Superintendent's Message - January 2009

"O Christ, What Shall We Offer You?"

Compassionate Companion and Faithful Friend, thank you for the opportunity to walk into another year of life. Help us to be faithful, to be generous, to be yours.

Edmonton Catholic Schools believes in nurturing strong partnerships between schools and the community. As part of these partnerships, we include organizations with strong ties to the community. Some examples include: Catholic Social Services, Edmonton Police Service, Edmonton YMCA, City of Edmonton, Junior Achievement, NAIT, MacEwan College, Edmonton Public Library, Alberta Health Services, the University of Alberta and many others. Community partnerships are one of the many ways Edmonton Catholic Schools helps to provide families with additional supports in our city.

A good example of this type of partnership is a new initiative that will begin in January. As part of our commitment to literacy and in an effort to enhance the quality of life for children and families in our District, we have worked with the Edmonton Public Library to develop a program where every student in our District will receive a free library card with access to a library close to their school. The program will be phased in and the first schools will have their cards early in 2009.

In January we will be holding our annual Second Language Learning evening. This evening will provide information on the benefits of giving your child the gift of a second language. In addition, there will be school group performances, student testimonials and Senator Claudette Tardif will also be in attendance. Join us at 7 p.m. on Thursday, January 29th at West Edmonton Mall – Centre Fountain (close to The Bay).

Satisfaction surveys will be delivered to all schools at the end of January. The satisfaction survey provides our school district with important information about what works well and what needs to be improved. This is your opportunity to add your voice to the future of your child’s education. Please make every effort to complete and return the parent survey by February 13, 2009.

Planning for next school year is well underway as we complete our goals and priorities for 2009-2010. Our list of new and expanded programs for next school year has also been updated and is available on our website.

Many blessings during the year ahead!

Sincerely,

Joan Carr
Superintendent