Report to
Catholic School Councils & Parents

Catholic Christian community at the centre of our schools, says re-elected Chairperson

In his opening address at the December 1st Initial Meeting of the Board, re-elected Chairperson Patrick J. Daly called upon all those who labour in Catholic education to renew efforts to strengthen Catholic Christian community. “Catholic schools are, and must remain, a community of believers who, by word and action, place Jesus at the centre of their vision and purpose,” he said.
Expressing his appreciation to the bishop, pastors, parents, school councils, trustees, administrators, principals, teachers and all other staff who serve as witnesses of the faith, Daly reserved special thanks for classroom teachers whose Catholic Christian witness, he suggested, is more important than ever. In the same meeting, Rev. Kyran D. Kennedy was re-elected as Vice- Chairperson of the Board and Sergio Manchia, Trustee for Ward 8, was re-elected as Chairperson of the Religion, Family Life and Instructional Services Committee.

Board approves recommendations for new southwest Hamilton elementary school

On December 15th, trustees approved the following recommendations for the new southwest Hamilton Catholic elementary school that will replace the existing St. Jerome and St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Elementary Schools:

• the new school will be named Annunciation of Our Lord Catholic Elementary School;
• St. Jerome and St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Elementary Schools will close effective June 30, 2010;
• the current catchment area for St. Jerome and St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Elementary Schools will form the boundary
  for the new Annunciation of Our Lord Catholic Elementary School;
• Annunciation of Our Lord Catholic Elementary School will be established for September 2010 and students will be
  housed at both St. Jerome and St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Elementary Schools during its construction;
• a review of the boundary for Annunciation of Our Lord Catholic Elementary School will be brought to the board by
  January 2011;
• and lastly, transportation of students and siblings enrolled as of September 2009 will be provided from St. Catherine of
  Siena Catholic Elementary School to Annunciation of Our Lord Catholic Elementary School.

Board seeks capital funding for a new Catholic elementary school in Lower Stoney Creek

An attendance area boundary review for the area of “Stoney Creek below the escarpment” was presented to trustees on December 15th which addressed overcrowding at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Elementary School and explored the need for a new elementary school. The report indicated that enrolment at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Elementary School is expected to increase and the present site will be unable to accommodate anticipated future growth. Trustees gave their approval for the board to begin discussions with the Ministry of Education regarding the need for capital funding for a new Catholic elementary school in Lower Stoney Creek, as well as to conduct a boundary review of the schools within the Lower Stoney Creek catchment areas. A report will be brought back to the board for March 2, 2010.
Proposed boundary approved for new Ancaster Catholic elementary school

The new Ancaster Catholic elementary school is scheduled to open in the Ancaster community on Kitty Murray Lane, north of Garner Road. The catchment area for the new school is bordered on the east by the Highway #6 access, on the south by Highway #403 and Stonehenge Drive, on the west by the former Ancaster town limit, and on the north by Garner Road. Expected enrolment for the new school is approximately 250 students. A list of school names has been submitted to Bishop Tonnos for final approval. The name will be brought forward at a future board meeting.

Board participates in Green Schools pilot initiative

The Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board has teamed up with the Ottawa French Catholic Board in a $400,000 Green Schools pilot initiative to investigate rainwater harvesting technology ? technology that treats water from roof runoff using an efficiency filter system, stores it in a fiberglass storage tank and disinfects it before distributing it into a
greywater reuse system. The system would be installed at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Elementary School on a two-year trial basis. A similar system will be installed in a newly constructed school in Ottawa with specific performance metrics reported quarterly by the two schools. The initiative will enable comparisons to be drawn between the new urban
school and rural Our Lady of Mount Carmel which uses a cistern and requires a considerable amount of potable water.

Trustees also approved the following reports of December 15th:

• A report by the Social and Ecological Responsibility in Education (SERE) Committee outlined some of its
  initiatives of the past year, which included liaising with community environmental groups, participating in Ontario EcoSchools and the ?Climate Change Champions? program, as well as many other community environmental activities.
• Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic elementary schools will again be participating in the administration of the Early
  Development Instrument (EDI) during the 2009-2010 school year. The EDI is used to measure specific outcomes of early development that are particularly relevant in determining children?s readiness to learn at school. EDI is useful in that it ensures that communities such as Hamilton provide resources and supports that enable all children to thrive.
• Reading Recovery is an early literacy intervention that is currently used in 44 of the board?s elementary schools. The
  program targets Grade One students who are struggling with literacy acquisition. In 12-20 weeks of intensive, individualized instruction, many students are brought to the average functioning of their age cohort and continue to learn from their ongoing classroom experiences. A longitudinal study shows that gains achieved were maintained two years later.
• The Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP), now in its 9th year, continues to expand. In 2008-2009,
  593 students participated in cooperative education placements in apprenticeable trades; of those, 161 secondary students were
  signed to apprenticeship contracts. Currently, placements are available in nine program areas.

Student & Staff Recognition & Awards

Congratulations to the following students and staff: Kayla Coates, a student at Mother Teresa Catholic Elementary School and Magdalena Szkarlat, Bishop Tonnos Catholic Secondary School, recipients of the 2009 Week of the Child and Youth Student Leadership Awards; Joan Nuxoll, Human Resources Assistant, who was recognized for 10 years of volunteer service with the Hamilton Police Service; Corrado Ciapanna, Superintendent of Education, Patrick J. Daly, Chairperson of the Board, and retired Principals Sylvia M. Kajiura and Peter Narduzzi, who were recognized for
Distinguished Service to Catholic Education at a special liturgy and ceremony at Cathedral of Christ the King on November 24, 2009; and Terry Leverton, Resource Teacher, recipient of the 2009 Week of the Child and Youth Agency Award.

Calendar

January 12, 6:00 p.m. – Committee of the Whole
January 12, 7:00 p.m. – Board
January 19, 6:00 p.m. – Religion, Family Life and Instructional Services Committee

* Unless otherwise noted, all meetings are held at the Catholic Education Centre, 90 Mulberry Street.