Temporary Change to Bishop David Motiuk Catholic Elementary/Junior High School Attendance Boundaries, effective 2023-2024
December 8, 2022
On December 8, 2022, a letter via swift messaging was sent to all Bishop David Motiuk and Joan Carr Families advising the temporary changes to their school attendance boundaries effective September 2023. The following changes are designed to relieve enrolment pressures at the school and will be in place until a new K-9 Catholic school in the neighbourhood of Lewis Farms opens:
September 2023
- All Kindergarten to Grade 3 students residing in neighbourhoods of Rosenthal and Secord will be re-designated to Joan Carr Catholic Elementary/Junior High School until the completion of the new school in Lewis Farms.
September 2024
- All Kindergarten to Grade 4 Rosenthal and Secord students will attend Joan Carr Catholic Elementary/Junior High School until the completion of the new school in Lewis Farms.
September 2025
- All Kindergarten to Grade 5 Rosenthal and Secord students will attend Joan Carr Catholic Elementary/Junior High School until the completion of the new school in Lewis Farms.
All transportation fees for re-designated students and siblings will be waived until the new school in Lewis Farms is completed. Siblings may also choose to attend Joan Carr Catholic Elementary/Junior High School.
The decision to implement a temporary attendance boundary change was challenging and complex. We reviewed the feedback we received from families and collaborated with school administration to identify a solution that would best support our students and ensure excellent learning environments.
By temporarily re-designating students residing in Secord and Rosenthal, we will work to:
- Address enrolment pressures at Bishop David Motiuk Catholic Elementary/Junior High School.
- Reduce traffic congestion and improve traffic/pedestrian safety around the school.
- Ensure Bishop David Motiuk Catholic Elementary/Junior High School remains a K-9 school.
- Strive for optimal class sizes and allow for efficient program delivery.
- Offer families with older siblings a choice to stay together and attend Joan Carr Catholic Elementary/Junior High School.
- Transition temporarily re-designated students as a cohort to the new school in Lewis Farms.
- Prioritize transportation routing to Joan Carr Catholic Elementary/Junior High School.
- Introduce re-designated students to a similar school environment in advance of their new school opening. Joan Carr Catholic Elementary/Junior School and the new Lewis Farms school feature the latest innovation in 21st century school design.
New K-9 Catholic School in Lewis Farms
In the Spring of 2022, the Government of Alberta announced approval for the much-needed K-9 Catholic school within the neighbourhood of Lewis Farms. This new school is in the design phase and is anticipated to open in September 2026 and will serve the communities of Secord and Rosenthal.
What We Heard
What We Heard Report - December 2022
We want to thank everyone who took the time to complete a survey or attend an in-person engagement session. We have published a What We Heard Report, which details all the feedback received from families and staff in the online survey.
Our Division values all perspectives that were shared.
On November 23, 2022, ECSD held an in-person engagement with the families of Bishop David Motiuk (BDM) Catholic Elementary/Junior High School to present the temporary options that were considered to alleviate the space constraints the school faces.
Click below to view the following from the November 23, 2022 presentation:
- BDM Student Accommodations Engagement Presentation
- BDM Student Accommodations Engagement Presentation with presenter notes
An Engagement Survey requesting feedback on the November 23, 2022 presentation was open for responses for one week, from November 23, 2022 until the end of day on November 30, 2022.
More Information
We look forward to supporting Secord and Rosenthal families as they temporarily transition to Joan Carr Catholic Elementary/Junior High School. More information on the transition will be shared in the new year, including an opportunity to tour the school and meet the principal.
For more information on the attendance boundaries, contact Educational Planning at ecsdplanning@ecsd.net. For more information on Transportation, contact Transportation Services at transportationservices@ecsd.net or 780-441-6078.