PROGRESS UPDATE. . .

Thursday, March 14, 2013

MyStrategicPlan software: It's almost ready to launch! Senior administration have been working to input individual workplans into this newly purchased software which will track progress in all aspects of the strategic plan. This will provide a "dashboard" view of the work being done now as well as future plans with specific timelines attached. In mid-February, senior staff were trained on the use of the software. This is another step towards transparency of division plans and will provide an overall view to exactly how various departments are working towards our goals including "Building Our Future Together". Once this is in place, look for the earlier promised comprehensive document to be released shortly after.

Communications expanded: You asked for more ways to get information and we are more than happy to accommodate! We have implemented Board Meeting Notes which are a synopsis of all board meetings to allow for an "inside look" at issues around the board table. These are distributed to all staff and SCC chairs on a monthly basis; they are also available on the Board Minutes webpage.

Also we have implemented a new Facebook account as well as 2 new Twitter accounts. These provide up-to-the-minute information for interested staff and community members. We are newly wading into the realm of social media! In the upper corner of all GSSD webpages are icons indicating Facebook and Twitter links...click on them to follow us. If you are interested in following our Director of Education, his address is @DwayneReeve.

LEAN: The process to closely review our current practices to erase duplication of efforts and ensure we are streamlined in our business practices has been an important addition these past few months. We have two LEAN leaders (Sherry Todosichuk, Superintendent of Business Administration and Alan Sharp, Superintendent of Program Development) who are currently working with the HR Department as well as Superintendents to streamline the hiring process. We anticipate being able to complete 2 LEAN events per year to assist in our quest of ensuring resources (people and money) are being most appropriately utilized.

Change is the new constant (including renovations at the Admininstration Office) and it is very exciting!!

Monday, November 26, 2012

There has been a lot of "behind the scenes" work going on the past few months. Here are some of the highlights:

Balanced Score-Card Training: Norm Casavant, Deputy Director, and Quintin Robertson, Superintendent of Student Services, attended this very important training in October, 2012. In essence, we need to look at priority areas for the upcoming 5 years and ensure that the work we are doing is going to produce results for improved student achievement. Initiatives will be closely scrutinized to ensure they are in alignment and properly implemented to accomplish established targets. Basically, are we doing the right things at the right times for our students?

Balanced Score-Card Software: This will be implemented in the near future. It allows for transparency of work plans and an up-to-date view of the progress of individual initiatives. As this is a 5-year plan, this will provide a general overview of the work being undertaken as well as what the suggested timeframe of each initiative is anticipated to be.

Strategic Work Plans: The flow of work from the province to division level priorities must be in alignment. All areas of division administration will be reviewed to ensure collaborative goals and priorities are met. 15 goal areas are a large number and we know that each individual in the system is not responsible for all areas; it is the job of administration to ensure that all areas are looked after overall by specific individuals in charge of and responsible for these areas. The overall view is integrally important to understand our direction. The work plans will be made available to staff and the public through the balanced score-card software where one can view a "dashboard" and see at a glance where we are at on various initiatives.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us via email at feedback@mail.gssd.ca or by phone at 306.786.5500.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

The day is finally here! Today, we shared with staff and numerous community members our strategic plan looking to the future of education in Good Spirit School Division.

What a day it was! Over 1000 people gathered to hear from the Minister of Education, the Honourable Russ Marchuk as well as our featured motivational guest speaker, Mr. Mark Tewksbury. In the afternoon, Dwayne Reeve, Director of Education, took the time to talk about how we as a division reached the point we are at today and how we see ourselves, based on your feedback, growing and flourishing into the future. The future of education in east-central Saskatchewan is open for us to shape and have the opportunity to be a most rewarding experience for everyone - staff, students and our communities.

Now is the best part ... we get to share! The following are important documents that will act as guiding lights. The strategic framework is our roadmap showing our strategic priorities and strategic goals with areas listed supporting the specific areas of focus. All work in tandem towards our renewed...

Vision "Learning Without Limits ... Achievement For All"

Mission "Building Strong Foundations to Create Bright Futures"

Values "Belonging, Responsibility, Respect, Learning and Nurturing"

Motto "Students Come First" -This did NOT change as it always has been and continues to be our focus.

Strategic Framework

Mission, Vision and Value Statements; Aspirational Statements

Note: Our aspirational statements explain very succinctly how we see our division working towards very specific strategic goals of: Student Learning and Wellbeing; Equitable Opportunities, Accountability For All, People Engagement and Sustainable Infrastructure.

TO BE PUBLISHED AND COMING SOON: A more comprehensive document will be released late fall/early winter detailing how we are working towards reaching each of the goals as listed in our strategic framework.

THANK YOU again to all who contributed their thoughts and opinions. They have been used to shape our future and, along with our joint continued committment to education, we will continue to work together to create bright futures for all!

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Our very special day is fast approaching! Tickets are still available so contact the Administration Office today for yours.

The Minister of Education, Honourable Russ Marchuk, has graciously agreed to join us as we kick off the school year. This is in addition to Mark Tewksbury speaking in the morning and the unveiling of our strategic plan in the afternoon by Dwayne Reeve, Director of Education. A very exciting time in GSSD!

NEWSFLASH!! Dwayne will be on CTV Talk of the Town with Bob Maloney on Monday, August 27th at 12:20 pm. This is a great opportunity to find out more about the event so tune in!

Monday, July 30, 2012

We want to share this very special day with you!

Tickets to attend the event are now on sale at a cost of $20.00 each. Click here to view a copy of the media release.

Call the Administration Office at 306-786-5500 to get yours today!

Friday, June 15, 2012

It's time! The strategic plan is ready to be unveiled!! On Wednesday, August 29th, all staff members (yes - approximately 1000 people) will gather at the Gallagher Centre FlexiHall in Yorkton for a very special start to the 2012-2013 school year.

An event of this magnitude cannot be held without a big kick off! We are very proud to announce that a nationally and internationally renowned motivational speaker has agreed to join us. Hint: MT is an Olympic and world class swimmer who is the chef de mission for the 2012 Canadian Olympic Team...need more? Click here to read the press release. We are very excited! If you have any questions, please feel free to email feedback@mail.gssd.ca.

As always, check back here as details are confirmed.

Friday, June 8, 2012

On Thursday, June 7th, a focus group of select individuals from throughout the division was held at the Gallagher Centre in Yorkton. The draft version of the mission, vision, value statements as well as the aspirational statements and strategic goals were shared with approximately 25 attendees. All were split into five groups and asked to provide their honest opinions on the work to date.

Overall, the afternoon was very positive with some suggested changes made to various parts of the plan based on feedback received. This was a very important part of the strategic planning process in that it was integral to ensure that all of the initial feedback was properly interpreted. Each and every step is pointing us towards a finished document!

Friday, June 1, 2012

Consultant Laura Soparlo joined the senior administration team to continue strategic planning work on Monday, May 28th at Fairview Education Centre. The strategic objectives were trimmed down from 16 to 15 and, at the same time, renamed to become our strategic goals. These goals cover the 4 core component areas of student and family goals, internal process goals, people capacity goals and resource stewardship/financial goals. At the same time, the newly fine-tuned mission, vision and value statements were presented as worked on by the Refinement Team.

We are in the process of preparing for a Focus Group session scheduled on Thursday, June 7th in Yorkton. A diverse group of 23 employees from throughout the division have been invited to attend asked to provide feedback on the strategic planning documents to date. We need to ensure that we have interpreted your input from earlier this year correctly. Are we headed in the right direction? Did we hear and apply the information correctly? These are the people who will be working with us in the future to live the plan and their input now is just as important as the initial feedback collected earlier this year.

Presentation of the plan is still targeted for this fall ... check back for details.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

The senior administration team continues to work with our consultant, Laura Soparlo. A meeting was held on Monday, April 30th at Fairview Education Centre to work on further defining our strategic objectives (for example, enhancement of student wellbeing and strengthening student and parent engagement to name only 2 of the possible 16). These objectives are a core component of ensuring that the strategic plan stays on course over the next 5 years. The focus group and survey feedback continue to play a key role in how these objectives are being formed and molded to best fit Good Spirit School Division.

Work on the mission, vision, values statements as well as the strategy map and strategic priorities continues to be refined. The initial completion date of fall, 2012 is still tentatively in place and guides the work being done over the next few months. It will definitely be a very busy and exciting time!

Thursday, March 29, 2012

As part of the strategic planning process, a Refinement Team has been put in place. This team, made up of 2 Board members, 2 Superintendents and the Communications Coordinator, is reviewing suggestions from strategic planning feedback to define our mission, vision and values.

The current statements will be closely scrutinized and changed to reflect our future education vision for the division. Public and staff input has proven instrumental in allowing us a better understanding and view to who we are now and where we need to be in the future.

Friday, March 2, 2012

On Thursday, March 1 and Friday, March 2, 2012, the Board of Education and senior administration team reviewed the recently collated results from the focus groups and surveys. Laura Soparlo led the discussions which included documented feedback from 19 focus groups, 4 public meetings, 508 internal staff survey respondents and 385 external general public survey respondents. The response to the board's call for input was phenomenal and provided a wealth of information to draw from.

Work on the strategic plan will continue to be refined over the next few months with an initial goal of completion and presentation in fall, 2012. Updates will be posted as available.

February, 2012

The Board of Education of the Good Spirit School Division is undertaking a strategic planning process to determine the future vision of public education division-wide. This important process allows feedback and input from many different stakeholder groups. The information and ideas collected will be collated and used to form the basis of a strategic plan for the next 5 years of division operations.

A variety of input is an integral part of this process to ensure feedback from many. Website surveys (for staff and general public), specific focus group discussions and 4 public meetings in Yorkton, Melville, Langenburg and Canora Composite were held where open, honest dialogue was encouraged. Laura Soparlo of Soparlo Consulting Inc. led the discussions. We appreciated hearing from a multitude of interested stakeholders in a variety of informative, engaging discussions.

Good Spirit School Division operates in 17 communities and each is valued for the unique qualities and perspectives they bring to our division.

THANK YOU for taking the time to participate. YOUR OPINION is key in ensuring this very important process encompasses many different views and opinions on public education.

QUESTIONS? Please call our Administration Office at 306-786-5500 (or toll free at 1-866-390-0773) for information. Also, we can be contacted via email at feedback@mail.gssd.ca.