With the start of the 2013 -2014 school year this past week, Alberta Education is helping students, parents, and teachers get a head start.
    Those getting ready for school are encouraged to head to www.education.alberta.ca/backtoschool to learn more about the current curriculum and useful resources for school.
    For students, there is information regarding their curriculum, helpful study tips, and links to bullying prevention. Students can also learn ways to develop their leadership skills.

Students, parents, and teachers can get a head start on preparing for the upcoming school year. Alberta Education has posted a bevy of tools to teach about the current curriculum, study habits, homework advice and more. The site can be found at www.education.alberta.ca/backtoschool.

    Parents can find useful resources to be more involved in their child’s education, such as a toolkit that breaks down the curriculum of each grade and subject level, providing details on what students will learn and how they may be assessed. Parents will also find tips for helping with homework, resources for supporting a healthy lifestyle, and information on out-of-school care.
    Teachers can find information on curriculum implementation, high school completion programs, digital citizenship, teaching resources, and creating welcoming education environments.

    LAst week, students across Alberta started heading back to the classrooms. For students in Golden Hills, they may see some new faces teaching them this year.
    Golden Hills School Division saw a few retirements over the summer and are welcoming 25 new teachers across the division.
    “We have a number of new staff members across the district and we have some orientations planned. I think we have about 25 new staff participating in the orientations. We’re excited to have them join us,” said Golden Hills Superintendent Bevan Daverne. “We’re very much looking forward to the new school year.”

Bevan Daverne...
Superintendent of Golden Hills School Division

    In addition, students may start to notice a change in the way they are taught, as the division changes its overall teaching style.
    “We’re continuing to work on instruction and changes to instruction. We’re concerned students are prepared for a world where it’s important to be connected and collaborate with people from all over and who are creative,” “Employers are looking for people who are creative, can problem solve, and work well with others, so those are skills we have been working on teaching to our students,” said Daverne.
    “It’s a shift to classrooms that are much more project oriented, where you collaborate with others, are creative, and encourage the use of technology.”
    Student enrollment is projected to remain consistent with previous years.
    “Our projections are student enrollment will be about the status quo. We have growth in some areas and other communities are declining a little bit,” said Daverne.
    However, the largest development in Golden Hills, the proposed Wheatland East School, will have its fate determined tomorrow at a meeting of Wheatland County Council. The new school is meant to combat declining enrollment and resources in Wheatland County’s rural schools.
    “We have a redesignation hearing on August 29. We’re looking forward to that decision. If we have a positive response from them, then we will get going on construction and other items. We’re hoping to be open in September 2016. Parents across the area have been commenting and, I think it’s fair to say, they’re anxious for us to get going. We are too,” said Daverne. “It’ll be great to have a new school serving the communities in east Wheatland.”