Welcome back to the South District
Advisory Committee [SDAC] Representative’s Section (aka
Salín's Page). Here you will find a somewhat
kaleidoscopic collection of news items, mainly from the Free Press, relating to
the Winnipeg School Division, SDAC, and our Board of Trustees. Comments,
Queries and Criticisms welcomed!
November 20:
Well.... I did issue a warning that the Budget was coming and today's [Nov 20]
WFP has the first of what I expect to be many, many, articles we will
see. The link to the piece, Education Department Releases Financial Data,
appearing on Page B3 is:
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/education-department-releases-financial-data-70603797.html
And the link to the Annual Financial
Reporting and Accounting in Manitoba Education [FRAME] Report is:
http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/finance/frame_report/2009-10_frame_budget.pdf
Salín
November
19/09: The first SDAC Meeting of the
season has now been scheduled and will take place on Wednesday, November 25 @ 7pm @
·
Current educational programs and
services;
·
enrolment trends;
·
costs;
·
provincial funding levels;
·
property reassessment; and
·
taxation levels.
All SDAC
Meetings are open and members of the public are welcome to attend and observe.
Salín
November
5/09: See WFP Education Reporter Nick
Martin's blog "Free Advice for the New
Minister" re: Nancy Allan, who has replaced Peter Bjornson as the Minister of Education:
link below.
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/blogs/martin/Free-advice-for-the-new-minister-69297492.html
And...get ready, the Budget is coming, the Budget is
coming...... ! Both The Louis Riel and The Pembina Trails
School Divisions have already set Public Consultation Meetings for later this
month - not sure when the WSD will do so....but check back for an update !
Salín
Oct 29/09: Lots in today's WFP on a possible School
Vaccination Program. See the Editorial at page A14 'Flu Shots
in
School Logical', as well as Gordon Sinclair's column and the
article 'Flu-Fighting Plan Staying Pat', both of which appear
on Page A3. Also note that there is now a more user-friendly method of
accessing the WSD Absentee Reports on the WSD website (Direct Link), although
the page is still accessible through the Pandemic Planning menu item on the
left.
Salín
Oct 25/09: The October 22 Absentee Report is now up on the
WSD website: www.wsd1.org
> Choose "Pandemic Planning" from the left-hand side menu.
Salín
Oct 22/09: Canstar News "The Sou'wester":
See the Opinion 'Informed Choices Need to Be Made' at page 6 or
at
http://www.canstarnews.com/page/column/the_lance/4440 on
the October 13 directive from Education Minister Bjornson
to all School Divisions to immediately post absenteeism levels. As of October
21, no postings have been made by the WSD.
Also check out the WFP Education Reporter's online blog
[Nick Martin] 'Telling Tales out of School': on the WFP website, go to
'Opinion' and then go to 'Blog Central'. The Sept 24
entry (The Lost Art of Doing Your Sums) has an interesting bit
on the do's and don'ts of inviting media to a School, the Sept 24 entry (When There's No
Teacher Teaching) concerns the use of substitute teachers and
mentions the WSD Nutrition Policy [chocolate bar fundraising] and the Oct 1
entry [A Policy Printed In Pencil] provides more on the
unusual absenteeism reporting requirement.
Salín
October 17& 19 WFP:
For more information on how Manitoba Schools are reporting daily absences, and
how WSD compares with other Divisions, see "Absence
Rates Up In Some Schools" @ Page A8 and "Location of Three H1N1 Cases Kept
Quiet" @
Page A4. Salín
October 15 [B1]
& 16 [A3] WFP: "School
Bus Strike Looms" and "Deal Means School Buses Unlikely To
Halt". Salín
October 14 WFP:
More "conFLUsion"; Education Minister Peter Bjornson has now ordered the School Divisions to immediately post the level of absence, for each School, on a daily basis. See "Schools Ordered to Post Absence
Level" at
Page A6. Salín
October 13
WFP: "Want To Wipe Out Bullying
? Teach Kids To Help
Peers." at
Page B5 (and online, as always at www.winnipegfreepress.com) Salín
Oct 1 WFP: Oh, surprise, surprise, the Province has done a flip-flop on
the flu issue ! See
Page A4: Schools to Issue Absentee Updates and the Editorial, Welcome
Flip-Flop on H1N1, at
Page A10.
Salín
Sept 30 WFP: No Plan for H1N1 School Alerts: Parents
Won't Be Told of Cases, Absenteeism [Page A3].
Feedback is being sought: If you think a School should inform parents when
there is a suspected outbreak of H1N1 in your child's class, please contactfeedback@freepress.mb.ca.
Also see Page A13: The Costs of 'Full-Day Learning' for more on McGuinty's approach in
Salín
Sept 28 WFP:
See Dan Lett's take on the WSD's 'horribly outdated'
Transportation Policy (WSD Policy EEA, available at www.wsd1.org) and his views on Ontario
Premier Dalton McGuinty's
12-month-a-year schooling at page B1, titled "It
Takes a
September 8 WFP [B1]: "Education Pays...but so do you if you want your
kids to get one" - also available online under the title "HIGH PRICE
of Free Schooling". There is an error in the article, as the WSD
does not, as reported, "provide all
musical instruments without charge". Also note that Nick Martin,
Education Reporter, is inviting people to drop him a line, with information as
to any "unusual or unreasonable" school fees: nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca.
Salín