About Us
In Evergreen Catholic Separate School Division, we educate in an atmosphere of faith, hope, and love to prepare our students to live as compassionate, confident, and contributing citizens. Evergreen Catholic Separate School Division in the Province of Alberta consists of eleven schools in five communities with roughly 4,100 students and 450 staff.
Evergreen Catholic Schools Brochure
Our Mission
Following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ and in partnership with the home and Parish, we are committed to serve each individual student in an atmosphere of faith, hope and love. We strive to educate the whole student spiritually, intellectually, emotionally, socially, and physically.
Our Vision
Ever Growing, Learning, and Living in Christ
Students will explore life opportunities that develop their unique talents and potential, provide a sense of purpose and belonging, and affirm the dignity of work. They will become life-long learners, who will cultivate the virtues of wisdom, courage, self-control, justice, charity, and hope.
Students will gain the knowledge and skills to form the foundations for successful and fulfilling lives and make meaningful contributions to their communities and the world.
We openly celebrate our common bond of faith in God and we educate in an atmosphere of faith, hope, and love to prepare our students to live as compassionate, confident, and contributing citizens.
Community Support Contact Information
SPRUCE GROVE / STONY PLAIN AND AREA
Community Support Contact Numbers
RCMP Ambulance Fire |
911 |
Capital Health Centre | 780-968-3600 |
Distress Line | 780-482-4357 |
Mental Health Clinic | 780-963-6151 |
Victim Services | 780-963-7112 |
24 Hour Child Abuse Hotline | 1-800-387-5437 |
Sexual Assault Crisis Line | 780-423-4121 |
AADAC | 780-968-6466 |
Holy Trinity Parish |
780-960-0135 |
Youth Employment | 780-422-4266 |
Counselling
Evergreen Catholic School Division is committed to having a Counsellor in every school. The counsellors work as an integral part of the Student Services team, which includes the Inclusive Education Coordinator and the school administrators, to implement many important supports for Evergreen students.
Please contact your school for more information about counselling services and programs offered at the school.
Faith (GrACE)
Grateful Advocates for Catholic Education
GrACE stands for Grateful Advocates for Catholic Education. The goal of GrACE is to advocate for publicly funded Catholic education in the province of Alberta. Supported by the Alberta Bishops, Alberta Catholic School Trustees Association and Catholic School Superintendents of Alberta. GrACE launched in November 2018 with representatives from sixteen Catholic school divisions across the province.
Our GrACE Committee
All Catholic school divisions in Alberta have been asked to form a GrACE Committee that advocates for Catholic education. Members of the Evergreen Catholic Schools GrACE committee include Fr. Paul Moret, Pastor of Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Board Trustees Clement Fagnan, Jen Landry, and Jeri Wilson, Superintendent Cindy Escott, Principals Derek Brown, Paul Dunphy, and Barb Marchant, Teachers Melissa Lafleur and Janique Lafrance, Manager of Network Services Ryan Elsenheimer, and Coordinator of Religious Education Karen Koester. Stakeholders include families and parishioners of Holy Trinity Parish (Spruce Grove and Stony Plain), St. Mary of the Assumption (Westlock), Our Lady of the Foothills (Hinton) and St. Maria Goretti (Devon) as well as school division personnel.
Our Mission
Our Why
The gift of publicly funded Catholic education in Alberta is a blessing. As a community, we are called in gratitude, faith, and action to ensure that our children and future generations continue to learn and to grow in our Catholic schools.
Did you know?
• The first school in Alberta was a Catholic school at Lac Ste. Anne in 1842
• Alberta is one of three provinces in Canada with publicly funded Catholic education (Saskatchewan and Ontario are the other two).
• Catholic education affirms parents as their children's primary educators and respect the rights of parents to choose the school that best meets their needs.
• Catholic schools' deepest desire is to ensure that every child knows and experiences the love of God through the witness of their community.
• Principles of diversity and inclusion are central in the teachings of the Catholic Church and permeate all aspects and curriculum in a Catholic school.
• Catholic schools are committed to academic excellence.
How you can help?
In your homes, neighbourhoods, schools and parishes, watch for and get involved with your local GrACE initiatives. Help spread the word by sharing your stories of Catholic education.
Use the hashtag #gottagracegroup to join the conversation.
• About GrACE
GrACE Newsletters
https://www.ccssa.ca/grace-newsletters
FAQs for Parents/Students
Inclusive Education
Evergreen Catholic School Division is committed to providing each school site with an Inclusive Education Coordinator. The mission of this role is to ensure that all students have the supports and accommodations they require in order to successfully achieve their full potential. Collaborating with parents, teachers, counsellors, administration, and outside agencies, students may be supported in a variety of ways.
Please contact your school for more information about inclusion and programs offered at the school.
Family Support Services
Indigenous Education
Evergreen Catholic School Division respectfully acknowledges the vibrant history and culture of Indigenous nations in Canada. We continually seek to learn the traditions and contributions of Indigenous nations of Alberta while committing to moving forward in friendship and collaboration. We also recognize the land, upon which Evergreen Catholic Schools resides, is home for our closest neighbours, the Cree and the Nakoda. This territory, known as Treaty 6, is also home to the Métis Nation and many other Indigenous groups. We honor and acknowledge the unique story of this land and continue to work towards strengthening relations with Indigenous communities.
Our Division Indigenous Education Coach supports teachers, administrators, and division office staff in their commitment to the Truth and Reconciliation's Calls to Action (2015) through the development of staff by:
- Obtaining practical strategies and materials for the full integration of Indigenous perspectives into each classroom
- Offering approaches for teaching Indigenous learners and working with Indigenous families
- Making connections to Elders, cultural instructors, and other resource people for authentic learning experiences
- Promoting further understanding of treaties and agreements negotiated with First Nations and the Métis in Canada
- Providing opportunities to learn about residential schools and their legacy
- Building on existing awareness of historical, social, economic, and political realities of Indigenous individuals/nations
- Participating in whole schools events that foster understanding and respect for Indigenous cultures, languages and histories.
- Supporting staff in the attainment of school resources
- Broadening current practice to include pedagogy that is consistent with Indigenous ways of learning and knowing.
Indigenous education lead teachers from each school meet once a month to further their learning and build confidence in a variety of foundational knowledge areas.
Through capacity building within school communities and enabling all school staff to embark on this journey, the positive effects will be felt in our hearts, minds, spirits’ and happily in our classrooms. Through this commitment, the students of Evergreen Catholic School Division will become the new co-creators of a promising future for all.
Occupational Health & Safety
Safety is a significant priority! Our school division is committed to establishing and maintaining an incident free work environment. Our commitment is based on the philosophy that Health and Safety excellence is a value expected of the organization, its management and employees. Our division is dedicated to a physically and psychologically healthy and safe environment for students, staff members, volunteers and the general public.
Safety is everyone's responsibility! Our objective is to prevent injuries and property damage in all work execution and operations. This will be achieved by creating a work atmosphere in which Health and Safety is the first and foremost consideration, and in which all actions are based on safety. All staff have a shared responsibility to promote the principles of mutual respect, confidentiality, and cooperation.
Religious Education
Evergreen Catholic School Division provides Catholic Education to all students in the district. The celebration of our faith is a vital part of our school community and is infused throughout our classrooms. To learn more about “What to expect in a Catholic school” please visit the FAQ page.
Transportation
Bus Service
Evergreen Catholic Schools services the communities of Devon, Hinton, Spruce Grove, Stony Plain and Westlock.
Evergreen Catholic Schools contracts the following organizations to provide bus services to and from our schools. If you have any questions regarding the routes, times, map boundaries, please call the appropriate bus service below.
Parkland Transportation provides busing for students in Spruce Grove, Stony Plain and Devon. For more information contact:
Student Transportation Department
Phone: 780-963-8452
Email: [email protected]
In Westlock, contact Pembina Hills Transportation at 780-674-8510
In Hinton, contact Beaupre Bus Lines at 1-800-762-2356 or 780-817-2111
Bussing Status – Parkland Transportation (Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, Devon)
Bussing Status – Grande Yellowhead (Hinton)
Bussing Status – Pembina Hills (Westlock)
Inclement Weather
Unless otherwise announced, all Evergreen Catholic Schools will remain open.
In the event of extreme weather conditions, the transport managers or transport directors for each school area will decide whether the bus services will run. We suggest you listen to local media outlets for information about the cancellation of services.
For Spruce Grove, Stony Plain and Devon - listen to any of the following radio stations: CBC, CFCW, CTV, CHED, CHQT, Fresh FM, Global, K-97, 96X, The CHUCK, Now!, or The Bear.
For Westlock, listen to: 97.9 FM The Range
For Hinton, listen to: THE FOX
Transportation updates will be posted on the Evergreen Catholic School Division website by 7:00 am and then updated by 2:00 pm during times of inclement weather.
Violence Threat Risk Assessment (VTRA)
Violence Threat Risk Assessment Protocol - Promoting Safe Communities
The safety of our students is a top priority for us all. Children and youth increasingly face many difficult situations and challenges in their lives. When they lack the ability to resolve these problems, high risk behaviour can sometimes occur. We believe there is a shared community responsibility to respond and support our students. As a school division, and in cooperation with local school divisions, government, RCMP and community partners, we have completed intensive safety training through the Canadian Centre for Threat Assessment and Trauma Response.
Together, we have also developed a prevention and intervention protocol for responding to situations in which students may be posing a threat to themselves or others. Our goal is to promote safe schools and communities and respond to threats in a proactive manner that provides for a healthy and caring learning environment. We are proud to be able to provide this level of support to our school communities and are most fortunate to have our community partners at our side.
Additional information is available through the Fair Notice warning letter and information brochures provided.
- Violence Threat Risk Assessment Fair Notice Letter
- Leduc and Area Community Violence Threat Risk Assessment Brochure
- Pembina River and Area Violence Threat Risk Assessment Brochure
- Tri-Municipal Community Violence Threat Risk Assessment Brochure
- West Yellowhead Community Violence Threat Risk Assessment Brochure