Superintendent Message - Aug. 26-30

Inspired by Christ on a Journey to Encounter, Nurture, and Serve.

Inspiré par Dieu dans une Aventure à Découvrir, Grandir, et Servir.

August 27 - 30, 2024

Good morning and welcome back! I hope the summer allowed you to renew, refresh and reconnect with families and friends as well as took some time for yourself to rejuvenate. Thank you for your dedication within your classrooms and learning spaces as we set out for the 2024-2025 school year at Red Deer Catholic.

With the official start-up for all staff this week we move into Year Three of our three-year Division theme, “Inspired by Christ on a Journey to Encounter, Nurture, and Serve”. We continue to reflect on what this theme means to each of us personally and professionally as individuals and within our school communities.

Some of our school communities will take a deeper focus on Serving others for Christ by highlighting the importance of living out our faith by serving and helping others, especially those most vulnerable and in need. Jesus’ whole approach to teaching was marked by a deep engagement with people’s everyday lives and favouring those who most need it. His approach will serve as our model and inspiration.

We welcome Mrs. Nicole Zimmerman, Director of Inclusion, to our Montfort Centre Team. Nicole will work alongside Dr. Ryan Sawula who will now oversee Inclusion under his Curriculum portfolio. Ryan and Nicole will work in team with Early Learning, MS2, school counsellors, and Family Support Counsellors (FSC). We thank Ms. Jodi Smith for her work within the Inclusion portfolio, supporting students and families, and we look forward to her positive influence in human resources. Additionally, Jodi will now support student-teacher placements.

We look forward to seeing you at the Division Opening Mass on Friday. Enjoy your time with your teammates in preparation for a rewarding September ahead creating relationships with students as you model Jesus’ gospel values.

God bless,

Kathleen Finnigan, Superintendent

August 22, 2024

The Albertan - With the new school year approaching, students get bus basics in Olds

August 20, 2024

Red Deer Advocate - Local students join youth council

August 14, 2024

Red Deer Advocate - Funding announced to continue student mental health initiatives

August 12, 2024

MyMountainViewNow - First Rider events start August 13

August 10, 2024

The Albertan - Revised Olds facilities, parks booking policy in place

August 9, 2024

rdnewsNOW - First Rider program to show young students school bus safety

Red Deer Advocate - School bus safety events open to Central Alberta students

August 8, 2024

Red Deer Advocate - Sylvan Lake Gulls announce creation of new U19 Prep Team

Sylvan Lake News - Sylvan Lake Gulls announce creation of new U19 Prep Team

rdnewsNOW - Sylvan Lake Gulls announce 19U Prep Team

Central Alberta Online - St. Patrick’s Community School welcomes students for new school year

August 7, 2024

rdnewsNOW - St. Patrick’s Community School students to return to class this week

• Strengthened in Spirit Faith Report
• Upcoming Events

Come join us as we engage in Critical Conversations in response to the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, exploring our individual and collective journeys as we walk together, fostering authentic and inclusive relationships as we celebrate diversity and work towards healing and wholeness, attentive in heart, mind and soul.

The Religious and Moral Education Council (RMEC) is excited to announce that registration for Braiding Together 2024 is now open. RMEC is hosting its annual conference at the Banff Centre. This year’s conference will continue the very successful 2023 ‘Braiding Together: Dialogue towards Truth and Reconciliation.’

Conference delegates will seek to deepen their response to the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission by engaging in authentic and intentional dialogue on the path to healing and wholeness. We seek to support teachers and leaders in embracing their essential role as facilitators of critical and stimulating conversations, supporting engagement to deepen awareness of the rich history and current realities of Indigenous Peoples across the nation, and exploring pathways of possibility & empowerment.

Good day,

My name is Constable Lee MacCrae with the CPKC Police Service (formerly the CP Rail Police Service). I would like to bring to your attention Railway Safety Week 2024 which runs from September 23-29. As in previous years we are reaching out to encourage schools to join us in spreading the word about safety around trains and train tracks.

In the past we have distributed USB Sticks with Operation Lifesaver PowerPoint presentations and various links and videos. This year we have decide to provide just the links to all the information/presentations in an email. This should make it easier to disseminate the material to your various schools. If you still have the USB’s from last year they are still a valid option for use.

Presentation material can be found at:

• Educators' Toolkit (operationlifesaver.ca)
• Rail Safety (cpkcr.com)

Our goal is to have the educators in your division provide your students with the presentations and links.

Furthermore, if you would like an in-person presentation from one of our members or an Operation Lifesaver Railway Safety Ambassador, please reach out to me and we will do our best to accommodate your request.

Whether or not your schools are able to participate in sharing the Railway Safety Week content with the students, I would ask that you reply to this email letting me know how many students you have in your district. This is so we can track potential outreach statistics.

Thanks for taking the time to help us make our communities a safer place.

Sincerely,

Constable Lee MacCrae