After nearly a 35 year career in education, I retired as the Superintendent of Schools in January 2020. While in the role as superintendent, I sat on two national committees, ERDI and C21 and also was an adjunct professor for Gonzaga University. I now work as a leadership consultant supporting the work of school boards, system and school leaders.
Chris Smeaton
Author's posts
Nov 30
From the Desk of the Superintendent- December 2011
It is hard to believe that 2011 is coming to a close and soon we will be ushering in a new year. Although we still have the entire month of December, it will fly by before we know it. When I look back at 2011, I am proud of the many accomplishments of our students …
Nov 27
Changing our teaching habits!
At the conclusion of next week, I will have completed meeting with all of our school staffs and visiting virtually every classroom in the division. My conversations with school staffs have revolved around the transformation agenda both as a division and a province. One of my central messages has been that we have to start …
Nov 25
Welcoming the New Roman Missal
This coming Sunday, we begin the journey of Advent in the Catholic Church. It is a beginning and as such is an important time for all Catholics as we prepare for the birth of our Lord. But it will be more than that because on November 27, 2011, the First Sunday of Advent, a new …
Nov 14
Transformation begins with a conversation.
On November 2nd, we hosted our first transformation conversation. It was a small crowd involving school council chairs, ATA site representatives, school and system leaders, post-secondary faculty, Alberta Education personnel and trustees. The format of the evening was set up as a world cafe in order to mix and match as many viewpoints as possible. …
Nov 13
Reducing failure
Last week, we hosted our first transformation conversation with parents, teachers, leaders, post-secondary faculty, Alberta Education personnel and trustees. It was a gathering of approximately 50 participants who by in large have had successful experiences in either their own schooling or their children’s schooling. Later this week, I will provide the feedback from the evening …
Nov 03
Catholic Education Sunday- November 6, 2011
This coming weekend, we celebrate Catholic Education Sunday. Each year we set aside this special day to celebrate the gift of Catholic Education here in the province of Alberta. This year’s theme, as proclaimed by the Bishops of Alberta, is, “Open Wide the Doors”What a wonderful theme our Bishops have proclaimed this year. Open wide …
Nov 01
From the Desk of the Superintendent- November 2011
It is hard to believe that two months of the school year have already come and gone. Each month, our schools send me their newsletters and I am always amazed at the number of events planned for our students. When I review each of our school’s calendars I begin to understand why time flies by so …
Oct 31
Trying to create a sense of urgency!
Last Wednesday, I presented our Board of Trustees with our October 2011 Accountability Pillar results. A quick review would suggest that Holy Spirit Catholic Schools is a good solid division. We received very high achievement and excellent overall in the areas of: Safe and Caring, Program of Studies, Drop Out Rate, Rutherford Scholarship Eligibility Rate, …
Oct 28
Spirit Sings!
Have you ever wondered what happens when you put a concentrated effort into choral music? Well, 12 choirs, over 400 students and over 1000 audience members certainly do… and its called Spirit Sings. Last year was our first division concert and it culminated with the recording of a CD of Sacred Music. This recording was …
Oct 23
Mission and Vision
This past week, we began our leadership development program in our division. It’s a program that we offer every two years, although with the impending retirement of over 60% of our administrators in the next 8-10 years, we may have to offer it every year. Our first session is always about mission and vision. It is …