Northland School Division

Hello everyone,

The 2017-2018 school year has come to a close and it is my pleasure to thank everyone for your contributions over the past year.

It was a busy and historic school year for the jurisdiction. We embarked on a new tradition hosting Northland Day at all schools August 30th. It was exciting to see all schools participate in unison and to see students, parents and community members come together before the first day of school. I can’t wait to participate in the 2nd Annual Northland Day.

The month of October was historic for NSD. On October 16, 2017, parents and community members participated in elections for the first time since 2010 and a swearing-in ceremony for the newly elected Board of Trustees took place October 26, 2017. Since then the Board has been hard at work to establish relationships, policies and advocacy priorities.

On April 20, 2018, the Board approved a new Policy 1 Foundational Statements. The policy includes a new commitment statement “Our students love to come to school in Northland”, values (Seven Sacred Teachings), beliefs and mandate. They also approved Policy 21 - Community Voice and Community Engagement. The policy is going to help NSD with respect to how we engage with school communities and key partners. These policies put us in a better position to ensure NSD students are strong in identity, healthy and successful.

A difficult decision was made by the Board to close Dr. Mary Jackson School recently. We thank the staff, parents and community members for supporting the instructional program at Dr. Mary Jackson School.

As you know, Little Buffalo, Peerless Lake, and Kateri Schools are transitioning to Kee Tas Kee Now Tribal Council Education Authority in September 2018. It was a pleasure for NSD to support staff and student success in these school communities. As we move forward, NSD is focused on maintaining a strong partnership with KTCEA that strengthens curriculum support to staff, traditional land-based education, Indigenous language and culture, sports and recreation, flexible learning opportunities for students and health and wellness.

Whether it was NSD students shining at WE Day, witnessing Chelsea Cattroll receive the Edwin Parr Teacher Award for Zone 1, Premier Rachel Notley announcing the Mistassiniy School Modernization or NSD hosting its first ever Healthy Active School Symposium, 2017-2018 school year was memorable for many reasons.

For those leaving NSD, thank you for your service and we wish you well in your future endeavours.

I look forward to next year and our future together.

Yours in education,


Gord Atkinson
Superintendent of Schools