Superintendent's Message
February, 2012

Bishop Motiuk - ECSD Parent Community Letter - Presentation of Jesus at the Temple

“For by grace, you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing;
it is the gift of God - not the result of works…” (Ephesians 2: 8-9)

The Board of Trustees and all Edmonton Catholic School District staff will participate in our annual Faith Development Day on Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at the Shaw Conference Centre.  The formation and education of children, regardless of one’s role, is a tremendous vocation and responsibility.  Catholic schools are involved in the teaching mission of the Church and as such, Faith Development Day provides our staff with an opportunity to become more informed as a faith-filled people.  We will begin our day with a Eucharistic Liturgy, followed by an opportunity to hear guest presenter, David Wells, a noted religious educator, offer his insights into how we can continue to learn about our faith.  There will be no school for any students on January 31st, and all school sites and facilities are closed for the day.

Beginning in the month of February, many schools host their Open Houses.  Parents wishing to enroll their children in Early Learning programs as well as those students who are transitioning into other schools for junior high or high school programming need to be aware of the various opportunities to ‘check out’ our schools.  Please refer to the ECSD calendar that you received at the beginning of the year, access our 2012 Guide to Schools http://ecsd.net/pdf/Guide2Schools-11.pdf or note the following open house times listed at http://ecsd.net/parents/open_house.html  to make informed choices regarding your child’s education.

Thank you to all students, parents and school communities who supported the 2011 Sign of Hope Campaign either through personal donations or by supporting one of the many activities taking place at their children’s schools.  Nearly 60 of our school/sites/departments participated in the Kids’ Care Challenge portion of the Campaign netting over $57,000, while employee contributions added approximately another $41,450.   It is so gratifying to receive this kind of support for the Sign of Hope as many of our families throughout the District benefit from the over 130 services offered by Catholic Social Services.

It is anticipated that news regarding our District allocation of budget dollars should be received sometime this month.  Thank you to our parents who provided us feedback via our website.  Along with school principals, District administrators have already begun the work of identifying priorities within the District to best meet the needs of our students.

Education Minister Thomas Lukaszuk has rolled out 10 new initiatives for consideration in the months ahead:  some are trial projects, some may become longer term practices while others will require formal policy consideration by government.  Proposed initiatives include: examining full-day kindergarten, reviewing the Provincial Achievement Test program, working with communities to update school design specifications and playgrounds and creating more opportunities for students to earn credits in high school and post-secondary at the same time.  More information is available at:  http://alberta.ca/NewsFrame.cfm?ReleaseID=/acn/201201/31784C87E013F-07B2-09FF-E745E76F1B9DFC1F.html

Monday, February 20 is Family Day – a holiday throughout Alberta and no school for students.  Wednesday, February 22 is Ash Wednesday and the first day of the Lenten season.  Please check your child’s school newsletter for special celebrations or activities to mark this day.

"Grace must find expression in life, otherwise it is not grace." Karl Barth

Sincerely,

Joan Carr
Superintendent