to “Daring Greatly” by Brene Brown. Both are excellent reads and well worth your time as educators to read. “Daring Greatly” is an extension in so many ways to “Dare to Lead,” also by Brown. Brown dives deeper into vulnerability and explores how we need to connect to our inner self and that courage is a main characteristic of vulnerability. One of my favourite quotes from her book is, “Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.” I hope you had a similar opportunity to sit and enjoy a book in whatever fashion worked best for you!


Having had the chance to get to several schools right after the break, I talked to teachers about the opportunity to have the PPD day on January 6th. I never met one educator who was anything short of ecstatic that they had this day. They explained that they didn’t have to come in the weekend before to prepare for the return of our children. That is exactly why PPD days were implemented in the first place and why we need to continue to see these as excellent opportunities for our students, staff, and families. 


Students I talked to have appreciated a shortened first week after the holiday, a similar sentiment I am sure their parents share. However, I also heard from some students who were required to do homework assignments or brand-new projects over the break. These are certainly things we need to look at closely. Students and staff need breaks from school, and having a project assigned over a holiday may not be the best way to support these needs of our youth. It creates anxiety and begs the question of whether it supports a safe and caring school or system. I shared this at our DLT meeting this past week and I think it is an excellent discussion for our schools’ staff to engage in. I am certainly open to discussing this topic at a school or the system level so please do not hesitate to reach out.


Budget Priorities

In December, we submitted our annual report to the government. Now we are in a pivotal time of the year where our focus spans three key areas: reflecting on the previous school year following the completion of the annual report, engaging in the current school year's activities, and preparing for the future by setting budget priorities and advancing strategic planning for the next school year. I spent time with our CFO Sarah Reding working on budget priorities for the 2025-26 school year, in advance of the Board of Education’s strategic planning session, as well as our budget planning with superintendents.


Horizon Teachers’ Association

On Wednesday afternoon, I met with Verna-Lynn Gorrill, president of the Horizon Teachers’ Association, to discuss the first few months of school and future plans, including the 2025-26 school year calendar. It was great to catch up and to engage in our shared commitment to the teachers and support staff who work so hard for our kids in Horizon School Division. 


Board of Education Agenda Meeting

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 Wednesday afternoon. We are set for our first board meeting of 2025 on January 15. These are always essential meetings, and we spent the necessary time setting the agenda for the Board.


Strategic Planning

Our Board of Education gathered on Thursday and Friday to focus on the vital work of strategic planning. During these sessions, the Board reviewed current goals, evaluated progress, and engaged in meaningful discussions to guide the division's direction.


Their collaborative efforts aim to ensure that our priorities reflect the needs of students, staff, and communities, with a continued emphasis on fostering success for every learner. We will share updates on specific outcomes from these planning sessions in the coming weeks. We appreciate the Board's ongoing contributions to these shared goals, which are at the heart of our collective work in Horizon.


With the first full week of 2025 underway, I wish everyone a tremendous time driving our kids to school, working in the office or library, keeping the school clean, and supporting our students’ unique and individual needs. Thank you for all you do in Horizon for the students we are so fortunate to help. I know they appreciate the care and love you show them every day.


-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 navigated the challenging travelling conditions at the end of last week safely and is feeling ready for the days ahead.


As we step into this new week, I’m reminded of the words of Australian author and educator Maggie Dent: “Remember, we are raising a whole child with a mind, a body, a heart and a soul… not just a brain on a seat.” This serves as an important reminder of the holistic approach we strive to embody in our schools—nurturing not only academic growth but also our students' physical, emotional, and social well-being. Thank you for continuing to show care, patience, and creativity in meeting the needs of our students and communities.


Directors’ Leadership Team

Principals, vice principals, and senior leadership gathered for the first virtual DLT meeting of 2025 on Monday morning. We were able to discuss several important items related to student learning, wellness, transitions and graduation rates. 


Saskatchewan Student Assessment 

A points-of-contact update meeting regarding the Saskatchewan Student Assessment was held on Tuesday morning. Earlier in this process, discussions focused on shaping a provincial assessment plan that aligns with student learning priorities across the province.


One key announcement from these meetings, and one I have already shared at some length, was the introduction of a provincial assessment plan focusing on Grades 1-3 reading, Grades 4, 7, and 10 reading and writing, and Grades 5 and 9 mathematics. Beyond the early years’ emphasis on reading, these assessments will be closely tied to the curriculum, ensuring they support meaningful learning outcomes for our students.


There has been significant work undertaken as we, as an education sector, prepare for this initiative. This work includes the development of the assessments themselves. Superintendent Trish Maxwell called for teachers across Horizon to contribute to this vital work and I want to personally thank those teachers who have already stepped forward. If you still have interest, we would ask that you talk to your principal to have your name brought forward.


Board of Education

The Board met for their regular monthly meeting on Wednesday. We reviewed enrolment projections, the Board reviewed policies on the role of the trustee and board, and set budget priorities for the 2025-26 school year, among many other important topics. Details of the meeting will be shared in the January From the Board newsletter.


Budget 2025-26

As the 2025-26 budget continues to be discussed during Board and Senior Leadership Team meetings, we are excited to announce some important opportunities that will provide even greater support to our classrooms across Horizon. I look forward to sharing these updates with you in the upcoming weeks. Some believe complexity has become a catchphrase in our system and province, but the truth is that the needs of our learners have become more complex. Uniqueness has always been in every child, and because we know more about each learner, we must respond in practicable ways. As I said, more will be shared and discussed on this important topic as we build the capacity to support our educators in their classrooms. 


Mining Education

As we have ramped up our work across Horizon as it relates to agricultural education, providing our students with more and more learning opportunities in classrooms across our system, I am excited that we are going to add in mining education as a learning opportunity for our students. On Friday, Sandra Hessdorfer, Trish Maxwell, and I met with BHP Billiton to begin the preparation of a mining education day. The learning event will provide some of our more senior students with knowledge and understanding of what opportunities exist in this field. We will be asking for involvement from other mining companies in our area and beyond, as well as the Saskatchewan Mining Association (SMA). As a former miner of hard rock ore (copper, zinc, gold, etc.), I have had a first-hand experience of what opportunities are provided by the mining industry. I am also very familiar with how mining in the central and southern parts of our province provides for our agricultural industry.


The weather is frigid. I hope everyone has made it safely to their intended destination. It appears these arctic temperatures will be short-lived, at least for now. We live in the greatest province in the world…but we also know that we can go from plus one to minus 40 in a matter of hours. This week will be a relatively good example of just that. Have a great week, everyone…and stay warm!  


-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.


As you likely know, the Government of Saskatchewan announced (see this link) a requirement for all school divisions to develop a policy on change-room usage that upholds the privacy, dignity, and comfort of all students. We have begun developing a new administrative procedure to align with this requirement and will take it past the Board and admin once it is complete. Still, our practice in determining how we handle situations like this at our schools will not change. We will continue to look after the needs of all students as we always have. That said, the AP will also help provide guidance into the future when people change their roles. 


Vier Lake Colony School and Drake School

Superintendent of Operational Services Justin Arendt, Manager of Facility Services Kam Kiland, and I travelled to the Wakaw/Cudworth area to meet with leaders at the Hnidy Hutterite Colony on Tuesday morning. We look forward to finalizing details for the new Vier Lake Colony School’s grand opening on February 10, 2025. We have a recent staffing announcement that will share a biography of Nadine Jennison, Principal of Drake School, who has decided to move to this exciting Colony principalship position. In the interim, we will announce very soon that Erin Richard will be the acting principal of Drake School for the next months as we finalize a continuing replacement for this critical role. Congratulations, Erin and Nadine! I know you will both do a fantastic job!


Humboldt Early Years Family Resource Centre (HEYFRC) 

Trish Maxwell joined the HEYFRC management committee meeting along with representatives from the centre, PARTNERS Family Services, local libraries, the Humboldt Regional Newcomer Centre, the Saskatchewan Health Authority, local daycares, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, the City of Humboldt, Carlton Trail College, and others. Program Designer Kelly McLarty led the meeting and provided some critical updates on the work of the HEYFRC. An interesting item that has also been shared with the Board is that families as far away as Ituna are joining the centre. This speaks volumes about the importance of the programming to our families. It is an essential addition to our early years support, and we are excited to announce some additional early years support in the near future. 


Canadian Association of School System Administrators (CASSA)

I travelled to Toronto for a governance and operations committee meeting before the governing board of CASSA had our in-person executive meetings on Friday and Saturday. I am the Western Canadian representative for the AASA (The School Superintendents’ Association of the United States), and this role, through our bylaws, includes me as an executive member of CASSA. We spent the morning of Friday reviewing our strategic plan and developing the 2025 action list to address the plan’s goals. 


As a national organization representing members who are Canadian Directors, Superintendents, and other school system leaders, we are often asked for our opinions on matters of provincial/territorial, national, and international importance. These days were full as usual, engaging with The Learning Bar to discuss their work with OurSchoolSurvey and EYE, to name a few of their applications. We also continued our discussions with Michael Zinck, the Assistant Deputy Minister of the Environment for the federal government and his staff to explore how nature-based learning can be supported in schools nationwide. There is funding to support initiatives in schools across Canada, so please talk to your principal if you are interested in putting forward applications that may involve some elements of land or nature-based learning. I will be providing the information to school principals in the near future. 


We also met with Margot Denomme, former Crown attorney in Ontario, who developed The Family Smartphone Guidebook and is passionate about ensuring all people understand the dangers of these devices. The resource is for families and educators and addresses issues our children and youth need to be aware of when they have access to this and similar technology. Margot wrote the guide with support from Dr Michelle Ponti, the chair of the Paediatric Society of Canada, and it details the issues children face from a developmental and legal standpoint. We also heard from Duncan Embury and Sonia Nijjar, partners with Neinstein Law, who are the lead counsel in the lawsuits 12 school divisions in Ontario have put forward against META, TikTok, and Snapchat. To detail the issues faced by our young people and children, it is easiest for me to draw you to a book I am reading called The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt. It is an outstanding read that I recommend for every parent and educator to pick up. We finished our meetings Saturday afternoon, engaging in our business meeting before heading home to our respective provinces.


I hope you had a great first couple of days back from the weekend. Hard to believe we are only a few days to February 2025!! Good luck to all our students as they take final exams this week. I have great faith in the adults who have prepared them well…the staff of Horizon School Division! 


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