Submitted by Aspen View School Division
Below are some highlights from the Aspen View School Division board of trustees May 2, 2024 meeting.
Technology report
Katherine Mann, Aspen View Public Schools Associate Superintendent of Curriculum & Technology, and Ernest Aleixandre, Director of Information Technology (IT) Services, provided a technology report to the board of trustees.
The IT Services department continues to support teachers and students with assistance related to STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Math) programming, including coding and robotics.
Aspen View hosted its Third Annual Robotics Competition on May 7 at H.A. Kostash (HAK) School.
The IT Services department has been very involved in the set-up of the new HAK. Many of the technologies implemented at HAK will be expanded to other schools.
The IT Services department has also collaborated with the maintenance department to improve security cameras, door access, alarm systems and building automation throughout the division.
Aspen View Public Schools continues to improve its cybersecurity processes and has received high scores in its security rating.
Diploma exam and Grade 9 Math PAT preparation courses
Associate Superintendent Mann advised the board of trustees that Aspen View Public Schools has partnered with Castle Rock Research to offer optional synchronous online courses to prepare students for diploma exams and the Grade 9 Math provincial achievement test (PAT).
Aspen View Public Schools is subsidizing the cost of courses; the cost to students and families is $45 per course for diploma exam courses, and $25 for Grade 9 Math PAT courses.
Jordan’s Principle
The Board of Trustees unanimously passed a motion to provide a letter of intent to establish a two-year contribution agreement with the Government of Canada (Department of Indigenous Services) for Jordan’s Principle.
Jordan’s Principle is a federal program to ensure all First Nations children living in Canada can access products, services and supports needed, including supports for health, social and educational needs. It is named for Jordan River Anderson, an Indigenous child from Manitoba born with complex needs, who spent his entire life in hospital because federal and provincial governments could not agree on responsibility for home-based care before he passed at the age of five.
Aspen View Public Schools Superintendent Constantine Kastrinos noted that Aspen View has accessed Jordan’s Principle funding for several years through individual applications; he explained that a division agreement will assist in accessing supports in a timely manner.
Other highlights
- Superintendent Kastrinos advised that Aspen View Public Schools will be signing a lease agreement with Athabasca University that will see Aspen View’s division office relocated to the university campus.
- Trustee Donna Cherniwchan advised that Rupertsland Institute – Métis Centre of Excellence has been selected to receive the Public School Boards’ Association of Alberta (PSBAA) Award for Promoting and Advancing the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Aspen View Public Schools nominated the Rupertsland Institute for the award, which will be presented at the PSBAA Spring General Assembly.
- The Board of Trustees was advised of updates to Administrative Procedures 415 – Teaching Staff Transfer; 442 – Evaluation of Support Staff; and 490 – Volunteers: Classroom and Co-Curricular.
