Sudbury Catholic District School Board

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Effective Change Leadership; The Burning Platform

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Robert (Bob) Harris, President of Robert Harris Inc., a training organization which focuses on enhancing individual and organizational effectiveness was in Sudbury recently to present a workshop to the Sudbury Catholic District School Board’s senior administration, managers, principals and staff entitled, Effective Change Leadership.

“As a rule, people do not like change,” stated Harris. “Statistics indicate that in any organization, at least 80% of employees will be in a mild to strong resistance at the outset of change.” Harris pointed out that while change is an event that is external to us, transition is more internal as it is the gradual psychological reorientation that happens within us as we try to adapt to change. “People are motivated by two factors; Pain and Gain . . . of these two, the avoidance of pain is by far the greater motivator, or what I call the Burning Platform.”

The morning presentation and break out sessions centred around;

• the varying stages of transition that accompany change
• a balanced approach to change that bridges the disconnect between advocates and resisters
• the 4-part ‘Communications Model’ that presents change in a way that fosters understanding and commitment
• applying the 4-part Communications Model’ to the challenges and change needs in the current workplace and the Sudbury Catholic District School Board

Sudbury Lakers to Hold Basketball Clinic Sunday

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The basketball season is about to heat up at the Sudbury Catholic District School Board. Bantam age girls (b. 1993-1995) can take advantage of a great opportunity to hone their skills and gain a competitive edge by enroling in the Sudbury Lakers basketball clinic to be held Sunday September 17.

For more information visit www.sudburylakers.com.

New Teachers at Sudbury Catholic Board Receive Training Workshops

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New teachers were invited to attend an after-school seminar on ‘Creating a Classroom Behaviour Plan’. The workshop is the first of several in service sessions in accordance with the government initiative “New Teacher Induction Program” (NTIP).

All new teachers that have been hired since January 1, 2006 will be given a volunteer mentor to work with and will receive in service on several timely topics. The Sudbury Catholic District School Board has hired 46 teachers of which 32 are new to the teaching profession.

Sudbury Catholic District School Board Encouraged by Recent Provincial Test Scores

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The Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) has released the results of the Grades 3 and 6 reading, writing and mathematics tests and the Grade 9 academic and applied mathematics tests written by Ontario students during the 2005–2006 school year.

Officials at the Sudbury Catholic District School Board are pleased with the results of their students with respect to the 2005-2006 Grade 3, 6 and 9 Provincial test results in reading, writing, and mathematics. From 2002 until 2006, the percentage of the Board’s Grade 3 and 6 students that have met or surpassed the provincial standards continues to increase. Grade 3 test results improved from 45% to 51% in reading, 47% to 49% in writing and 54% to 56% in math over the four-year period. The Grade 6 test results were equally impressive demonstrating gains from 61% to 66% in reading, 53% to 58% in writing and 52% to 54% in math.

The positive trend in EQAO results was also demonstrated by the Sudbury Catholic District School Board’s Grade 9 students who wrote the Provincial math tests. Test scores indicate that the percentage of students that met or surpassed the provincial standard increased from 71% to 78% in the academic math and from 27% to 45% in the applied math from 2002 until 2006.

Paula Peroni, Chair of the Sudbury Catholic District School Board is encouraged with the recent test results. “In the last four years our Board has witnessed an increase in the percentage of our Grade 3, 6 and 9 students who have met or surpassed the provincial standards in reading, writing and math,” states Peroni. “Numerous strategies have been put into place this year which we are confident will continue to yield positive results. The overall picture, which includes significant increases in our secondary schools is line with our strategic improvement plan. It is gratifying to see that we have firmly established an upward trend. We are cognizant of the overwhelming efforts of our secondary panel and the solid academic foundation at elementary level which produce these positive results.”

Zandra Zubac, Director of Education for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board is equally optimistic with the latest data. “Recent test scores of our students writing the Grade 3, and 6 provincial tests indicate that we are moving along with the rest of the province with respect to the increasing number of students who scored at or above the provincial level,” states Zubac. “Our secondary school scores exceed the provincial average and we will continue to use our secondary schools as a model for best practices. The strategies that are working well in one school will be used in other schools to yield positive results. The Learning With Laptops program for Grade 9 math was introduced in the spring of 2005. As we enter year 3 of the program, we hope to see continued improvement.”

For detailed results, visit our EQAO section.

Information Nights for Grade7/8 Families

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The Sudbury Catholic District School Board will be holding Information Nights for parents/guardians of Grade 7 & 8 students receiving wireless laptop computers for the 2006-2007 school year. The Information Nights will be held on the following dates and locations for (parents whose children attend) the following Catholic elementary schools:

Schools: St. Anne, St. Charles, St. Mary
Date: Monday, September 11, 2006
Location: Bishop Alexander Carter Catholic Secondary School,
539 Francis Street, Hanmer
Time: 6:00 p.m.

Schools: St. John, St. Mark, St. Paul, Pius XII, St. Raphael
Date: Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Location: St. Charles College,1940 Hawthorne Drive
Time: 6:00 p.m.

Schools: St. David, St. Francis, St. James,Marymount Academy, (Gr. 7 & 8 only)
Date: Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Location: St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School, 2993 Algonquin Road
Time: 6:00 p.m.

Note:
The Greater Sudbury Police Force will be making a presentation regarding the safety of children in Cyberspace and will highlight awareness strategies that parents may employ in order to minimize the risks that may present themselves while their children are using the internet.

Parents will receive their child’s backpack at these sessions.

For more information, please contact Jean McHarg, Academic Superintendent of Education at the Sudbury Catholic District School Board, ph. 673-5620 ext: 301.

Thank you, and congratulations to all!

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The Sudbury Catholic District School Board, through Chairperson Paula Peroni and Director of Education Zandra Zubac, wishes to thank everyone in our Catholic School Community for an outstanding
start to another exciting school year.

✓ To our teachers for making our students feel welcome and safe in our schools and perfecting strategies
to improve student achievement

✓ To our staff, students and parents for their commitment in initiating the grade 7/8 One To One
Wireless Laptop Program

✓ To our school board staff for providing support for student focussed initiatives such as our elementary
and secondary wireless laptop programs, Early Years opportunities, increased school
resources and renovated school classrooms, buildings and schoolyards.

✓ To our custodial staff for keeping our schools clean and safe

✓ To our parents for getting involved in your child’s education and in your Catholic School and
Regional Councils

✓ To Bishop Jean-Louis Plouffe, Auxiliary Bishop Robert Harris, our Religious Clergy and the Sisters of
St. Joseph for exemplifying Christian principles and Catholic values in our system

✓ To the Sudbury Transportation Consortium staff for dealing with the huge task of school
transportation

✓ To all partners in the community for working together for Catholic Education

SCDSB Proud Supporter of Efficient Sudbury Campaign

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Sudbury Catholic District School Board Chair, Paula Peroni strongly endorses the City of Greater Sudbury’s pilot project to encourage energy conservation at the retail and consumer level. Efficient Sudbury, as the campaign has been named, will help to educate retailers and consumers about energy efficient products. The logo which will be seen in many retail establishments over the next year identifies energy efficient products as well as other goods that can assist in energy conservation activities.

“The Sudbury Catholic District School Board has been leading by example when it comes to energy conservation through the introduction of the Destination Conservation Program in 2001,” says the Board’s Energy Coordinator, Mark Gervais. Recognizing the need for energy conservation several years ago, the board embarked upon a program to make its buildings and schools more efficient with the installation of numerous retrofit projects such as water conservation devices and energy audits. Zandra Zubac, Director of Education for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board applauds the efforts of her students and staff with respect to energy conservation. “The Destination Conservation Program, now known as the Dearness Conservation program, is an innovative school-based program that enables our students, teachers, and school board staff to interact with utility companies to initiate environmental education and conservation activities,” stated Zubac. “In addition the program also helps to position this board as a leader in environmental education and underscores the City of Greater Sudbury’s desire to create a culture of conservation through its Efficient Sudbury Campaign.”

Energy conservation is crucial to ensuring a reliable electricity supply now and in the future. The less electricity Ontarians use in their homes and businesses, the fewer power plants will need to be constructed to meet demand. The energy sector, the economy and the environment will all benefit from initiatives to improve efficient electricity use.

The Efficient Sudbury campaign intends to develop and implement an innovative program to increase retailer and consumer awareness of products and services in the community that enhance energy conservation and promote efficiency. The program will aim to:

  • enhance the promotion, sales and marketing of energy efficient products and services in the marketplace;
  • build upon the awareness of nationally recognized programs such as Energy Star;
  • develop a co-ordinated, consistent marketing strategy across the retail sector, to build and sustain knowledge, interest and product desirability;
  • transform the existing marketplace for energy efficient products and services;
  • remove any barriers for consumers through a co-ordinated strategy;
  • motivate the public to follow through with energy efficient activities;
  • enhance uptake in energy-efficient products and services;
  • encourage a culture of conservation; and,
  • ultimately reduce demand for electricity.

This multifaceted campaign will use a variety of strategies to reach consumers. Information will be delivered through:

  • local retailers via in store promotion, messaging and displays;
  • EarthCare Sudbury network of 100 community partners;
  • media;
  • utility partners;
  • schools through the Destination Conservation school program and use of the Interactive Home Audit; and,
  • personal contact through the City’s Community Action Networks and with door-to-door home visits.

For more information on the City of Greater Sudbury’s Efficient Sudbury Campaign please visit their website at www.city.greatersudbury.on.ca

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