FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 27, 2003

Great things can happen when you Dare to Dream: Beyond Today
Great things are happening at the Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board (HPEDSB). The Board’s 2002–2004 System Strategic Plan - Dare to Dream: Beyond Today is being shared with all staff to reinforce the Board’s commitment to the plan, and emphasize how everyone has a role to play in the overall goal of supporting learning/instruction.

In the spring of 2002, the Board began the process to redefine its guiding directions for the 2002–2004 school years, setting the Board on a clearly marked path to allow staff—teaching and non-teaching—to work together to focus efforts on creating superior learning opportunities for students.

“Dare to Dream: Beyond Today is the culmination of input from many people within our school board who believe it is important to plan for our journey towards educational excellence,” remarks Director of Education Larry Langdon. “Through sharing this plan with our staff and community stakeholders, we commit ourselves to revisit our goals regularly and to stay focused towards the end result.”

To promote the plan and describe how all staff have a role to play in ensuring its success, Mr. Langdon is visiting with all staff throughout January to March Break. Everyone will be given a copy of the strategic plan to keep as a reference piece.

Chair of the Board, Judy Edgar, gives the Board’s full support to the strategic plan. “One of the strongest components of this plan is the inclusion of Indicators of Success. It is vital for the Board of Trustees, as elected representatives of the community, to know how the organization is performing compared to benchmarks embedded in the plan,” she says. “I am proud of our students, staff, volunteers, community partners and trustees who endeavour to make our Board A Great Place to Learn and A Great Place to Work,” she adds.

The 2002–2004 System Strategic Plan is dynamic, designed to respond to external factors. We commit to monitoring our progress on the strategic planning journey through:
• updates to Administrative Council three times a year;
• progress reports to the Board twice a year;
• a formative review by the Director of Education prior to the end of the first year, with a focus on Indicators of Success;
• a summative review by the Director of Education at the end of the second year, with reference to the Indicators of Success.

Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board has 54 schools, over 18,900 students, and covers a wide geographical area from Quinte West to the west, Maynooth to the north, Prince Edward County to the south, and Deseronto to the east.

For information contact :
• Judy Edgar, Chair of the Board, 921-3203 or (613) 332-1480
• Kerry Donnell, Communications Officer,(613) 966-1170 x2354