CTR CATHOLIC BOARD HIGHLIGHTS
from Board Meeting held on April 27, 2023
CTR WELCOMES NEW SUPERINTENDENT
The Board of Trustees would like to congratulate Mrs. Andrea Holowka, our new Superintendent. Mrs. Holowka is a formidable leader and educator who continues to make an impact across the province. She will replace Dr. Scott Morrison who is set to retire in June. For full announcement click here.
CATHOLIC EDUCATION PROGRAM REVIEW COMPLETE
Consultant Jennifer Woo presented the Catholic Education Review results to the Board. The report outlined the excellence in the quality of Catholic education at CTR due to its faithful Christian leadership and collaboration of school, parishes, and the diocese. The results will be shared with faith leaders and administration.
TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM REVIEW TO COMMENCE
Deputy Superintendent Behm advised that the technology consultant is scheduled to meet with CTR staff the week of May 15th. It is hoped that all work will be completed by the end of June with the final report presented to the Board in the fall.
OKOTOKS WARD I
Catholic faith continues to grow within the Ward. An example of this is the Youth Ministry at St. James Parish doubling in size since last year. As well, non-Catholic parents within the Ward are seeking more information about the Catholic faith and how they can participate more fully.
4-YEAR EDUCATION PLAN STAYING THE COURSE...NO NEW INITIATIVES
The Four-Year Education Plan is due to the province at the end of May. Administration has been tasked with updating existing strategies within the plan. It was noted that the division is not adding any new initiatives. This is intentional given feedback heard at Superchats to maintain the current focus.
THEMES EMERGE AT SUPERCHATS
Superintendents and Trustees attended six Superchats since the March Board meeting. Themes that emerged include: 1) teachers perceive CTR's reputation as being faith-filled, academic, and safe and caring; 2) communication leads are highly effective; 3) meeting the needs of complex students continues to be a challenge; 4) staff would prefer to refine our current focus rather than adding new initiatives; and 5) secondary school teachers feel students would appreciate more complementary courses.
PROGRAM FOSTERS CTR LEADERS
The Board commended the Aspiring Leaders program which focuses on how teachers have lived elements of the Leadership Quality Standard as part of their school-based leadership journey. Attending teachers are passionate in their participation and the program has fostered many of the division’s vice principals, principals, and division office administration.
WORK OF FACILITIES DEPARTMENT ACKNOWLEDGED
CTR is anticipating a busy summer with construction and upgrades to school facilities as well as the utilization of facilities for the Alberta Summer Games. The Board commended the work of the Facilities Department, particularly Director David Lunn, for the tremendous amount of work ahead to provide students and staff with even better facilities.
BUDGET REVIEW
Associate Superintendent Kilcommons provided an overview of the draft budget. CTR is projecting a modest deficit. The final version of the 2023-2024 Budget will be presented in detail to the Audit Committee on May 17th, in preparation for approval at the Board meeting on May 23rd.
INTERNATIONAL TRIPS
The Board approved, in principle, the international field trips submitted by Holy Trinity Academy to San Jose, Costa Rica at Easter 2024 and from Holy Cross Collegiate to Portugal and Spain at Easter 2025.
FAITH COMMITTEE
Trustee de Jong (Brooks) reported that the Faith Committee reviewed Faith Day survey results which were highly positive due to the choice of sessions. Upcoming faith initiatives discussed by the Committee included CTR’s Feed the Hungry initiative, the Trustee Faith Retreat, the Bishop’s Luncheon, Catholic Education Week, and the GrACE Summit.
POLICY DEVELOPMENT AND REVIEW COMMITTEE
The committee reviewed six policies and accepted the recommended changes as proposed to Board Policy #10 – Role of the Superintendent, Board Policy #11 – Appeals to the Board, Board Policy #13 – School Closures, Board Policy #14 – Expectations of Teachers, and Board Policy #15 – Student Transportation. All Board Policies can be viewed here.
ALBERTA CATHOLIC SCHOOLS TRUSTEES' ASSOCIATION (ACSTA)
Trustee Gustafson (Okotoks) advised that ACSTA distributed a survey to each provincial Board of Trustees to be completed in preparation for their AGM. Trustees took the time to discuss and answer the survey questions collectively.
ALBERTA SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION (ASBA)
Trustee MacDonald (High River) reported that preparation for ASBA’s Spring General Meeting scheduled for June 5 and 6 continues. The Board reviewed two position statements that would be presented at the SGM, as well as ASBA’s proposed Bylaws and Budget. Trustees were invited to the Zone 5 Edwin Parr celebration occurring May 18th.
TEACHERS' EMPLOYER BARGAINING ASSOCIATION (TEBA)
Trustee Chung (Drumheller) reported that negotiations with the Local ATA were held on April 25 and 26 and will continue May 4 and 5. Negotiations will continue towards the end of the month if necessary.
TRUSTEE'S CORNER
By Harry Salm
Vice Chair, Strathmore
Hallelujah!!
It is a time to rejoice, to celebrate what we have and to provide direction for the future. As a Catholic school division, we recognize our parents as the prime educators of our students. With this in mind, each one of us, that is a parent, grandparent and Parishioner in general, have a share in our Parish and in our Catholic school.
Firstly, we rejoice! It is Eastertide and we celebrate the risen Lord. Through His sacrifice, our sins are forgiven. Jesus’ healing ministry has saved humanity. May you recognize and be aware of your encounters with our transcendent Lord.
Secondly, through His direction, we have our Church and our Parish. Through the support of our Church and the sacrifice of our great grandparents, grandparents and parents, we have Catholic education.
Thirdly, we accept the responsibility of having a “share” in our Parish and our Catholic school to prepare for the future. We are saying goodbye to our Superintendent, Dr. Scott Morrison, and preparing to select our next Superintendent. Please pray for your Trustees as we discern the path going forward that will be the best for our students. Also, take time to review the performances and records of the past two Provincial governments as the two parties will be vying for your vote in the upcoming Provincial election at the end of May. There are many considerations in selecting the next government and one of them has to be the future of Catholic education and the support provided by our provincial government. One question to ask of provincial election candidates during the month of May is: Should they be elected, how will they support the current form of 100% publicly funded Catholic education?
Happy Mother’s Day to all our moms, grandmoms and great grandmoms!
Please keep all our Grade 12 students in your prayers as they prepare themselves to graduate.
May the Lord bless you and keep you,
May the Lord let his face shine upon you and be gracious to you,
May the Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace.
NEXT BOARD MEETING DATE
The next Board meeting will take place on Tuesday, May 23, 2023, at 9:00 am at the Centre for Learning@HOME.
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.