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More staff and teachers hired at Red Deer Public Schools

Sep 1, 2018 | 4:05 PM

New staff and new teachers have been hired to help accommodate a growing student population in the Red Deer Public School District this fall.

Officials say student enrolment within the city of Red Deer is expected to exceed 11,000 students in 2018-2019. As a result, 62 new staff, including 40 teachers have been hired to help address the increase.

In a press release, Board of Trustees Chair Bev Manning says staff are ready for another great year.

“We are a school district that values people, diversity, and strives to inspire learning and nurture hope in every student,” states Manning. “We are concerned not with just our priorities of Literacy and Numeracy, Equity, Student Success and Completion, but we recognize that we also teach and model our values – values such as honesty, integrity, and respect. We want all of our students to grow into well rounded, good citizens, who care for themselves and others.”

District officials point out a number of new initiatives this year, including a focus on mental health.

“We have launched our Valuing Mental Health Initiative and every one of our staff will undergo training throughout the year from the Neufeld Institute,” adds Superintendent Stu Henry. “Like the Making Sense of Anxiety module geared towards Grades 9-12, which will develop staff knowledge and skills in this area. We will be the only school district in Canada to have all staff trained in something like this.”

He goes on to say, “We recognize that mental health and wellness have become growing issues for students, staff and families across our community. By enhancing the capacity of staff across the District, we are better able to meet the needs across our schools and District.”

Henry highlights that staff will also be trained in the Respect in School program, part of Red Deer Public Schools commitment to Sheldon Kennedy’s foundation after being inspired by his visit to the community last year.

“This program will equip our staff with the knowledge to understand, help prevent and respond to incidents of bullying, abuse, harassment and discrimination.”

In addition and as part of the new Valuing Mental Health initiative, officials say a new Coordinator of Student Services position has been created to assist in system coordination and District-wide leadership. Child and adolescent therapists have also been contracted through a partnership with Alberta Health Services, thanks to the District’s support of this initiative and a Valuing Mental Health provincial grant.

Ensuring schools remain safe places for all staff and students is also the purpose of a new initiative that includes the implementation of a District-wide emergency response protocol via Hour Zero. All staff throughout the District will undergo training this fall.

As well, construction on the rebuild of West Park Middle School continues and should be completed in September of 2019.

Other district priorities are said to include equity of opportunity so that all students achieve their educational potential through excellence in instruction; a reduction of barriers and engaging the community on the values of Red Deer Public Schools.

The District’s Pyramid of Supports model will also be utilized to provide universal, targeted and specialized supports for students.

“Our staff does an amazing job each and every day,” states Manning. “We appreciate their service and hard work on behalf of our students and their families. This year we will again focus on supporting them in doing the human work which we call public education, it’s the most important work there is.”