Answers to Trustee Forum Question #2

Here is my response to the 2nd question asked at the Red Deer Public Trustee Forum last week.

Question #2. How do you believe parents and the community can play a greater role in student learning and our education system and how would you move this forward?

Communication is very important and we need to work on improving it. 

Electing a student trustee – lets here their insights at Board meetings. I will advocate for a student trustee to be elected to the Board. This will add a student’s perspective to discussions and provide insights that Board members do not possess on contemporary issues relevant to students like cyber bullying and technology usage in schools.

When the Inspiring Education Student Learning Assessment is given early in the year in Grades 3, 6 and 9 use it as a conversation starter with your child’s teacher.

Join your School Council and have input on the decisions they make.

Invite your Trustee to attend your School Council meetings. Let them hear and see what your school is up to. This will help trustees keep in touch with the great things your School Council & school are doing. Trustees should also ask to attend meetings.

Contact your MLA and the Minister of Education and lobby for adequate funding for education:
- right now funding not keeping up with inflation.
- talk about decreasing class sizes
- provide proper supports for inclusion

Schools have business partners, but we need to invite other businesses in to work and talk to our students like Mountview Grade 3 teacher Amanda Wilson, who invited a computer design company into her classroom to present to her class.

Students learn by experience. To help improve this experience the District must build more bridges between schools, businesses and the community. How can this be done? Invite businesses and non-profits like the Food Bank, SPCA, and many others, in to speak to students. Take classes to see businesses and non-profits in action. Work with the Chamber of Commerce.

Any of you who know me know that I along with the Aspen Heights School MicroSociety Committee worked hard to establish relationships with variety of businesses and non-profits. Some examples: students toured Servus, Costco, Raised money for the SPCA, Slave Lake Fire, toured the Food Bank and much more. Lets involve the community in 21 Century education.

“Lets prepare our students for their future”