The Lloydminster Public School Division says they’re looking forward to a good year.
With children heading back to school Tuesday, September 1, the LPSD’s Director of Education Todd Robinson said the division is ready to start the year strong.
“Last year was a great year,” Robinson said. “This year’s about just picking up and continuing to work on the things that we established last year. We’re working on continuing to try to improve literacy rates for kids in the early years, in grades one to three, obviously graduation and persistence rates for our high school students is a priority, and this year we’re focusing a lot more on wellness, both from a student perspective and a staff perspective.
Robinson says the division will also be implementing some of the lessons of child resiliency they learned from talking to therapist Dr. Michael Ungar, who hosted a talk on child resiliency in the Vic Juba Community Theatre on Thursday, August 27.
“Dr. Ungar’s message was really one around how we can structure schools and the experience that children have every day to produce resiliency in our kids,” Robinson said. “I think maybe what resonated with me about what Dr. Ungar said is that resilience isn’t inside but it’s something that we can produce, something that we can have a positive impact on. I don’t think that families are going to see a huge difference in our schools, but I think our staff are going to be more attentive to those that perhaps are in the biggest need, and also just paying attention to those things that help produce those qualities within our kids.”
Robinson also said the school division will be speaking with Dr. Ungar later in the school year.