The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Jonathon Naylor Editor Better academic performance and less bullying are among the goals at Flin Flon's high schools this year. At last week's school board meeting, administrators from Hapnot Collegiate and Many Faces Education Centre outlined their top priorities for 2012-13: 1. Have at least 95 per cent of students achieve a minimum of one year's growth in literacy and numeracy between May 2012 and May 2013; based on statistics gathered through standardized testing and assessment tools. Strategies to reach this goal include: have all Grade 9 students enroll in two credits of math; have a resource teacher work with struggling students to develop approaches to support improved achievement; restrict the use of calculators in grade 9 and 10 courses; and administer subject-specific tests. 2. Improve the attendance, behaviour and academic performance of students who struggle in those areas; through a new program known as FOCUSED (Focused On Continuous Usable Sustainable Educational Development). Strategies for this goal include: staff the program with just one teacher rather than several to give students consistency. One educational assistant is also involved; devise an aboriginal focus and stress personal growth both physically and mentally; engage students in 'high interest' activities such as field trips and presentations by speakers; and utilize a non-traditional classroom structure with cross-curricular instruction. 3. Have staff apply strategies to reduce the number of bullying incidents by June 2013. Strategies for this goal include: utilize an increased number of surveillance cameras in the schools, helping staff assess and respond to incidents; place teachers and administrators in the hallways during unstructured time when unwelcome activities often occur; research the specifics of bullying incidents; encourage students who are victims of bullying to communicate with staff; and improve staff attentiveness toward 'non-inclusive language' and have them respond to it quickly. 4. Improve attendance by June 2013. Strategies for this goal include: teachers will continue to call or e-mail parents and guardians of struggling students to keep communication open; hold weekly student support meetings to discuss at-risk students and plan for support; where beneficial, engage in dialogue with community partners such as addictions counsellors, the school counsellor and the Women's Resource Centre; and continue to use an existing program that uses phone and e-mail to let parents know if their son or daughter has missed, or was late for, a class. Patty Korchinski, vice-principal of the schools, told trustees the staff members are working hard to meet these objectives.
