Chief Superintendent Lynnette Anderson's October 2025 Message
October 1, 2025
As our ECSD community settles in for another productive school year, I would like to share some reflections according to my usual themes of truth, beauty, and goodness.
TRUTH. As I write this message, there is still no resolution between Teachers’ Employer Bargaining Association (TEBA) and the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA). As People of Hope, we hope and pray that a strike will be averted before the October 6 deadline. ECSD deeply values the contributions of teachers and staff in providing an excellent Catholic education for our students. The current uncertainty is emotionally challenging for the entire ECSD community. Let us remember during these difficult times that we are called by God as a community of faith to support each other with care and love.
We will continue to share updates through our website at ecsd.net/labourupdate. Please check this website frequently for information and updates, especially the morning of Monday, October 6. We strongly encourage families to have childcare arrangements in place for October 6 should an agreement not be reached. If a resolution is reached over the weekend, we will send a message to families who subscribed to receive school and Division messages through SchoolMessenger. If you have unsubscribed from this service, you can resubscribe by contacting your school. If the strike happens, it will be communicated on our website, social media, and by SchoolMessenger message on Monday morning.
BEAUTY. Catholic Education Week, which takes place from October 18 to 24, is a wonderful time to celebrate the beauty of our Catholic faith. It also reminds us to be thankful for the gift of publicly funded Catholic education in our province. This year's Catholic Education Week theme—Anchored in Christ, A Beacon of Hope—is a call for schools to boldly live their mission by placing trust in Jesus and leading with clarity, courage, and joy. You can learn more about this special week by visiting ecsd.net/catholic-education-week.
GOODNESS. ECSD students learn the value of serving others. Many of our alumni go on to serve the public through careers in government. One such alumnus was Prime Minister Mark Carney, who recently returned to St. Rose Catholic Junior High School, where he was a student from Grades 1 to 9. I was thrilled to accompany him through the school and hear stories about his time there. It was empowering for our students to connect with the Prime Minister in their hallways and gymnasium—he even took part in a Grade 9 social studies class. Students witnessed that an ECSD education puts them on a path towards any career imaginable, and staff saw the impact their dedication to Catholic education can have on students. It was a great day!
As we celebrate Thanksgiving this month, let us be especially thankful for the truth, beauty, and goodness we experience within our amazing ECSD community. One way you can further support ECSD is by voting for your Catholic School Trustee in the municipal election on Monday, October 20. To help you make an informed choice, all candidates have been invited to provide video responses to a list of questions. You can watch these candidate videos and learn more about the election by visiting our Elections page.
Yours in Catholic education,
Lynnette Anderson, Chief Superintendent
- Read Hope Amidst the Cloud of Unknowing, a message from ECSD Chaplain, Father Glenn.
- To see our upcoming Division events, visit ecsd.net/calendar