Holy Trinity Catholic School Division celebrated the partnerships it has with community organizations by hosting a luncheon to highlight how those relationships support students.
More than 20 representatives from various groups — politics, culture, literacy, law enforcement, education — gathered at the new board office on Ominica Street East on Feb. 7 to hear from Catholic trustees and division administration. This was the first time in years that the board of education had held such an event; through their strategic plan, trustees identified the need to meet with community partners.
“It’s really a diverse collection of different organizations that we have connections with in so many capacities, and what wonderful partnerships they are,” said board chair Derek Hassen.
Offering hope
The school division’s mission statement focuses on creating hope, especially for youths, he continued. This is supported by the work Holy Trinity’s partners do within schools and the community. This work provides opportunities for students to be successful.
“We have a wonderful privilege of working in the community of Moose Jaw and we recognize that there are unbelievable organizations around this community that have much to offer for our children and our families,” added education director Sean Chase.
Hassen and Chase highlighted several initiatives in the division, along with some notable partnerships, while data was also presented on student performance during the 2018-19 school year.
New website, new school
Holy Trinity revamped its website within the past year, with the site now a hub for information and news for community partners and others, said Hassen. That new website also has a page dedicated to the forthcoming joint-use school on South Hill.
“We’re over the moon to amalgamate our two schools and Prairie South (School Division) will do the same,” he said. “To put it kindly, our two (Catholic) schools are past their best-before date. It’s time.”
This is a $50 million project that involves a unique partnership with the City of Moose Jaw, both school divisions, the provincial government and project contractor, Hassen added. The construction of this school will provide a great new learning environment for students.
The school will hold up to 1,000 students, said Chase. Work has been ongoing to find a suitable location on South Hill. Partners — including the municipality — have been listening to those needs. An announcement about the final location is expected soon.
The goal will be to have a school building that not only represents the desires of the South Hill community, but both school divisions too.
Attendance matters
Holy Trinity has pursued a campaign to encourage students to attend school regularly since research shows kids who attend daily have better grades, Chase said.
“Our staff work their magic when kids are in front of them, but it’s really hard to help these kids catch up when they’re not in front of them on a daily basis,” he continued. Therefore, the awareness campaign — using wall posters with influential community members — reminds families to be mindful when planning vacations or external activities.
The division uses an early years evaluation (EYE) tool to measure how prepared kindergarten students are for school; the test is given in the early fall and again in late spring. Chase praised the partnerships with community agencies that help young children develop.
The good news is the school division saw growth in kindergarten students’ abilities between evaluations, he continued. While the average growth across the province was 22 per cent, in Holy Trinity it was 33 per cent. This was likely the highest increase in any of the 27 school divisions.
Reading abilities
The division measures the reading abilities of students in Grade 3 since it is in that grade that youths move from learning to read to reading to learn. During the previous school year, benchmark scores increased to 77 per cent from 71 per cent, which means nine in 10 kids were reading at or above grade level.
The “ultimate goal or pinnacle” of school is graduation, said Chase. For students in Grade 12 last year, 88.9 per cent of them graduated on time. He expected the division to maintain that number and even grow it moving forward.
Communications changes
The way schools communicate student learning is changing, he continued. A digital tool is now available to give families a glimpse into their children’s classrooms and see digital portfolios.
“It has been absolutely fantastic,” he continued. “It’s really powerful as a parent … to see a student engaged (through pictures and videos).”
Catholic priests and deacons are in the schools weekly, which is critical since the division wants to ensure that linkage exists between clergy and students, Chase remarked. Meanwhile, it’s also important to have partnerships with community parishes.
Student activities
Chase then highlighted some activities in which schools engage in the community. For example, special needs students from the division’s Functionally Integrated Program work at the Kinsmen Inclusion Centre’s café. This was a partnership that began this school year.
“Our partners at the Kinsmen Inclusion Centre have embraced this … ,” he said, adding the student servers will greet customers and make them smile as they leave.
Since the division office has moved to a new building, Chase noted there is open land on the east side of the complex. Division administration is considering turning it into a community garden, with the produce going to support the café.
