Discover Moose Jaw is taking a look back at 2022 and today's article is with Ward Strueby, Director of Education & CEO for Holy Trinity Catholic School Division.
Q: What were some of the highlights of 2022?
I think first and foremost is definitely welcoming our parents and caregivers and community members back into our schools. We all know that teachers are pedological experts but our families and caregivers know their students better than anybody. So developing these home and school relationships is so important for student growth and development and it's opportunities like this that help educators reach the students even better.
In terms of looking at our student enrolment. Definitely, that's a high portion of this school year. September 30th enrolment was our second highest in the past decade with 2,345 students. Our Grade 9 numbers this year were the highest in the past decade and our Kindergarten enrolment of 196 students was the third highest in the past decade.
In terms of faith permeation and connections to our parishes in our school division, those were probably the strongest that we've ever seen. Starting off with our opening Faith Day Mass where all of our teachers and support staff were able to join us in Moose Jaw for a mass and PD....to our commissioning masses at each of our parishes, where teachers and staff are blessed to do the work in classrooms each day to our individual feast masses at each of our schools and to working really closely with our clergy from each of our parishes in developing our faith plans for the school year.
In terms of other pieces this year, our reading results were outstanding once again, where we maintained 13 points higher, average-wise, in Grade 1-3 reading. We all know reading is a critical measure in education for future success.
Holy Trinity did receive the 2022 Premier's Board of Education Award for Innovation Excellence in Education with our partnership with the Moose Jaw Kinsmen Inclusion Centre, providing supports for post-graduation students here in Holy Trinity.
Q: What were some of the struggles that the school division was dealing with when it came to COVID-19 in the first half of last year?
Staff and student sickness continues to cause some issues. We have had some instances where we have been short teachers or EAs. So that has had us doing some creative shuffling. Also, with students missing, getting them caught up at times can be difficult but teachers do great work when the students return. Mental health and well-being for both students and staff definitely is something we pay attention to and try to provide supports with our wellness coaches. We were very, very happy to hear that River Street Promotions here in Moose Jaw donated $85,000 to Holy Trinity and Prairie South for future initiatives which is very, very exciting to us. I think catching up on missed skills definitely has been a tough one. In Holy Trinity, we put some money into a math interventionist and a reading interventionist to help students out in those areas.
Q: How great has it been to have the students back in the classroom for you and other educators?
For educators, that's the reason why we got into education in the first place and we believe the classroom is where the magic takes place and the reason why we're in this profession. School and classroom culture has significantly increased due to connections with students in the classroom, both during learning times and during extra-curricular activities and it's so nice as I get a chance to walk through schools to hear learning laughter and just overall joy.
Q: How has that transition been for students in that first bit of the year, adjusting back into in-person learning?
I do believe that students are very resilient, but we listen to lots of mental health experts and they talked about students delaying their onset of traumatic experiences that came through the pandemic. We did make sure to include supports through our wellness coaches at schools. I believe that supports and connections and socialization help make that a whole lot better and extra-curricular activities like arts, athletics, and school and community events are crucial in working through that. Also, in terms of increased enthusiasm and participation, I think that's been so important. Last, but not least, there are just those individualized and direct supports that students get when they're receiving face-to-face learning.
Q: What are some of the things that you're looking forward to in 2023?
The first one is we're hoping that our joint school on South Hill will go to tender and we get some great news here in the new year, because that's much needed, both for Prairie South and Holy Trinity. Also, in the last budget, St. Margaret's is up for a minor capital project for some renovations, which is awesome for Moose Jaw's only single-track French immersion program. We're excited to be developing a new strategic plan, in alignment with the provincial education plan and we'll be seeking out support and feedback from community stakeholders and families. (We're) really looking forward to getting our reading, writing and math results in February to know where we're at for this year and what additional supports we need to put in place. Last but not least, we want to continue our work with Truth and Reconciliation. We have a contract with a Knowledge Keeper, Lyndon Linklater, and he'll be working with each of our schools on the Seven Sacred Teachings and Teepee Teachings. (We're) really excited about that as well.
You can listen to Shawn Slaght's full interview with Ward Strueby below: