Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools (RDCRS) is about to begin construction on the new Catholic middle school in Blackfalds.
As they continue to prepare for the opening of St. Lorenzo Ruiz Middle School, reconfiguration of middle school boundaries is underway, to ensure all schools are operating at a viable capacity with close to the same utilization rate.
“Our middle schools are currently operating at over 120 per cent capacity and we expect continued growth. The addition of St. Lorenzo Ruiz Middle School will help to alleviate the pressures and overcrowding of the middle school population in 2023,” said Kim Pasula, board chair with Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools. “We look forward to the upcoming stakeholder engagement sessions where we expect to gain constructive and meaningful feedback from our parent and staff community.”
In addition to the guiding principles, RDCRS’ administration considered the existing programs offered in each school, as well as the neighborhood’s proximity to existing schools. The administration also took the opportunity to make adjustments to some elementary school boundaries to increase utilization rates and make the transition to middle school smoother.
The school board developed and evaluated multiple scenarios, collected feedback from trustees and school-based administrators, and presented two viable options to RDCRS’ Board of Trustees at the Jan. 25 Regular Board Meeting.
Virtual parent and staff stakeholder engagement sessions are scheduled Feb. 8 and Feb. 10 for all Division schools, but specifically, those located within the City of Red Deer and impacted by potential boundary changes.
Parents and staff from the following school communities are invited to attend virtually on the following dates:
February 8 - Father Henri Voisin School, St. Elizabeth Seton School, and current Grade 6 and 7 families from St. Francis of Assisi School.
February 10 - St. Teresa of Avila School, Holy Family School and current Grade 6 and 7 families from St. Thomas Aquinas School.
Registration details will be sent out closer to the event date. An electronic feedback form will also be available for parents and staff to submit feedback.
RDCRS said the feedback from the stakeholder engagement sessions will be gathered and presented, along with a recommendation, to the Board of Trustees at the March Regular Board Meeting.
St. Lorenzo Ruiz Middle School will be a two-storey design to accommodate 700 middle school students, the current playground and skating rink will be retained on-site, and the retention pond will not be altered. There will be additional playground installed, including a proposed basketball pad.
Construction on St. Lorenzo Ruiz Middle School was was originally scheduled to begin in fall 2021, but it is now slated to begin in early February, 2022, with the school opening September 2023. Implementation of the new middle school boundaries for St. Lorenzo Ruiz Middle School, will take effect in September 2023.