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Education

Around The District

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Red Deer Public Schools-2
Here are some of the events happening in the Red Deer Public School District between now and the end of the month.

MONDAY, APRIL 3
EVENT: SPELL-A-THON
School: Joseph Welsh Elementary
Time: Daily
Location: Various around School
Details: Joseph Welsh, in conjunction with the School
Council, is holding a Spell-A-Thon. Students will collect
pledges for doing their best on the Spell-A-Thon test. Anyone
wanting to contribute to the Spell-A-Thon is invited to call the
school. All funds raised are for school activities.
Contact: Rafaela Marques at 403-346-6377

MONDAY, APRIL 3
EVENT: WEAR BLUE FOR AUTISM AWARENESS
School: West Park Elementary
Time: All Day
Location: Various around School
Details: Staff and students will be wearing blue to support
Autism Awareness Day (Apr. 2) and the month of April.
Contact: Brianne Lindsay at 403-343-1838
MONDAY, APRIL 3 – FRIDAY, APRIL 7
EVENT: AUTISM AWARENESS WEEK
School: Hunting Hills High
Time: Daily
Location: Various around School
Details: Students will be working to help educate and
provide opportunities to learn about the autism spectrum
Contact: Jonathan Davies at 403-342-6655

TUESDAY, APRIL 4
EVENT: MAKERSPACE OPEN HOUSE
School: Mountview Elementary
Time: 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Location: Mountview – Makerspace Room 4
Details: Open house focused on STEM development (3D
modelling, coding, etc.)
Contact: Jeff Plackner at 403-346-5765

TUESDAY, APRIL 4
EVENT: FRENCH IMMERSION AND INTERNATIONAL
BACCALAUREATE INFO NIGHT
School: Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High
Time: FRIM: 6:30 pm; IB: 7:00 pm
Location: School Cafeteria
Details: : The information night is for the parents and
students (currently in Grade 8 French Immersion) that are
interested in continuing in the LTCHS French Immersion
and/or International Baccalaureate programs.
Contact: Dania Hill (FRIM) at 403-347-1171, ext. 1305
Dave Smith (IB) at 403-347-1171, ext. 2104

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5
EVENT: FESTIVAL OF PERFORMING ARTS SCHOOL
CHOIR PERFORMANCE
School: Joseph Welsh Elementary
Time: 9:30 am
Location: Sunnybrook United Church
Details: Students in grades 3-5 from the Joseph Welsh
School Choir will be participating in the Red Deer
Festival of the Performing Arts. The choir has prepared
two pieces. Family and friends are welcome to attend the
performance.
Contact: Alison Veldkamp at 403-346-6377

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5
EVENT: ADVANCED PLACEMENT INFORMATION
NIGHT
School: Hunting Hills High
Time: 7:00 pm
Location: School Gathering Area
Details: Parent information night for our AP program.
Contact: Sue Merry at 403-342-6655

THURSDAY, APRIL 6
EVENT: RED DEER COLLEGE PERFORMING
FRIENDS IN TIME PLAY
School: Mountview Elementary
Time: 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Location: School Gymnasium
Details: RDC students will be performing a play about
friendship for all of our grade 4 students.
Contact: Diane Roberts at 403-346-5765

SATURDAY, APRIL 8
EVENT: GRAD TIGHT N’ BRIGHT BOWLING
School: Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High
Time: 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Location: Heritage Bowling
Details: An enjoyable evening of bowling and socializing
for the 2017 Grads.
Contact: Lisa Olesen at 403-347-1171

TUESDAY, APRIL 11
EVENT: GRADE 8 ORIENTATION PARENT
INFORMATION NIGHT
School: Hunting Hills High
Time: 7:00 pm
Location: School Gathering Area
Details: Information will be shared with parents and
students to help transition new students to grade 9.
Contact: Trevor Pikkert at 403-342-6655

TUESDAY, APRIL 11
EVENT: THURBER IDOL
School: Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High
Time: 7:00 pm
Location: Memorial Centre
Details: The 14th Annual Thurber Idol features some of
the most talented students. This year’s talent includes 13
varied and impressive acts from singers to dancers, and
musicians who have been chosen from many acts that
auditioned. Tickets are $13 and are available in advance
(Apr. 6-11) at the Student Leadership Exec Offi ce during
lunch times and remaining tickets will be available at the
door.
Contact: Alan Towne at 403-347-1171, ext. 1305

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12
EVENT: KNOW A THON WRAP UP PIE IN THE FACE
School: Mattie McCullough Elementary
Time: 1:30 pm
Location: School Gymnasium
Details: Our top classes raised over $1500 each for our
Access For All playground and won the opportunity to
hit the admin in the face with a pie. Our know-a-Thon
raised over $13,700.00 for our park with phase 1 being
installed this summer.
Contact: Lisa Spicer at 403-343-8958

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12
EVENT: RED DEER PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARD
MEETING
Time: 1:00 pm
Location: Central Service Offi ce, Board Room
Details: Regular school board meeting.
Contact: Cyndi Ramsfi eld at 403-342-3713
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12
EVENT: SPRING FLING
School: Hunting Hills High
Time: 7:30 pm
Location: School Gymnasium
Details: Midsummer Night’s Dream themed dance.
Contact: Jonathan Davies at 403-342-6655
To visit the Red Deer Public Schools website CLICK HERE

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Alberta

Parents in every province—not just Alberta—deserve as much school choice as possible

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From the Fraser Institute

By Michael Zwaagstra

Not only does Alberta have a fully funded separate (Catholic) school system, it also provides between 60 and 70 per cent operational funding to accredited independent schools. In addition, Alberta is the only province in Canada to allow fully funded charter schools. And Alberta subsidizes homeschooling parents.

This week, the Smith government in Alberta will likely pass Bill 27, which requires schools to get signed permission from parents or guardians prior to any lessons on human sexuality, gender identity or sexual orientation.

It’s a sensible move. The government is proactively ensuring that students are in these classes because their parents want them there. Given the sensitive nature of these topics, for everyone’s sake it makes sense to ensure parental buy-in at the outset.

Unfortunately, many school trustees don’t agree. A recent resolution passed by the Alberta School Boards Association (ASBA) calls on the Smith government to maintain the status quo where parents are assumed to have opted in to these lessons unless they contact the school and opt their children out. Apparently, the ASBA thinks parents can’t be trusted to make the right decisions for their children on this issue.

This ASBA resolution is, in fact, a good example of the reflexive opposition by government school trustees to parental rights. They don’t want parents to take control of their children’s education, especially in sensitive areas. Fortunately, the Alberta government rebuffed ASBA’s demands and this attempt to abolish Bill 27 will likely fall on deaf ears.

However, there’s an even better safeguard available to Alberta parents—school choice. Out of all Canadian provinces, Alberta offers the most school choice. Not only does Alberta have a fully funded separate (Catholic) school system, it also provides between 60 and 70 per cent operational funding to accredited independent schools. In addition, Alberta is the only province in Canada to allow fully funded charter schools. And Alberta subsidizes homeschooling parents. Simply put, parents who are dissatisfied with the government school system have plenty of options—more than parents in any other province. This means Alberta parents can vote with their feet.

Things are quite different in other parts of the country. For example, Ontario and the four Atlantic provinces do not allow any provincial funding to follow students to independent schools. In other words, parents in these provinces who choose an independent school must pay the full cost themselves—while still paying taxes that fund government schools. And no province other than Alberta allows charter schools.

This is why it’s important to give parents as much school choice as possible. Given the tendency of government school boards to remove choices from parents, it’s important that all parents, including those with limited means, have other options available for their children.

Imagine if the owners of a large grocery store tried to impose their dietary preferences by removing all meat products and telling customers that the only way they could purchase meat is to make a special order. What would happen in that scenario? It depends on what other options are available. If this was the only grocery store in the community, customers would have no choice but to comply. However, if there were other stores, customers could simply shop elsewhere. Choice empowers people and limits the ability of one company to limit the choices of people who live in the community.

Think of government school boards as a monopolistic service provider like a grocery store. They often do everything possible to prevent parents from going anywhere else for their children’s education. Trusting them to do what’s best for parents and children is like assuming that the owners of a grocery store would always put the interests of their customers first and not their own self-interest. Monopolies are bad in the private sector and they’re bad in the education sector, too.

Clearly, it makes sense to require schools to get proactive consent from parents. This ensures maximum buy-in from parents for whatever courses their children take. It’s also important that Alberta remains a bastion of school choice. By making it easier for parents to choose from a variety of education options, Alberta puts power in the hands of parents, exactly where it belongs. Parents in other provinces should want that same power, too.

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Alberta

Province investing in support for financial literacy in schools

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Financial literacy prepares students for their futures

Students across Alberta will build the fundamental life skills they need to grow into adulthood through support for financial literacy programming.

Saving, budgeting, investing and the ability to make wise financial decisions are fundamental life skills Alberta’s youth need to develop as they grow into adulthood. Alberta’s government is ensuring that students have every opportunity to develop these fundamental life skills by integrating financial literacy into the K-12 curriculum and providing grant funding to three Canadian organizations to offer dedicated financial learning resources for students and teachers.

“We are proud to support financial literacy programming for students. Our on-going support for financial literacy education will help young Albertans navigate their futures with confidence by helping them build the fundamental life skills they need to prosper and secure their futures in today’s fast-moving world.”

Demetrios Nicolaides, Minister of Education 

In May 2022, Alberta’s government invested $5 million over three years into financial literacy programming to ensure students have the financial knowledge they need to thrive in life. Enriched Academy receives $900,000 per year and the Canadian Foundation for Economic Education receives $500,000 per year to provide students in grades 5 to 12 with financial literacy programming, aligned with the curriculum, to improve their financial knowledge. In addition, Junior Achievement receives $250,000 per year to provide hands-on, experiential financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship education to students in kindergarten to Grade 6.

“Our support for financial literacy programming will set Alberta’s youth up for success. This programming will ensure that Alberta’s youth develop the fundamental life skills they need to manage their personal finances, make sound financial decisions, and grow into adulthood with confidence.”

Nate Horner, President of Treasury Board and Minister of Finance 

Free financial literacy webinar

Some of the funding provided will support Enriched Academy hosting a free live webinar for grades 4 to 12 students and teachers on Tuesday, November 26, as part of their financial literacy programming. The webinar will teach students how to build their credit with confidence and will feature an interactive gameshow format to engage and motivate students to learn how credit works and how to manage credit and their personal finances with confidence. Students and teachers who are interested in participating can register for the webinar online.

“Our partnership with the Government of Alberta has enabled us to deliver transformational financial literacy education to nearly six hundred thousand students across the province. As a high school teacher, I’ve witnessed firsthand how financial literacy education empowers students, increasing their confidence in money management and preparing them to be financially responsible. Investments in financial literacy are investments in our students’ futures, and I’m already seeing it pay dividends for Alberta students.”

Sonya Fox, Alberta director, Enriched Academy 

Teachers can also access lesson plans, activities, and interactive tools from all three organizations’ websites to support financial literacy learning outcomes in Alberta’s curriculum.

Quick facts

  • Financial literacy programming offered by the three organizations reaches more than 350,000 students annually.
  • Alberta’s renewed K-6 curriculum includes an increased emphasis on financial literacy skills, as well as a stronger foundation in financial literacy in all grades.

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