CTR CATHOLIC BOARD HIGHLIGHTS
from Board Meeting held on June 22, 2023
BOARD CHAIR RETAINS TITLE
During its organizational meeting on Thursday, June 22, the Board voted in favor of Trustee Andrea Keenan (Foothills County) retaining the title of Board Chair and Trustee Andrew Gustafson (Okotoks) becoming the new Vice Chair of the Board. He will replace Trustee Harry Salm (Strathmore) as Vice Chair.
CTR PARTNERS WITH CAREERS: NEXT GENERATION
Superintendent Holowka shared that CTR has been approached by CAREERS: The Next Generation to support a partnership that will increase student access to paid career internship opportunities. A part-time position, partially paid by CAREERS will be designated to complete this work for the division.
NEW SUPERINTENDENT TOURS DIVISION
PROPERTY OWNERS CAN DIRECT TAXES TO CATHOLIC EDUCATION
Property owners who are Catholic can submit a form to their local municipality in order to declare their property taxes be directed towards the Roman Catholic Separate School District.
Submit this form to your local municipality. Thank you for your support for Catholic education.
AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
Deputy Superintendent Behm highlighted the award and recognition program at CTR which formally recognizes staff members for their contributions to the success of our students. CTR Catholic recently gathered to celebrate award recipients. The evening was filled with inspirational stories of CTR staff who are bringing Catholic Education to students and families.
SACRAMENTAL PREPARATION CONTINUES FOR STUDENTS AND FAMILIES
The Diocese of Calgary will continue to offer the parish-based Sacramental Preparation for the 2023/24 school year. Catholic Schools are evangelizing arms of the Church including new initiatives for parish and school sacramental preparation and ongoing education to support children and their families on their faith journey.
OYEN WARD
Grades 5 and 6 students from Assumption School (Oyen) attended an annual retreat at St. Therese, a bible school in Saskatchewan led by the Face-to-Face organization. This experience is unique to Assumption as no other CTR schools have elementary off-site, overnight, faith retreats. The retreat was hugely successful.
LIAISON COMMITTEE
Trustee de Jong reported that the Liaison Committee met to discuss various issues including the opening PD Day in August, teacher working conditions, staggered entry, as well as the unique benefits of CTR's Superchats with teachers, staff and trustees.
INTERNATIONAL TRIPS
The Board approved, in principle, the Centre for Learning@Home trip to the England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Ireland at Easter 2025 and St. Anthony’s School's trip to the Greece at Easter 2024. The Board also approved, in full, Holy Cross Collegiate's trip to Portugal and Spain at Easter 2025 and Holy Trinity Academy's trip to California, USA in August 2024.
LEARNING RESOURCES APPROVED FOR TWO LOCALLY-DEVELOPED COURSES
The Board authorized the learning resources as per the course outlines for the locally-developed courses for Yoga and Dance.
ALBERTA SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION (ASBA)
Trustee MacDonald (High River) reported that ASBA's annual SGM was held June 5 and 6. ASBA executive are looking to connect with the new Education Minister. MacDonald also noted that three nominations for the Zone 5 Friends of Education Award were received with the Canadian Rockies nominee moving on provincially. A local celebration of CTR's nomination will be forthcoming.
ALBERTA CATHOLIC SCHOOL TRUSTEES' ASSOCIATION (ACSTA)
Trustee Gustafson (Okotoks) reported that preliminary work on the ACSTA budget has been completed with an expected 2% increase for memberships fees with the goal to maintain service levels. The timeline for the governance review and strategic plan has been extended for an additional year. Results from the ACSTA's Governance and Structure Survey was reviewed with priorities, barriers and additional resources requested identified.
TRUSTEE'S CORNER
by Mark Chung
Trustee, Drumheller
As the school year comes to an end, we need to reflect on our growth, the challenges, and many successes we have experienced throughout the year. We have worked hard at achieving our goals. Our faith has helped to guide us through the events of this year, and we should take some time to be thankful to God for walking with us in good times and challenges. We are truly blessed.
For all our students, their families, and our wonderful staff, I wish you a summer filled with relaxation and joy. Take some time to recharge from the all the hard work done and prepare for the upcoming year.
I want to offer a special thank you to Dr. Morrison for all his hard work in building our division. He has spent most of his career in our division and we are grateful for everything he has done for us. I wish him all the best in his retirement.
I want to welcome Dr. Andrea Holowka as our new superintendent and look forward to working with her. She has a vast amount of experience working with two larger boards and is strong in her faith. I am confident she will be able to pick up where Dr. Morrison left off and lead this division.
I want to thank all those in our communities, students, families, staff, volunteers, and supporters of Catholic Education. We have enjoyed success this year because of your support and involvement. As a school board trustee, I am proud to represent you, and your interests in outstanding Catholic Education in this province.
Have a safe and restful summer. I look forward to seeing all of you next year.
NEXT BOARD MEETING DATE
The next Board meeting will take place on Thursday, September 28, 2023, at 9:00 am at the Catholic Education Centre, 301 - 23 Riverside Drive, Okotoks.
Board of Trustees
Andrea Keenan, Chair, Foothills County
Andrew Gustafson, Vice Chair, Okotoks
Harry Salm, Strathmore
Mark MacDonald, High River
Mark Chung, Drumheller
John de Jong, Brooks
Michelle Rude-Volk, Oyen
John-David Bogdanowski, Canmore
Superintendents
Dr. Andrea Holowka, 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
Rhonda Schachterle, Director of Student Services
Cheryl Kuemper, Director of Learning
Grant Gay, Director of Catholic Education and Technology
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.