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.

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.

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.

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.”

The Sudbury Catholic District School Board has awarded the contract for the construction of its new Secondary school in Valley East to J.N. Construction of Sudbury. The new school, named Bishop Alexander Carter Catholic Secondary School will move from its temporary River Road campus location in Val Caron to its permanent site at the former St Anne School in Hanmer. J.N. Construction Company was awarded the contract by the Sudbury Catholic Board as they submitted the lowest qualified tender in the amount of $5,512,640, winning out over four other local construction firms that also submitted tenders including; Tribury Construction,

R.M Belanger Limited, Kona Builders Limited, and TESC Contracting Company. Tenders were publicly opened on Tuesday, January 28, 2003, at 4:00 p.m. at 165A D’Youville Street Sudbury. Based on the prices submitted, the letter of recommendation from the project architect, Castellan Luciw James Architects, and past experience with the contractor, the Board recommended the contract in favour of J.N. Construction.

The construction of the new school coincides with phase two of the Board’s plan to transform for September 2003, the former St. Anne school into the most technologically advanced state of the art secondary school in Valley East. Ray Vincent, Chair of the Sudbury Catholic District School Board is elated with the creation of the new learning facility. “The Board has never wavered from its commitment to provide quality Catholic education to Catholic students in Valley East and Capreol. In establishing Bishop Alexander Carter Catholic Secondary School, the Board is following through on its mandate to offer equal educational opportunities for the students, parents and community partners in this region,”stated Vincent. Zandra Zubac, Director of Education for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board is also looking forward to the creation of the new state of the art secondary school. “After months of preparation, we are now ready to move forward with phase two of the Board’s plan,” stated Zubac. “The new Catholic school will build on the tradition of Catholic Secondary Education. Catholic supporters, parents and students will continue to be involved in determining and shaping the unique identity of the new Catholic Secondary School as it grows one grade at a time.”

Valley East parents and students braved the cold Wednesday night to attend Bishop Alexander Carter Catholic Secondary School’s Grade 9 Information Night held in the St. Anne School Gymnasium. The St. Anne site is slated to undergo renovations and will be the new home of Bishop Alexander Carter CSS in September 2003. The school is currently accepting registrations for grades 9 and 10 for next year. Grade 9 registration packages can be picked up at the River Road Campus in Val Caron or at the following elementary schools: St. Anne in Hanmer, St. Mary in Capreol and St. Charles in Chelmsford. The grade 9 registration package can also be downloaded from the school website in the Courses section. Registrations for grade 10 are accepted in person at the River Road Campus or by telephone at 897-5722.

Attendees enjoyed a presentation detailing the plans for the new school and took in a uniform fashion show. Guidance representatives were on hand to explain grade 9 course selection and diploma requirements, and Bishop Alexander Carter principal Guy Matthieu was available to answer any questions about the new secondary school. Three lucky students got a jump on their wardrobes for next year with door prizes that featured school apparel by McCarthy’s.

Parents and students are always welcome to contact Bishop Alexander Carter Catholic Secondary School for more information.

After weeks of meetings, public debates and extensive input from parents, school councils, and special interest groups, Trustees of the Sudbury Catholic District School Board made the final decision regarding the five elementary schools under review last night. While the motion on the floor called for the consolidation of St. Anthony and St. Michael schools at St. Francis school, effective September 2003, Trustees voted to consolidate St. Anthony school with St. Francis in September 2003, keeping St. Michael’s school open. With respect to the Western Family of schools, Trustees decided in favour of the Board’s recommendation to consolidate Our Lady of Fatima school in Naughton at St. James School in Lively, effective September 2004.

Ray Vincent, Chair of the Sudbury Catholic Board stated that, “The decision to close a school is never an easy one nor is it a decision that Trustees take lightly. Over the past several weeks we have met with senior Board administration to review the information presented to us in the public meetings held at the schools and to re-examine the Board’s informational package. Our mandate as Trustees has always been to provide the best quality of Catholic education possible for our students. After taking into account the number of excess pupil capacity spaces in our schools as they relate to higher operational and maintenance costs, it became apparent that we would have to consolidate some schools. At the end of the day, from a financial and logistical point of view it made the most sense to consolidate St. Anthony school with St. Francis School next fall and

Our Lady of Fatima will be consolidated into the newly renovated St. James school in September of 2004.”

Zandra Zubac, Director of Education with the Sudbury Catholic Board stated that, “The

Trustees made a difficult decision yesterday to provide better educational opportunities for all our students in the Catholic educational system. Senior Administration is committed to working with school staff, students and Catholic School Councils over the next several months to ensure a smooth transition of the consolidation process.”

The Sudbury Catholic District School Board is pleased to announce the election of its new chair and vice-chair for 2002-03.

Ray Vincent will assume the position of Chairperson and is looking forward to the new challenges this position will bring. “As we move forward this year, developing new initiatives and ideas, let us not forget to appreciate what we have accomplished in the short life span of the Board,” stated Vincent. “The foundation of our Catholic Education is only as strong as its main weight bearing point. I submit to you that our Catholic partners and larger community are looking to us, this Board to be this pillar of strength. Vincent continued on to state that, “What we do as a Board must say that we are committed to Catholic education. Our actions must say to our teachers that if indeed our schools are “Schools To Believe In,” and Catholic Education is a value added education, it is because of what happens in the classroom.. It is also important to note that what we do as a Board must be seen by parents and students that their best interest is our first priority.”

Jody Cameron, former Chairperson of the Board will take on the position of Vice-Chair and is also looking forward to his new role.”My first year as Chair involved a very quick learning curve,” stated Cameron. As a Board we were faced with a number of challenging issues which we overcame quite admirably, the creation of a new Catholic Secondary school in Valley East, increased enrolment at Marymount Academy, bringing in a balanced budget and the appointment of a new Director of Education, to mention only a few.” Cameron went on to state that his previous experience as Board Chair would be a definite asset in his new position.

On October 1st, 2002 Trustees of the Sudbury Catholic District School Board passed a motion in favour of placing five elementary schools under review. The schools in question are St. Anthony, St. Michael and St. Theresa in the Central and South Family of Schools, and Our Lady of Fatima and St. James in the Western Family of Schools. Over the next few weeks, the school superintendent will be meeting with each Catholic school council executive to discuss the process. There will also be public meetings for all parents, school staff and Catholic school ratepayers as follows:

Board staff will present the rationale for placing the schools under review during these meetings 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 to be held on December 3, 2002 with Trustees making their final decision at a Board meeting on December 17, 2002.