The Honourable Minister of Education, Gerard Kennedy (second from right), was in Sudbury recently to speak to board officials and trustees representing the four provincial school boards. The one-day regional training seminar held at the Howard Johnson Hotel was hosted by the Ministry of Education for newly elected and returning school board trustees. The purpose of the seminar was to provide information on the working relationship between school boards and the Ministry. The seminar also provided trustees with an overview on governance, curriculum, labour relations, and funding formula for school boards. The Honourable Minister took time from his busy schedule to visit St.Theresa Catholic School on Walford Road while in Sudbury. Appearing with Minister Kennedy in the above photo are; (L-R) Margaret Ashcroft, School Principal, Mark Simeoni, St. Theresa Catholic School Council Chair, Kelly Fenton, Catholic School Council Secretary, Brenda Stankiewicz, Vice-Chair and Rossella Bagatto, Superintendent of Education for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board.

Seven St. John Catholic elementary students were recognized by school staff and their peers at an assembly held at the school to celebrate Halloween and to award the boys with special certificates for their good Samaritan behaviour.

Stacie Rinehardt (witch’s costume), a resident of Garson, had her car broken into and thieves made off with her wallet, credit cards, purse, cell phone and some very treasured personal items. While playing near Junction Creek, which runs behind the school, the students discovered the lost items and brought them to the attention of the school’s Principal, Ms. Louisa Bianchin (first from left), who immediately contacted Stacie Rinehardt to make arrangements to have the stolen items returned to her.

To show her appreciation for the students good deeds Mrs. Rinehardt presented the students with passes to Silver City Theatres at the special assembly. The seven good Samaritans appearing left to right in the above photo are; Kyle Cahill, Peter Pesce, Christopher Brady, Alessandro Costantini, Tyler Lalonde, Derek Romain and Spencer Brydges.

Parents and students are invited to participate in Transitions, an information evening designed to help students and parents make key decisions in the transition from elementary to high school and from high school to college and university. This free information session will take place at Sudbury Secondary School’s Sheridan Auditorium, Thursday, Nov. 6, at 7 p.m.

The Sudbury Catholic District School Board, the Rainbow District School Board and Cambrian College have partnered with Collège Boréal and Laurentian University to present Transitions. Current secondary school curriculum requires that students make educational choices as early as grade seven and eight and then again in grades 10 to 12.

It is important to know what choices are available so that your children have as many educational and career opportunities as possible. With the different streams in high school designed for apprenticeships, college and university, it’s important to know what choices are available to your children as they enter high school, enter post-secondary education or the workforce. A representative from each organization will be there to present information critical to the various transitions in the educational system and to answer your questions.

For more information, please contact Regan Corelli at (705) 673-5620 ext. 373 or David Brazeau at (705) 674-3171 ext. 217.

Rich Griffin, EZ Rock announcer interviewed Michel Grandmont, Special Assignment Teacher, OYAP/COOP Coordinator for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board and Sharon Murdoch, Executive Director, Training and Adjustment Board, (Sudbury and Manitoulin) “live on-air” at the Fall 2003 Home Show held at the Sudbury Arena recently. The Sudbury Catholic Board via the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) participated in Sudbury’s recent Home Show along with students from St. Charles College by helping to construct a 6’X 8’ ice hut (on skis) complete with insulation, vinyl siding and a wood stove. OYAP is a partnership Program involving the Sudbury Catholic and Rainbow District School Boards, le conseil scolaire catholique du Nouvel-Ontario, le conseil scolaire du district du Grand-Nord, Cambrian College, College Boreal and the Sudbury-Manitoulin Training and Advisory Board. OYAP students and staff were on site at the Home Show to display the ice hut to the public and to promote their program to the community. The ice hut was raffled off free off charge at the end of three-day home show.

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”.