CAREER CONNECTIONS

Rural Education Symposium

March 2, 2015

GOLDEN HILLS SCHOOL DIVISION #75

An Effective, Student-Centered, Community Based Model of Education

Career Connections is our
success story of offering
an effective, studentcentered, community
based model of education
in rural Alberta. Through
strong community partnerships with local businesses and organizations,
our students are engaged
in authentic, real-world,
meaningful experiences. Our students are prepared for a future where
creative thinking, critical
inquiry, collaborative
group processes, and
the ability to navigate
dynamic work environments are the foundational skills of a prosperous marketplace.
With a deeply rooted history of innovation and excellence our school produces proud, engaged,
connected citizens. Our

communities of Acme, Carbon, and Linden, are vibrant and thriving as a result of local entrepreneurs
connecting to global markets in creative, resourceful ways. Community partnerships provide seamless, personalized learning experiences for students in a way that truly
embraces an effective
model for education. These strong partnerships foster the development of valuable transferable skills. Educational and
career pathways are customised to the needs of
each student. Currently,
55% of our high school
students are involved in off
-campus learning opportunities.

meaningful learning. Our

students benefit from realworld, hands-on learning
opportunities that challenge and deepen student
understandings of classroom theory. Student engagement is high and students achieve higher results accordingly. At present, our dropout rate is
less than 2%. We are recognized as having a
longstanding history of academic excellence.
We are proud to share our
success story with you and
highlight what our learning
community and stakeholders have done to bring
about this success.

We achieve academic excellence because our students are engaged in

Strategies For Success

How We Are Different

Philosophy Based Decision-Making Filter

Community-School Liaison Volunteer

Powerful Learning: System Wide Improvement 2

Intentional Integration of Competencies K-12

Flexible Personalized Programming

Regular Communication With Partners

Our Values

Currently 55% of our students are engaged in

off-campus learning opportunities.

We have a drop-out rate of less than 2%.

We are recognized as having a longstanding

history of academic excellence.

We have a flexible timetable and school concept

that allows students to engage in personalized,
meaningful learning experiences.

CAREER CONNECTIONS

Page 2

Philosophy Based Decision Making Filter

Our decision-making
filter is a one page visual document that we
use when making decisions of any kind in our
learning community.
Essentially, we ask
ourselves four questions:
1.
Our students will earn the credentials and be engaged in learning
experiences which enable them to
be successful in life.

Will this directly

impact student
learning in a
positive way?

2.

3.

Does this support a positive

role model approachshows
the goal and
then provide the
tools to get
there?
Does this result
in the Alberta
Education prescribed curricular outcomes
being met?

4.

Does this result

in teacher(s)
meeting the
Teacher Quality
Standard?

A copy of our decision

-making filter appears
on the next page in
full.

Community-School Liaison Volunteer

Reach beyond
your walls.
Reach beyond
your self-made
limitations and
barriers. Reach
out to your
community and
create the
world that you
want to live in.

We are extremely fortunate to have Kurt Leinweber, a local business

leader volunteering as a
community-school liaison.
Mr. Leinweber helps to
bridge the gap between
the business community
and the school by effectively networking in a variety of ways.

personnel and the board

of directors of various
companies and organizations. At these meetings
Mr. Leinweber offers a
community perspective
and can speak to the
community and business
benefits of providing authentic learning opportunities to students.

Often, Mr. Leinweber

helps to arrange initial
meetings between school

Because he is wellrespected in the community many businesses will

approach him first if

they are interested in
partnering with the
school. In this way,
he is able to connect
with new businesses
and/or new partners.
Overall, having someone officially in the
role of communityschool liaison volunteer contributes greatly to our success.

Powerful Learning: System Wide Improvement

Powerful Learning
encompasses the
design and implementation of engaging classroom experiences that leads students to a deeper
understanding and
application of curricular outcomes.
Powerful Learning is
infused with high
impact strategies and

learning approaches
designed to foster
innovation and lifelong learning. It also
incorporates 21st
century learning principles and embodies
the Alberta Education's Inspiring Education statement that
all students are inspired to achieve
success and fulfill-

ment as engaged
thinkers and ethical
citizens with an entrepreneurial spirit.
The ultimate goal of
Powerful Learning is
to foster critically
thoughtful creators,
connectors and
collaborators contributing to the
world.

RURAL EDUCATION SYMPOSIUM

Page 3

Intentional, Comprehensive Integration of Competencies

Supported by the Powerful Learning framework,
we intentionally work to
integrate the following
competencies into educational experiences:
-Collaboration
-Critical and Creative
Thinking
-Innovation and Resourcefulness
-Responsibility
-Citizenship
-Wellness and Health
Promotion
-Effective Communication

-Life Long Learning

-Competition
Our community partners
support student learning
and help us to provide
everyday, real world application of the above
listed competencies.
Our partners support us
in many ways including
hosting local field trips;
sponsoring events, guest
speakers, and learning
opportunities; sharing

expertise; mentoring students; offering job shadow and employment experiences; assisting with
interviews and portfolios;
and many more.
We have designed courses specifically for developing these competencies and continue to participate actively in professional development that
fosters ongoing growth in
these areas.

Be intentional about program

delivery. Every lesson is an
opportunity to build a stronger future.

Flexible, Personalized Program Planning

Our students are lifelong
learners because we
strongly encourage them
to actively seek out and
embark on learning opportunities beyond the
school day and outside of
the school building. We
do not believe that learning should be confined by
timetables or physical
spaces.

Our timetable is designed so that our afternoon is flexible for off

campus opportunities.
Beyond the school day,
students are encouraged
to spend time off campus
in meaningful activities
including service clubs,
employment, personal
development, and extracurricular activities.

Interestingly, because of
our model we are able to
offer more options within our school day than
we have been able to
before thanks to CEU
incoming money. This
includes courses like
photography, marketingmanagement, shop,
home ec. Our role is to
facilitate this process.

Innovation comes
from a place of
discomfort and
inconvenience.
Greatness takes
hard work and
commitment over
time. This is not an
easy journey, but it
will be a great one
should you dare to
embark on it.

Regular Communication Between Stakeholders

Ongoing communication with stakeholders
is crucial. Take time to
build the program, develop those relationships, and build a team
of committed partners
with a shared vision for
your community.
Start by creating a list

of who your partners

are right now. You
might also identify partners you would like to
have. Think about who
in your community
could take on the role
of a community-school
liaison volunteer to
help you connect with
those partners.

Have a win-win conversation with your partners and take time to

create a shared vision
for your community.
Ultimately, you need to
go to where your partners are and start the
conversation on their
turf.

Build a strong team with a

shared vision that communicates regularly.

Learning and Growing Together

CAREER CONNECTIONS
Acme School
610 Walsh Ave.
Box 696
Acme, AB T0M 0A0
Phone: 403-546-3845
Fax:
403-546-2248
E-mail: Cathy.Price@ghsd75.ca

Our students are prepared for a future where

creative thinking, critical inquiry, collaborative
group processes, and the ability to navigate dynamic work environments are the foundational
skills of a prosperous marketplace.

We Are On The Web:

www.acmeschool.ca

Our Values