Good morning.  On behalf of the Chinook Board of Education I am pleased to provide some opening remarks and welcome you to the beginning of the 2011-12 school year.  The summer months seem to pass by much too quickly but I hope your break was relaxing and that you had a chance to take some time for yourself and your family and to engage in activities that aren’t available to you during a hectic school year.

 I’d like to take you back a few years to the forming of the Chinook School Division.  In the first year the new Board created the policies and guidelines that would govern how the school division operates.  One of the areas that we spent a lot of time on was the Foundation and Direction Policies and more specifically our Vision Statement.  Chinook School Division is a good place to go to school and go to work where students are empowered to become knowledgeable, skilled and responsible citizens who recognize the value of a democratic and prosperous society.

 In 2006 I had the opportunity to address the staff at the Sunrise Celebration. At that time I spoke about the journey towards creating our very own Chinook culture.   As we enter this school year I want to tell you that the Board has been consistently impressed with the progress achieved towards becoming a truly unified organization.  We acknowledge that these achievements have been realized through significant contributions made each and every day by all staff members.  

  And the recognition goes further than our division.  On February 24^th Liam Choo-Foo and I attended Members Council in Saskatoon at which the key note speaker gave a presentation entitled Governing for Results.  During the presentation a slide showing a number of Vision Statements gleaned from various School Divisions within the province was displayed.  And I’m proud to say ours was the very first one.  I think that says a lot about our division and although Liam and I were the ones present, in reality the credit goes to all of you.

 Throughout the year the Board monitors the school system and I want to tell you we are very proud of the many accomplishments of our staff.  In my 2008 opening day remarks I stated that we were looking forward to seeing the results of the Balanced Literacy Plan.  Today I am happy to say that the Board is very pleased with what has been achieved.  We appreciate how Chinook teachers and administration work together to provide superior learning opportunities for students when the Board provides an appropriate level of resource support.  To follow-up we have committed continuing resources towards maintenance of the literacy plan, as we have to the new math initiative.

 Because the Board spends much of its time focused on broader issues of education and our meetings are at specific scheduled times, we don’t often get the chance to talk to you one on one. I would like to take this opportunity to let you know that although you may not always hear it, the work you do with and for students on a daily basis does not go unrecognized.  We realize that each and every one of you, no matter what position you hold, plays a vital role in the education of our children.  We sincerely appreciate your dedication to the Chinook community and for making the Chinook School Division a great place to work and to go to school.

 In closing our Board wishes you a successful and gratifying 2011-12 school year.
Randy Beler, Chinook Chair