Tag: Alberta Education

School Opening Message, 2022

August 29, 2022 / Ken Sampson / 0 Comments

I consider it a privilege to welcome our division to a new school year as superintendent of schools. This is my first in-person welcome address, since becoming Superintendent in 2020. I want you to know that I truly see this as a privilege; one that has been bestowed upon me by God, because He qualified me. That is a very BIG privilege.

Having finalized our previous faith plan in June, our new Three Year Faith Plan, entitled, Arise, Pilgrims of Hope, was a result of significant consultation with many community stakeholders and is profoundly appropriate and inspiring, given the context of the past 2 ½ years. As a Catholic community, we have hope because we believe in God and we have one another to support us along the way. In essence, this is what has gotten many of us through these recent demanding times. But, we are versatile & strong people. BJ Morbitzer, in his poem, A Time to Believe, highlights the many things that inspire us to believe and to have hope.

To believe is to know that every day is a new beginning.

Is to trust that miracles happen, and dreams really do come true.

To believe is to see angels dancing among the clouds,

To know the wonder of a stardust sky and the wisdom of the man in the moon.

To believe is to know the value of a nurturing heart, the innocence of a child’s eyes

And the beauty of an aging hand, for it is through their teachings we learn to love.

To believe is to find the strength and courage that lies within us;

When it’s time to pick up the pieces and begin again.

To believe is to know we are not alone,

That life is a gift and this is our time to cherish it.

To believe is to know that wonderful surprises are just waiting to happen,

And all our hopes and dreams are within reach.

If only we believe.

In a Catholic education system, we are blessed to be able to live, celebrate and proclaim our faith, while AT work. We must never lose sight of this beautiful gift. We are strong and adaptable people whose sights are always on our primary interest – the children and students we serve, whose resilience will be supported by the nurturing and thoughtful staff in all positions throughout our school division. That is how our learners will be cherished and reach their fullest potential, as so aptly noted in our vision statement. There is no question that this will be difficult work, especially in light of the disruption in learning that the past couple of years have presented. There will be setbacks and hurdles to cross and most definitely there will be uncertainties and frustrations. However, we have hope and as long as we place our trust in God and humbly ask Jesus to walk with us on our journey, we will have absolutely nothing to fear. We are called to arise and be agents of change to do the right thing, because it is the right thing to do.

While our world of Catholic Education has seen many challenges of late, there are some great opportunities that have been presented to all of us. We know fairly well what we have to do and almost always realize how to do it. However, in our vocational calling as employees in this Catholic school division, how often do we reflect upon the why? Why do we do the things we do in our division? Simon Sinek reminds us to examine our why, our purpose, our vision before we venture into what we do. Is it to provide a robust Catholic Education rooted in the Gospel values of Jesus Christ? Is the overall intention of our collective work to provide experiences that motivate our students to be faith-filled and to become contributing members of our greater community who will inspire others to live and proclaim their faith? If so, we are providing new and exciting experiences for them. According to Brené Brown, professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work, “When we open our minds to new experiences, we find joy, belonging, creativity, authenticity, and love.”

Now is the time to dive deep into our very purpose – to ignite a passion for developing and fostering strong personal relationships with our students so as to pave the way for their success, knowing that each person’s journey is uniquely different. Now is the time to accept the ongoing challenge to be the unique person God created you to be. Because I believe in each one of you, I want to share with you this very fitting and multi-pronged invitation, similar to what I shared with you a year ago. Given the important work we do, in the many facets of education:

(I invite you to …) Take calculated risks. If you win you will be happy, if you lose you will be wise.
(I invite you to …) Embrace new opportunities and challenges
(I invite you to …) Ask great questions
(I invite you to …) Share your talents, for as Maya Angelou once said, “I believe that every person is born with talent.”
(I invite you to …) Express your vulnerability. “It is not about winning or losing. It’s having the courage to show up when you can’t control the outcome.” (Brené Brown) and finally
(I invite you to …) Continue to be faith-filled, for we learn in Matthew 21:22, “And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”

I leave you with Bettina Van Vaerenbergh’s poem, “The Time is Now”.

We have but a short time on this earth,

So value your life for what it’s really worth.

Your life has purpose – God sent you on a mission.

To live, to love, to learn – Is His commission.

The world needs you. Believe me, it’s true!

Some things need doing, that only you can do.

Character matters; be your own person,

Your own original self, not someone else’s version.

Develop your talents; they are unique.

Use your time well; listen only to positive critique.

Go after your dreams. Be bold. Be brave.

Swim against the stream; it’s more than okay.

The time is now to find your passion.

Time waits for no one, so get into action.

To be free of regret in your old age,

Never ever forget to fully live today!

May the Lord continue to bless each one of you as you begin this new school year – refreshed and renewed. It is going to be a GREAT year. Remember, we need YOU and YOU and YOU.

March Madness – In Our Schools

February 22, 2022 / Ken Sampson / 0 Comments

When we ordinarily think of March Madness, it is typically associated with a month of anticipation and excitement surrounding NCAA’s Division 1 basketball. Fans from every corner of the globe ready themselves for binge watching game after game, either in person or with eyes glued to the television, centering on a physical activity that has been coined as the third most popular sport in the world.

Most especially in the last couple of years it is very important for everyone’s mental health to engage in activities that will bring joy to the heart, for we know all too well the challenges and obstacles we’ve encountered. Going forward, we need to begin to feel relative degrees of normalcy. Without question, I understand that everyone believes this to be true.

From a significantly different perspective of March Madness, we are finding ourselves on the cusp of what could very likely be a removal of all COVID-19 related restrictions and health protocols. With a fair degree of certainty, we are positioned to see continued and augmented polarizing viewpoints which inevitably will lead to increased divisiveness and fracture in our communities. Since the formation of our country, Canada has been a magnet for immigrant families all over the world for a multitude of very good reasons. The negative attention that Canada has recently garnered in worldly news, from parades of protests to complete blockages of main highways at multiple ports-of-entry in and out of the country, is incredibly unfortunate.

Now in Family Week where we have the wonderful opportunity to gather as family, let us take every chance to recharge, renew and reset. We are slated to return to classes on the eve of March, and let’s do so in the spirit of togetherness and unity where the focus is on learning, not on the political rhetoric that is becoming more and more common and damaging to our youth. This facade of politics must be kept out of our schools.

The past two years have caused tremendous obstructions in learning in so many ways. As a society, we will feel the effects of this disruption for many years to come. That being said, our school and divisional staff have gone to no end of the earth to ensure schools are safe, caring, respectful and welcoming environments for our students to learn and staff to work. This amalgamated work has been a collective effort and includes everyone from school administrators, teachers, program leaders, support staff, office administrators, custodial and maintenance staff, information technology, business services, human resources, learning services, support services and most importantly religious education. We recognize the significant hurdles that lie ahead but we are certainly up to the challenge.

As we are about to head into March, let us join together as a true united community to create our own March Madness. A March Madness that burns with unquenchable desires for learning that recognizes the MOST fundamental reason for the very existence of schools – that children and students entrusted to our care will learn, be cherished and reach their fullest potential. We all have a critical role to play in this formation. We owe it to the key stakeholders in our division, our children.

Catholic Education – A Rich Blessing

May 14, 2021 / Ken Sampson / 0 Comments

Catholic Education Week is celebrated annually in our province. This year it is being held from May 10th to May 14thin and the theme is, “Those who hope in the Lord shall renew their strength” from the Book of Isaiah (40:31). It is during this week that we recognize the critical role that Catholic schools play in providing a publicly funded faith-based education to Alberta students.

Like residents in Ontario and Saskatchewan, Alberta’s families have the constitutional right to choose a publicly funded Catholic education for their children. Today, more than 180,000 Alberta students are blessed to be educated in Catholic schools. Catholic education remains revolutionary on both individual and societal levels, and strong as a result of the support and participation of our families and communities. Choose it for you. Choose it for the world.

Catholic education endeavours to achieve many goals, among them being to provide students with personal and social spiritual formation while fostering high academic achievement. It invites our youth to see each other, and all those around them, as their sisters and brothers in Christ. The unity resulting from this common lens calls all students to respond to those in need. This outlook of compassion helps young people to search for the common good and to bring Christ’s love and hope to others, locally and globally.

To guide and instruct our direction as a faith community, Holy Spirit Catholic School Division creates an overarching Three-Year Faith Plan. Not that anyone would have anticipated this worldly context when the current Three-Year Faith Plan was developed and written a few years ago, but our theme for this year, Transformed by the Journey, could not have been more fitting and appropriately identified. This past year has caused each of us to be transformed in our own faith journey, while simultaneously calling us to be grateful and gracious in all that we do. It is often during times of challenge that we are forced to be mindful of the many blessings and graces that have been given to us unconditionally. As a result, among many things, it demands that we:

provide opportunities to creatively engage our learners,
examine our instructional practices, and
find new and innovative ways to collaborate with colleagues.

As our Holy Father, Pope Francis, stated in August of last year, “The pandemic has given us a chance to develop new ways of living.” How about that for a profound, yet simplified, statement of purpose? We will not be returning to the days of old, or to what has become known as a hopeful restoration to a ‘NEW-NORMAL’ — for many things will never be the same. We need to continue to look for opportunities in this ‘NEW-NOW’ environment. There are certainly challenges ahead on many levels, but equally there are many golden opportunities waiting to be explored. Let us graciously embrace them with a grateful heart and, in doing so, never cease to see the face of Christ in everyone we meet.

Are We at a Tipping Point?

April 1, 2021 / Ken Sampson / 0 Comments

I would like to begin this column with a shout out to our teachers, administrators, custodians and support staff, the frontline workers of the education world. When it comes to organizing and scheduling for specific cohorts of students, facilitating instruction and supporting all learners while attending to heightened measures to keep our schools clean, your dedication, vigilance and genuine care are off the charts. These extra efforts are definitely not going unnoticed, especially in light of the impact in our current pandemic reality. In spite of many cohorts having to go into quarantine because they are identified as close contacts, quality learning is continuing. Further, our parents are making huge sacrifices to work within operational safety guidelines that have been established and we are grateful for this tremendous support. While there are a myriad of wonderful things happening in the realm of student learning, this does not occur without the unwavering dedication of the adults in schools who are becoming fatigued.

Few would disagree that in-school, face-to-face learning is best for the vast majority of learners. While many factors in education are not within our local control, safeguarding our children and youth in the context of the pandemic IS within our collective control. The incredible work that is happening in our schools to ensure students are present and learning can be quickly undone when some individuals and groups in our community choose to not follow the health protocols. There will come a time when social gatherings are safe and wearing a mask is not necessary – but this is not the time. As a society, we must remember the concept of basic and common respect for one another.

In our Catholic Schools, we look to everything through the eyes of our faith. Part of this very important work is to teach our children about the Catholic Social Teachings. Of the many social teachings, I would like to highlight three of the principles as they relate to our current pandemic circumstance:

The Principle of Respect for Human Dignity: We are all tired and frustrated with the seeming endlessness of this pandemic and want everything to be back to normal. Although the fatigue is real, we can’t arbitrarily decide that we are done with safety protocols. We are all born in God’s image and likeness and therefore, by virtue of the fact that we are all human beings, everyone is worthy of decency and common respect.
The Principle of Preferential Option for the Poor and Vulnerable: While every person’s needs are important, we must first consider how the lives of the most vulnerable people are impacted by every decision we make.
The Principle of the Common Good: A community is genuinely healthy when every person within it is doing well. The common good is reached when we work together to improve the wellbeing of people in our society and the wider world.

If we strive to base our decisions on these three principles, we ensure that everyone benefits, not just the individual. Afterall, we are all called to be our brother’s keeper.

There is absolutely no question of the incredible pressures on Lethbridge and area schools in light of the growing concern with the number of new and active COVID-19 cases in the regional southwest. In the two-week period from March 9th to March 23rd, the number of daily active cases in our city alone increased by 81%, almost doubling to well over 500. Where our schools’ first priority is the safety and wellbeing of our students and staff, this data is staggering and, from a school perspective, very worrisome.

We want our students to be able to come to school. We want our staff and their families to remain healthy. We are doing everything we can to ensure this is the reality but we can’t accomplish this alone. We need the support of our community. We need people to not gather, to wear masks and to wash hands and sanitize. The students in our schools are all our children. As a community we have to do better to keep them safe, working together for the common good.

Who are the Superheroes in your School?

February 16, 2021 / Ken Sampson / 0 Comments

Over the past year, there has been no shortage of news stories around the critical and absolutely necessary endeavours of front line workers in the many sectors of our society. Nurses, doctors and the myriad of healthcare workers in the medical profession certainly are atop the list, for without them, our environment would be unimaginable. Workers in food stores and other identified essential service businesses have been relentless in their pursuits to provide the necessities of life. We also know how school administrators, teachers and the variety of support staff in our schools have gone the extra mile to ensure that our students are safely guarded in a welcoming and loving learning environment. They have made learning come to life in creative and engaging ways in a very different learning context. There is no question that these people are real heroes.

Those of us in the education system know that superheroes are not just those fictitious characters who wear capes and swoop in to save the day. I am always most impressed when it is our students, the young people we serve each and every day, who take on the role; when they inspire those around them by going well beyond that which is expected, when their strong work ethic, attitude and effort are undeniable. It is for this reason that the Holy Spirit Catholic School Division has initiated a special means of recognizing the missionary work that is carried out by the dedicated and hard-working students in our schools.

The stories that have come back to us are heartening. We’ve heard of many students who act as peacemakers on the playground, encouraging the inclusion of peers and classmates in a variety of activities. Another small group of students organized a special fundraising activity and donated all of the proceeds to a charity that supports individuals in need. A third example involved a single student writing messages of hope to every schoolmate in the building. Just this past week, one of our grade one teachers delivered a special gift to our office that contained carefully illustrated and coloured posters with uniquely crafted messages from her creative-minded students. Special messages included, “We love you”, “You are just right” and “Thanks for being you” to name a few. One even said, “Just keep swimming!” What an uplifting experience that was for everyone here at our Catholic Education Centre. It is people like this who make all the difference in our schools and communities. In spite of all the current difficulty and challenges in our world, we don’t have to look far to intentionally see young learners making our world a much better place.

True superheroes lie in our students. We all recognize as educators that students learn well from their peers so when students go out of their way to make this world a better place, it is particularly important that we encourage and support them. Children and youth, at all ages, who make kindness their priority, who are empathetic towards others or who graciously see the selfless need to extend gifts of time, talent or treasure to others understand that we are called to be our brother’s keeper. We must be intentional to make and seek out these acts of kindness, whether overt or subtle, and appropriately recognize them.

Catholic Education Sunday – November 2020

November 8, 2020 / Ken Sampson / 0 Comments

https://youtu.be/c7ZOo6FQxjQ

Serving Holy Spirit Catholic School Division as Superintendent of Schools, we are a regional division that serves students in Bow Island, Coaldale, Lethbridge, Picture Butte, Pincher Creek, Taber, and surrounding communities.

Catholic Education Sunday, traditionally acknowledged in early November, is an annual event that celebrates the importance of the truly remarkable gift of publicly funded Catholic Education. Alberta is only one of three remaining provinces in Canada which offers a Catholic education that is publicly funded. Our Catholic schools provide engaging educational learning opportunities for our students with a curriculum that is permeated by our Catholic faith. Each year, more than 180,000 students are blessed with the opportunity to be educated in our Catholic schools, where our faith is passed on to our students.

This year’s theme is grounded in scripture – Isaiah 40:31 where we learn that, “Those who hope in the LORD shall renew their strength.” Hope is a very impactful virtue. In the Alberta Bishops’ Pastoral Statement of the Impact of COVID-19 and the Call to Christian Renewal, this time is described as a “time for bold creativity and life-giving transformation for all.” In the context of our current pandemic, Catholic philosophies and practices offer students and staff hope, comfort and safety. There has never been a greater need to evangelize than now and Catholic education does that very thing.

Currently, Holy Spirit Catholic Schools has moved into year two of our Three Year Faith Plan – Making our Mark – the Journey of an Intentional Disciple. This year’s theme, Transformed by the Journey, draws our attention to our calls to action of being grateful and being gracious. While on this journey, our faith focus is to use the many gifts that God has bestowed upon us and to see the face of Christ in everyone. In the very context of our current reality, we have so much for which to be grateful and more so than ever before, we must be gracious towards each other. This creates and sustains the hope we each have.

Jesus is the author of our hope and He writes it in humility, kindness, poverty, forgiveness and compassion. He writes it in His Way, in the example He sets for us to follow. We grow in hopefulness when we follow Him, through discipleship. What the world needs now is hope. It is impossible not to have hope when you view the world from the Catholic perspective. Catholic Education is more relevant today than ever before because it offers the hope with which we need to be strengthened, as well as to live to sustain and improve our world. As noted by Pope Benedict in his encyclical in 2007, people who live in hope live differently.

On this Catholic Education Sunday, I ask for your continued prayers so that our students are energized with hope and become stronger intentional disciples of Jesus. Thanks to your prayers and support, millions of people learn about and appreciate the value of Catholic education, which is an evangelizer of the teaching of the one, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. Thank you for being part of our family. Happy Catholic Education Sunday and may God continue to bless each and every one of you.

Tag: Alberta Education

School Opening Message, 2022

March Madness – In Our Schools

Catholic Education – A Rich Blessing

Who are the Superheroes in your School?

Catholic Education Sunday – November 2020

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