York Catholic District School Board
Trustees’ Newsletter
Collaborative Learning Inspired by Jesus
June 2009
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www.ycdsb.ca
Board Meeting Highlights
ann tr ust stong /mike ees rizzi , ric ann. hmond hill stong @y mike .rizzi@ cdsb.ca ycdsb.ca
are at the end of another productive year. We want to congratulate all of our graduates, both from Grade 8 and from Grade 12. This is an exciting time, full of change and new opportunities. Stay true to yourselves, be proud of your accomplishments and remember that God gave you gifts and talents for you to use to their fullest and that you are never alone on your life’s journey. Congratulations as well to all this year’s recipients of First Reconciliation, First Holy Communion and Confirmation. We hope that your lives will be enriched and supported by frequent reception of the sacraments. Thank you to the priests of our three area parishes who have worked this year with all of our students. Excitement is building as we look forward to the opening of Jean Vanier Catholic High School. Principal Ron Crocco reports that all appears to be on schedule. The new high school will give St. Theresa of Lisieux some much needed enrolment relief, gradually over the next three years, allowing for the removal of one of the two 12-pack portable units over the summer, to be replaced temporarily by three or four portables. Thank you to St. Theresa of Lisieux principal Peter Bahen for his generous leadership and expertise over the past year. We wish him well as he returns to retirement. We welcome our new principal, Catherine Rosenberger, from St. Elizabeth CHS, to the St. Theresa of Lisieux community! As summer approaches, we wish everyone a safe, enjoyable and restful vacation, and look forward to seeing you again this fall. God bless.
Susan LaRosa Wins Council’s President’s Award
Chair Elizabeth Crowe extended her congratulations to Director of Education Susan LaRosa for recently winning the Council for Exceptional Children’s President’s Award for York Region. The Council is the largest international professional organization dedicated to improving educational outcomes for students with disabilities and the gifted. The award recognizes Director LaRosa’s leadership and dedication to service for students with exceptionalities. Director LaRosa will now be considered for the provincial President’s Award.
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Discontinuing Use of Bottled Water
The Board approved a recommendation, in principle, to develop a plan to work toward the discontinuation of the use of bottled water throughout the YCDSB. The request to consider this proposal came from the Elementary Religious Education Advisory Committee’s sub-committee on Social Justice, Equity and Gospel Values. The group expressed their concern about our “Sacred Gift of Water,” and recommended that, through information and education, the YCDSB community rethink the use of bottled water.
Secondary School Programming
This year, our Board has been focusing on the types and availability of school programs in our secondary schools. With the concept of “equitable access to programs” as an overriding theme, schools have reviewed their core and specialty programs. Groupings of schools (clusters) are being considered in four geographical areas of our Board. A longer term goal is to provide common program pathways that will be accessible to all students through the grouping of high schools. As well, magnet/specialty programming will continue to be offered at our various high schools.
Policies Approved
The Board of Trustees approved the following new/revised Board policies: • Policy 202 – Safe Schools (Student Discipline) • Policy 304 – Research Projects and Survey Requests • Policy 407 – Criminal Background Checks – Board Employees • Policy 702 – Catholic Family Life Program • Policy 801 – Use of Board/School Funds for Recognition/Acknowledgment Purposes These policies are posted on the Board website at www.ycdsb.ca/trustees/policies.htm
2009-10 Budget Development
Associate Director, Leading Services, John Sabo, presented an overview on the status of the development of the 2009-10 Financial Estimates to be filed with the Ministry of Education. Associate Director Sabo offered a review and analysis of the projected operating revenue for 2009-10: • Enrolment Projections: 52,305 students (+ approx. 1%) • Operating Revenue Summary: $13,854,481 (+ approx. 3%) The complete budget presentation and all information related to the 2009-10 budget development process can be reviewed on the Board website at www.ycdsb.ca.
Energy Efficient Schools Funding
The YCDSB has received $7,613,765 over a two-year period from the Ministry to help reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. A further grant, details of which have not been released, will be provided to specific boards to renovate and retrofit existing schools to replace portables or under-utilized schools.
Program Review
Trustees approved a recommendation from Richmond Hill Trustee Ann Stong to initiate an elementary PACE program location review. Staff will conduct a review of the locations of the PACE program sites throughout the region, and provide a report to the Board upon the conclusion of the Thornhill ARC process.
Elementary School Registrations
During July and August, you are invited to register your child at the Admissions Office, Catholic Education Centre, 320 Bloomington Road West, Aurora. For dates and times, visit www.ycdsb.ca or call 905-713-1211 or 416-221-5051, ext. 7450.
Secondary Shorts
St. Theresa of Lisieux student wins bronze medal at Skills Canada
St. Marguerite D’Youville students release butterflies
St. Theresa of Lisieux CHS Grade 11 student Brenna Santacroce recently won a bronze medal at the Skills Canada Ontario competition. Brenna wrote an inspiring speech on the topic “Building Bridges to the Future,” focusing on changing and adapting technologies.
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Elementary Shorts
Matheson Steplock receives Character Community Award
Congratulations to Our Lady Help of Christians CES student Matheson Steplock — a winner in the age 6 to 10 category at the third annual York Region Character Community Awards!
ecently, the kindergarten classes at St. Marguerite D’Youville CES released a group of butterflies that the students had raised since they were caterpillars. Teachers Jacqueline Corallo, Kathy Kerr, Marisa Mazza and Patricia Mercer wanted to celebrate spring and new life by actually bringing life into the kindergarten classrooms. Each student was given one caterpillar to take care of, name and feed in order to help it grow into a beautiful butterfly.
St. Marguerite D’Youville JK student Madeline Pappas admires a butterfly
Cardinal Carter students challenge their hearing
Cardinal Carter CHS students experienced a Deaf For A Day event, as guests from the Canadian Hearing Society and Upper Canada Hearing plugged students’ ears to simulate hearing loss. The event showed students what it’s like to be hearing-impaired and gave them a better understanding of the day-to-day challenges hearingimpaired individuals face.
CTV News at Noon visits St. Anne
TV News personality Tom Brown came to St. Anne CES on May 25 for a live broadcast for the station’s News at Noon. The event was inspired by one of the school’s Grade 2 students, Lauren, who participated in the Great Strides Walk for cystic fibrosis at the Toronto Zoo, which was also filmed by CTV. During the broadcast from the school, St. Anne Grade 2 students took part in fun activities, including crafts, fitness, a pizza lunch and meeting an eagle from the Toronto Zoo. Representatives from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation attended and provided information about the disease.
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St. Anne receives grant for technology club
Under the Ministry of Education’s Student Voice program, St. Anne CES received a grant to fund the school’s technology club, headed up by Grade 8 students. The group has been studying interactive whiteboard technology and is also building a computer from scratch! “It has been a wonderful way to engage students who love technology,” says principal Michele Reaume.
Schools raise almost $200,000 for Terry Fox
CTV News personality Tom Brown visits with St. Anne Grade 2 students
Author Jackie Jones visits St. Joseph (Richmond Hill) CES
Author Jackie Jones, the creator of G-Bugs stories, visited St. Joseph (Richmond Hill) CES students during Catholic Education Week. Jones spoke to JK to Grade 2 students, and emphasized the importance of responsibility, acceptance and inclusiveness.
Four YCDSB secondary schools have made the Terry Fox Foundation’s Ontario “Top 50 of 2008” list. Cardinal Carter CHS (Aurora), St. Robert CHS (Thornhill), St. Joan of Arc CHS (Maple) and St. Augustine CHS (Markham) ranked 22nd, 25th, 31st and 37th in Ontario, raising a total of $77,520! Congratulations to all of the YCDSB elementary and secondary schools that participated—together, you contributed an amazing $195,214 to the Terry Fox Foundation in 2008!
St. Theresa student performs with National Youth Band of Canada
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Theresa of Lisieux CHS Grade 12 music student Jacob Mannion was selected to perform with the 2009 National Youth Band of Canada in Saskatchewan in May. Jacob is a member of the Senior Concert Band and the STL Jazz Band. He also performs with the Toronto Youth Wind Orchestra and the Royal Conservatory of Music Percussion Ensemble. He has been accepted into the Bachelor of Music in Performance (Percussion) program at the University of Toronto for September 2009.
Fr. Henri Nouwen declares Healthy Living Month
Fr. Henri Nouwen CES declared April “Healthy Living Month”, and held Sugarless Mondays, Trashless Tuesdays, Walking Wednesdays, Spirit Thursdays, Fitness Fridays and a number of special events.
St. Theresa performers appear on CityTV
empowering students with learning disabilities
May, the YCDSB held a conference called Engaging & Empowering Students With Learning Disabilities, their Teachers and Parents. The conference featured keynote speaker Farley Flex, a judge on the TV show Canadian Idol. Flex spoke to 645 elementary and secondary students with learning disabilities and their teachers on the first day of the conference. On day two of the conference, parents listened to keynote speaker Moira Sinclair, an education officer with the Ministry of Education.
CityTV news personality Gord Martineau attended a recent Multicultural Evening at St. Theresa of Lisieux CHS, and was so impressed with the performers that he asked the multicultural band and two singers to appear on a live CityTV broadcast. Funds from the Multicultural Evening, along with funds collected since, will go to the Herbie Fund, which provides financial support to children from around the world to receive surgical treatment at the Hospital for Sick Children. Martineau requested that the students perform live at the hospital on June 5 for Herbie Day. A St. Theresa group then presented Gord with a cheque for the Herbie Fund.
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Canadian Idol judge Farley Flex with YCDSB students.
st. theresa video wins accessibility contest
ongratulations to Bianca Marchione and Dayna Larsen, two Grade 11 communications technology students at St. Theresa of Lisieux CHS. Their video won first prize in the YCDSB Accessibility Committee’s Breaking Down Barriers contest. View the video online at www.ycdsb.ca
Pictured, video contest winners Dayna Larsen (left) and Bianca Marchione (right) with student David Matias, who acts in the video.
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