September 16, 2022

Gearing up for a great Fall!

Welcome back to the start of a new school year!

And we are so pleased to extend a very warm PSBAA welcome to Lethbridge School Division, whose trustees joined the Association earlier this summer. We sent out a news release at the time, and you can read it by clicking here.

I hope you had a wonderful and restful summer and were able to recharge and relax with family and friends. Those personal connections are so important, especially as we gear up for the busy fall season.

Within PSBAA, we also had an opportunity to connect with many of our members in mid-August, at our Professional Learning day and PSBC meeting. I love these gatherings. There’s nothing like meeting in person, having those conversations with other trustees, and feeling the energy in the room. If you weren’t able to join us in August, we hope you’ve already registered for PSBAA’s Fall Conference and AGM, October 12-14.

At our August PSBC, I was reminded yet again of the importance and value of our members’ voices. Our Trends and Issues in K-12 Education session featured some frank appraisals of the challenges and opportunities currently facing education and public schools. Thank you to everyone for your thoughtful contributions and your passion for these conversations. Because of your support, ongoing input, and feedback, we are able to offer events and services that are second to none, and that help equip you in your work as a trustee. You are truly why we are here.

We will have the second part of the Trends and Issues conversation at November’s PSBC, and we hope to see you there. Our work continues with our external consultant on development of PSBAA’s new strategic plan, and we will present a final review of that plan in November. Here again, the voice of all our members is so important. Thank you to everyone who has participated in the stakeholder survey, provided feedback at SGA and at August PSBC, and continues to share your good ideas with us for additional ways to offer member value. Keep the great ideas coming!

All in all, this promises to be an exciting and productive fall. We continue to be at your service, and we wish you all the very best for a successful and enjoyable 2022-2023 school year!

Dennis MacNeil,
PSBAA President