Paddle Prairie School Board, Calendar, Office Hours & Meetings
If you searched for a “Paddle Board of Education,” the local structure is a little different from a U.S. school-board system. Paddle Prairie School does not operate under a separate Paddle Board of Education. The K–12 school is part of Northland School Division, and Paddle Prairie Métis Settlement is represented on the division’s elected Board of Trustees through Ward 1.
For families in Paddle Prairie, that means school questions usually go directly to Paddle Prairie School, while trustee, policy and formal board-meeting questions go through Northland School Division. This guide separates those routes so you can find the right calendar, office, meeting or contact without calling the wrong place.
Who actually handles education in Paddle Prairie?
Paddle Prairie School is the local K–12 school in Paddle Prairie Métis Settlement. School-level questions go to the principal, vice-principal or school office. Division-wide policy, trustee representation and public board meetings belong to Northland School Division’s Board of Trustees.
Important terminology: Northland uses Board of Trustees, not “Paddle Board of Education.” Keeping that distinction matters when you search for meetings, policies, trustee contacts or official documents.
Paddle Prairie School vs. Northland Board of Trustees
The fastest route depends on the type of question. A local school issue should normally stay with Paddle Prairie School. A governance issue belongs at the school-division level.
Contact Paddle Prairie School for
Student attendance, classroom questions, local school events, registration follow-up, student records, school-day questions, local bus information and family communication.
Use Northland School Division for
Division calendar, transportation administration, central-office services, division-wide programs, policies, executive administration and records that are not school-specific.
Use the Board of Trustees for
Trustee representation, public board meetings, agendas, minutes, governance policies, board decisions and broader division direction.
Student privacy: do not place a child’s private education, health, discipline or family information into a public Board meeting discussion. Contact the school or division privately for student-specific issues.
Northland School Division Board meetings for 2026–27
Northland publishes its Board meeting schedule by school year. As of October 2, 2026, the September organizational and regular meetings have already taken place. The next listed Board meeting is October 16.
| Date | Time | Format | What to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sept. 25, 2026 | 9:00–10:00 a.m. | In person | Organizational Meeting; completed. |
| Sept. 25, 2026 | 10:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. | In person | Regular Board Meeting; agenda and agenda package posted. |
| Oct. 16, 2026 | 2:00–4:00 p.m. | In person | Next listed Board meeting. Recheck the official meeting page before attending. |
| Nov. 18, 2026 | 9:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. | In person | Verify agenda and public-access details when posted. |
| Jan. 30, 2027 | 9:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. | In person | 2027 Board meeting. |
| Feb. 27, 2027 | 9:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. | In person | 2027 Board meeting. |
| Mar. 20, 2027 | 9:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. | In person | 2027 Board meeting. |
| Apr. 24, 2027 | 9:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. | In person | 2027 Board meeting. |
| May 29, 2027 | 9:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. | In person | 2027 Board meeting. |
| June 30, 2027 | 9:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. | In person | Final meeting currently listed for the school year. |
Meeting location caution: the current schedule marks these meetings as “In Person,” but the schedule listing does not provide a venue beside every future meeting. Do not assume Paddle Prairie School or Peace River Central Office is the meeting location. Check the posted agenda before travelling.
The Board Meetings page is where Northland publishes dates plus agendas, agenda packages, minutes and highlights as they become available.
Open Northland Board Meetings →How to check a Northland Board meeting before you attend
Open Board Meetings
Start from the current Northland governance page rather than an old PDF found through search.
Choose the correct school year
The page separates 2026–27 meetings from the previous 2025–26 archive.
Open the meeting entry
Look for the current Agenda or Agenda Package. Future meetings may not have documents posted yet.
Use minutes after the meeting
Agenda material explains what is scheduled. Minutes are the better source for the official meeting record after posting.
Confirm how the public can participate
For special or virtual meetings, Northland may publish a specific contact or access instruction. Follow the notice attached to that meeting rather than assuming every meeting works the same way.
Who represents Paddle Prairie on the Northland Board?
Jonelle Laboucane — Ward 1 Trustee
Ward 1 represents Paddle Prairie Métis Settlement and Keg River. Northland’s current trustee page lists Jonelle Laboucane as the Ward 1 trustee.
Trustee phone: 780-219-8305
Northland directs trustee email enquiries through its official Contact Us form.
Current Board leadership
Board Chair: Tanya Fayant, Ward 5.
Vice-Chair: Robin Guild, Ward 7.
They were selected again for those leadership roles during the September 25, 2026 Organizational Meeting.
Trustees and officer roles can change after elections, by-elections or organizational meetings.
Open Northland Board of Trustees →Paddle Prairie School hours vs. Northland Central Office hours
This is one area where it is important not to fill in a missing detail. Paddle Prairie School’s official contact page gives the address, phone and fax, but it does not currently publish general school-office opening hours.
Paddle Prairie School office
Published contact: 780-981-2124.
Published office hours: not listed on the official school Contact page.
Call before making a special trip, particularly for records, registration paperwork or an appointment with administration.
Northland Central Office
Monday–Friday: 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Statutory holidays: closed.
Northland states that its regular Central Office hours resumed August 17, 2026 following summer hours.
Paddle Prairie school calendar: dates families should know
Paddle Prairie follows the Northland School Division calendar. The Board approved the 2026–27 school calendar with September 8 as the first day for students and June 29 as the final student day.
| Date | Calendar item | Family note |
|---|---|---|
| Sept. 8, 2026 | First day for students | 2026–27 classes begin. |
| Sept. 30, 2026 | National Day for Truth and Reconciliation | Non-operational day. |
| Oct. 8, 2026 | Professional Development Day | No school for students. |
| Oct. 9, 2026 | Staff Wellness Day | No school for students. |
| Oct. 12, 2026 | Thanksgiving Day | Schools and Central Office closed. |
| Nov. 2, 2026 | In lieu of Métis Settlements Proclamation Day | Schools and Central Office closed. |
| Nov. 11, 2026 | Remembrance Day | Schools and Central Office closed. |
| Nov. 27, 2026 | Professional Development Day | No school for students. |
| Dec. 21, 2026–Jan. 3, 2027 | Christmas Break | No school for staff or students. |
| Jan. 4, 2027 | Classes resume | Central Office also reopens. |
| Mar. 26–Apr. 2, 2027 | Spring Break period | Schools resume April 5. |
| June 21, 2027 | National Indigenous Peoples Day | Schools and Central Office closed. |
| June 29, 2027 | Last day for students | Final student instructional day listed. |
| June 30, 2027 | Last day for staff | End of staff calendar. |
The online calendar is better for updated events; the approved school-year calendar is useful for planning the whole year.
Open Northland Division Calendar →School address, leadership and contact details
Use the school’s own contact page if you need to send a message or confirm a visit.
Open Paddle Prairie School Contact →Why Paddle Prairie’s education structure is different from a city BOE
Paddle Prairie School serves the Paddle Prairie Métis Settlement in northern Alberta. The school describes the community as about 70 kilometres south of High Level, along Highway 35, with English and Cree identified in its community profile.
Northland School Division serves schools across municipalities, Métis Settlements and First Nation reserves in northern Alberta. That is why trustee representation is organized by wards and communities rather than around a single city Board of Education.
Local school level
Paddle Prairie School handles day-to-day K–12 education and family-school communication.
Ward level
Ward 1 connects Paddle Prairie Métis Settlement and Keg River with an elected Northland trustee.
Division level
The Board of Trustees governs Northland School Division, approves division policy and meets publicly on its published schedule.
How to register a student for Paddle Prairie School
For the 2026–27 school year, Northland directs new families to its current student-registration process and then asks families to contact their local school to complete registration.
Use the current Northland registration form
Start from the division’s Student Registration Forms area rather than relying on an older Paddle Prairie form that may display a previous school year.
Prepare identity or residency documentation
Northland’s 2026–27 back-to-school guidance says new students need a registration form plus one of the listed documents such as a birth certificate, residency document, Canadian citizenship document or passport.
Contact Paddle Prairie School
After the form step, contact the school to complete the local registration process and confirm any school-specific requirements.
Ask separately about kindergarten
Northland notes that kindergarten start dates can vary by school, so families should confirm directly with Paddle Prairie School.
Old-form warning: Paddle Prairie’s school registration page still contains older school-year wording. For a new 2026–27 registration, use Northland’s current division registration guidance first and contact the school for completion.
Paddle Prairie bus registration and live bus status
Paddle Prairie School’s home page includes live bus-status information. Northland’s 2026–27 back-to-school guidance also tells families to register for busing and contact the school if a Northland student still needs a bus arrangement.
Current student
If your child attends a Northland school and bus registration still needs attention, Northland directs families to contact their local school.
Live status
Check Paddle Prairie School’s home page before travel for route-specific status. The site displays active bus information rather than requiring families to rely on an old schedule.
What is happening with the new Paddle Prairie School?
The Alberta Government has approved planning funding for a replacement Paddle Prairie School. Northland held a community engagement session in September 2026 so families and community members could share priorities for learning spaces, programs, recreation, community use, technology, accessibility and overall design.
This is currently a planning project, not a completed replacement school. Alberta’s active-school-project listing also identifies Paddle Prairie under Northland School Division with funding approval at the planning stage.
Why this matters locally: Board agendas and highlights can include updates on the Paddle Prairie replacement project. If you are following the project, check both Northland’s Board meeting documents and the Paddle Prairie School news feed.
School project news
Alberta project status
Northland leadership changed for the 2026–27 school year
Northland’s current Executive Team page lists Murray Marran as Superintendent of Schools/CEO effective September 1, 2026. That is important because older Board documents and 2025–26 news may still name Cal Johnson.
Use current pages for current names: when researching a superintendent, trustee or school administrator, do not treat an older agenda or news release as a current staff directory.
Fix the most common Paddle Prairie education search mistakes
“I can’t find Paddle Board of Education.”
Search Northland School Division Board of Trustees. Paddle Prairie is represented through Ward 1, not a separate local Board of Education.
“I need the school office hours.”
The official school Contact page does not publish daily school-office hours. Call 780-981-2124 before visiting.
“I need the next Board meeting.”
Use Northland’s live Board Meetings page. As of Oct. 2, 2026, Oct. 16 is the next listed meeting.
“I found an old superintendent.”
Check the current Executive Team. Murray Marran became Superintendent of Schools/CEO effective Sept. 1, 2026.
“The registration page shows an old year.”
Use Northland’s current 2026–27 registration guidance and contact Paddle Prairie School rather than relying only on the older school form wording.
“I need the new school project status.”
The replacement project is in planning. Check Northland Board updates, school news and Alberta’s active-school-project page for later changes.
Official Paddle Prairie and Northland links
Paddle Prairie school board FAQs
Is there a Paddle Board of Education?
There is no separate official entity called the Paddle Board of Education. Paddle Prairie School is governed within Northland School Division, whose elected governing body is the Board of Trustees.
Which trustee represents Paddle Prairie?
Jonelle Laboucane is the current Ward 1 trustee representing Paddle Prairie Métis Settlement and Keg River.
When is the next Northland Board meeting?
As of October 2, 2026, the next listed meeting is October 16, 2026 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and is marked as in person. Always recheck the official Board Meetings page before attending.
What are Northland Central Office hours?
Regular Central Office hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The office is closed on statutory holidays.
What are Paddle Prairie School office hours?
The school’s current official Contact page does not publish general office-opening hours. Call 780-981-2124 before making a special trip.
What grades does Paddle Prairie School teach?
Paddle Prairie School’s current school profile lists Kindergarten through Grade 12.
Who is the principal of Paddle Prairie School?
Melanie Lapp is the principal. Mandy Mercredi is the vice-principal for the 2026–27 school year.
When did the 2026–27 school year start?
The Northland 2026–27 calendar lists September 8, 2026 as the first day for students.
When is the last day of school in 2027?
The approved calendar lists June 29, 2027 as the last day for students and June 30 as the last day for staff.
How do I register a student at Paddle Prairie School?
Use Northland School Division’s current registration forms, prepare the requested identity or residency documentation and then contact Paddle Prairie School to complete the local process.
Is a new Paddle Prairie School being built?
A replacement Paddle Prairie School has received provincial planning funding. The project is in the planning stage; families should check current Northland and Alberta project updates for later milestones.
Where is Paddle Prairie School?
The school lists its address as PO Box 40, 1920 Wolf Trail, Paddle Prairie, Alberta T0H 2W0.
Use the school for local issues and Northland for governance
For a classroom, attendance, student record, school event or local registration question, start with Paddle Prairie School. For trustee representation, Board meetings, agendas, division policy or Central Office information, use Northland School Division.
Live information wins: school calendars, Board dates, office closures, staff roles and project milestones can change. Use the official links above when the timing of your visit, meeting or submission matters.
Independent information guide: BoardofEducations.org is not Paddle Prairie School, Northland School Division, the Northland Board of Trustees or the Government of Alberta.