January 21, 2021

Re: FLVT Grade 7 Orientation

Dear Parents of Westside Grade 6 Students:

The transition to Grade 7 from Grade 6 can be a very exciting time; it can also be stressful, especially during a global pandemic.  Although the current school year has been very challenging due to the pandemic, it has also been gratifying and successful.  In a recent parent survey, 97% of our parents rated our school’s response to the pandemic as either very satisfied or satisfied.  Our students scored well above the Canadian average in almost every category in the recent Our School student survey.  We have attempted to be as near-normal and maintain a safe learning environment as possible.  As I write this letter, Father Leonard Van Tighem School has had zero Covid-19 cases (knock on wood). 

Although it is still January, it is time to plan for the 2021-2022 school year.  There are still many unknowns about the next school year, but Father Leonard Van Tighem’s staff are excited to support students as they start their junior high years.  Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, our Grade 7 Orientation will be quite different.  Here is our plan:

• On January 28, 2021, some of our staff will be visiting the St. Patrick’s Fine Arts Grade 6 class at noon to share a presentation and information;
• On January 28, 2021, some of our staff will be visiting the Children of St. Martha’s Grade 6 class at 2:30 pm to share a presentation and information;
• During the week of February 1-5, 2021, the reregistration process for current students in our school division is available https://www.holyspirit.ab.ca/schools/registration/current_family_registration
• On February 2, 2021, our school administrators will be visiting the Grade 6 classes at FLVT to share a presentation and information;
• On February 10, 2021, our school will be hosting a virtual Parent Orientation Google Meet at 7:00 pm for all FLVT Grade 6 parents.  Here is the Google Meet link  meet.google.com/obt-vxum-sxq
• On February 11, 2021, our school will be hosting a virtual Parent Orientation Google Meet at 7:00 pm for all St. Patrick’s Fine Arts and Children of St. Martha Grade 6 parents.  Here is the Google Meet link meet.google.com/buj-wbra-hyv
• FLVT Grade 6 students enrolled in At-Home Learning are requested to join the February 10, 2021, virtual Parent Orientation Google Meet at 7:00 pm meet.google.com/obt-vxum-sxq
• SPFA and CSM Grade 6 students enrolled in At-Home Learning are requested to join the February 11, 2021, virtual Parent Orientation Google Meet at 7:00 pm meet.google.com/buj-wbra-hyv
• On February 22, 2021, the registration process for new students in our school division is available https://www.holyspirit.ab.ca/schools/registration/new_family_registration

If you are new to our school community, I recommend visiting our FLVT website and my Principal Blog for a variety of relevant information.  We look forward to having your children as part of the excellent Catholic Education here at Father Leonard Van Tighem School.

Respectfully yours,

Greg Kostiuk

Principal

We are excited to welcome students back to in-class learning on Monday, January 11, 2021. As educators, we know student learning is enhanced with in-person classes. There are no big changes from December but two minor changes are:

• We are bringing back a common time when there will be prayer, O Canada, announcements and a groaner over the intercom;
• We are changing the dates of our Jr. High Complementary Courses. Quarter 2 is extended to February 11. Quarter 3 is February 22 to April 29 and Quarter 4 is May 3 to June 17.

For those families that traveled outside the country during the Christmas break, we remind families of the self-isolation requirements.

Also, please see the below message from our Superintendent initially sent out on January 5, 2021:

Happy New Year to Families, Students, and Staff and welcome to the brand new year of 2021.

As was mentioned by Adrianna LaGrange, Minister of Education, in a Tweet yesterday, and with a Facebook post by Premier Jason Kenney, in-school classes will resume on Monday, January 11, 2021 for all junior and high school students who shifted to learning from home on November 30th, as well as for all elementary students who are currently learning from home this week.  This return to in-person classes at school does not include our students who have been and continue to be enrolled in our At-Home Learning program that began early in the school year.

We want to whole-heartedly thank all parents and families who have made significant sacrifices in order to support our students learning from home.  We ask that you pray for our students, families and staff as we continue to navigate this challenging situation.  

Thank you and God Bless,

Ken Sampson

Superintendent of Schools

Have a great rest of the week and we will see the students back in class on Monday.

As we continue to plan to have all our students back in classes on January 11, 2021, we wanted to inform parents and students of two important bussing updates.

Changes to Bus Companies

As we move into our 2021 school year, Holy Spirit Catholic School Division is excited to continue transitioning transportation services to our new carrier, Southland Transportation Ltd.

Here is an update of the changes:

The only noticeable differences will be the “SOUTHLAND” name on the side of the bus and a new driver equipped with Southland driver identification for those taking the bus.  Otherwise, the bus routes and pick-up/drop-off times for the year will remain the same and can be accessed on the Lethbridge Transit School Bus website. 

To contact Southland Transportation directly, call 587-425-4245.  They are available Monday to Friday from 8 am to 4 pm and, starting on January 11, 2021, from 6 am to 6 pm Monday to Friday. 

Changes to Bus Loading Protocols

To improve bus safety at Father Leonard Van Tighem, we created two new open gates in the west fence.  As students go out to the after school bus loading area, students may go directly to their bus if their bus is already there.  If their bus is not there, students will wait on the grass by the sign of their bus route.  By remaining on the grass and not the sidewalk, students will wait safely while the school bus drives up for loading.  Once the bus stops, students may proceed to their bus.

Please contact the school if you have any questions.

February 2, 2021

Here is some more information to clarify the process:

February 1, 2021

Typically, with the start of a new year, we start the registration process for the next school year in January.  This year, we are starting the registration for the 2021-2022 school year a little differently.  Here is the process:

Please find the registration link here https://www.holyspirit.ab.ca/schools/registration

Please contact the school if you have any questions.

Parents are an important stakeholder in our learning community. We think it is imperative to give parents a voice. Private meetings and School Council can be an important part of this voice, but a simple survey works. Therefore, we are sending out this local survey to get your opinion on a variety of topics. Please take some time to answer this short and simple survey. We will share the results in the spring. Here is the survey link:

https://forms.gle/nbLcggc4iWeFmCbg7

Thank you for doing this survey.