November 2008 - Sudbury Catholic District School Board

Sudbury Catholic Board Approves Contracts With Unions

Posted on November 24, 2008August 23, 2018 by admin

Trustees for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board have approved contract renewals with all four of the Board’s unionized sectors.

The contract agreements for the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association (OECTA), Elementary, Secondary and Occasional as well as CUPE Local 1369 have also been ratified by their respective union memberships.

All four sectors will see raises of 3 percent in each year of the four year contracts for a total of 12 percent overall. The salary increases are retroactive to September 1, 2008.
Board and Union representatives are extremely pleased with the contract ratifications as it will “ensure peace and stability at the Sudbury Catholic District School Board and its schools for the next four years.”

Gold Medal Olympian Visits St. Paul Catholic School

Posted on November 21, 2008August 23, 2018 by admin

Students at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic School had a golden opportunity yesterday when Adam Kreek stopped by the school as part of the Clean Air Champions program. Adam treated the students to a video of his gold medal performance in the eight-man rowing event in Beijing last summer. They also had the opportunity to see and touch the gold medal up close as he permitted them to pass it around the gym.

Students learned about global warming and climate change and Adam discussed how they could make a difference by participating in active transportation rather than by using vehicles that emit greenhouse gases.

Following the presentation, Adam joined one of the classes for a turkey luncheon. It was a special day that the students will remember for quite a while.

Mind, Body, Soul

Posted on November 21, 2008August 23, 2018 by admin

In partnership with parish and school, St. James Catholic School ensures that the teachings and values of Jesus Christ are integrated in all aspects of school life. Besides celebrating Mass on a regular basis, St. James Catholic School is very blessed to have a vibrant priest like Father Vince Fiori who often visits classrooms and relates well to the students.

Sudbury Catholic Board Supports United Way Centraide Campaign

Posted on November 20, 2008August 23, 2018 by admin

The United Way Centraide received some additional support to its 2008-2009 fundraising campaign from the Sudbury Catholic District School Board’s unionized and non-union staff at a recent board meeting.

United Way Campaign Chair, Jim Thompson approached Paula Peroni, Chair of the Sudbury Catholic District School Board at the start of the campaign to become part of the United Way’s Campaign Cabinet team and to encourage Board members and staff to contribute to this year’s fundraising drive. Towards that end, the Board of Trustees passed a motion at the October meeting that would encourage all staff to contribute generously to this initiative. “OECTA Elementary Teachers, OECTA Secondary Teachers, Principals and Vice Principals, CUPE Members, Senior Administration, Secretaries, Board Support Staff, IT Staff and Managers will be asked to contribute a minimum of $2.00 per pay in order to assist in the ongoing support for programs that are presently in place at many Sudbury Catholic Schools,” stated Peroni. “It is incumbent upon us as leaders in the Catholic community to set an example and show our support for the United Way campaign and it is our goal this year to significantly increase the SCDSB’s staff participation rate.”

Since 1982, the United Way Centraide Sudbury and District has been raising funds for critical community needs. As one of the largest non-profit fundraisers of social and human services in the Sudbury community the United Way supports 60 programs and services designed to assist people in the City of Greater Sudbury.

The United Way Centraide collected a total of $ 2.2 million for the 2007-2008 campaign. This year’s goal is set at $2.4 million.

Young Worker Safety Advocate to Speak to St. Benedict Catholic School Students

Posted on November 19, 2008August 23, 2018 by admin

Ron Ellis, an advocate for young worker safety will be speaking
to St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School students on Friday, November 21, 2008. Mr. Ellis will be meeting with coop students, experiential learning and transportation technology students before the main presentation.

Rob Ellis has spoken all across North America. He founded OUR YOUTH AT WORK after loosing his 18 year old son to a workplace accident in 1999. St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School is hosting Mr. Ellis in partnership with the SMARTRISK injury prevention program.

Additional information is available at www.mysafework.com.

Awarding Winning Best Selling Canadian Métis Author David Bouchard to Address Students on the Importance of Reading

Posted on November 19, 2008August 23, 2018 by admin

On Thursday, November 27, 2008 award winning best-selling Canadian Métis author David Bouchard will be speaking to Sudbury Catholic Schools’ students about the importance of literacy for life long success.

Mr. Bouchard will be at St. Raphael Catholic School and St. Andrew Catholic School for two speaking engagements. David Bouchard’s presentation, entitled “For the Love of Reading” will inspire students, parents, and teachers by addressing real literacy issues in our schools and promoting reading as a tool for success.

In addition, as part of Sudbury Catholic Schools Aboriginal Initiative, the Sudbury Catholic District School Board will be hosting an inspirational evening for parents, students and community members with David Bouchard at the Community Centre (Reserve Road) Whitefish Lake First Nation starting at 6:00 p.m. David’s message is spelled out in his books, The Gift of Reading and For the Love of Reading. A former teacher and principal of 28 years,
Mr. Bouchard offers parents, teachers and administrators a concrete and realistic plan to promote reading and fight illiteracy.

Poet in the Classroom

Posted on November 18, 2008August 23, 2018 by admin

Thanks to the efforts of Mrs. Cara Soehner, St. Anne, Immaculate Conception and St. Mary Catholic Schools were able to enjoy having Dawna Proudman, a published poet from the League of Canadian Poets share her expertise with their students.

Ms. Proudman’s presentation was both interactive and creative and thoroughly enjoyed by all students. Students were able to not only listen to Miss Proudmans’ poetry, but also create their own poems throughout the day.

Canadian Gold Medal Winner, Adam Kreek to Speak to Students at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic School

Posted on November 14, 2008August 23, 2018 by admin

St. Paul the Apostle Catholic School has invited Adam Kreek, one of the gold medal winners from the Canadian eight-man rowing team in Beijing to visit the school to speak to the Intermediate classes on Wednesday, November 19, 2008 from 11:00 a.m. to 12 noon as part of the school’s Clean Air Achievers Program.

The Clean Air Achievers Program encourages children to become physically active and to walk, run, jog, etc. instead of relying on transportation which contributes to climate change.

For more information on the Clean Air Achievers Program and Adam Kreek’s visit please contact Sharon Oliver, Principal or Marlene Lee, teacher, St. Paul the Apostle Catholic School.

Peroni to Sit on Prestigious Provincial Board for Ministry of Education

Posted on November 13, 2008August 23, 2018 by admin

Paula Peroni, Chair of the Sudbury Catholic District School Board, has been selected by Minister of Education, Kathleen Wynne to sit on a special provincial Governance Review Committee along with five other members chosen from the educational sector.

The committee’s mandate will be to;

• Recommend ways to modernize and clarify in the Education Act the duties, powers and accountabilities of school boards, chairs, individual trustees and directors of education while reinforcing the relationship between elected officials as a group and the director of education as a sole employee accountable to the board;

• Identify and recommend effective practices in governance applicable to the education sector including: (i) Codes of conduct for trustees, enforceable at the provincial or board level; (ii) Audit committees with external members;

• Propose an appropriate long-term capacity building program for trustees;

• Recommend, after consultation with trustee associations, appropriate content and format of eventual provincial interest regulations designed to ensure that a board achieves student outcomes specified in the regulation, such as improved literacy and numeracy and graduation rates.

The Governance Review Committee will be co-chaired by Rick Johnson and Madeleine Chevalier. Rick Johnson is president of the Canadian School Boards’ Association, past president of the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association (OPSBA) and Chair of the Trillium-Lakelands District School Board. Madeleine Chevalier is a trustee and past chair of the Conseil des écoles catholiques de langue française du Centre-Est and former president of the Fédération nationale des conseils scolaires francophones.

Additional members joining Peroni on the committee include Harold Brathwaite, executive director of the Retired Teachers of Ontario and former director of education of the Peel District School Board; Denis S. Chartrand, former director of education of the Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario and former chair of the Council of Directors of Education (CODE); Penny Milton, CEO of the Canadian Education Association, former chair of the Toronto Board of Education, former executive director of OPSBA and former Ontario Deputy Minister.

In moving forward with its mandate, the Governance Review Committee will seek input from provincial stakeholders and engage with trustees and directors of education as well as focus groups of school councils and parent representatives to inform its recommendations expected by the end of the winter of 2009.

The Ministry’s intention is to seek legislative amendments to the Education Act as a result of Media Releasethis governance review during the spring of 2009 and file provincial interest regulations on student outcomes, literacy, numeracy and graduation rates during the summer of 2009.

Mrs. Peroni in addition to her role as Chair of the Sudbury Catholic District School Board is also president of the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association (OCSTA) and vice-president of the Canadian Catholic School Trustees’ Association (CCSTA) and is well qualified to sit on this panel. “With respect to its Energizing Ontario Education initiative last winter, the Ministry of Education recognized that school board leadership needed ongoing development to improve the ability of board leaders to act together to implement core priorities,” stated Peroni. “Ten years after substantial changes to school board governance, it is time to clarify and modernize the role of trustees to ensure that they have the supports they need to make sound decisions essential to student success. I commend Minister Wynne for having the foresight to create the Governance Review Committee and I consider it to be both and honour and a privilege to be asked to join such a talented and well renowned group whose sole interest is in supporting trustees and advocating student success,” concluded Peroni.