December 1, 2023
Superintendent’s Update: Students, Parents/Legal Guardians, and Staff
Where did the first few months of the school year go? It is certainly an exciting time in Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools. We are very proud of our students’ achievements (more on that below) and excited for their opportunities to engage in various extracurricular activities, from arts to esports to athletics.
New Faith Theme Song
As you may recall, we have a new Three-Year Faith Theme that launched this fall - Growing in the Trinity: Love, Mercy and Grace, with each of the three years highlighting a different focus.
2023-24 Growing in Love, with the Father
- With the Father, our Creator, who is the origin of love, we are inspired to share that love with one another. God is “Father”, which means I am a child of God; we are ALL called by name to grow in love toward one another (sub-themes: chosen, inclusivity, belonging, universality of God’s love).
2024-25 Growing in Mercy, with the Son
- With the Son, Our Redeemer, as the icon of God’s mercy and forgiveness, we are called to show compassion, mercy and forgiveness to our neighbours. Mercy is when God forgives me. We are called to recognize our imperfections, seek God’s mercy, and show mercy toward others (sub-themes: humility, redemption, forgiveness, gratefulness).
2025-26 Growing in Grace, with the Spirit
- With the Holy Spirit, Our Sanctifier, as the bestower of grace, we are called to open ourselves to the Spirit, to recognize the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and to grow in grace. Grace is when God gives me something I have not earned. We need to be open to the spirit and respond by sharing our gifts and graces with others (sub-themes: blessed, gifted, Fruit of the Holy Spirit, charisms).
After writing the song “Arise!” for our last faith theme, a few people asked if I would be writing one for our new theme. I suppose it’s kind of become my thing now. I recorded the new song at home on weekends and in the evening and had a long-time friend (a teacher with Edmonton Catholic Schools) give me a hand with mixing and mastering. Here are links to the lyrics and the song, “Growing in the Trinity” (the song is also attached to this email). I hope you enjoy it and that it helps our schools animate our faith theme over these next three years.
Assurance and Accountability in Alberta’s K to 12 Education System
The Alberta government has a system for schools and school authorities to assess progress and demonstrate success called the Assurance Framework. The framework has five assurance areas with related performance measures that enable schools and school authorities to show their communities how they perform each year.
This approach helps the province, school authorities and schools track successes, continuously improve the quality of education for students, and support a transparent, accountable and responsive education system.
We are proud to announce that our school division significantly outperformed the province in 22 of the 24 required and supplemental measures (the remaining two were equal to the province). All reports are posted on the division website for your review. A few highlights include:
- Provincial achievement tests (grades 6 and 9) - 79% of our students achieved the acceptable standard compared to the provincial average of 63%. You’ll notice within the report that several of our schools attained 90-96% for the acceptable standard!
- Diploma exams - 87% of our students achieved the acceptable standard compared to the provincial average of 80%.
- 80% of our high school students are eligible for the Rutherford Scholarship compared to 72% within the province.
Indigenous Art Contest
We are calling on all Indigenous students in Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools. The Division is seeking submissions of Indigenous-themed art from our First Nations, Métis, and Inuit students in Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12. Artwork will be reviewed and selected by our Division First Nations, Métis and Inuit Leadership Committee, which includes representatives from our First Nations and Métis partners.
Please click here to view the contest details on our website.
Community Engagement Update
Thank you to everyone who participated in our current engagement initiative. We are compiling all of the feedback from students, staff, families and the community into a report, which will be shared in the coming weeks.
Advent Social Justice Campaign
This Advent, GSACRD is pleased to support orphaned girls of Our Lady of Kibeho Orphanage in Uganda.
Our Lady Of Kibeho Orphanage Foundation empowers vulnerable orphans in Uganda — many of whom lost their parents as a result of AIDS. Incorporated as a society in Alberta, Canada and registered as a charity with the Canada Revenue Agency, we provide the necessities of life: access to education, medical supplies, shelter, food, water, and clothing.
May this season of waiting for the coming of our Saviour also be a time to give thanks for our blessings and to be generous with our gifts.
Please click here to donate.
Advent Blessings
As we prepare to begin Advent, the season of anticipation as we prepare to commemorate the joyous birth of our Saviour, I would like to offer a blessing to you and your families as we seek to renew our longing for Christ…
Heavenly Father,
Throughout this Advent season, we, the students, staff, and families
of our Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools community,
gather with hearts filled with hope, peace, joy, and love.
As we light the Advent candles, may the flames kindle hope within us
and bring peace to our hearts.
Grant our students wisdom, our staff guidance, and our families strength during this season. May the joy of the approaching Christ Child inspire kindness and compassion in our actions.
In the midst of preparations, may we find moments of reflection on the true meaning of Christmas - the celebration of Your boundless love in the gift of Your Son.
May Your grace infuse our hearts with gratitude and hope,
and our actions with compassion throughout our Advent journey.
Amen.
May God bless you and your families during this Advent season and always.
With heartfelt gratitude,
Dr. Clint Moroziuk
Superintendent of Schools