June 26, 2020 update:

Please read this important update from our Superintendent regarding student transportation next year:

Dear Parents/Guardians of Holy Spirit Catholic School Division,

As we continue our plans for school re-entry on September 1, 2020, we know that one of our most significant challenges is how to provide transportation in a way that ensures the safety of our students. Our division staff have been working closely with our transportation partners to address the physical distancing guidelines set out by the Alberta Government.  While there is still much to be determined, it is clear that space on any of our busses will be limited.

As a result, effective September 2020, Holy Spirit Catholic School Division will only be providing bus transportation to and from school for students who reside 2.4 kilometres or further from their designated school. This means that, as we continue to deal with the challenges of COVID-19, we will no longer be able to accommodate bussing students less than 2.4 kilometre away from their designated school or those students who attend a school of choice.

We understand that this situation is not ideal and may inconvenience many of our families.  Our sincere hope is that this arrangement will be temporary. Should your child have additional transportation needs, based on their current Individual Student Plan, our division’s Inclusive Education Team will be in contact with you to make appropriate arrangements when more is known. Also, families of students eligible for transportation can expect to receive a survey in early August 2020, asking if they plan to use the transportation services available to them.  This information will help us to establish our rider lists and routes for eligible students.

Thank you in advance for your understanding and patience as we seek to adapt to our current health climate and follow all necessary social distancing guidelines to ensure student safety. And, again, summer blessings to all of you.

Sincerely,
Ken Sampson, Superintendent
Holy Spirit Catholic School Division

June 3, 2020 update:

Please find below a press release regarding the 2020-21 budget for our school division:

Click to access June%204,%202020%20-%20Budget%20Update%20for%20Holy%20Spirit%20Catholic%20School%20Division.pdf

June 2, 2020 update:

Although there is still a lot of uncertainty regarding the start of the 2020-21 school year, we continue to plan for a typical start knowing there will probably be some required revisions.  We have received some phone calls requesting information on the process to select Jr. High options for next year.  Normally, we complete this process in May.  Given the reality that our students are not onsite and there are still many uncertainty, we have decided to delay Jr. High option registration until the beginning of the 2020-21 school year.  By waiting till September we can establish a fair process and we hope there is more certainty of our educational landscape.  Please contact the school if you have any questions regarding this matter.

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.

April 14, 2020 Update:

Thank you to all our FLVT families that have submitted a registration update form.  Currently, 58% of our students have done so.  Here is a listing of our classes to show the number of students that have submitted completed forms and the number of students that have yet to submit the form (incomplete).

Thank you again for those families that have completed the update form.  For those that have not, please see the below post for information on how to complete the update form.

April 1, 2020

As we continue to adjust to virtual schooling at FLVT while classes are definitely cancelled, we are busy planning for the 2020-21 school year.  We want to share with you two items:

• Our FLVT Jr. High Orientation video
• Instructions to complete online registrations (please complete as soon as possible)

During this time of self-isolation, we want to share with everyone our FLVT Jr. High Orientation video.  Although it is specific to Jr. High it provides us with a great glimpse of our school.  Special thanks to Mr. C. and his film making class for making the video.  Here is a link to the video:

https://drive.google.com/a/holyspirit.ab.ca/file/d/1TQ6puxiUamycIpxF_JJ10lH3vFgODvcq/view?usp=sharing

It is a requirement of Alberta Education and greatly assists in our planning, for all students to register online for next year.  Thank you to everyone that has already done this.  If you have not, please follow these instructions below and register as soon as possible (please call us at school if you have any questions 403-381-0953):

To access your new PowerSchool Parent Portal Account

1.   Go to FLVT’s website at  https://flvt.holyspirit.ab.ca/ or the division website at https://www.holyspirit.ab.ca.

2.   Click on the PowerSchool icon button on the top right corner of the website:   PowerSchool.

3.   Your username will be the same as the email prefix that you have provided to the school.

• E.g. If your email is JohnDoe@gmail.com, your username will be JohnDoe.
  Please note that usernames are case sensitive.
• The initial password for your account will be Changeme123!

You will be prompted to change this after your first log in.

In order to access your Registration Update Form for your child, this form will allow you to review and update the information currently on file for your child to ensure that it is accurate, you will also be asked to renew any legal declarations and update preferences/consents, as per Alberta Education regulations.

To complete your child’s Registration Update:

1.   Log in to your PowerSchool Parent Portal.

2.   Click on the School Engage link on the bottom left corner:    

3.   Verify and update your information on the form.  Save and submit.

Please make sure all fields/boxes are completed, if not the registration cannot be processed.  Thank you in advance for your assistance while we transition to this new online process.

Thank you.