See our Board of Education and Director of Education's message to parents below.
TO: Prairie Valley Families
FROM: Janet Kotylak, Board Chair & Gord Husband, Director of Education
RE: Welcome Back
September 5, 2023
On behalf of the Prairie Valley Board of Education and Director of Education, welcome back! We would like to wish your family a happy and successful school year and we hope your children have a great first week at school.
We hope you've enjoyed summer and that you were able to spend some time relaxing, being with family and doing the things you love to do. Although it can be tough to say goodbye to our short Saskatchewan summers, we hope you're as excited about September's arrival as we are.
Part of that excitement comes from the opportunity to begin the school year with a new leadership team in place. The Board is looking forward to working with Prairie Valley's new Director of Education Gord Husband, who's focused on advancing our student-centered approach to delivering education. His 24 years of experience in rural education and commitment to strong organizational culture will drive us forward as we continue our work of improving the school experience for all Prairie Valley students.
We're also excited to enter the school year with our strategic plan, This Is Us, as our north star. This will be the second year of our strategic plan, which will be our guiding document until 2026. Care was taken to ensure This Is Us is in alignment with the Provincial Education Plan, allowing us to improve student achievement in target areas while maximizing efficiency in our work. The strategic priorities in This Is Us will keep us focused on our core business of ensuring our students are in the best possible position to achieve success in learning and life.
We feel it's important you know that we are working hard in our leadership roles to ensure students and staff can continue to thrive in an environment that is welcoming, caring and safe for everyone. Although recent proposed changes from the Ministry of Education have created uncertainty in our school communities, our guiding principle remains the same: do what's best for students. That has not changed and will not change.
As we begin this school year, we reflect on Prairie Valley's mission statement: Inspiring Lifelong Learners and Engaged Citizens. This ambitious target involves many moving pieces and requires committed students and educators, dedicated staff and contributions from the community. No doubt, there will be challenges along the way. As we face those challenges together, let's remember the importance of what we are all trying to accomplish for our students.
"The only person who is educated is the one who has learned how to learn … and change."
Carl Rogers
Thank you in advance for your support and involvement in the education of your children. We view this engagement as crucial for the success of public education, both in the short and long term.
Once again, we wish your family and your children a great school year. We hope everyone is as excited as we are about the endless possibilities and opportunities that lie ahead.
Sincerely,
Janet Kotylak Gord Husband
Board Chair Director of Education