Superintendent's Message
August-September, 2011

“The grace of God has appeared on earth bringing salvation to all.” Titus 2:11

Message from Father Mike Mireau

This quote from Titus heralds in Edmonton Catholic Schools’ theme for the 2011-2012 school year, “Life of Grace…Awaken our Senses, Stir our Hearts.”  Building upon last year’s theme of the Beauty of Life, this year we want to emphasize the great gift of life that we have received from God, and therefore are called upon to both nurture this gift and to offer caring service to others.  On August 24th, all District administrators will gather together to examine and gain inspiration from this theme and to celebrate liturgy. 

Recently, I had an opportunity to hear a presentation by Sr. Sue Mosteller, a Sister of St. Joseph, in which she emphasized that those who are in care-giving roles must take time out to take care of themselves.  She used words such as “enjoying Sabbath, finding a sacred space where we embrace quietness, solitude and time to restore our energies, and enjoying time with loved ones and beautiful things around us such as the arts.”  I truly hope that some of Sr. Mosteller’s words which will enable us to become “beloved sisters and brothers for each other” were a reality in your summer experiences.  My wish for you is that you are re-energized with renewed hope for this new school year!

Thank you to our school custodial and maintenance staff for their hard work and dedication in cleaning and preparing our schools for the new year, and for all efforts to complete modernizations.

This year, three schools - St. Catherine, Mother Teresa and St. Alphonsus - are welcoming back their students on August 8, as they are using year round calendars. 

The goals of the Edmonton Catholic School District Plan for Continuous Growth (2011-2014) are based on Alberta Education goals:         

Goal 1:  Success for every student
Goal 2:  Transformed education through collaboration
Goal 3:  Success for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit students all within the context of Catholic education and the permeation of our faith.

At the June 28th, 2011 meeting, our Board of Trustees elected Debbie Engel to serve as Board Chair, and Becky Kallal as the Vice-Chair for the 2011-2012 school year.  On Wednesday, August 31, 2011, the Board of Trustees, members of the Edmonton Archdiocese and the Ukrainian Eparchy along with all Edmonton Catholic staff members will gather together as a community to celebrate the Opening School Liturgy at the Winspear Centre.

May God continue to bless each of you as embrace your life of grace and respond in loving and caring ways to those around you.

Sincerely,

Joan Carr
Superintendent