Over 650 Grade 7 students from the Sudbury Catholic District School Board attended the Injury Prevention Wellness Day activities at Science North recently. Teachers, parents and students participated in a number of sessions that dealt with Injury Prevention, Substance Abuse and Abuse Prevention. The event was sponsored by the Sudbury and District Health Unit in conjunction with the Greater Sudbury Police Service, the Ontario Provincial Police, Greater Sudbury Emergency Medical Services, Northern Youth Services, and the Northeast Mental Health Centre .

“These sessions are not only entertaining and enlightening but also meet the curriculum needs for road and motorized vehicle safety with respect to; the correct use of car restraints and airbags, bicycle injury prevention, helmet safety equipment, as well as the consequences of impaired driving and riding with an impaired driver,” stated Janet Spergel, a public health nurse at the Sudbury & District Health Unit.“In addition, students that attended this event will leave with a better understanding of how to prevent injuries and how to make smart choices when it comes to resisting peer pressure to use drugs and alcohol,”continued Spergel.

According to the 2001 Ontario Drug Use Survey, over 31.9 per cent of students in grades 7 to 13 reported being a passenger in a car driven by an impaired driver. Other statistics from Safe Kids Canada indicate that about 500 children under the age of 15 are hospitalized each year for head injuries from cycling alone. As well as taking part in workshops, safety sessions and inter-active demonstrations, students were treated to a high energy presentation on Injury Prevention by keynote speaker, Dr. Gary Bota, past Medical Director Emergency Department and Trauma Program at St. Joseph’s Health Centre.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), Local 1369 and the Sudbury Catholic District School Board have ratified a new three-year collective agreement effective September 1, 2003 to August 31, 2006. The new agreement includes improvements in the areas of uniforms, boots and trade certificate allowances while the monetary portion of the contract will see employees’ salaries increase by 2 percent effective September 1, 2003, an additional 1 percent in January, 2004 and 1 percent in June, 2004. The same increases are scheduled for 2005 and 2006.

Ray Vincent, Chair of the Sudbury Catholic School Board is pleased with the fact that the contract has been ratified by the membership stating that, “I would like to thank both negotiation committees for having arrived at this three year agreement. These negotiations were carried out in the spirit of goodwill and compromise by both parties. The Board has provided what is good and fair to our employees while remaining within the confines of what our budget can afford. CUPE Local 1369 staff are, and will continue to be a key component in the board’s plan to provide quality Catholic education to our children.”

David Chezzi, President CUPE Local 1369 is also pleased with the ratification vote stating that, “with all of the instability, staffing cut backs and reductions in funding levels by the Provincial government handed down to boards in recent years, members can now breathe a sigh of relief. By signing this deal, members now have the opportunity to feel a sense of security in their jobs for the next three years,” continued Chezzi.

The Sudbury Catholic District School Board has embarked upon a new program to help students and teachers support recently introduced Provincial initiatives such as the Student At Risk Program. Effective September 2, 2003 Enzo Del Riccio has been appointed by the Board to the position of Pathways for Success Program Principal to co-ordinate strategies and initiate support programs to assist students at risk in Grades 7 through 12. The Pathways for Success Program Principal position will focus mainly on the areas of literacy, numeracy and Pathways to Employability and will review programs and methodologies to identify and develop supports that build on existing successful practices. In addition, a steering committee will also be created to establish a Vision Mission, and Guiding Principles that connect and align this initiative with the Board Mission and system practices.

Mr. Del Riccio is well qualified for the position of Pathways for Success Program Principal. His educational background consists of a Bachelor of Arts Degree at Laurentian University and a Bachelor of Education Degree followed by a Master’s Degree in Education from Nipissing University. He is also a specialist in the field of Special Education and has worked in public education for 17 years as an elementary school teacher, a secondary school teacher and at Cambrian College’s Special Needs Centre. Del Riccio arrives at the Sudbury Catholic District School Board after spending several years at St. Charles College as an English/Social Science teacher, a Program Leader and Guidance Counsellor.

Ray Vincent, Chair of the Board stated that, “the position of Pathways for Success Program Principal is critical in offering direction and support to students that may require a revised program . Mr. Del Riccio will be an integral part of our curriculum team acting as a resource person to the entire system in assisting all partners to better understand the needs of students at risk in our schools,” stated Vincent. Zandra Zubac, Director of Education for the Sudbury Catholic School Board is also very pleased with Mr. Del Riccio’s appointment.

The Ontario Justice Education Network (OJEN) and Laurentian University co-sponsored the 2003 Summer Law Institute for secondary school teachers in Sudbury held at Marymount Academy recently. Madam Justice Patricia Hennessy, Justice of the Superior Court of Ontario, (above photo at podium), provided the opening remarks for the sessions which focused on the criminal justice system, family law, native/aboriginal law issues, and labour law.

The Summer Law Institute Program was designed to support legal education in Ontario secondary schools by providing secondary school teachers with up-to-date information on the justice system. These symposiums bring together teachers, judges, lawyers and law school faculty for a free-flowing and candid exchange. Secondary school teachers from both the Sudbury Catholic and Rainbow District School Boards were given the opportunity to review key justice issues with the province’s top judges. The symposium also enabled teachers to establish contacts that would become a valuable resource to them in their efforts to teach legal studies in a way that is relevant and meaningful to students.

The Sudbury Catholic District School Board is pleased to welcome our students, parents, teachers and staff for the 2003/2004 school year. We hope you’ll check the SCDSB website often to keep up to date on the latest news. Our very best wishes for a happy and successful year in your SCDSB “School to Believe In”.