Division Newsletter: September 2025

September 23, 2025

September 23, 2025

Hello,

As we settle into the rhythm of the school year, we extend a warm welcome to all families across our division. Whether you're new to our schools or returning for another year, your presence and partnership are deeply valued.

In these first few weeks, we've already seen incredible examples of learning, collaboration, and care—and it's clear that our community is stronger when we work together.

This newsletter is one way we stay connected, share stories, and celebrate the people and moments that make our division special. Thank you for being an essential part of our journey.

Here’s what we have for you this month:

Join us on September 28 in High River for Classic Car Bingo and win prizes
September 30 is the National Day for Truth & Reconciliation
Board of Trustees Meeting Dates
Take a bite into governance in the September Footnotes
Meet the candidates for the upcoming trustee election
Celebrating Culinary Arts

& More

Thank you for taking the time to read this information update. If you have

wonders or concerns, please connect with your child’s school.

ICYMI: ATA Labour Action Update

Previously sent by email September 10, 2025

The Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA), which represents teachers and school administrators of Foothills School Division and across the province, have indicated that it will begin labour action on October 6, 2025, if a negotiated settlement is not reached before that date (announcement via CTV News).

Labour action by the ATA could include a full work a stoppage/strike, rotating strikes, or work-to-rule, by all teachers and school administrators. Additionally, the province, represented by the Teachers Employer Bargaining Association (TEBA) may choose to enact a legal lockout of the ATA. TEBA must provide the ATA with 72 hours’ notice of a lockout.

With this information, Foothills School Division encourages families to prepare for learning disruptions, up to schools being closed, and arrange alternative care for their children.

Regularly scheduled operations and learning will resume as planned until further notice.

We understand that this news is concerning. We are committed to updating families and our team members as soon as the status of negotiations changes, or additional information becomes available. Any changes to school operations will be shared directly to you through email, our website, and other communication channels as needed. You can also find the latest updates on our Labour Relations webpage (link).

We remain hopeful the ATA and the provincial government can reach a negotiated settlement that supports all students, staff, and families. Thank you to all our staff teams for their dedication and hard work to support student engagement, support, and success.

Chris Fuzessy

Superintendent of Schools
Foothills School Division

Truth & Reconciliation Week 2025
National Day for Truth & Reconciliation

Foothills School Division is deeply committed to advancing First Nations, Métis, and Inuit (FNMI) education as part of its broader goal to foster an inclusive and supportive learning environment for student success. This commitment is reflected in FSD's Education Plan, which emphasizes the importance of integrating FNMI perspectives, worldviews, and histories into the learning to promote understanding and reconciliation.

During Truth & Reconciliation Week, September 22 to 26, 2025, FSD actively engages in activities that honour the survivors of residential schools, their families, and communities. We encourage members of our flourishing learning community to participate in community and school events to improve our understanding and show support for the ongoing journey of reconciliation.

In recognition of the National Day for Truth & Reconciliation on Tuesday, September 30, all schools and division offices will be closed.

Local Event:

Town of Okotoks – September 30

Cruise down to High River on September 28 for Classic Car Bingo

Get ready for an unforgettable day with your loved ones! We’re thrilled to invite families from across Foothills to play Classic Car Bingo, where prizes and vintage car magic await. Whether you’re a car enthusiast or just looking for a fantastic way to spend time together, this event is for you.

We've partnered with River City Classics Car Club and some amazing sponsors to bring Classic Car Bingo to you. Simply start by cruising on down to the 4^th Annual Brian Chipchase Sr. Memorial Show and Shine in High River on Sunday, September 28, 2025. The show runs from 10:00am to 3:30pm. Click here to learn more about the car show weekend.

How to Play Classic Car Bingo

Grab your free Classic Car Bingo card at the FSD booth when you arrive downtown High River or download and print your copy from our website before heading to the show.
- Game cards will be made available for download on Friday, September 26, 2025 at our website (link).
Each square contains details and features that you will see from the stunning array of classic vehicles on display at the Show and Shine. Look for a car from a movie; Find a car with custom paint or flames; Find a car named after a celestial body…
Stroll through the Show and Shine, admire the incredible vehicles, and mark off each car or detail as you spot them.
Work together as a family or challenge your friends to see who can get “Bingo” first!
Once you’ve got Bingo (or a full blackout), return to the FSD Bus to enter your name to win a prize provided by our amazing sponsors.
- 1 line = entry
- Card Blackout = 10 entries
Game closes at 3:30pm and the draw will be made on Sunday, September 28, 2025 at 4:00pm.
- Winners will be contacted by phone and must be able to claim prize from the show or from Division Office in High River at a later date.

Prizes to be won

Family passes to the Bob Snodgrass Recreation Centre in High River
Basket of Books from Margins Bookstore
Goodies from Pixie Hollow
Prize packages curated from High River businesses
- Backpack and colouring book
- Model car kits
- Puzzles

All made possible thanks to the Classic Car Bingo Sponsors

Classic Car Bingo would not be possible without our incredible community partners and sponsors. Please help us thank:

Learn more about this fun opportunity at our website

Our Board of Trustees

The FSD Board of Trustees are dedicated to fostering open communication with parents and guardians. We are your elected representatives, ready to respond to your questions and concerns and ensure your voice is heard at the board level.

Board Meetings

All Public Board Meetings are held at Division Office unless otherwise noted. Meetings begin promptly at 1:00 pm.

2025-2026

October 1, 2025
October 15, 2025
October 29, 2025
November 26, 2025
December 10, 2025

Learn More at: https://www.foothillsschooldivision.ca/page/120/board-of-trustees

Your Trustees

Trustees are elected by the community to make sure every student in Foothills has access to a strong public education. Trustees:

Set the vision. values. and priorities for the Division.
Approve the budget and capital plan.
Hire. support. and evaluate the Superintendent who manages day-to-day operations.
Develop and approve policies that guide how schools operate.
Engage with parents, staff, and community to represent the interests of all students.

Ward 1 – Diamond Valley, Foothills County, Longview: Jack Molyneux

Ward 2 – Blackie, Cayley, Foothills County: John Evans

Ward 3 – Foothills County, Millarville, Red Deer Lake: Theresa Letendre (Chair)

Ward 4 – Okotoks: Sharon Nichols & Lisa Penzo (Vice Chair)

Ward 5 – High River: Phil Irwin

Flourishing Communities

Trustees meet regularly to review progress of the strategic plans and receive reports from the leaders within the system who oversee the strategic goals. You can see how the school education plans, and goals within the divisional education plan are advanced by attending board meetings or by reviewing our Flourishing Community Reports at our website (link). Here are recent reports:

September 2025

Footnotes: Take a bite into governance as a trustee

As part of the Board’s commitment to stakeholder engagement and transparency, the Board of Trustees publish a monthly newsletter connecting how Board Governance and the decisions made within board meetings impacts the classroom.

Decisions by the board include:

Approving the Division's Education Plan, annual budget, audited financial statements, and Three-Year Capital Plan.
Approving school attendance boundaries, school closures, and calendars.
Overseeing appeals on student matters.
Approving policies that ensure compliance with provincial legislation (including instructional resources and parental notification/consent rules).

Read Footnotes at our Website

Trustee Elections is October 20, 2025

FSD is governed by six trustees who represent all schools in our five wards. The next trustee election takes place on Monday, October 20, 2025—the same day as municipal elections across the province.

Visit our website to meet the candidates.

École Secondaire Highwood High School receives grant to enhance foods program into Culinary Arts

Foothills School Division is thrilled to announce the successful approval of the Alberta Education Dual Credit Enhancement Funding Application, paving the way for a transformative new learning opportunity at École Secondaire Highwood High School in High River: A Culinary Arts Program designed to empower students with real-world culinary skills and open career pathways.

This exciting $100,000 enhancement to the foods program means students at École Secondaire Highwood High School will soon have even more practical opportunities to learn about cooking and baking, with clear pathways toward future careers. By working with a certified Red Seal culinary professional and collaborating with the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT), our students will benefit from hands-on learning right here in Foothills School Division. The Dual Credit program is designed to help every student build real skills in a supportive environment, opening doors to apprenticeships and future success.

Read the full story at our website

2025 – 2026 Indigenous Advisory Circle

Join the FSD Indigenous Advisory Circle to advance Truth and Reconciliation within the Foothills School Division through authentic voice and action.

This opportunity is open to students, educators, parents, and guardians who wish to be a positive impact in our communities. Research has shown that the most important factor to student success is parent involvement followed closely by teachers and peers. With understanding the important influence family has on student success, it is necessary to understand the barriers each family faces and how those might affect student success.

We would love to see you at the next gathering. This year's Indigenous Advisory Circles will be taking place at ÉSFCHS | AHSFA in Okotoks:

October 1, 2025 @ 6pm
December 3, 2025 @ 6pm
February 24, 2026 @ 6pm
April 29, 2026 @ 6pm

Interested to know more? Contact Charity Tegler, Director of Indigenous Learning & Equity

We also invite you to check out our Truth & Reconciliation for Learner Success Toolkit to access:

Terms & Guiding Documentation
Parent & Community Engagement Opportunities
Cultural Appreciation
Professional Learning
Student Supports
Resources

Download the Poster & Spread the Word!

Let’s Talk: Website

Do you wonder why Foothills School Division (FSD) sometimes has the number 38 associated with its name? The Foothills School Division previously operated as “Foothills School Division No. 38”, after amalgamating in the 1980s.

Now in Alberta, the number associated with school boards is no longer required, and FSD has been operating as the Foothills School Division for several years. To align the Division’s name with its online presence, Foothills School Division will be making a shift from foothillsschooldivision.ca (website) and fsd38.ab.ca (email), and foothills.school.division (Instagram) to one handle: foothills.ab.ca.

With this change, we are looking for your feedback to enhance the look and feel of our current website. We invite you to complete a brief survey to inform the website redesign and future communications from the Foothills School Division.

Complete survey now

Where to Find: Curriculum

Families can explore the Alberta curriculum and understand what their children are learning by visiting curriculum.LearnAlberta.ca. This platform provides access to the provincial programs of study from Kindergarten to Grade 12, including detailed learning outcomes across all subjects. For additional guidance and resources tailored to parents, Alberta Education also offers a dedicated section at curriculum.learnalberta.ca/parents/en/home, where families can find curriculum updates, learning supports, and contact information to stay engaged in their child’s educational journey.

Learner Work-Life Excellence

At Foothills School Division, we care about the well-being of our staff and students because we know that it is important to disconnect from work or studies to pursue our interests and spend time with those we care about. To safeguard learner work-life excellence, we've put in place some guidelines to help our learning community set boundaries around their time and maintain a healthy work-life balance. What does this mean for students and their families?

Email and Other FSD Communication: We recommend that FSD-related emails and texts should stick to weekdays between 6:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. If you get an email outside those hours, it's not urgent. Our team members are all encouraged to set up automatic replies during our off-hours to let others know we'll respond within 24-48 hours. We also know that with volunteer coaching and other extra-curricular activities, this guideline may not be feasible at all times.

We respect your time at home too. We are encouraging our team members to delay-send/schedule emails to be sent during regular working hours, so you can expect emails from us only during these hours as well.

To further support our team members we offer:

Flexible Work Arrangements: Foothills School Division acknowledges that flexible work arrangements can support employee wellness. Sometimes, working from home can make life easier. If it suits their role, our employees can discuss with their supervisors the option to work from home on certain days. We'll always prioritize what needs to get done, but we understand that a little flexibility can go a long way.

Employee Wellness and Wellbeing Supports: The division provides our team members access to an Employee & Family Assistance Program (EFAP) and mental health resources. The EFAP offers confidential support and therapy to employees and their dependents, while mental health support is available through the Alberta School Employee Benefit Plan (ASEBP). Leadership and consultation support are also provided.

Meeting Schedules: We've set boundaries for meeting times to make sure our staff can be fully present at work when they need to be but also have time for their own families. We aim to ensure meetings are not scheduled too early or too late, and we avoid Monday morning meetings (or Tuesday if Monday is a holiday).

In short, is all about creating a work environment where our staff and students can thrive. When our team is at their best, they can provide the highest quality education and support for your children.

To learn more about AP 414 we encourage you to explore the full document here.