The Flin Flon school board’s Sept. 1 meeting marked the final meeting for Gayle Yungwirth, administrative assistant for the school division, who is retiring after 18 years with the division.
Trish Sattelberger, chairwoman of the board of trustees, presented Yungwirth with flowers to thank her for her service.
Kathryn Church, formerly administrative assistant at École McIsaac School, is Yungwirth’s replacement.
Bullying prevention
Safe Schools Manitoba distributed informational documents to the board relative to bullying in schools.
Trustee Tim Davis encouraged schools to use these documents as posters and ensure that all families have access to them.
One document provided information on bullying prevention for bus drivers. Trustee Andy Burbidge asked Superintendent of Schools Blaine Veitch if bus drivers had any training in addressing bullying. Veitch said this topic wasn’t explicitly covered.
Trustees also discussed an offer from Safe Schools Manitoba in regards to the Tell Them From Me Survey, which was administered to Flin Flon students last year. Students answered questions about their perceptions of bullying and school safety.
Safe Schools Manitoba is now available to run workshops in which school-based survey data will be reviewed in order to provide direction for future action plans.
Trustees Davis and Angela Simpson both encouraged the division to take advantage of the opportunity if there is room in the professional development schedule.
School news
Veitch welcomed students and staff back to school and provided updates on projects at division schools:
• A new after-school arts enrichment program will be launched at McIsaac this year. The Flin Flon Arts Council received a government grant to offer the program. Susan Power, a retired teacher, has been a driving force for the establishment of the program.
• Most of the work on the multi-use courts, landscaping and student parking at Queen’s Park adjacent is to be complete by mid-September. The courts can be used for a variety of sports. Landscaping is expected to improve water flow issues and parking options will be expanding for students and visitors.
• The road along the north side of the Technical Vocational Institute at Hapnot Collegiate is designated as a no-parking area. Traffic outside Many Faces Education Centre and to the rear of Hapnot will be restricted to employee and emergency vehicles.
