Parent FAQs

All Christ The Redeemer (CTR) Catholic Schools will reopen on Wednesday, October 29. Schools will communicate specific reopening details directly to families by email or through their websites.

The provincial government legislated teachers back to work. In accordance with this legislation, teachers across Alberta are expected to return to their classrooms on Wednesday, October 29, allowing regular school operations to resume. For bell schedules, please check your child’s school website.  

The provincial government legislated teachers back to work after the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) and the Teachers’ Employer Bargaining Association (TEBA) were unable to agree on a settlement. The province has introduced the Back to School Act, which will bring students back into the classroom, starting Wednesday, October 29. The Back to School Act enacts the terms of the Memorandum of Agreement signed on September 23, 2025, including term (Sept 1/24 – Aug 31/28), compensation, teacher hiring targets, and effective dates. No local bargaining will be forthcoming. 

Changes to the school calendar have been approved by the Board of Trustees in support of maximizing student learning time in the first semester of learning.   

Thursday, November 20 was originally scheduled for morning classes followed by afternoon and evening Parent-Teacher Interviews, with Friday, November 21 designated as a non-instructional day due to interviews. These dates have been revised — both Thursday, November 20 and the morning of Friday, November 21 will now be instructional time. The updated calendar has been approved by the Board of Trustees and is available here. The delay of Parent Teacher Interviews and the issuing of November Report Card or comments will require teachers and parents to remain in close communication as student learning resumes.  

Report cards and student comments that were originally scheduled for November will now be issued at the end of January. Parent-Teacher Interviews will take place on Thursday, January 29. This adjustment provides additional time for teaching and assessment prior to reporting, ensuring that grades and comments reflect a fuller picture of student learning. The new timeline also aligns with the end of the first semester. To accommodate the January interviews, the Professional Development Day on February 2 will be changed to a non-instructional day. The remainder of the school calendar will continue as originally scheduled, as it is expected that the learning scheduled in the second half of the year will not require additional time. All changes to the Assumption Roman Catholic school calendar will be shared with parents directly, in response to local transportation arrangements with the neighbouring school division.  

There is no increase to the number of teacher work days; however, these changes shift more instructional time to November and reduce the challenge created by a November Parent-Teacher Interview with limited assessment or comments to share about student learning. Teacher well-being and student learning are both factors in these decisions.  

These decisions have been made thoughtfully to prioritize learning days to the greatest extent possible in the earlier part of the year, while acknowledging that student learning has been impacted significantly. Continued communication between teachers and parents is especially important to ensure students can achieve their personal learning goals for the remainder of the year. 

Parent-Teacher Interviews that were to be held in November will now be held on Thursday, January 29, and report cards or student comments will be issued at the end of January. 

This timeline provides additional time for learning and assessment, ensuring that report cards reflect a more complete picture of student progress. This timing also aligns with the end of the first semester in secondary schools. Communication between parents and students is available and expected throughout the school year, particularly as students resume their learning.  

To accommodate the January interviews, the February 2 Professional Development Day will be changed to a non-instructional day in lieu of Parent-Teacher Interviews. This has no impact on student learning days.  

Currently, there are no plans to adjust the calendar further. It is expected that the learning scheduled for the second half of the year will not require additional adjustments. 

Calendar updates specific to Assumption Roman Catholic School have been shared directly with parents and can be found here.  

The provincial government has shared the following on their website. 

To ensure students and teachers can concentrate on learning after lost instructional time due to the teacher strike, Alberta’s government has cancelled the January 2026 diploma examinations and Grade 9 Provincial Achievement Tests (PATs). Students will be automatically exempted. 

Students who choose not to write at a later date will receive their school-awarded mark as their final official course mark. A notation will be added to transcripts confirming that no diploma exam was written. This ensures there is no impact on students’ ability to graduate or transition into post-secondary programs. 

Students may choose to write January diploma exams in April or June 2026. 

For high school students, days that were previously set aside for exam breaks may be considered for classroom instruction, allowing more time to cover essential outcomes. Local principals will communicate specific details about how this change will affect each school. 

In addition to any scheduling considerations, teachers will focus on essential outcomes and formative assessment to guide instruction. 

CTR is also offering expanded summer school opportunities to support students who wish to reinforce or extend their learning. More information will be shared on our website about summer school programming opportunities.  

At this time, we have not received any further information regarding reduction of learning outcomes, or the January Diploma Exams or Provincial Achievement Tests being made optional for students. Once we receive any updates from the provincial government, we will share this with parents, teachers, and staff at the earliest convenience.

Family School Liaison Workers, Connections Workers, and school-based teams will monitor student well-being closely. Teachers will re-establish routines gradually and create safe, caring spaces for students to reconnect and share concerns. 

Parents can contact their school’s Family School Liaison Worker or counsellor for guidance. CTR encourages families to maintain open communication with classroom teachers regarding individual student needs. 

Yes. These programs are managed by external providers and are resuming as normal. 

Information will be shared on the CTR website and by your school principal via email and newsletters.