CTR CATHOLIC BOARD HIGHLIGHTS
from Board Meeting held on October 22, 2022
CTR BOARD OF TRUSTEES - STRATEGIC PLAN
To ensure they are fully informed, trustees reviewed their strategic plan. Trustees already attend meetings of school councils, wards and the Liaison Committee. Added to this will be attendance at superchats (school meetings with teachers, administration and superintendents) and upcoming community influencer engagement sessions. Students and staff will also be presenting at Board meetings.
NEW TRUSTEE - CANMORE-BOW VALLEY ELECTORAL SUBDIVISION
The Board is pleased to announce that John-David Bogdanowski has been acclaimed as the trustee for the Canmore-Bow Valley Electoral Subdivision. Mr. Bogdanowski is a retired teacher with 20 years of experience and has resided in Canmore since 2008 (for more information, click here). Mr. Bogdanowski will be sworn in at the November 24th Board meeting.
CONSISTENT COMMUNICATIONS
In response to parent feedback, each school now has a designated Communications Lead. These leads attended a PD with Communications Director Cindy Nickerson to identify best practices for the dissemination of information. This change results from the trustees’ influencer engagement session held at the Council of School Councils meeting in May 2022.
MAJOR CAPITAL PLANS
The Board is excited to report that a building has been identified in High River as a potential new home for St. Luke's Outreach Facility. An offer of purchase is pending on CTR's due diligence being conducted. Also generating excitement is the possible modernization of facilities at Sacred Heart Academy and Holy Cross Collegiate in Strathmore pending provincial approval.
ASPIRING LEADERS
Trustees heard that to promote teacher development, CTR will host three interactive webinars for aspiring leaders in 2022-2023. The sessions will focus on three recently appointed vice principals and the informal leadership they demonstrated as teachers that assisted them in transitioning into formal leadership positions in CTR.
SUPPORT FOR DYSREGULATED STUDENTS
Student Services was recognized by the Board for their response to an increase in dysregulated students. Their response includes offering training for existing and new ARC (attachment, regulation and competency) EAs, hiring of additional EAs, working with learning support coordinators, focusing on student relationships and creating safe spaces for students.
ÉCOLE GOOD SHEPHERD SCHOOL
The province requested a visioning/value management session be held to assess both renovation work and costs for École Good Shepherd School and costs for a new build on the designated school site in D'arcy. It is expected that CTR administration will meet with the Ministry and building professionals by the end of November.
WE'RE GOING TO DISNEYLAND!
Trustees approved travel for band students from Notre Dame Collegiate and Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Academy in May of 2023. These students will join St. Joseph's Collegiate students on their trip to Disneyland. International trips are approved on the condition that destinations continue to be stable and safe.
TECHNOLOGY REVIEW
Trustees discussed the qualifications of the possible consultants identified to conduct the technology review. A unanimous decision was made by the trustees as to the consultant they wished to move forward with. Administration will proceed based on that recommendation.
POLICY DEVELOPMENT AND REVIEW COMMITTEE
Trustee Gustafson (Okotoks) advised that the Committee recently reviewed Board Policies 1 through 5, with no substantive changes noted. These policies set out the divisional foundation statements, the roles of the board, trustees and board chair, and the trustee code of conduct. All Board policies can be viewed here.
HIGH RIVER WARD
Trustee MacDonald (High River) looks forward to attending with students from St. Luke’s Outreach as they hear the childhood story of Father Marius Sztuk (St. Francis de Sales, High River) and his path to becoming a priest. Father Marius is a captive storyteller and his story will no doubt include reference to his motorcycle adventures.
STRATHMORE WARD
Vice Chair Salm (High River) reported on the Champions' Program currently in place at Holy Cross Collegiate in which Principal Lavern Evans and VP Art Hanson monitor and follow up with at-risk students to ensure they receive support to keep up with their schoolwork. Similar programs exist at each CTR school.
THANK YOU!
Board members wish to thank the staff, parents and students of Oyen's Assumption Roman Catholic School and Fr. Rodel for hosting the Board meeting this month. Board members were fortunate to be included in the school's student-led mass, potluck supper and outdoor movie night.
ALBERTA CATHOLIC SCHOOLS TRUSTEES' ASSOCIATION (ACSTA)
At their fall general meeting, ACSTA will present their proposed bylaws and budget for adoption. Trustee Gustafson (Okotoks) indicated that changes to the bylaws were made to modernize wording. The budget includes a slight increase in membership fees and shows a deficit which is offset by reserves. Trustees will attend the ACSTA FGM November 18-20, 2022.
ALBERTA SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION (ASBA)
Trustees will also attend ASBA's fall general meeting on November 20-22, 2022. Given ASBA's proposed resolutions were received the day of the Board meeting, the Board's Emergent Issues Feedback Committee will meet on November 2, 2022, to review and consider potential implications those resolutions could have on CTR.
TEACHERS' EMPLOYER BARGAINING ASSOCIATION (TEBA)
TEBA last met on October 18th and is working with all local Alberta Teachers' Associations to ensure that interpretation is consistent for the recently negotiated increase to teachers. CTR Local #29 is in the process of naming their negotiating committee, and it is expected that local negotiations should begin soon.
TRUSTEE'S CORNER
By Harry Salm (Strathmore)
The month of October is a time to be thankful. We are thankful that we have put most of COVID (please dear Lord) behind us and that we can gather as families, parishes, friends, staff and as trustees on our Board.
I am most grateful and thankful that we can hear our Church choirs again and sing along with them, although many parishioners who sit close to me may not have that same appreciation when I join in the singing.
In Strathmore, we have been using our school gyms for Sunday Mass for 15 years. Father Tomy and our Parishioners continue to express gratitude of the support that Christ The Redeemer provides for our Parish.
I feel thankful for all the families who bring their children and all their energy to Sunday Mass. It is most wonderful to watch the parents try to maintain calm and order amongst all the children and avoid embarrassment exactly as we did 25 years ago. Many young parents don’t realize we enjoy watching this cycle repeat itself.
Our Parish is so very blessed and I am so thankful for the support our faith-filled parents and teachers give to the sacramental and Sunday school programs for our children. The children are always eager to be blessed by Father and follow the leaders out to be part of the faith activities each week.
We are thankful for Catholic education throughout the year, but October provides the opportunity to focus on the many blessings we experience.
We are thankful that our provincial government supports publicly-funded Catholic education that allows Catholic schools to teach our students, among many other faith-related activities, about the rosary and to be able to pray the rosary through the month of October.
I am so very thankful for the faith leadership of our Principals and Vice Principals in our schools, and I see that guiding them in deliberating on issues that come up every day.
It is always a blessing, and for that I am always thankful, to be able to walk through our schools and see the hard work our teachers and support staff have been putting in to have our students attain the results they achieve.
I am always thankful for the endorsement of our Catholic schools by non-Catholic parents who put their children in our schools. I recently had a conversation with a past Minister of an evangelical church in southern Alberta who expressed great support for Catholic schools.
Thank you to our Bishop, priests, parishes, superintendents, administrators, teachers, support staff, and all who support our Catholic faith and Catholic education. Our blessings are many.
NEXT BOARD MEETING DATE
The next Board meeting will take place on November 24, 2022, at 9:00 a.m., at the Catholic Education Centre located at #301 - 23 Riverside Drive, Okotoks, AB.
Board of Trustees
Andrea Keenan, Chair, Foothills County
Harry Salm, Vice Chair, Strathmore
Andrew Gustafson, Okotoks
Mark MacDonald, High River
Mark Chung, Drumheller
John de Jong, Brooks
Michelle Rude-Volk, Oyen
Superintendents
Dr. Scott Morrison, Superintendent
Vincent Behm, Deputy Superintendent
Michael Kilcommons, Associate Superintendent
Pat MacDonald, Associate Superintendent
Directors
Katelyn Nickel, Director of Corporate Services
Carmen Ostafichuk, Director of Human Resources
Dave Lunn, Director of Facilities
Cora-Leah Schmitt, Director of Student Services
Cheryl Kuemper, Director of Learning
Grant Gay, Director of Catholic Education
Cindy Nickerson, Director of Communications
For any information on items in this publication, please contact Michael Kilcommons, Associate Superintendent, at mkilcommons@redeemer.ab.ca or at 403-938-2659.