Grande Yellowhead Public School Division (GYPSD) stretches from Jasper National Park, east to Evansburg, south of Cadomin and northwest beyond the Town of Grande Cache. The jurisdiction includes 18 schools, five Learning Connection centers, approximately 5,000 students and 600 employees and contractors. The purpose of Grande Yellowhead’s Annual Communications Plan is to present a clear and concise framework for communicating with our school communities which is critical due to the division’s cultural and geographic diversity.
All communications strategies are directed at two types of school division audiences: internal stakeholders including students, teachers, staff, administration and Alberta Education; and external – parents, community members, elected officials, civic groups, media, businesses and other members of the GYPSD community. Strengthening internal communications is a key objective of all divisional communication strategies. In partnership with stronger internal communications, GYPSD staff’s support for, and involvement in, the development and implementation of the division’s Communications Plan is vital to its overall success. Grande Yellowhead‘s communications strategies also target our external stakeholders as a means to communicate the goals and objectives of our school division to maximize student achievement and success through public support of our schools. Two such methods include:
- Parental involvement in education: Grande Yellowhead believes that engaged parents will provide increased survey results which will help improve school functionality and the division as a whole. As well as GYPSD’s priority, increasing, meaningful family involvement is a target of the Province of Alberta.
- Increasing community engagement: community members, organizations and businesses can help make school meaningful for students by ensuring that courses are specific and applicable to students’ futures, providing work placements and bringing local expertise into schools.
The Board of Trustees approves the Annual Communications Plan in June of each school year.