CTR CATHOLIC BOARD HIGHLIGHTS
from Board Meeting held on March 18, 2023
SUPERINTENDENT DR. MORRISON SET TO RETIRE
CTR Superintendent Dr. Scott Morrison informed the Board he is retiring at the end of the 2022-2023 school year. He does so with a sense of satisfaction and confidence in the future of CTR Catholic. The Board thanked Dr. Morrison for his contributions to Catholic education. Please see this link for his retirement announcement.
SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS PLAY PIVOTAL ROLE IN CTR
Substitute Teachers are a pivotal employee group and as such CTR Catholic recently hosted a highly successful professional development day in March for this group. This the second example of substitute teacher professional development from CTR Catholic.
CTR WORKING TO ANALYZE BUDGET
CTR is analyzing the budget following Alberta Education's announcements. Overall, there will be an increase in education funding over the next three years to help address inflation, enrolment growth, and learning supports. Highlights include new classroom complexity funding and a targeted transportation grant. Once complete, a budget report will be presented to the Board.
TRINITY BREATHES NEW LIFE INTO OPEN HOUSE
Holy Trinity Academy staff redesigned their annual registration open house into a vibrant "carnival-type" atmosphere highlighting their many options, clubs, and teams. Students toured the school and received Class of 2026 T-shirts. The event was highly engaging, boosting both morale and interest in the school.
STAFF HIGHLY SATISFIED WITH FAITH DAYS
The staff satisfaction rate for this year's Faith Days was 98 per cent, the highest rating in CTR's history of this annual tradition. Staff were pleased with teacher choice in sessions and the opportunity to learn from their colleagues. They also appreciated the later start time and mass with the Bishop.
BOARD APPROVES ASSUMPTION AND CFL CALENDARS
The Board approved the 2023-2024 school calendars for both Assumption School who will follow the public counterparts calendar and the Centre for Learning@HOME. To view the calendars, click the link below.
BROOKS WARD
All three Brooks schools are well above the provincial average on safe and caring results at eight per cent higher. This is both amazing and important in such a diverse community. Citizenship averaged over 11% above the province. All schools have excellent diversity and inclusion initiatives and provide strong parental outreach.
HIGH RIVER WARD
Both High River schools were over 10% higher than provincial results in how they meet the requirements of students with special needs. These results are a testament to the extraordinary efforts of all learning support personnel, the remedial programs available, and the special initiatives offered such as the reading with dogs and therapeutic horse riding programs.
OKOTOKS WARD II
Previously, CFL students were required to write PATs at physical writing centers. The school is now moving to Quest A Plus which allows students to write PATs securely online. It is expected this will dramatically increase participation, pass, and excellence rates. The Board is pleased as this is a great service to families.
ST. JOSEPH PARENT OF DISTINCTION AWARDS TO BE PRESENTED
The Board accepted the recommendations of the Awards Committee for the St. Joseph Parent of Distinction Awards. The award recognizes an individual who demonstrates the ability to promote parental engagement and involvement in the Catholic education system. Recipients include: Stephanie Barr (OLS); Thelma Grobbelaar (HFA); Heather Hambrook (JPII); Jennifer Johnson (CFL); Pella LeDrew (SAS); Leah Paragas (SJC); Ryan Payne (HSA); Nadine Rude (ARC); Deanna Whiting (EGSS); Jacquie Williamson (NDC). The recipients will be acknowledged at the Spring Council of School Councils meeting on May 11.
GRATEFUL ADVOCATES FOR CATHOLIC EDUCATION (GRACE)
The retirement of Bonnie Annicchiarico, founder and visionary of GrACE was announced. The Board wishes her all the best. The GrACE Summit is May 12 in Edmonton, and Catholic Education Week will take place on May 15-19. The committee is working on short video testimonials about advocacy for Catholic education.
LIAISON COMMITTEE
Teacher fatigue, assignable and instruction time, additional EA support, complexity funding, and the role of the Liaison Committee were discussed at the last meeting. The 2023-2024 school calendar was also discussed, noting that steps will be taken next year to ensure requirements and administration’s reasoning for calendar development are understood.
ALBERTA CATHOLIC SCHOOLS TRUSTEES' ASSOCIATION (ACSTA)
Trustee Gustafson (Okotoks) reported that ACSTA will host a gathering of over 30 MLAs in Edmonton on March 21. He also commended ACSTA on its lobbying efforts for the government to change the way transportation funding follows a student, saying this is a big win for advocacy for ACSTA.
ALBERTA SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION (ASBA)
Trustee MacDonald (High River) noted that the joint nomination with Foothills School Division for the Friends of Education Award has been submitted. An advocacy toolkit launched on February 22 and is now housed on the ASBA website. An election meeting will be held in the coming week.
ALBERTA SCHOOL COUNCIL ASSOCIATION (ASCA)
The Board endorsed the ASCA recommendations as presented and will forward them onto all School Councils as reference materials.
TEACHERS' EMPLOYER BARGAINING ASSOCIATION (TEBA)
Trustee Chung (Drumheller) reported that CTR and the Board’s negotiations committee will meet with their hired negotiator to set the stage to begin the bargaining process by the end of April.
TRUSTEE'S CORNER
By Mark MacDonald
Trustee, High River
As we near the end of our Lenten journey I am reminded of the word sacrifice. As Jesus gave his life to deliver us from our sins, we too can give a little of our own lives each day to be a sacrifice to others. I have learned over the years that Lent is more about what I can give in charity to others rather than “giving up” a worldly want. I ask all of us to do what we can to provide charity, assistance, and alms giving when we are presented with these opportunities. Your world, and our world, will be richer for it and you will grow closer to your faith.
Our schools mirror the journey of Jesus during Lent by providing students with rich and vivid experiences that are so important to our Catholic faith and our students’ faith formation. Students and staff participation in Ash Wednesday, Stations of the Cross, Living Rosary, and Mass exemplify the values of our faith and the values of our school division. School social media pages also highlight several classroom and grade level Lenten activities including “helping hands”, Easter themed artwork, and reflective faith journal activities. A common Lenten passage from Isaiah reads:
Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Our staff, students, and families emulate this wisdom of sharing and giving and work closely with each other, supporting those in need, and celebrating each other at school and community gatherings.
Our Board has also been busy in the past month with participation in CTR Faith Days 2023 and having the opportunity to network and socialize with staff from all schools. It was a very successful event with highly engaging faith sessions delivered by CTR teachers passionate about their Catholicity and spirituality. We also had the opportunity to honour and celebrate our Christian Witness Award recipients and highlight their amazing service to our school communities. Our Board GrACE (Grateful Advocates for Catholic Education) committee presented two parent sessions in High River schools with the goal of holding interactive parent sessions in all of our school communities over the next year or so. GrACE is a provincial advocacy group that engages parents and calls upon all of us to highlight the importance of Catholic education in Alberta.
In this edition of Board Highlights, you will note the retirement of our Superintendent, Dr. Scott Morrison. I want to thank Scott on behalf of all Trustees for his superior leadership and devotion to Christ The Redeemer during his tenure. His transformational impact on our faith and academic pillars was exceptional and a testament to Scott’s tireless efforts to have all our students and staff be the best they can be. Thank you, Scott!
I wish all a Blessed Lent and a Joyful Easter season.
NEXT BOARD MEETING DATE
The next Board meeting will take place on Thursday, April 27, 2023, at 9:00 am at the Catholic Education Centre, Okotoks.
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
John-David Bogdanowski, Canmore
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.