Superintendent Message - Oct. 7-11

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

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

October 7 - 11, 2024

Good morning,

As we enter the season of Thanksgiving, I encourage you to take a moment to reflect on the blessings this time of year brings. Thanksgiving is not just a holiday; it is a beautiful reminder to pause, reflect, and express gratitude for the many gifts in our lives.

This season allows us to recognize and appreciate the dedication and hard work of everyone who contributes to making our school division a place of learning, growth, and community. It is also a time to come together and celebrate the values of kindness, generosity, and thankfulness that unite us.

We are deeply grateful for our RDCRS teachers as we reflect on World Teachers' Day, which we celebrated this past Saturday, October 5th. This year’s theme, “Valuing teacher voices: towards a new social contract for education,” emphasizes the importance of listening to and supporting our educators. It reminds us of the urgency to hear and address the challenges teachers face while recognizing the invaluable expertise they bring to shaping the future of education. We honour their dedication, knowledge, and unwavering commitment to their students and communities.

We are thankful to the RDCRS Faith Team, who have been instrumental in furthering the implementation of the Board Strategic Plan in alignment with their school improvement plans in their commitment to supporting our students and staff on their faith journeys. This past week we came together and reviewed the strategic plan, examined Division and school Schollie data, and focused on the important areas of encountering, nurturing, and serving Christ.

Many thanks to the group of teachers who recently joined Dr. Sawula in a Literacy and Numeracy Feedback Session. Their efforts highlighted the need for time to unpack assessment data, which will help guide instruction moving forward. The collaborative solutions generated from this session led to a recommendation for schools to use New Curriculum PD and Collaboration rollover funds to provide release time for teams to focus on this important work. Please connect with your administrator for more information about this support.

Additionally, we are grateful for the generous donation of $30,000 to The Mustard Seed, made possible through a portion of RDCRS’ allocation of the Alberta Education Nutrition Grant. This contribution will strengthen The Mustard Seed's essential School Lunch Program, which provides thousands of nutritious meals to our students across the school division.

Wishing you all a joyful and blessed Thanksgiving season, filled with gratitude and reflection.

Kathleen Finnigan, Superintendent

St. Francis of Assisi Middle School is thrilled to extend our heartfelt congratulations to Mrs. Sarah Drake, who has been honoured this week by being inducted into the Hall of Fame at Cape Breton University!

Mrs. Drake will be recognized today at the CAPERS Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony for her significant contributions and achievements with the women's soccer team. Her dedication and passion for the sport have made a lasting impact on players and the entire community.

Please join us in celebrating this incredible achievement! We are so proud to have such a talented and inspiring individual in our midst. Congratulations, Mrs. Drake!

October 4, 2024

rdnewsNOW - Mustard Seed Lunch Program gets financial boost

October 3, 2024

Red Deer Advocate - Red Deer Catholic donates $30K to The Mustard Seed

Central Alberta Online - Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools donates $30,000 for school lunch program

• Strengthened in Spirit Faith Report
• Indigenous Education Services
• Upcoming Events

Who: This one-hour session is intended for Kindergarten - Grade 3 teachers who are using the Growing in Faith, Growing in Christ religion program.

What: Teachers will learn about Oral Storytelling, and create one Bible Story Kit to use in their classroom. All supplies will be provided. Please contact Jo-Ann Kelly if you are interested in booking this P.D. session for your school.

See Bible Storytelling Kits link for more information.

A group of roughly 80 young men from Red Deer have formed a group devoted to altar serving and building a culture that promotes a love for Jesus in the sacrifice of the Mass.

“It was love for the liturgy that prompted me to start the group,” said Zachariah Bustamante, who co-founded the Fraternity of St. Lorenzo Ruiz in 2019, while he was in Grade 12, with his friends Calvin Culi and Jonas Marcelo.

“I wanted the Mass to be seen as something that people felt they could centre their life around,” Bustamante said. “If the Mass is not celebrated with the solemnity that it deserves then people might not feel the need to go. They might ask, ‘Why should I centre my life around this? I don’t see the beauty in it!’ So I wanted people to see the beauty of the Mass. That was really my whole entire vision.”

Bustamante was inspired to start the group to support the pastor of Sacred Heart parish, through beautiful liturgies and ensuring consistency and excellence in altar serving across all parish Masses.

Click here to read the full story.

Click here for a PDF copy of the newsletter.

Key information:

• Thursday October 17th, 2024 - event setup shifts, volunteer training and early ticket sales and dancer registration.
• Friday October 18th, 2024 - Daytime - Language Conference and Youth Day. Grand Entry is at 7 pm.
• Saturday October 19th, 2024 - Two Grand entries - 1 pm and 7 pm.
• Sunday October 20th, 2024 - 1 pm Grand Entry and event take down.

New location: NexSource Centre in Sylvan Lake, Alberta.

Click here to volunteer: https://signup.com/go/BtSySvP

Explore the future of technology careers!

Join us for a Parent-Student Information Night to dive into the latest trends, innovations, and job opportunities in tech. Industry experts will be there to answer your questions and guide students on how they can help shape tomorrow's world.

Presented in partnership with Association of Science & Engineering Technology Professionals of Alberta, Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools, and Wolf Creek Public Schools.

Sign up here: bit.ly/rdcrsstemnight

Click here for a PDF copy of the poster.

Next Wednesday is Jeans and Jerseys Day!

Whether you’re cheering for the home team or repping another, show off your hockey pride with your favorite jersey and jeans combo!

Post your team spirit and tag us using #JeansAndJerseysDay!

Let’s kick off the NHL season in true Red Deer Catholic style.