Catholic Education Week is an annual event celebrated by Catholic school boards and schools across the province. It is a time for students, teachers and parents to celebrate teaching excellence and student achievement. This year’s Catholic Education Week theme “Rooted in Christ” provides us with a strong message – we are one with Christ, joined together and rooted as is a tree. Like the tree, we must hold our heads high and tall. We should be proud of the Catholic family we belong to. We are held together by the roots of our faith, our teachings and the sacraments we have received since birth.

Last year, Pope John Paul II united our Catholic communities during World Youth Days by bringing the Holy Cross to various cities. Through this event, he succeeded in joining our Catholic families – rooting the family together as one.

Our Catholic family is rooted in a vision to instill Catholic values, attitudes and actions in its students. Our students demonstrated their knowledge of the Gospel by participating in activities that have a religious focus such as school mass, consoling grieving classmates, helping those in need through food share programs, Jump Rope for Heart and many other worthy events.

Let us encourage our students to maintain their roots in the Catholic faith. We invite all members of our Catholic community to participate in local events marking Catholic Education Week 2003. Above all, we invite everyone to pray that we will be faithful servants to God’s gift of Catholic education in this province. We also encourage all to pray for the people of all nations somehow affected by the unrest of these times. Please pray that our faith will ease some of the troubles and bring peace throughout the world.

Let us make this Catholic Education Week one to remember!

Secondary students with the four Sudbury and District School Boards received copies of the Criminal Code book from Justice Ian Gordon and Justice Randall Lalande in honour of Law Day and Law Week 2003, recently. Law Day is celebrated annually to commemorate the enactment of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and to provide an enhanced understanding of law and the justice system in Ontario.

The Ontario Justice Education Network in conjunction with the Ontario Bar Association also offers teachers the opportunity of a speaker (Lawyer/Judge) or a courtroom visit during Law Week. This year to mark Law Day, the lawyers of Sudbury, the Judiciary and the Office of the Crown Attorney have collected Criminal Codes to donate to the Sudbury Secondary Schools. The valuable books will used by the students in the Public, Catholic, and French and English School Boards to study various aspects of Canadian law including the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Young Offenders Act. The school boards thank the legal community for this donation.

Participating in the Law Day ceremony were, front row (L-R); assistant Crown attorney Susan Stothart, College Notre Dame’s Janelle Giroux; Lockerby Composite’s Aliya Pabani; Macdonald-Cartier’s Liane Briere; St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School, Laura Nurmi; and Charles Conroy, of the law association; top row (L-R); courthouse operations manager Kevin Lyle; Justice Ian Gordon; Justice Randall Lalande; and courthouse operations supervisor Louise Tarini.

Trustees of the Sudbury Catholic District School Board made a number of decisions regarding boundary changes during a special meeting of the board on April 15. Trustees voted in favour of a motion that approved boundary changes in the Valley East Family of Schools for Immaculate Conception and St. Anne elementary schools. Effective September 2003, the existing Immaculate Conception boundary would be extended to Frost Avenue for students in Junior Kindergarten to Grade 3. Current Grade 4, 5 and 6 students living within the new geographic area being added to the Immaculate Conception boundary who would otherwise attend St. Anne school, would also be permitted to attend Immaculate Conception school if they have younger siblings attending Immaculate Conception.

The Board also examined the accommodation review involving St. Mark elementary school in Markstay and its possible consolidation due to low enrolment and high operational costs. In the end, however, Trustees decided to maintain the status quo option for St. Mark school.

Graduates of St. Charles Catholic school in Chelmsford will continue to be received at
St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School and Marymount Academy in Sudbury.

Ray Vincent, Chair of the Sudbury Catholic Board stated that, “The decisions made by the Trustees and the Board this evening continue to focus on improving the quality of Catholic Education. Before making any decision on the motions placed before us by the staff, we review very carefully the information that we receive from school councils, parents and the community at large. We also take into consideration regular and new revenues in the 2003–2004 Student Focused Grant Regulations. Our mandate is to be fiscally responsible in the equitable distribution of our funds for the highest possible benefit of all the students entrusted in the care of the Board.”

Students from the Sudbury Catholic District School Board had a tremendous showing at the 34th Sudbury Regional Science Fair held at Laurentian University this weekend winning 16 out of 44 awards. St. Francis students collected a total of 10 medals followed closely by Marymount Academy students who gathered up 6 medals in the Junior Life, Junior Physical, and Junior Engineering categories.

The top 5 projects from both the Sudbury Catholic and Rainbow District School Boards received gold medals and will now move on to represent the City of Greater Sudbury and their respective schools at the Canada Wide Science Fair which will be held in Calgary, May 11 to 18. Gold medal winners pictured,(left to right) include; Niall Williams, Lockerby Composite School, Andrew Mulloy and Nick Ryan, RL Beattie, Michael Stanford, RL Beattie, Shawn Cashin, St.Francis, and Andrew Pawluch, St. Francis.

Also honoured at the awards ceremony were Colette Mathe, teacher from Ecole Notre Dame and Zandra Zubac, Director of Education for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board for their years of service on the Executive Committee.

Ray Vincent, Chair of the Sudbury Catholic District School Board and Trustee Roberte Cunningham (left), receive a copy of the Children First Charter from City of Greater Sudbury Deputy Mayor, Louise Portelance. The Children First Charter was created by Mayor Jim Gordon and Council’s Children First Roundtable, a volunteer taskforce of parents, service providers and community leaders established in 2000. Endorsed by City Council on June 26, 2002 the Charter is now being officially launched in the community. The Charter creates a community vision recognizing the special needs of children and is intended to guide decision-makers, policy makers, schools and other organizations serving children and their families as well as businesses. Large scale copies of the Charter were presented to representatives of Greater Sudbury school boards to be circulated among the schools.

Trustees for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board voted four to one in favour of consolidating Our Lady of Fatima School in Naughton with St. James School in Lively, effective September 2004, at Tuesday night’s meeting of the Board. This decision came on the heels of a presentation from representatives of Our Lady of Fatima School Council who asked the Board to reconsider its decision to close the school. Trustees listened intently to the thirty minute presentation by Leah Lepage and Kerrie St. Jean who were the spokespersons for Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School council, and for the parents and stakeholders who were present at the meeting. However, after reviewing the information the Trustees voted four to one in favour of consolidation. The initial vote on December 17, 2002 placed the Trustees in a three to two decision to consolidate the school. Trustee Jody Cameron abstained from voting in both cases citing conflict of interest.

Ray Vincent, Chair of the Sudbury Catholic District School Board, stated that the decision to close Our Lady of Fatima School and consolidate it with the newer St. James school was the only viable solution given the economic reality of the situation. “We recognize that there is regret in the hearts of parents and staff over the closing of a school. The entire Walden community however, can take pride in the expansion of St. James Catholic school which will offer Junior Kindergarten to grade eight in Regular French Immersion and Native Studies programs under one roof in a newly enhanced learning environment,” stated Vincent.

Newly appointed Auxiliary Bishop Robert Harris, of the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie visited the Catholic Education Centre at the Sudbury Catholic District School Board for the first time recently. During his visit he met with the Board of Directors of the Northern Ontario Catholic Curriculum Cooperative.

Auxiliary Bishop Harris was born in Montreal on September 26, 1944. After completing his formation at Loyola College, he studied at the Grand Sèminaire de Montrèal, where he obtained his Licentiate in Theology. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1969 and served in various parishes as Assistant and Pastor on the island of Montreal. He completed post-graduate studies and obtained his Licentiate in Canon Law in 1975 at the Gregorian University in Rome.

In the Archdiocese of Montreal, he held simultaneously the following positions: Director of Pastoral Formation at the Grand Sèminaire de Montrèal; Director of Vocations (English Sector); Executive Director of the Diocesan Priesthood Guild; Collegial Judge of the Ecclesiastical Tribunal of Montreal; and until his appointment, Episcopal Vicar to the Anglophone Faithful and Director of the Office for English Pastoral Services.

Auxiliary Bishop Harris is bilingual in French and English and has a working knowledge of Spanish and Italian. He has also undertaken missionary work in Mexico and the Diocese of Moosonee and has acted as a conference Resource Person at a session for Seminary Formators of French-speaking Africa inYaoundè, Cameroun. On May 31, 2002 he was made a Chaplain to the Holy Father (C.S.S.). On December 12, 2002, Bishop Harris was ordained as Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie and Titular Bishop of Trofimiana at St. Patrick’s Basilica, Montreal.

Bishop Alexander Carter CSS, Valley East’s newest secondary school, will relocate to the current site of St. Anne School in Hanmer by September 2003. To plan for these changes, Board Trustees approved motions in relation to the review of boundaries for Bishop Alexander Carter CSS, St. Charles School in Chelmsford, St. Anne School and Immaculate Conception School at their January 7, 2003 meeting. An additional motion covering the review of programs and boundaries at St. Mark School was also passed. Public meetings at affected schools have been scheduled, and a final decision by trustees is due in April.

At the Board meeting of January 7, 2003, Trustees approved the following motions:

“THAT the Sudbury Catholic District School Board approves, according to Policy EL110 and Board Regulation BR10, that there be a review of boundaries for the Bishop Alexander Carter CSS as it relates to St. Charles Catholic School in Chelmsford.”

“THAT the Sudbury Catholic District School Board approves, according to Policy EL110 and Board Regulation BR10 with the advent of our Bishop Alexander Carter CSS, that there be a review of boundaries for St. Anne and Immaculate Conception Catholic Schools French Immersion and Regular programs.” and

“THAT the Sudbury Catholic District School Board approves, according to policy EL110 and Board Regulation BR10, that there be a review of programs and boundaries for St. Mark Catholic School.”

At the Principals’ meeting in October, the Director of Education outlined the process for the accommodation review process and provided copies of the information packages previously given to Trustees.

Over the last few weeks, the school superintendent and the Chairperson of the Board met with each Catholic school council executive to discuss the process. There will be public meetings for all parents, school staff and Catholic school ratepayers as follows:

St. Charles School

26 Charlotte Street, Chelmsford

March 3, 2003 7:00 p.m.

Bishop Alexander Carter CSS

3075 River Road, Val Caron

re: St. Anne and Immaculate Conception Schools

March 17, 2003 7:00 p.m.

St. Mark School

13 Church Street, Markstay

March 20, 2003 7:00 p.m.

The Board staff will present information and there will be an opportunity for questions and input from the audience. Each Catholic school council will also have an opportunity to make presentations to the Board at a meeting on April 1, 2003 at 7:00 p.m., and Trustees will make their final decision at a Board meeting on April 15, 2003 at 6:00 p.m.

With respect to escalating political unrest in the Middle East and its possible effects on the international scene, Trustees for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board passed a motion Tuesday night outlining in detail the Board’s position on this matter. Ray Vincent, Chair of the Sudbury Catholic Board stated that, “The Sudbury Catholic District School Board will allow the international student excursions to proceed in March 2003 but some conditions have to be met. Parents and participants who choose not to sign the waiver and withdraw from the trip will be reimbursed the amount prepaid to the traveling agency. For those participants who sign waivers, the planned trip will remain, however, the Board reserves the right to cancel the trip at any time prior to departure if international events so warrant it. Parents must decide to withdraw from the trip or sign a waiver to remain on the trip by February 27, 2003.”

Vincent went on to say that the Board’s decision was made from a moral standpoint in that, “there is a possible risk to the students who are going abroad and placing students in potential danger is not acceptable to this Board.”