Sat, 04 Apr 2026 03:48:57 -0600WeeblyTue, 31 Mar 2026 17:28:03 GMThttps://www.sjcschola.ca/board-blog/as-we-approach-the-end-of​Greetings from the Board of Directors. As we approach the end of this academic year, we thank all of the staff, volunteers and community for their continued help in making our program such a great success. 

The Board has been very much focused in finding a new location for the program for the 2027-2028 year. Thanks to the Facilities Committee for their ongoing efforts and dedication. We are actively pursuing several options but as of yet nothing has been finalized. Please keep this in your prayers. We have complete trust that the Holy Spirit will guide us to find our next home.

Have a blessed Easter and enjoy the upcoming break!]]>Fri, 30 Jan 2026 17:36:46 GMThttps://www.sjcschola.ca/board-blog/as-we-begin-2026    As we begin 2026, the BOD would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to all of our staff, parents and volunteers. Countless hours are given to make our program successful and we see the fruits of that in our many events and wonderful community.

    We appreciate the feedback from the parents and especially the parents that took part in the senior program survey that was sent out last month. One of the concerns that had been raised was the workload in the senior program and steps were taken at the start of the year to address those concerns. The response has been very positive and we thank Mrs. Meckleborg and the staff for their efforts. Incremental changes are ongoing as we continue to improve the program. 
 
    The BOD continues to look for a suitable location for the 2027/28 academic year and is actively exploring different options. A new committee has been formed to focus and spearhead this effort. Thanks to all involved and supporting us in our search. Please continue to keep this in your prayers.]]>Tue, 04 Nov 2025 20:50:11 GMThttps://www.sjcschola.ca/board-blog/thank-you-to-all-the-parentsThank you to all the parents that attended the AGM earlier this month. We appreciate the chance to give updates, answer questions and receive feedback. If you were unable to attend the meeting or have follow up questions, please do not hesitate to reach out (board.secretary@sjcschola.ca). 
Here are a few highlights of our efforts over the past year:

Both Kimberly Cichon and Matt Borras are new to the Board in the last year, replacing Ron O’Neil who resigned from the Board in January of 2025, and Alane Boudreau who resigned in the spring. Both Ron and Alane were long term members of the board and we thank them for their amazing sacrifice and service. We would also like to thank Dan Nugent who joined our Board in the spring, but for personal reasons stepped down recently.

The Board has been actively investigating alternative locations and buildings that may have to become home for the Schola for a short term or perhaps even the longer term. Bow Valley Christian Church, as many of you are aware, are tentatively planning a large renovation and expansion in the short to medium term. No decision has been made yet, but likely we will have to move - the earliest being before the start of the next academic year, or at best after the next academic year.
 
A new location and building is of utmost interest and concern to all of you, as it is for us.  We are confident we will find a new home and hopefully a place with some opportunities to improve some facets of our infrastructure. You can help by using your personal networks to help uncover any facilities that might be coming available on the market and that might serve our needs well. Please add this to your prayers. 

Finally, a heartfelt thanks to Connie and all the staff that worked hard to ensure minimal disruption to our students and families during the teacher’s strike. We are very grateful for their efforts!]]>Fri, 03 Oct 2025 14:36:45 GMThttps://www.sjcschola.ca/board-blog/it-was-great-to-see-many-new-and-many-familiar-facesThe BOD would like to extend a warm welcome to all of the students and staff as we begin our 2025/2026 academic year. It was great to see many new and many familiar faces at the Welcome Back Family BBQ and First Friday Mass.  We are excited for another year and are enjoying the beautiful weather as we head into October. 


We recognize the stress and concern that families are feeling regarding the potential teacher’s strike. SJCS is monitoring the situation closely and continually assessing our contingency plans in order to minimize the disruption for our students and families. A big thank you to Connie for all of her efforts to keep courses (and the Schola) running smoothly. We will continue to keep you updated.


The SJCS 2025 AGM will take place October 20th at 7pm, hope to see many of you there. We look forward to meeting with you and hearing your feedback, questions or concerns. 

Welcome back and we pray for a wonderful academic year!]]>Tue, 20 May 2025 18:20:57 GMThttps://www.sjcschola.ca/board-blog/as-we-head-into-the-last-days-of-school​As we head into the last days of school, the board would once again like to thank all of the hard working staff and volunteers that made all the wonderful activities possible throughout the year. For all the larger events, including the Music Man Jr. production and singing with St Michael’s choir, but also all of the numerous smaller activities, we couldn’t manage without the generous support of the community.

We would like to especially thank our amazing Executive Director, Connie Meckelborg, for her work in so many ways to help keep things running smoothly. Connie keeps an incredibly large number of balls in the air, all while maintaining her composure and showing an abundance of kindness and charity. We are truly blessed to have her.

Finally, we wish our graduates of 2025 the best in their future endevours and hope their experience and knowledge gained at SJCS will give them the foundation for success and the confidence to go out into the world as a beacon of hope. We will keep them in our prayers.

Have a great summer break and God Bless!]]>Tue, 01 Apr 2025 06:00:00 GMThttps://www.sjcschola.ca/board-blog/we-are-pleased-to-announce​It is with sad but grateful hearts that we announce Alane Boudreau has stepped down from the Board of Directors. As a board member for over a decade, Alane has worked tirelessly to help SJCS. She has had a profound influence on the direction of the schola and we are all greatly indebted to her. Alane will still be helping SJCS, particularly in the area of sacred music but is taking a much deserved break from the operational side. Thank you Alane, you will be missed!
 
We are pleased to announce that two new board members joined us in March, Kimberly Cichon and Daniel Nugent. 
 
Kimberly Cichon has been actively involved in the Catholic Community in numerous way; the parish level, through St. Mary's University, as well as other organizations. She has a Master’s degree in Special Education, a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, and a Certification in Child and Youth Care. Kimberly's greatest joy is being a wife and mother of six, two of whom have now graduated and are in university, and the two youngest children currently attend SJCS. 
 
Daniel is also very well known in the community and has spent a lot of time working with groups including  young married couples, students, various parish teams and choirs. Daniel has 5 children, three of whom are SJCS graduates. He has a Master's in Mechanical & Environmental Engineering. After 20 years working as an engineer, he felt called to pursue a different path and, along with his wife, started a Catholic Gifts store, www.HeartsonFire.store. For Daniel, the gift of creation is very appreciated in faith and family life, frequenting the outdoors for much of their vacation and recreation time.

Please join us in thanking Alane for all her efforts over the years, and in welcoming Kimberly and Daniel!]]>Mon, 30 Dec 2024 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.sjcschola.ca/board-blog/jubilee-year-of-2025We are well into the new year and have many exciting events coming up. Hopefully everyone had a great Christmas break, is well rested and ready for the challenges, opportunities and changes that will be presented in the Jubilee Year of 2025!

Speaking of changes, after many years of dedicated service, one of our long-standing board members, Ron O'Neil, has decided to step down. Our heartfelt thanks to Ron for countless hours of his time, all of his effort and his dedication to the Schola throughout these years. He was a key part of the Board of Directors and brought experience, wisdom and a unique perspective. His absence will be greatly felt and we wish him the best in all his future endeavors!
 
We are very blessed to have such generous volunteers in our Schola community that give freely of their time and talents to support our many wonderful endeavors.   
As always we welcome feedback, questions, and comments. board.secretary@sjcschola.ca
]]>Tue, 03 Dec 2024 21:36:11 GMThttps://www.sjcschola.ca/board-blog/staying-warm​Hopefully you have managed to stay warm during the last cold spell and are enjoying the  reprieve, however long it lasts. 

We’ve seen an exciting month that included Exam Week, the Poetry Slam,  and ongoing play rehearsals. The Board of Directors has also kept busy with short and long term planning for the Schola. More details to come as we start looking forward towards the next school year. 

Don’t forget to order your Christmas Baking Trays before they sell out. Our thanks to all the parents and volunteers who do an amazing amount of work behind the scenes! ]]>Wed, 30 Oct 2024 17:29:41 GMThttps://www.sjcschola.ca/board-blog/the-sjcs-2024-agm-was-held-earlier-this-month-thank-you-to-all-the-parents​The SJCS 2024 AGM was held earlier this month. Thank you to all the parents that ventured out in the inclement weather to attend. Changes in our tutor staff, the student body expansion,  financials, curriculum updates, and the strategic vision for the schola were all discussed. There was a Question & Answer at the end of the presentation to allow clarification and answer parent’s specific questions or concerns.  

The results of the feedback survey to the parents was presented, as part of the Annual Continuous improvement process. Survey results were very positive and indicate a strong, united and engaged community. Admin staff, tutors, parents, students and volunteers have all had a hand in the success of the schola and all their efforts are greatly appreciated.
 
The survey revealed a lot of diverse opinions, but some common themes and suggestions for improvement. Over the summer these suggestions have been captured as action items and of the 14 items identified, 11 are already complete. We are committed to maintaining and improving on the experience for the students and parents going forward. 
 
Meeting notes and survey results will be posted on the Family Page.  As always we welcome feedback, questions, and comments board.secretary@sjcschola.ca]]>Mon, 16 Sep 2024 06:00:00 GMThttps://www.sjcschola.ca/board-blog/follow-up-on-feedback-from-our-surveyThank you to all who gave us feedback through our survey before the summer break. We appreciate all of the responses and spent time over the summer reviewing the suggestions to see where we can make improvements. We have incorporated some suggestions: including modifications to the homework pages, evaluating homework load, staggering assignment deadlines and introducing volleyball to the senior students, and we will continue to consider your suggestions as we move forward. Thank you again to all of you who took the time to give us your feedback and ideas. Please come to the AGM on Monday October 21 at 7:00 at the Schola to hear more about how we are using your feedback to continuously improve the experience of being part of SJCS.

Our program relies on our dedicated and wonderful staff, who also volunteer in many ways above and beyond their job descriptions. Also, many parents volunteer in very significant ways, including the Family Welcome picnic, receptions after concerts, beautifully coordinated Nine Lessons and Tenebrae, our library, the play, enrichment and other fun events like pi day, and the medieval fair. The only way we can offer as rich of a program as we do is because of the significant contribution of volunteers. 
 
One thing that was identified was that it can be difficult for our parents to see how they can find time to help at SJCS and our very dedicated volunteers often feel maxed out as they are left to carry a disproportionate amount of the volunteer workload. In an effort to improve this situation, we have described the many volunteer roles at SJCS and their requirements, from large time commitments to very small time commitments. So far, the response has not been encouraging. Please find a way in which you can help that fits with your gifts and availability. Please reach out to the Schola administration, the Parents Society or one of the Board members to let us know how you would like to volunteer this year. We would be happy to discuss more or answer any questions. 


See you at the AGM! Monday October 21 2024 at 7:00pm at the Schola!

As always, we welcome feedback, questions, and comments board.secretary@sjcschola.ca]]>