WASKATENAU - Students at Holy Family Catholic shared what they love about attending their school.
During the latest Student/Board Engagement Session, students at Holy Family described their school environment as welcoming, caring, and encouraging.
The group participating shared with trustees the highlights and opportunities for growth in four main categories.
Goal One: Faith Identity
Ways they believe students are supported in building their faith identity at their school include field trips to places of worship, visits by the two local priests, the opportunity for confession, religion class, and their family groups.
Family groups, they explained, are made-up of students from various grades and get together to participate in activities. These groups foster a sense of community and family within the school setting, the students explained, and often bridge what they learning or doing with their faith.
Faith is also linked in classes outside of religion, with one student noting social studies as a course where their teacher has made those connections.
Goal Two: Quality of Education
Students appreciate the variety of options classes at their school, but feel there is an opportunity for more.
Currently, their options courses rotate and can include communications technology, forensics, photography, design, and more.
Other items students value is how the school took time to prepare for the Skills Challenge, vocabulary quizzes, and BookFlix.
Goal Three: Social, emotional, and Physical Wellbeing
Beyond extending their gym classes to 80 minutes, students are grateful for the Waskatenau curling rink, where they have spent classes learning the sport, as well as the outdoor skating rink, and local fitness room.
When asked about their mental wellness, students said having a Family Outreach Worker who is available when they are in need of emotional support is important. The Dragonfly Centre also attends the school to conduct surveys and present to students on a variety of topics.
The school also held a Mental Health Day, where they participated in a number of activities including pottery, yoga, and more.
The students also described their Family Groups, and Reading Buddies as ways of boosting mental wellness and connections at their school.
Topics in health class also remind students about the importance of mental wellness and how physical health is linked to emotional.
Goal Three: Citizenship and Caring School Environments
In addition to describing their school as a caring and welcoming atmosphere, students feel encouraged and challenged in their classes, not only by their teachers.
One student said if you ever need help, you don’t hesitate to ask because there is always someone willing to lend a hand.
The Board of Trustees will meet with students from Light of Christ Catholic School during their next Student/Board Engagement Session on April 24.