June 15, 2020 update:

As this is the last week of online classes we are asking ALL school owned resources, which includes

• text books,
• library books,
• laptops, and
• ALL Edwin devices with charging cords and carrying case

are be returned on either Monday June 22^nd or Tuesday June 23^rd.

A table will be set up outside the front doors of the school between 9:00-3:00 for students.

June 2, 2020 update:

June 2, 2020 Dear Parents/Guardians: With the end of the school year quickly approaching, I want to inform you that the final day of instruction for students will be Friday, June 19, 2020.  This will allow staff to complete all year-ending procedures, the most important of which is reporting on student learning. Back in early April when shifting completely to online instruction and learning from home, administrators and staff had made arrangements for some students to borrow technology devices from schools (Chromebooks, laptops, iPads).  These devices need to be returned to the school during the week of June 22-26 in order to be serviced and sanitized in preparation for learning in September. As you are aware, our teachers and staff have been working diligently since the cancellation of classes which began in the middle of March.  In this emergency mode, teaching and learning took on a whole new look.  However, we know that this current arrangement for student learning is not sustainable and some changes have to take place.  We are continuing to work closely with Alberta Health Services and Alberta Education to better understand the conditions under which we will be operating in September.  Our schools are examining a variety of options and we will keep you informed of what that will look like prior to the end of this school year.  There are so many variables that have to be taken into consideration (applicable health restrictions, class sizes, transportation, utilization and sanitization of learning spaces to name a few).  I also want you to understand that if circumstances change over the summer, we will have to pivot and change direction to be in line with the directives of Alberta Health Services, but again, we will certainly keep you informed as we learn of them. Report Cards will be distributed to students and families as follows: St. Teresa of Calcutta School – an email will be sent automatically to parents from FreshGrade with the report attached.  All other elementary schools:  an email will be sent home from the school with the report card attached.  If this is not viable, for whatever reason, parents/guardians are asked to phone the school to arrange for a different way of receiving report cards.  Junior and senior high schools: reports will be available through the PowerSchool Parent Portal. A notification will be sent when they become available. I wish to thank each and every family for supporting the continuation of student learning. Sincerely,  Ken Sampson, Superintendent

May 11, 2020 update:

Like many of our students and parents, some of us are getting a little annoyed or tired of all the Google Classroom emails and notifications.  Thanks to Mr. Leger, here is a simple video on how to turn off and turn on notifications in Google Classroom:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ndInjmWZ70zm3_vhNnYdnjvcLwYyn0-Z/view?usp=sharing

We hope this helps.

Also, here is an update about school fee refunds.

Elementary Field Trips fees (where applicable) have been refunded online.

We will now proceed with issuing refunds for the unused portion of 2019/20 Co-curricular and Junior High Option fees. Due to the high number of refunds required, we are experiencing delays in processing times.

Families that paid using School Cash Online will receive refunds to the original method of payment. Families that paid by cash or cheque will receive a refund cheque in the mail once all refunds have been completed. If you paid online, but have since had a change to your credit card information, you will also receive a cheque in the mail once refunds have all been processed.

Please note that refunds will first be applied to any fees that are outstanding in your family.

We appreciate your patience and understanding during this time.

May 6, 2020 update:

Please view this video and the below summary from our Minister of Education regarding the conclusion of this school year and the start of next school year:

With in-person classes cancelled, teachers continue to work from the at-home learning guidelines established on March 20, with subject matter and workload varying by grade level.

“I want to thank our teachers, school support staff, administrators, education partners and parents for quickly adapting to our current reality and helping ensure that their children continue to learn as best as possible under the circumstances. I know everyone is making the effort to connect students. I look forward to school returning when the time is right and health restrictions allow for it.”

Schools are using multiple approaches to deliver content to students. More than 90 per cent of school authorities are offering online learning, while about half are also emailing, telephoning and sending paper-based work to students.

School authorities and the government have provided about 60,000 devices, including laptops, Chromebooks, tablets and iPads, to students as they learn from home. School authorities have prioritized providing devices to students based on need, focusing on students who do not have access to devices, have complex needs, or are high school students. Additionally, the Métis Nation of Alberta, in partnership with Rupertsland Institute, has purchased more than 2,200 devices for self-identified Métis students across Alberta.

“We are proud to provide our Métis students with devices so they can continue to engage and succeed with online learning and the digital classroom in the months ahead. We believe that working in partnership with the College of Alberta School Superintendents and school authorities reflects a best practice where no child gets left behind in these unprecedented times.”

Supports for families and parents

Recognizing that many families have questions about at-home learning, a provincial education helpline is now available to parents through which Alberta Education staff will address their questions and direct them to their school authorities, where applicable. The intent is to provide advice to families, particularly to parents of children with disabilities, who have questions about their child’s program now that the traditional delivery process has changed. Parents can reach the helpline by calling 780-422-6548 (toll-free by dialing 310-0000, followed by the 10-digit phone number) or by emailing studentsupport@gov.ab.ca.

Additionally, more than 4,000 curriculum resources to support parents and students are available on the LearnAlberta.ca website. School authorities have also made various resources available on their own websites.

“The Alberta School Councils’ Association believes that parents and guardians should have access to an independent, formal source of support and guidance when barriers prevent optimum learner success, especially for children with disabilities. The parent helpline will offer relief for families struggling to navigate a new learning environment. We appreciate working with Alberta Education and partners on re-entry planning, given the complexity of a return-to-school plan that must consider the wide impact of COVID-19.”

Re-entry plan engagement

No decisions have been made on school operations for the 2020-21 school year starting in September. The province is working with school authorities and education system partners on developing a comprehensive re-entry plan that considers three scenarios, which could exist by September. They are:

• Normal school operations are able to resume.
• Schools are partially re-opened, with some level of restrictions.
• Teacher-directed at-home learning continues.

The re-entry plan will prioritize the safety and well-being of our teachers, staff and students. In addition to the feedback gathered from the education system, the plan will honour collective bargaining agreements, and will be informed by Alberta’s Relaunch Strategy and advice provided by Alberta’s chief medical officer of health.

“The challenge of reopening schools is very complex. We appreciate the efforts of the minister and department officials to meaningfully engage us on these important issues. The health and safety of students, teachers, staff, families and the broader community are paramount in these discussions. We are using input from provincial ATA teacher representatives and a recent COVID-19 related survey of over 2,000 teachers to share the views of the profession.”

“We appreciate government’s efforts to engage the Alberta School Boards Association and Alberta’s 61 locally elected school boards on the re-entry plan. As these are early days in the planning process, school boards will continue to work with government and provide input on a safe and appropriate re-entry plan and timeline. School boards are eager to welcome staff and students back into schools as soon as it is safe to do so.”

“The College of Alberta School Superintendents is pleased to be working with Alberta Education as together we develop a re-entry plan for the 2020-21 school year. We understand that students, teachers and staff are anxiously awaiting to return to class; however, any return to in-person schooling must prioritize a successful transition for our students while ensuring the health and wellness of everyone attending our schools.”

This initiative is one element of Alberta’s Relaunch Strategy that must be in place before Alberta can begin to safely remove public health restrictions. For more information, visit alberta.ca/covid-19.

May 5, 2020 update:

We are currently working on issuing refunds for the unused portion of 2019/20 Elementary Field Trip fees. Due to the high number of refunds required, we are experiencing delays in processing times.

Families that paid using School Cash Online will receive refunds to the original method of payment. Families that paid by cash or cheque will receive a refund cheque in the mail once all refunds have been completed.

Please note that refunds will first be applied to any fees that are outstanding in your family.

We will send out another notification when we begin processing Junior High option refunds.

We appreciate your patience and understanding during this time.

Thank you.

April 24, 2020 update:

Please read this update regarding student assessment:

April 9, 2020 update:

On Monday, April 20 and Tuesday, April 21, we are asking our Jr. High students to return their Social Studies and Science textbooks to the school.  There will be some tables set out by the front doors.  Students may drop them off anytime between 9 am and 3 pm.  We are doing this as the teachers will be able to share these resources online.  Students may keep their textbooks if they want and there will be another drop off time schedule.

Have a blessed, and safe, Easter break

April 3, 2020 update:

Please click on this link for a press release from our Superintendent explaining the Impact of K-12 Funding Adjustment:

https://holyspirit.ab.ca/resources_publications/news/whats_new/government_funding_adjustment

After such a hectic past few weeks, after a relaxing weekend.  Be safe out there and please practice social/physical distancing.

March 31, 2020 update

Due to the government’s directive to provide temporary layoff notices, I’m unfortunately informing our FLVT community that the following staff members were notified today of their layoff:

• All Educational Assistants in our Early Learning Program and K to 9 programs and our Library Technician

Please click on this link for a statement from our Superintendent https://www.holyspirit.ab.ca/resources_publications/news/whats_new/government_funding_adjustment

Support staff affected by these temporary layoffs will be working until April 30, 2020.

I want to take this opportunity to thank our support staff for the excellent work they do, especially the last couple of weeks as we transitioned to virtual learning.  Our support staff are essential to student learning, especially for our most vulnerable students, and provide important services to our students and families.  They have been working extremely hard in these challenging times.  We look forward to having our laid off support staff back with us in the 2020-21 school year.

I ask everyone to say a prayer of support for all the people and families that have been affected by this government directive and by COVID-19.

March 28, 2020 update

Please see today’s announcement from Alberta Education K- 12 education funding temporarily adjusted to match cost.

Last week we were told that funding would be in place for the remainder of the year, therefore we are quite surprised by this announcement.  As FLVT has adapted to virtual teaching and student learning we can share with you that Educational Assistants and other support staff have worked very hard and they have been essential in this successful transition.

On Monday our school division leadership will be meeting to understand the impact of this announcement.  Once we have more information regarding this announcement we will share it with all our stakeholders.  The work of our support staff is very valuable.

I ask you to pray for all our staff that are affected by today’s announcement.

March 25, 2020 update

Happy first day of Virtual Schooling.  It is hard to believe just a week and a half ago we were in regular classes.  I am so proud of the staff of FLVT on how quickly they were able to adapt to the new normal.  One thing I have stressed with everyone is this is all new to us.  New to staff, new to parents, and especially new to students.  We want to start off slow and not overwhelm anyone.  AB Education guidelines are for 5 hours of work for Grade 1 to 6 and 10 hours of work for Grade 7 to 9.  I know today’s rollout may be overwhelming, especially our Jr. High students and parents.

Here is some information for our Jr. High students and parents that may help.  On Mondays, teachers will send out all the content for the week.  Students will have the flexibility to do different work on different days but must be aware of certain due dates.  Each day, students will have direct contact and feedback from a different subject teacher.  Here is the schedule:

• Monday: Social teachers
• Tuesday: English Language Arts teachers
• Wednesday: Math teachers
• Thursday: Science teachers
• Friday: Religion and Physical/Mental Wellness teachers (basically your Religion, PE, or Health teachers)

Thank you again for all your support, just as this is new to staff, parents, and students, it is all new to our Administrative Team.  I personally need to thank Ms. Pilsner and Mr. Magierowski for all their help, guidance, and work as we transition to a virtual school.

March 23, 2020 update

Our Grade 1 to 3 teachers have created print work packets for students.  We ask that all Grade 1 to 3 parents to please come to FLVT to pick-up the print material.  All the materials will be on tables outside the FLVT front doors.  Please follow social distancing practices.  Here is the schedule:

• Monday, March 23 from 12 pm to 3:30 pm
• Tuesday, March 24 from 9 am to 3 pm
• Wednesday, March 25 from 9 am to 3 pm

We are unable to offer any after school hours pick-up.  Please contact the school if you have any questions.

Thank you for your cooperation and support.

March 20, 2020

Good afternoon everyone,

Today our Superintendant, Ken Sampson, has announced how we at Holy Spirit Catholic Schools Plan for Continued Learning During Cancellation of Classes.  Please see his announcement after some general comments.

An integral part of delivering learning will be the use of technology.

• All Elementary homeroom teachers will be connecting with a parent to see about access to a device and internet access for their students.
• Jr. High Parents/Students – Please contact your homeroom teacher by email to tell them if you have an at-home device and internet access.  All our Grade 7 students should have their Edwin Chromebook device.
• Those students that do not have access to any devices or internet, the school will be developing a process to arrange print pick-up.

FLVT will be sharing more specific information in the future.  This is all new to us and will be new to students.  One analogy is we are all going on a mandatory ski trip, some of us may be able to go right up to the top, but many of us will be starting on the bunny hill.

Here is Mr. Sampson’s Announcement:

Dear Parents and Families of Children and Students in Holy Spirit Catholic Schools:

 

Current Context

Since the cancellation of K-12 classes in Alberta schools looked like a possibility, our administrators, teachers and support staff have been working diligently to create platforms and plans that will ensure that all students are able to continue their learning under these challenging circumstances. Holy Spirit Catholic Schools is blessed to have innovative, creative and thoughtful educators. Through collaboration, innovation and creativity they will continue to serve the learning needs of our students during this time.  We are confident that we can serve our students and families well in what is a new and unique reality. This pandemic has certainly changed the course of how we live and interact with others. Each and every day, we continue to pray for the well-being of students and families in our school community, the staff in our schools and those who are working to eliminate this deadly illness. I want to thank each family for your patience as we navigate through this challenging time period.

 

Planning for Instruction

Our school administrators have been working with teachers, preparing materials for learning to continue in some format.  I think we can all agree that the learning moving forward will be very different than conventional learning that students would have been accustomed to having in our schools.  All of our teachers throughout our school division have been asked to provide learning activities in both a digital format as well as ‘hard copies’ or learning packages that will be available for distribution to families that do not have the capabilities to connect to digital/online resources.

 

We recognize that this will be a slow roll out to begin with, as not all of our teachers are accustomed to providing learning opportunities in an online method.  Inevitably, there will be some kinks or wrinkles that will have to be ironed out as we move forward. We ask your patience and prayers as we move forward.

 

Information from Alberta Education

The decision to move forward in this manner has been a result of gathering information from many sources (our schools and the availability of resources, working in partnership with neighbouring school divisions and the direction from a variety of ministries in the province – predominantly the Ministry of Education).  The public has heard directly from the Honourable Minister of Education, Adriana LaGrange, that all students will receive final grades this year and will progress to the next grade level, including graduation. Last week we learned that all Provincial Achievement Tests (PATs) were cancelled for the 2019-20 school year , and we have just received confirmation from the Minister of Education this morning (March 20, 2020) that all Diploma Examinations will also be cancelled.  This alleviates a significant degree of stress placed upon our administrators and teachers, but most especially on our students now that the course grade will be determined exclusively by the school.  That said, course content will still be delivered to students in an effort to minimize gaps in learning.

Timeline

• Monday, March 23, 2020 – all high schools will begin providing online instruction for students
• Wednesday, March 25, 2020 – Kindergarten to grade 9 online instruction will begin NOTE: specific information about this process will be shared on a school-by-school basis

 

Learning Expectations (Time Commitment)

Teachers are crafting learning activities for students that are geared toward the following guidelines and will focus on key essential learner outcomes:

Kindergarten – play-based learning with a focus on Literacy, Numeracy and Social Emotional Learning

• Grades 1 to 3 – 5 hours of student learning time per week with a focus on Literacy, Numeracy, Religion and Physical / Mental Wellness
  
• Grades 4 to 6 – 5 hours of student learning time per week with a focus on Literacy, Numeracy (with possible inclusion of Science and Social), Religion and Physical / Mental Wellness
  
• Grades 7 to 9 – 10 hours of student learning time per week with a focus on core courses, including Language Arts, Mathematics, Social Studies, Science, Religion Education and Physical / Mental Wellness
  
• High School: all courses, where applicable and whatever is deemed an appropriate time commitment

 

Please continue to be safe and adhere to the recommendations from Alberta Health Services as we collectively fight to end this terrible pandemic.  Know that you and your family will continue to be in my daily prayers.

 

Should you have any questions about this information please contact your school administration.

 

Sincerely,

 

Ken Sampson, Superintendent

Also, here is a March 20, 2020 news release from Alberta Education:

https://www.alberta.ca/release.cfm?xID=69874B5C32DE7-C7B9-FAFF-518A0FF91DCFD41D

Thank you for your patience and support.  We look forward to continuing our school and parent partnership as we educate our students.