​The Saskatoon Public Schools Foundation is off to an exciting start to the new school year after celebrating with its Autumn Social & Celebrity Roast featuring Chief Darcy Bear and former city councillor Tiffany Paulsen held Nov. 2.

The foundation is an independent charity dedicated to enhancing learning opportunities for students at Saskatoon Public Schools and celebrating the vital role that public education plays in our society. The foundation and its partners support programs and initiatives that go above and beyond the school division's mandate and regular operations.  

This past year the foundation focused on renewal and growth, beginning with the launch of an exciting new strategic plan featuring three key focus areas: 

• Literacy: Essential skills that help us understand, belong and contribute to our communities
• Healthy Active Schools:  Learning environments that promote physical activity and student wellness
• Empowering Innovation: Accelerating creativity in education and inspiring new opportunities for learning

Some of the major initiatives during the past year include:

• The expansion of the successful Early Learner Tutor Program — which pairs struggling readers in grades one to three with an experienced tutor — to 18 schools. A partnership with READ Saskatoon was introduced as a way of enhancing family and community engagement activities.
• Summer Reading Camps held at 14 schools welcomed more than 200 students for a two-week experience designed to prevent learning loss over the summer months.
• Support of school-based nutrition programs through the PotashCorp Food4Thought Nutrition Program and PotashCorp's contribution of $150,000 was celebrated. The program helped provide over 855,000 servings of healthy food to students in 19 schools.  
• A total of $40,000 was awarded through Programs of Excellence Grants to support school initiatives such as: Bedtime Book Club at Mayfair School, physical literacy backpacks, art and song by SPS Indigenous Ensemble, Tommy Douglas Collegiate eco-club solar power project, and a group for Grade 7-8 girls at Prince Phillip School.
• The Cameco Centre of Excellence completed its third year of programming at Bedford Road Collegiate.
• The foundation received outstanding support for two major fundraisers, with $40,000 being raised during the 2016 Autumn Social & Celebrity Roast and nearly $20,000 from the Drive Fore Literacy Golf Tournament, which was organized by teachers and staff. Many staff also supported the foundation by choosing to donate through a payroll giving program.

More information about the foundation is available at spsfoundation.ca