The Living Sky School Division board received a report outlining progress in four key areas from Superintendent Brian Quinn during their regular board meeting, May 11.
The superintendent of curriculum and instruction discussed English as an Additional Language (EAL) students, behaviour support programs, inspiring movement and treaty education.
Quinn informed the board there are currently 92 EAL students, not including Hutterite students, for whom English is also a second language, or pre-kindergarten students.
"This number has increased by about 15 per cent each year for the last four years," said Quinn, "so I would assume the number will increase by 15 per cent again next year."
Quinn said according to the Battlefords Immigration Centre, nine per cent of immigration to Saskatchewan is to the Battlefords region, which makes EAL student instruction an important facet of providing quality education to all students.
Supports provided by the school division include bursaries for teachers to complete EAL training certification, Tell Me More software, which aids EAL students in developing essential vocabulary, resources from the Saskatoon School Division and Ministry of Education podcasts.
"We're getting better at this, provincially," said Quinn, adding Lawrence School, which has the highest number of EAL students at 29, has adapted well to the situation.
"It's just good teaching," said Quinn.
The superintendent also added EAL students are generally more respectful and engaged than Canadian students.
"They don't mind saying thank you," said Quinn.
He then went on to discuss behaviour support programs, which he explained were formerly referred to as anti-bullying programs, but have since expanded to include other aspects of student behaviour.
Quinn provided board members with a form detailing the various programs and strategies employed in each school, including everything from poster campaigns and fidget tools to dramatic presentations and the Committee for Children's Second Step program.
"No program has emerged as a clear winner," said Quinn.
He said it isn't so much the program that makes the difference, but whether the teachers are able to engage the students and get them to pay attention to the information being presented.
Board chair Ken Arsenault asked if the schools have a formal method of tracking long-term bullying or serious bullying incidents, to which Quinn replied formal complaints are documented.
However, Quinn said, "Nine out of 10 bullying incidents don't get there."
Director of Education Randy Fox said the schools are quick to use the central office resources, including counsellors, when there is a problem with bullying, and, generally, discretion is left to the schools in how to deal with each case.
The board briefly discussed the possibility of developing a standard procedure for all schools within the division in dealing with bullying incidents.
Implementation of Inspiring Movement, the Ministry of Education's physical activity guide, is coming along, said Quinn, with some schools further along than others.
Quinn singled out Unity Public School, Cando Community School and Hartley Clark Elementary School as schools who have made exceptional strides in incorporating physical activity in their daily schedule.
"They've really got it going on," said Quinn of the atmosphere in Hartley Clark.
He also mentioned the exercise equipment at Cando, which was purchased with a grant.
"I hate to say it's a miracle, but it's amazing, the effect it's had on those kids," he said.
A survey will be conducted in the spring of 2012 to establish a baseline for the division, in terms of how many minutes of physical activity students are engaged in.
Quinn then spoke about treaty education, detailing the website developed by LSSD staff members Deanne Kasokeo and Herman Bugler Jr., with help from Shelly Janostin, Donna DesRoches and Sherron Burns.
"Teachers are going to look at this and say, 'Yeah, I can teach that,'" said Quinn, adding the website is user-friendly.
A teacher committee, headed by Sherron Burns, is developing model units for Grades 5 to 8.
Board member Roy Challis mentioned the Office of the Treaty Commissioner had created units and asked why Living Sky was developing their own instead of using them.
Quinn replied that although the units developed by the Office of the Treaty Commissioner do provide quality information, they aren't necessarily applicable to the schools' curriculum.
"Their scope and sequence is misaligned with the social studies outline," said Quinn, adding, "we're trying to make the units so teacher-friendly that they just get plugged right in."
