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Samples of Newsletters, Speeches and Reports
As supporters of Edmonton Catholic Schools, you deserve to have your voice heard, and to see your concerns addressed! Marilyn’s Speech at the October 27, 2008 -Health and Wellness Conference: Good Morning and Welcome Everyone! It is an honor to be here today with this vibrant community of teachers from Edmonton Catholic Schools and Edmonton Public Schools. Health and Well-Being of our staff and students is one of the most important priorities, not only for our schools but for our nation. I would like to begin by acknowledging the keynote speakers, Caroline Whitby and Heather Morse and the many facilitators who will share their expertise at this important conference. This is the first collaborative symposium of Health and Well-Being between the two major school districts in Edmonton, and I am very excited to be part of this historical event. Health and nutrition has long been part of the school curriculum, yet the stakes have never been more critical than they are today. Increasingly we are becoming more aware of the importance of the implications on future generations if we fail to address current trends on obesity. As we are well aware, physical activity and proper nutrition is vital to one's overall well being, and left unaddressed, will carry long term and often irreversible health problems such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. As those with the power to address this crisis, we must really stop and think what life is like for the obese and often inactive child. We have all heard testimonies of people who have gained weight in adulthood, who speak to feelings of lethargy and of poor general health. This got me thinking of the child who has been obese since an early age. Does that child even know what it really means to feel energetic and healthy? Or, has that condition ever been part of his or her life experience? If not, how tragic is this? Further to the physical strain is the growing evidence that poor nutrition and inactivity does affect our mental health. Studies are now showing a direct correlation between health and nutrition to that of learning and student behavior. Given the facts that poor nutrition negatively impacts individual physical and mental health, we can also infer that collectively these individuals will have a significant impact on our already stressed health care system and to the economic productivity of our nation. Last month, one of the American news stations reported on some research which is suggesting that based on current obesity trends in the US, within three generations, 100% of the population will be obese and that the US will face economic collapse as a result. Fortunately, we do have the means to rectify the situation if a commitment is made by stakeholders such as government, business, educators, health care providers and parents. This is a societal issue and will therefore require solutions from various social institutions. Investing in the promotion of health and well being will come at a substantial cost, but left unchecked will most certainly come at a greater cost to our nation. Strategically, I believe that the education sector is the best starting place for health reform. It is here that we can begin to teach and implement programs that will change the mind-set and attitudes of a generation at risk to one of good health and well being. Implementation at the school level will undoubtedly place more responsibility on our teachers, who are already feeling that their plates are full, pardon the pun. Your presence here today is gratifying as it affirms that teachers understand the issue and are committed to being part of the solution. Every child deserves access to programs designed to educate and instill an acute sense of health and well being. We are here today to lay the foundation for healthier and happier children and their families. The speakers are impressive and as we collaborate, we will surely take back to our schools information that will assist us in further advancing the importance of health and well being. A conference of this magnitude requires a great deal of work and I want to acknowledge Don Zabloski, consultant from Edmonton Public Schools, and Cheryl Shinkaruk, consultant from Edmonton Catholic Schools for organizing this historical event. [Back to top] A Message for the Terwillegar Tribune From Marilyn Bergstra, Trustee Ward 5 With the 2009–2010 school year coming to a close, I would like to highlight some of the initiatives and outcomes that our school jurisdiction has been involved with over the course of my term as your trustee. Edmonton Catholic Schools endeavors to seek new ways of delivering services to improve outcomes and to seek innovative partnerships that serve to reduce overall operating costs while maintaining or improving access to programs for our students. Another initiative includes a partnership that our District has established with the City of Edmonton to explore the feasibility of building a combined high school completion and community centre in the northeast sector that is easily accessible to the LRT. This innovative relationship will enable young people who might otherwise not graduate, complete their high school diploma in a centre that serves the whole community with a library, sports fields, a school, and community-use gymnasium. An initiative that affirms our commitment to the well-being of our students is the Supportive Transition for Emotional, Physical, Psychological, and Spiritual Well-being Program (STEPPS) for students struggling with mental health issues. This program is the result of partnerships with the health sector and is possible through special funding provided through government grants. Through the efforts of district staff to develop partnerships and seek grants, this vision for our students became a reality. All children benefit from early educational programming. Research shows that gains are found in both literacy and numeracy for those children who have access to such programs. For this reason, our Board is committed to lobbying our government for funds in this area. For every dollar invested at the entry level of education, a significant savings over the course of a student’s life is realized to the taxpayer. Further, as our students compete at the global level for employment and job opportunities, it is imperative that they be provided the best education the world has to offer. Another added benefit is realized at the graduation level where drop-out rates are reduced and secondary education attainment is improved. Creation of quality jobs and access to such jobs will be critical to long term economic sustainability for Alberta and this can only happen when we deliver programs to our students that allow them to be on top of their game. Further, as high school completion increases, crime rates decrease. This is critical to the development of safe, healthy and viable communities. On that note, I would like to acknowledge Edmonton Catholic Schools recent high school completion rate which currently is 2.3% above the provincial rate. These results are attributable to several programs the District has initiated during my term as trustee. I think this shows the dedication of the staff at Edmonton Catholic Schools and a desire to see all students succeed. This is so important to me as your trustee to know that we are doing what we can to provide for students at all ends of the spectrum. When kids win, we all win. Finally, I would like to invite all community members to join me for coffee and a casual conversation about education on Saturday, June 5th at the Second Cup in Riverbend Square from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. I wish all the families of Edmonton Catholic Schools and the Ward 5 community a very safe, healthy, happy and wonderful summer![Back to top] Response letter to the Riverbend Ragg Times: Will the fragile economic situation impact the budget for your order of government? If so, how will infrastructure projects and human services governed by you be affected in our communities? It’s hard to escape the media commentary on recent economic events. While Canada seems be weathering the storm better than other countries and Alberta is faring better than its provincial counterparts, it is hard to imagine that we will not be impacted. The threat to Education is that reduced economic activity will reduce government revenues, leading to reduced government spending that we depend on. I firmly believe that preparing students to contribute to a strong, viable and skilled workforce is essential to our economic sustainability. Investment in Alberta students does and will continue to have a profound effect on our economic strength and global competitiveness long into the future. In the event of reduced budgets, support for school infrastructure is the area at most risk and any reduced spending at this time would be very difficult for our district. Many schools are operating above capacity, and our government recognizes that our students cannot continue to be taught in libraries, on gym stages, or in dilapidated structures. As Alberta grows due to oil sands expansion and development of emerging industries, we must also commit to the costs associated with infrastructure development. The education sector cannot be ignored. Education must remain a priority with the government and cuts to this sector should only be considered as a last resort. Meeting with Edmonton PC Caucus March 12, 2010 Good Morning! I would like to thank you for this time to highlight the many facets of Edmonton Catholic Schools! We will be highlighting some of our programs and initiatives. Being here today is a perfect example of sharing information that will help us to collaborate and make important decisions that affect the outcomes for millions of Albertans. Education is the foundation of any society and affects every single member of that society beginning with our preschool students. How we do this and our success is up to us as elected officials so let’s do this right. We all recognize that in a radically changing world, the importance of instilling a value of life-long learning is more critical than it has ever been. Our success in the global market is hinged on this very attitude and is built on a necessity for our students to be innovative, adaptive and able to embrace ingenuity. Not only do we wish this for our students, but we uphold this in practice as our Board and Superintendent endeavor to look for ways to advance education through on-going and innovative partnerships and ideas. I must highlight our Board’s results for the Accountability Pillar which shows improvement year after year. This is a great testament to the work from our Superintendent through to the teachers in the classroom that we continue to see growth over our previous success. On the screen you will see two excerpts from correspondence to our district from Dr. Jim Dueck and the Honorable Dave Hancock. We are very pleased with the recognition that we have been given from this government. Thank you Dr. Dueck and Minister Hancock for these affirmations. Early Learning Programming I will begin my remarks on Early Learning Programming by starting with our youngest students. We have several programs in place to get kids on the right track and off to a good start for success. One of the programs is our Preschool Outreach Program. Here we endeavor to provide a comprehensive team to deliver wrap-around services to children in their preschool environment. This program is educationally based and includes multi-disciplinary services such as speech language pathology, occupational therapy, and physical therapy. To date, support for this program has been fully endorsed by our day care, playschool and family literacy centre partnerships. One Hundred Voices is the name of our pre-kindergarten program designed to provide children with a stronger start in learning as they benefit from a half day at school. It is developmentally appropriate for three and a half to four and a half year olds helping children build essential literacy and numeracy skills through stories, music, reading and playing in a culturally diverse setting. Our goal is to encourage families to engage in their children’s learning, offer a book-lending library in a variety of languages so parents can read to their children in their first language, familiarize children and their families with school routines, enable children and families with opportunities to spend time with other families, and to link families with appropriate community resources and related services. This list of services is crucial in developing attitudes that learning is an extension beyond our schools into our homes and into the community at large. How do we define success of this program? One measure is through enrolment. And as you can see on the screen, we have had steady enrolment growth since the program’s inception in 2004! It is our hope that pre kindergarten could be universally funded. As we have seen through Setting the Direction, advocates no longer wish to see students labeled, but rather are hoping to see a system where services are available to meet the needs of all children regardless of what their limitations may be. There is a growing body of empirical research that supports universal access to prekindergarten programs. Full-day kindergarten is another beneficial program for children in their early learning years not only for disadvantaged children in high needs areas but for ALL children. At this time I would like to acknowledge that we have our amazing Minister of Education, the Honorable Dave Hancock, who supports and acknowledges the importance and impact of early learning education. We would be remiss to not listen to his wisdom in this area. However, having said this, Alberta Education currently funds only half-day kindergarten, creating a challenge for school jurisdictions as they struggle to find dollars to supplement the full-day programs. We believe that fast-tracking funding in early learning would demonstrate another area where the Alberta Government is committed to the long-term vision for a successful Alberta and continues to take action to keep us in the fore font of educational reform world-wide. As we know, there is a dearth of research supporting the impact of early learning of cognitive development and social development and long term improvements in both literacy and numeracy. All this a necessity in building a health and viable Alberta. Impact Statements In light of the current fiscal reality in which we find ourselves, both you as a province and us as recipient know these decisions and directions will have an impact on quality education and programs in Alberta. The following are some of the concerns that we commonly share and are equally concerned about as elected officials as we endeavor to provide the best possible for our citizens within the reality that we do not have an endless abundance of dollars.[Back to top]
United (Against Racism) We Can Good morning everyone! It is an honor to be here today to bring greetings on behalf of the Board of Trustees of Edmonton Catholic Schools on this occasion as we prepare for the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination being held Saturday, March 21st across the globe. The title of today’s event “United Against Racism” is powerful and meaningful and highly appropriate as we work within the community to educate about racial prejudice and discrimination. As a Catholic faith community, As Matthew 22:39 says: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I ask you: what does this mean in the context of racial discrimination? One definition for racism states that it is a belief that one’s own race is superior to others I think we often assume that racism involves negative actions toward a single individual or a group of individuals based on differences in color, language, race and so on. But it is often the unspoken that can be destructive and hurtful. I would like all of you here today to stop and think how one’s actions, whether ill-intended or not, may be perceived by another who is different or new to our country. I have often heard by the dominant culture that certain ethnic groups do not want to be a part of the mainstream population. I question this statement and offer the following comment for thought: Is it true that some groups wish to remain cloistered, or is it language barriers and cultural differences that prevent minority groups from having the self assurance to approach the mainstream? What is needed here is for the mainstream to recognize and understand what it must be like for a minority student who may struggle with English or feel different to introduce him or herself while being self conscious So what can you do to build a culture of inclusion in your school and community? The answer is simple, reach out—take the first step! J O K E! You, as youth are a powerful force in breaking down the barriers that exist and prevent our world community from living together in peace and harmony. Recently I attended a session on racism at a conference in the United States where I heard several disturbing testimonies. The following stuck in my mind of a story from a young girl who, after desegregation, was bussed to a white school where students purchased white paint and threw it on her. We have come a long way since those times, and the recent election of President Barak Obama who has African American roots is evidence that breaking down cultural attitudes is possible! I am not suggesting that life is ideal in the US or any country for that matter when it comes to racism; however, we are progressing in the right direction and it is your generation that will continue this process. It can and will be your legacy – if you choose. Canada will continue to have a strong immigration policy and it is our job to value and welcome our new citizens so that they can focus on the challenge of integrating into a new culture while feeling embraced and included in a country that they will now call home. We see a commitment by the provincial government where new portfolios have been created such as Aboriginal Relations and Cultural and Community Spirit. Clearly this indicates the importance of harmony within a community and among all races. We all benefit from a society where people feel valued and are allowed to contribute their talents without fear. Progress is evident in our own school system as Edmonton Catholic embraces the valued work of NAARR as they work within the community to promote and support individual, collective and systemic change to address racism and to encourage intercultural understanding. Events such as this are going in the right direction! It is at the grass roots level and through education that our society drives change in the world. I was fortunate to live much of my adult life in the United States and England. Not because those countries are better than Canada but for the lesson I learned. I will share this lesson with you. Different is not bad—different is simply different. In closing I would like to request that after today, each of us reaches out and extends ourselves whenever possible to all members of our community. I also challenge those members to accept the extension of acceptance. All will definitely be enriched. I will leave you with the command based on the word of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount and words to live by: do unto others as you would have others do unto you. [Back to Top]
Good evening and thank you for inviting me to be a part of this special gala! This is a wonderful venue, and the quality and beauty of the artwork on display is truly amazing. Homelessness in our society is an important issue that we cannot ignore. Everyone in our society has the right to food and shelter and this growing trend of homelessness must be a concern to every Edmontonian. It is a community issue requiring community solutions. To effectively address homelessness, we must engage communities and equip our citizens with a clear understanding of what it means and why some citizens, through no fault of their own end up on our streets. It is all too easy to dismiss this group when we ourselves live in comfort. Heart 2 Art is an amazing initiative that arose from a collaboration of the Youth Council with the Boyle Street Community Services. By use of imagery, Heart 2 Art opens our minds to the reality of homelessness, and helps us on our way to creating long term solutions. The fund raising activities of Heart 2 Art have engaged our youth by demonstrating their talents and highlighting their own ability to affect change in a meaningful way. It is important that we acknowledge and commend our youth who often find themselves with little time between school, extra-curricular activities, and even work, but are willing to volunteer precious time to make a difference to people who are in need. Through this wonderful project the seeds of change will grow. At Edmonton Catholic Schools, we believe that Social Justice Projects can teach children to reach out to those less fortunate and engage students in the process of building caring communities. Through our own actions, we understand the benefit of reaching out to help make improvements to the quality of life of those in need. A special thank you to those students who participated in this important social justice initiative. Congratulations to all of the winners. The Board of Trustees and Administration would like to thank participants of this initiative and the organizers of this event for your thoughtfulness, commitment and desire to help those members of our society that are most in need. [Back to Top]
Speech for Volunteer Appreciation Evening Good evening everyone! I can honestly say that it is a true pleasure for our Board to host this Volunteer Appreciation Evening. You are the faces of the many volunteers who dedicate time and energy along with passion to help improve the education and its experiences that enrich the lives of our students in Edmonton Catholic Schools. In the words of Albert Einstein, “Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” Volunteers—you do this so naturally. Your intention is not to build a name for yourselves but rather to enrich to lives of others and there is no greater value to a society than this. You do it with a happy heart and a warm smile. We also want to recognize the time and energy that you donate putting in long hours from planning charity events to writing up grant applications or to simply hold the hand of a child. In the words of Albert Schweitzer, “Life becomes harder for us when we live for others but it also becomes richer and happier.” We recognize that your service demands sacrifice on your part but we are grateful that there is a quiet reward by the richness volunteering brings to your lives. In closing I would like to read a poem by Joan Perry entitled “He Said, She Said” "How can I be of help?" she asked,"I have a good idea," he said,"Here, hold my hand," she suggested,"We'll do it together," they offered. I have prepared the following report as Chair of this committee to update the public as to the nature of our work in relation to the action plan for the 2010 year. The following are strategic priorities that were identified by the committee and approved by the board.
Other initiatives discussed provided information on the council of priest.
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This page was last updated 10/08/07