Northland School Division

Tansi, Edlanat’e, Greetings everyone!

First and foremost I want to thank all the staff, parents, guardians, and community members who supported the learning of our students.

To our high school graduates. Congratulations on your well-deserved achievement. As you move forward, be proud of who you are and what you have accomplished. High school completion provides you with the foundation for pursuing your goals and dreams. I also want to recognize everyone who organized the graduation events. Each event was special and it was exciting to see families and community members together celebrating future leaders. 

As a school division, we have a lot to celebrate. Earlier this year, Northland School Division was invited to speak to members of the College of Alberta School Superintendents (CASS). During the presentation, NSD shared its story of professional practice, which was published in a research study conducted by the University of Calgary, University of Alberta, University of Lethbridge, and Concordia University.

The aim of the overall study is to gain insight into the implementation of Alberta's three professional practices standards: the Teaching Quality Standard (TQS), the Leadership Quality Standard (LQS), and the Superintendent Leadership Quality Standard (SLQS). NSD's research study was one of three reports presented to the Government of Alberta.

School division leaders learned how collaboration, growth, and learning have skyrocketed since NSD developed and launched its vision for technology, teaching, learning, and leading. This approach has enabled the re-imagination of learning, new ways of working together, and increased student engagement. This includes working with Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and community members when weaving local First Nations and Métis knowledge into the learning experience.

When NSD Board and Administration purposefully invested in leveraging the use of technology to support and improve the student learning experience, it opened the door to creating more choices for how students want to learn. Examples include: 

• Students are able to attend school online. Northland Online School launched during the 2021-2022 school year. 
• Students are able to take dual credit courses. NSD has a partnership agreement with MacEwan University. This means students are able to earn high school and university credits at the same time. NSD is working on finalizing more dual-credit course agreements with other education partners. 
• Students are able to take courses available at other Northland schools. This year, for example, a Northland Online School teacher taught Career and Life Management to students in Calling Lake and Paddle Prairie. 
• Another exciting partnership NSD has is with the TELUS World of Science - Edmonton. Since the beginning of our relationship with TELUS World of Science, NSD teachers have been able to learn innovative ways to deliver science-related topics into the classroom environment. In addition, the Science in Motion team organizes science-themed events exclusively for NSD. These events have enhanced the science experience and improved student engagement. 
• NSD has an ongoing partnership with MindFuel. The partnership allows students to learn about microcontrollers and robotics!

As you can see, there are a lot of exciting opportunities for NSD students! 

To conclude, I want to thank students, parents, guardians, staff, and community members for your ongoing support, effort, and determination. 

Hai, Hai, Masi cho, Thank you. 

Have a safe and healthy summer break.  


Sincerely,


Cal Johnson
Acting Superintendent of Schools/CEO
Northland School Division