Board News

• Service Learning
  Throughout the school division students are showing kindness to those in need. Students from Ste. Marie delivered decorated eggs to their local hospital.
• Lenten Activities
  During Lent, students took part in faith activities like NET (National Evangelical Team) faith retreats, Stations of the Cross, and Holy Week ceremonies.

 

• The Sacrament of First Reconciliation 
  Over 89 Grade 2 students from our Grande Prairie schools celebrated their First Reconciliation at St. Joseph Parish on Sunday Feb. 25, 2024.
• Cross-Curricular Learning 
  St. Patrick Catholic School students combined Science and Faith to create tabletop coding games, combining the mechanics of coding with religious themes.
• Prayers for Lent 
  Thank you to all the staff, parent, community and parish volunteers for your time and commitment during our Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday celebrations.

 

• Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday – The Lenten season is right around the corner with Shrove Tuesday happening on Feb. 13, followed by Ash Wednesday on Feb. 14, 2024.
• Students Learning Through Action – Student Choirs from St. Clement and Ste. Marie (Spirit River) gave performances for local senior groups. École Catholique Louis Riel students created and delivered Christmas cards for local seniors. Students from St. Joseph and St. John Paul II high schools held food drives for those in need within their schools during the Christmas break.
• Teachers Gather to Share Knowledge – Kindergarten to Grade 3 teachers gathered to design hands-on, curiosity evoking lesson kits that connect faith to the new Science curriculum. Special thanks to NuVista Energy for the generous donation so teachers have access to these lessons and hands-on materials.

 

• Advent and Christmas Concerts – Schools hosted various Advent celebrations and Masses. Christmas concerts happened all month long, with students showcasing their musical talents and enthusiasm. 
• School Reconciliation Ceremonies – This past month, schools hosted Advent Reconciliation for Grades 3-12. It was a wonderful opportunity for students to reflect on the past year and the Advent season.
• Bethlehem Christmas Tree Challenge – School Staff worked in teams to build the tallest and most creative tree that would hold the town star. Thank you to everyone who participated!

• New GPCSD ACSTA Director – Trustee Croken was blessed and appointed the new Alberta Catholic School Board Association’s Director for the Grande Prairie Catholic School Division.
• Advent 2023 – The season of Advent begins on Sunday, December 3. Schools are participating in activities, prayers and ceremonies throughout December.
• Catholic Education Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023 - School communities gathered at their local parishes to celebrate Catholic Education Sunday. School principals received new banners to showcase at their schools. St. Joseph’s Parish was blessed to host an Art Showcase featuring Grades 1, 5 and 7 from St. Catherine Catholic School. 
• Noah’s Ark Challenge – St. Mary Beaverlodge grade 8 students integrated the story of Noah’s Ark as a STEAM project (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mechanics) by creating human sized cardboard boats. Afterwards students relay raced their cardboard boats at the local pool.

• Catholic Education Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023 - Catholic school divisions across Alberta celebrate the first Sunday in November as Catholic Education Sunday. This year’s theme is: Courage to Lead, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9.

Board Meeting Highlights - August 28, 2023

Board Chair and Vice Chair

After another successful year, the Board of Trustees acclaimed Russ Snoble as Board Chair and Michelle Boisvert as Vice Chair for the 2023-2024 school year.

Board Meetings

Our Board Meetings for 2023-2024 will be held on Mondays, starting at 2:30 pm. A video recording of all regular Board Meetings will be posted online. The next Board Meeting is on September 25, 2023.

Our Aug. 28, 2023 Board Meeting can be viewed here.  https://www.gpcsd.ca/apps/pages/BoardMeetingVideos

Grand Re-Opening and Blessing of St. Patrick Catholic School

The grand re-opening and blessing of St. Patrick Catholic School will occur on October 20, 2023, at 1:00 p.m.

Celebrating Our Faith

GPCSD staff are gathering to celebrate the start of the school year at our opening Mass at St. Joseph parish on September 1, 2023. This year’s faith theme is Inspire.

• Music Ministry: over 200 students took part in Worship Wednesday. 
• Over 5000 students had the opportunity to take part in Reconciliation ceremonies at schools.
• 1000 students took part in Church Visits/Faith Retreats.
• 180 families participated in Sacrament Preparation throughout the year.

Our Board Meetings can be viewed here.  https://www.gpcsd.ca/apps/pages/BoardMeetingVideos

 

Celebrating Our Faith

• Grade 12 Faith Walks – High school students were given the chance to reflect on their journey through Catholic Education. They engaged in commemorative walks, stopping at stations to treasure the memories from every grade level.
• Catholic Education Week – From May 15-19, our schools celebrated the gift of Catholic Education in Alberta. This year’s theme was: "Walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever" (Micah 4:5). On May 18, students and staff wore the colour blue in honour of World Catholic Education Day.
• Faith Leadership Series – The final session of our Faith Leadership series concluded on May 25th. Every participant was presented with a certificate, signed and blessed by Father Leo English.

 

• High school completion
• Education Quality
• Access to learning supports
• Safe and caring learning environments
• Parental involvement
• Rutherford Scholarship Eligibility

• 83% of students enjoy solving problems
• 83% of students responded that when they had difficulties in math, they knew they could handle them.
• 80% of students feel confident in their math abilities.
• 87% of students feel confident in their reading and writing abilities.
• 76% of students work with their teacher to set personal learning goals.
• 88% of students feel they can show their learning in a variety of ways
• 89% of students feel they understand how they learn best
• 96% of students feel they understand how to be respectful in the online school environment.

• Grade 1 students had the opportunity to participate in the Curiosity in Faith program during recess. Students completed science experiments that helped ignite their curiosity about faith and the natural world—special thanks to the GPCSD Education Foundation for their help and supplies.
• Sensory prayer kits were shared with all early learning instructors and kindergarten teachers. These kits come with faith-based activities that supplement the sensory activity work classes are already doing.
• Over 50 Grade 3 families participated in our first online Eucharist Sacramental prep in 2023.
• This month, we hosted our first faith leadership series, with participants sharing the various service projects at their schools —special thanks to our guest Father Leo from St. Joseph parish.

• The season of Advent started on Sunday, November 27.  Schools will participate in activities, prayers, and ceremonies throughout December.
• Fr. Emmanuel hosted a meeting to help teachers prepare for Sacramental Prep.
• Representatives from the Division attended the Religious and Moral Education Council conference ""Braiding Together – Dialogue Towards Truth & Reconciliation"". They met and talked with special guest Phyllis Webstad, the creator of Orange Shirt Day.

• There was Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday kicking off the season of Lent. 
• The National Evangelization team (NET) visited schools, providing faith retreats for all Grade 8 and 10 students.
• Staff had the opportunity to attend mentorship and faith formation sessions.
• Students participated in celebrations for the sacraments of First Eucharist and Reconciliation.

Our Board Meetings can be viewed here.  https://www.gpcsd.ca/apps/pages/BoardMeetingVideos

Celebrating our Faith

Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday

The Lenten season is fast approaching, beginning with Shrove Tuesday on March 1 and Ash Wednesday March 2.

Henri Chauvet, Michel Lemay, and Roger Lauck presented three scenarios regarding the utilization of O'Brien Lake West and the current École St-Gérard.

We are asking families for their feedback on each scenario from the GPCSD Facility Utilization presentation. Results will be gathered and submitted to the Board for review. Access to the feedback form can be found at www.gpcsd.ca.

Grande Prairie & District Catholic Schools welcomed new Trustee Gaytane Moskalyk. She was sworn in and joined the Board at the January 31st Public Board Meeting.

Our Board Meetings can be viewed here.  https://www.gpcsd.ca/apps/pages/BoardMeetingVideos

Celebrating our Faith

All GPCSD Schools participated in a variety of faith-based activities during the week of prayer for Christian unity. There were classroom prayers, a high school bible study and reflection activities.

Eucharist prep has started in grade 3 classes across the District.

All schools in the District were provided with copies of liturgical year resources; Daily Prayer 2022, 2022 Ordo, and Children's Daily Prayer 2021-2022.