Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools (RDCRS) officials are pleased to receive news that Alberta Education’s Mental Health in Schools Pilot Program has been extended for another school year, helping students in all grades in schools across the district, says superintendent Kathleen Finnigan.
The program focuses on improving the delivery of mental health supports and services for students and providing tools, training and resources for the school community to improve student mental health outcomes, she explained in her monthly report to trustees presented at the recent board meeting.
“RDCRS is thrilled that Alberta Education has extended the Mental Health Grant for the division and Chinook’s Edge School Division,” Finnigan said.
“The positive impact of our mental health transition consultants on the well-being of students and families has been truly transformative. This additional funding will enable us to build on this incredible work and continue making a difference in our community.”
The province is providing $6.7 million in support of the mental health promotion program this school year, with more than $50 million total being provided to support mental health in Alberta K-12 schools in 2024-25.
“The additional funding will extend those initiatives to ensure students continue to be supported for the entire 2024-25 school year,” she said.
The 10,600-student RDCRS division includes schools in Innisfail and Olds.
Summer school providing opportunities
In other division news, more than 1,700 students took part in 2024 summer school classes in the division, allowing for the hiring of two dozen teachers “to ensure that quality instruction and learning took place,” she said.
The summer school program continues to provide opportunities for students and educators.
“We continue to build on our current teaching experience and expand the expertise of our division teaching team by bringing in six new teachers into RDCRS Summer School this year,” she said.
This summer saw the division partner with the Alberta Motor Association to offer a new driver eduction online course, she noted.
“Students who enrolled in the course were able to learn safe driving habits that future employers want to see through the online learning portion of the course,” she said. “AMA provided financial opportunities for scholarships to students to support the completion of the driving portion.”q`
Meanwhile, RDCRS' international education program is expected to reach 100 students this school year, she said.
“This is a fantastic mix of students joining the program from Bangladesh, Brazil, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico, Philippines, Spain, Taiwan and Vietnam,” she said. “Additionally we have students from Italy, Netherlands, El Salvador and the United States.”
The division is launching a program to recruit from homestay families for the international students, she said.
Finnigan congratulated students Loualla Panayides and Vince Dixon, who have both being chosen to represent students across Alberta next year on the Minister's Youth Council.
The board accepted Finnigan’s report as information.
