Executive Director Update - May 2020
Dear Parents,

It is our hope and prayer that you are staying well and staying healthy.  

The following are a number of updates on the life of our school. As always, we welcome your thoughts, questions, and feedback.

In addition, the significant change in the educational climate due to COVID-19 gives us new opportunities to support you and your family and we need your feedback on how we can best serve you. Please complete the following new, short (5 minute) survey to help us understand your needs during this time of Interim Home Learning HERE .

Sincerely in Christ,
Bill Tomiak
Executive Director
New Elementary Classroom Building - St. Thomas More Hall
It seems like only yesterday we were knocking down the old pool building with sledgehammers as part of the ground-breaking ceremony and now we are only weeks away from the completion of construction on St. Thomas More Hall! The building looks great inside and out and we extend our appreciation and gratitude to Clark Builders and all of their sub-contractors for their excellent work in constructing our new space for our Elementary students to excel in their learning.
 
The building continues to be on budget. The schedule of work has been adjusted by a few weeks due to COVID-19 and we are working with Clark Builders to maintain our scheduled move-in date of late June/early July. In addition, we will be moving our faculty offices and Secondary class spaces from Bessborough Hall into Athlone Hall in early July once New Heights Learning Services moves into Bessborough Hall.
Our Campus Campaign
Thank you again to the parents, faculty, and benefactors who have made a gift in support of Our Campus Campaign for St. Thomas More Hall and our future athletics facility. Given the current economic environment due to COVID-19, the Fundraising Committee has decided to put our campaign on hold until the fall of 2020. Any families who would like to meet with us to discuss a gift to the school are invited to please contact me or Margaret Matthews (Advancement Director).
Semper Altius Bursary Program
The Finance Committee of the school has met a number of times over the past seven weeks to review our current year forecast and budget for the upcoming school year. COVID-19 and the decline of oil prices has led to financial challenges for many individuals and families in Calgary. As a result, the Committee has increased the budget for the Semper Altius Temporary Needs Bursary Program for the 2020/2021 school year. If you are facing significant financial hardship and need assistance with your tuition fees for the upcoming school year, please click HERE for information about applying for our Temporary Needs Bursary.
New Admissions for 2020/2021
We continue to receive new applications to our school, albeit at lower levels than in the past for this time of year. Val Blahut, our Admissions Director, has been doing virtual tours and new families continue to be excited and thankful to be joining our extraordinary community. You are our best advertising; please continue to recommend us! Please invite families to attend our VIRTUAL Open House on the evening of Wednesday, June 3, 2020 - information to come in the Weekly.
2019/2020 School Year
As announced last week by Premier Kenney, at this time, in-school classes are cancelled for the balance of this school year. This announcement, although expected, was difficult for our faculty to hear as we so miss seeing our students and families each day. Our teachers are committed to continuing to provide you with the best possible education and formation via our CWA Interim Home Learning program.
 
The Leadership Team is working on year-end plans and procedures, which we will communicate to you by mid May. 

We have been in meetings and discussions with Alberta Education and the Alberta Independent Schools and Colleges Association (AISCA) for the planning of the upcoming 2020/2021 school year. Alberta Education is currently drafting a School Re-Entry Plan that is to be completed within the next two weeks. This plan will guide us in how we approach the upcoming school year. 
Parent Surveys
Back in March 2020, we initiated a Spring Survey of our parents to gather your feedback and comments on the quality of education, formation, and service that we are providing and to identify areas for improvement - Semper Altius! Thank you to the families that participated in the survey - we greatly value your feedback, especially as we undertake our planning for the upcoming school year. 

The results of the Survey are very positive, which is consistent with our high level of re-enrollment at approximately 90% for the upcoming school year. Here are the key takeaways of the survey:

I. Net Promoter Score
Your answers to our question about your likelihood to recommend our school to a friend or family member determines our Net Promoter Score of 53. This is a world-class score and we are thrilled.  More information on the NPS calculation HERE .


II. Choosing a School

The most common answers to our question about the most important aspects for parents in choosing a school (in order) are:
  • Character/moral development 
  • Academic excellence
  • Safe and caring environment
  • Small class sizes
  • University preparatory program


III. Your Rating on The Strengths of Clear Water Academy

Of the 16 areas we provided for you to rate, the top 5 highest rated items (in order) are:  

In Elementary: 
  1. Spiritual formation
  2. Class size
  3. Safe and caring environment
  4. Academic excellence
  5. Character/moral development

In Secondary: 
  1. Safe and caring environment
  2. University prep
  3. Character/moral development 
  4. Academic excellence
  5. Class size


IV. Opportunities/Areas for Improvement

The most common areas identified for improvement for our school (in order) are:

In Elementary: Athletics, options and clubs, and before and after school care
In Secondary: Options and clubs, the arts, and opportunities for family involvement and Community Spirit


Again, thank you to all who sent their feedback for our Spring Survey. 

As a reminder, the significant change in the educational climate due to COVID-19 gives us new opportunities to support you and your family and we need your feedback on how we can best serve you. Please complete the following new, short (5 minute) survey to help us understand your needs during this time of Interim Home Learning.
Thank you in advance for your feedback and comments.
Semper Altius - Always Higher!