Rejoice
It’s different here!
The Director’s Newsletter
Volume 7 • Issue 8
April 2011
A Grand Affair
In relationship with their “adopted” grandparents,
students get as much as they give.
The man had always longed to play the
guitar. In his imagination, he could hear the
chords and feel the frets under his fingers.
Now a senior living in a retirement residence,
he feared that he had waited too long and the
opportunity was lost.
As the months passed, he befriended a
schoolboy who shared his passion for music
and eagerly listened to his dreams. Though
the boy had little money, he wanted to fulfill
a dream of his own. He worked odd jobs after
school and saved
for months. As the
school term drew
to a close, that
boy was finally
able to do what
God had placed
on his heart: he
bought his friend
a second-hand
guitar.
In this issue:
In this issue:
Looking Ahead at St.
stt
Michael
C.S.S.
21
Century
Learning (all
schools)
Secondary Students “Light
the Way”
Applause Breakfast Awards
Huron-Perth Basketball
All
About You-th!
Tournament
Gr. 7 Trades & Technology
Days
Parent Voices on Catholic
Education
W
ith
tears in
her eyes, St. Aloysius teacher Mrs.
Hastings shares this true story -- one of the
many remarkable moments of grace she has
experienced through her 8th Grade students
and their popular “Adopt a Grand” program.
Like a matchmaking service, the program
pairs each 8th Grade student from St.
Aloysius with a resident from nearby Spruce
Lodge, based on personality and common
interests. Often, students start asking about
the program on the first day of school.
Students visit their “adopted
grandparent” a few times each month,
engaging in conversation, crafts and
activities that allow them to build
friendships that last the school year and
often much longer.
“We’ve had 250 students through the
Adopt a Grand Program,” says St. Aloysius
principal Mr. Dave Cassone, who was a
teacher at the school when the program
began 10 years ago.
“While Adopt a Grand
began as a way for St.
Aloysius to reach out in
service to the community,
we soon realized that
students were receiving
as much as they were
giving.”
The excitement
is renewed with each
passing year: on visiting
day, students cover
the cost of their own
transportation and often find the Grands
eagerly awaiting their arrival in the Spruce
Lodge common area. For residents who are
shut-in or alone, this opportunity to connect
fills a void in their day-to-day lives.
“Not all Spruce Lodge residents have
family in the area,” Mr. Cassone explains.
“The desire to come together in friendship,
especially with a young person, is fantastic.
As a Catholic school, we are constantly
Continued on page 2
Faith and Learning... Celebrating the Journey
CContinued from page 1
From The
Director
Dear Members of
the Huron-Perth community:
In this edition, I am pleased to
highlight our Board theme,
Catholic Education – Celebrating
the Spirit…and focus our attention
on Catholic education.
Huron-Perth is very blessed to
have a staff committed to our Gospel
values, guided by our Catholic
culture and living our Christian
faith every day. There are countless
examples of “Celebrating the Spirit”
in our schools, our communities and
our parishes.
Pope Benedict’s encyclical, Deus
Caritas Est, is a guiding light for
us …it states “Charity and justice
converge in the hearts and souls of
the lay faithful who, moved by love,
work for justice.”
The letter goes on to say,
“As a community, the Church
must practice love...not only as a
community service, for the sake
of those served, but also for those
serving, as a necessary expression
of their Christian faith and of the
nature of the Church.”
We are called to love and help
our neighbours, to “celebrate the
spirit” and to embrace the gift
of Catholic education as a true
expression of our Christian faith.
In this newsletter, many voices
speak up about our schools and the
Catholic curriculum…a curriculum
that instills in students the values
of tolerance, respect, and inclusivity,
love of neighbour and community
service.
God Bless,
Martha Dutrizac
Director of Education
exploring ways to reach out and make
a difference and remarkably, the
success of this program has sustained
us through a decade.”
Though friendships develop in
their own unique ways, St. Aloysius
uses a standardized approach to get
the ball rolling.
“The support staff at Spruce Lodge
are of great assistance in pairing up
the students and residents,” says Mrs.
Hastings. “The
kids create an
autobiography
that outlines
their interests,
and then
meet with
the program
coordinator to
be matched
one-on-one
with a resident.
The relationship most often starts
with storytelling, then becomes a
partnership. The development is really
neat to see.”
Before long, students are assisting
with tasks such as hairstyling and
manicures; both sides commonly
exchange gifts. Mrs. Hastings
estimates that close to half of the
students continue the relationship once
the school year ends and some even
return from university to visit. This
year, St. Aloysius students celebrated
Earth Day by cleaning the Spruce
Lodge grounds. Residents participated
if they were able, and afterwards,
everyone enjoyed some social time
together.
For students, the Grands provide
a window into the living history of our
region: first-hand accounts of farm life
and wartime
have prompted
classroom
discussion
about what
life was like
for previous
generations.
Mr. Cassone
sees the
program as
a way for
students to celebrate the experiences
of those around them while nurturing
their own sense of empathy and
understanding.
“They learn so much from these
relationships; there has been such
a connection,” he explains. “It’s a
wonderful opportunity for us to
celebrate each person for who they
are.”
Bernard Murray Receives OCSTA Trustee Award of Merit
T
Trustee
Bernard Murray received the Ontario
Catholic School Trustees’ Association (OCSTA)
C
Award of Merit for outstanding leadership
A
and service to Catholic education. Bernard
a
was honoured during the group’s recent
w
Annual General Meeting and Conference in
A
Toronto this past weekend. Bernard has a
T
deep and lasting commitment to his parish and
d
community. Throughout the years he has dedicated a significant amount of his
time, resources and efforts to enriching the Board’s Catholic schools and parish
communities. In addition to his service at the local level, Bernard has served
Catholic education at the provincial level during his tenure on the OCSTA
Board of Directors. Bernard first joined the OCSTA Board in 2000 and later
served as President from 2006 to 2008. Bernard was also awarded the 25-year
trustee pin.
2
Looking Ahead at St. Michael C.S.S.
“I know the plans I have
for you”, declares the Lord,
plans to prosper you and not
to harm you, plans to give
you hope and a future.”
~ Jeremiah 29:11
S
t. Michael CSS is Stratford
is preparing students to
embrace a bright tomorrow.
Ask principal Tim Doherty what’s
new around the school these days,
and he’s quick to share the
latest opportunities in both
academics and student life.
studies, police services to welding,”
says Tim Martens, OYAP Leader
with the HPCDSB. “We get a lot of
interest from students who want to
try these programs on for size. It
helps to smooth the transition by
offering a taste of College life without
spending a lot of money.”
Mr. Martens adds that students
who are disengaged at school can
often thrive in their Dual Credit
program: “learning in a different
environment and focused on a
program of their
choosing, we’ve
seen some great
success,” he
explains.
Dual Credits
“New this year is our
Dual Credit program for
Grade 12 students,” Mr.
Doherty explains. “These
courses are especially
popular with those returning
for a fifth year, who may not
require a full course load. Dual
credits allow students to top up their
schedule with relevant and careeroriented post-secondary courses.”
The Ministry-approved
dual credit option lets students
choose from a handful of College
or Apprenticeship courses that
count towards both their Ontario
Secondary School Diploma (OSSD)
and a post-secondary certificate,
diploma, degree or apprenticeship
certification. One day each week,
participants leave St. Mike’s by
bus at 7:00 a.m. and head for
either Lambton College in Sarnia
or Conestoga College in Stratford.
There, they attend real college
classes -- and everything from
transportation to books is funded by
the Ministry.
“There are options available that
we just can’t offer in high school,
from personal support to culinary
The Great
Water Debate
Along with the growing academic
opportunities at St. Mike’s, principal
Doherty is equally proud of a
campaign launched by the Social
Justice Club this year. Inspired by
Annie Leonard’s short film The Story
of Bottled Water, club members are
educating their peers about the
environmental impact of the bottled
water industry, and the social justice
issues surrounding clean water
access.
“We’re interested in how large
companies are positioning clean
water -- not as a basic human
right, but as something that needs
Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board
3
to be paid for,” says Madeline, a
Grade 10 student at St. Mike’s
who is concerned by manufactured
demand for a packaged version of a
commodity that’s readily available
for free. “Today we unplugged the
vending machines at our school to
encourage people to drink tap water.
We’ve had student taste tests that
compared bottled water to tap and
people found them to be the same.
We’ve created a petition against
bottled water in our school and have
also generated discussion on our
Facebook page.”
Ellen in Grade 11 is frustrated
by the complacency of those who
don’t recognize that bottled water
has a massive environmental impact.
“A lot of students are lazy and we
need to find a way to scare them
more,” she says. “We talk about
the issue in classrooms. I tell
kids where the bottles go and
the harm that they cause.
Some of my friends are
starting to bring reusable
water bottles.”
“Students are starting
to change their habits,
but awareness takes time,”
concedes Mr. Doherty. “Thanks to
the efforts of our Social Justice Club,
we’re moving in the right direction.”
The Story of Bottled Water with
Annie Leonard can be found on
youTube.com.
“Faith-Filled” Basketball Tournament
Secondary Students “Light the Way”
Approximately 400 Catholic
secondary students from across
Ontario attended the first ever
Ontario Catholic Youth Leadership
Conference that was held in
Niagara Falls, March 31 - April 2,
2011. Entitled “Lighting the Way,”
the conference brought together
students, moderators and various
partners in Catholic education to discuss Catholic youth
leadership and the future of Catholic education in this
province. Huron-Perth was pleased to send twelve student
leaders from St. Michael CSS and St. Anne’s CSS to the
conference.
On Saturday, April 2nd, the Huron-Perth Catholic District
School Board partnered with the London Diocese Vocations Office to run the First Annual Frassati Classic!
This basketball tournament was open to all HPCDSB
Huron County intermediate boys & girls basketball teams.
The tournament was named after Blessed Pier Girgio
Frassati. The day turned out to be a huge success with six
boys’ and six girls’ school teams participating from Our
Lady of Mount Carmel, St. Boniface, Precious Blood, St.
Mary’s, St. Columban, and St. James. The athletes, as
well as many of their families, friends, and community
members gathered for a day of basketball, faith, and
prayer! Seminarians and sisters were present not only to
ref games but also lead everyone in prayer and reflection
before each game took place. Many St. Anne’s students
as well as elementary school students volunteered their
time to run a snack booth and help out with other areas
of the tournament. Proceeds of $900 were donated to the
St. Anne’s Me to We Group - School In Ecuador Project.
The day proved to be a wonderful connection between our
Catholic elementary
and Catholic high
school students!
This will be an
annual event and
is expected to
grow bigger and
bigger each year!
Congratulations
to Our Lady of Mt.
Carmel School Girl’s
Team & St. Mary’s
School, Goderich,
Boy’s Team who
took home the
championship
trophies!
et so many other student
“It was really great to me
r perspectives on
leaders who shared simila
phen Lambert
catholic education.” - Ste
“The conference was a hu
mbling experience that
gave us the opportunity
to learn and share the
accomplishments of Catho
lic Education.” - Oliver
Dobson
l
rn more about the schoo
“It was a great time to lea
I think it was nice for
board and how it works.
that the school board
everyone there to realize
inions and only wants to
really cares about our op
”eriences in positive ways.
further our learning exp
Cassidy Bedard
“It was a great opportunit
y for Catholic student
leaders to meet with oth
er students from different
schools and discuss new
ideas to improve student
success and involvement
.” - Maja Lapaine
rk
ies for students to netwo
“Having these opportunit
us to
these conferences leads
and discuss our future at
elop
tholic education and dev
further appreciate our Ca
skills.” - Rachel Askett
our Catholic leadership
4
Grieve Visits St. Ambrose School
Talk to the Pros !
The Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board is proud of
our full-day learning kindergarten programs for four and
five year old students. On April 7, Jim Grieve, Assistant
Deputy Minister of the Early Learning Division for the
Ontario Ministry of Education visited St. Ambrose School
in Stratford. Grieve leads the provincial implementation
of full day learning in all Ontario schools. Full-day
kindergarten provides four- and five-year-olds with a
seamless and integrated faith-filled day that includes an
engaging, play-based educational program during the
regular school day. Jim Grieve enjoyed his time engaging
in activities and discussion with students and staff!
It is easy to take technology
for granted, as well as the
work that trades people do.
The houses we live in, the
cars we drive, the computers
we rely on all exist because
of people that work in
trades and technology. On
April 4, 5, 6, the grade 7
students of the Huron-Perth
Catholic District School
Board participated in the “Ontario Youth Apprenticeship
Program (OYAP) Trades and Technology Days “ at the
Mitchell Community Centre. Over 360 students had
the opportunity to participate in 11 different hands on
technical skills workshops. The students completed “real
world skills”- soldering copper fittings, designing cars
on a computer program, drilling and tapping aluminum,
testing starter motors, sewing, and much more. Along
with the projects the students took home, they also
developed a respect for the four pathway destinations
by identifying their own skills, interests and abilities in
order to make informed choices for their future. A big
thank you goes out to Mr. Overholt, Mr Steinmann, Mr.
Mitchell, and their senior technology students from St.
Anne’s and St. Michael Catholic Secondary Schools who
lead and demonstrated at each work station.
Future Scientists Visit Dublin
Trustees from the Huron-Perth Catholic District School
Board were privileged to have science fair competitors
display their projects preceding the April 26th Board
Meeting. Below - trustees Bernard Murray and Amy
Cronin received a lesson on “dizziness”.
Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board
5
Voices on Catholic Education
“The building of Catholic education communities has always been a creative endeavour which calls forr tthe
h bes
best
st
that each one of us has to offer...together we must emphasize and in some cases discover the new responses and
the
nd tth
he
new soutions to the specific challenges which this moment offers us.” (This Moment of Promise, Ontario conference of
Bishops)
In this section, you will hear parent voices celebrate Catholic education in Huron Perth .. a true testament to the
committted staff whose example has the greatest impact on all of students.
Parent Testimonials
We feel that Catholic education is very important for our children. They are exposed to faith throughout the day and it
is important to have them grow
morally
with
faith
and
others
and
doing
meaningful life.
wm
o al
or
ally w
ally
ith fa
it
fait
ith
it
h an
a
d respect for othe
he
ers a
nd
d iin
n do
d
oin
ing so
in
s lliving
i ing a meaningfu
iv
Heart, Wingham
~ An
An Marie and Paul Fear
Anne
ar - Sacred Heart
ar
We chose Catholic
education
community.
feel it is
tholic educat
atio
at
io
on for our children because at the heart of Catholic education is com
mmu
munity. We fe
important forr Catholicc v
values
responsibility
the
home,
community.
alues to be the shared re
resp
esp
pon
o si
sibi
billi
bi
li y ooff th
lity
he h
ome, school and church com
mmunity.
mm
~ Ni
Nick
Elia
Forte
St.
Joseph’s,
N
Nic
ick and Eli
ia Fo
Fort
rtte - S
St
t. Jo
J
seph’s Stratford
We enrolled our ch
children
Joseph’s
Catholic
School
because
we
wanted
be
educated
Christ
hildren
n att St. Jo
ose
seph
h’s
’s C
attholi
a
atho
holiic Sc
ho
S
ch
hoooll b
ecau
ause
ew
ew
antted
d tthem
heem to b
h
e ed
educ
d cated in a Ch
hri
r st centered
environment.. A
An
environment
and
understanding
while
God’s
commandments
and
n enviro
onm
nmeent full
lll ooff llove,
ove
vee, ccaring
ari
ring a
nd
d un
nderstan
ndi
ding
ng w
hile
le sstill
till
lll ffollowing
olllow
wing
ng G
od’s command
od
dm
mee
the teachingss off the Churc
Church.
was
also
very
important
that
would
able
learn
about
God
rcch. IIt wa
as al
a
lso
ov
erry im
mpo
portant th
hat
at our
urr cchildren
hiild
h
ldrre
ren w
oul
uld
l bee ab
ble to
to lea
arn
n and talk ab
a
b
through out th
the
that
God
be
they
do,
be
he whole day, so th
ha
att G
ood
d could
ld b
ld
e a part of ev
eeverything
very
ything
hing
hi
g tthe
he
h
ey d
o, b
e iitt llearning,
earniing, sports, eating oorr playing.
Mary
Kay
Mike
Lobsinger,
Joseph’s,
~M
ary
yK
a and M
ay
ik
ike
k L
obsinger, St. Josep
ph’
h’s Stratford
I am thankful
that
Catholic
virtues
are
not
only
prominent
part
curriculum
but
ul th
hatt C
atholic virt
tues ar
re n
ot on
nly
yap
romi
mine
mi
nentt p
ne
art off tthe
he
e cu
urrriicu
u
ulum
lu
um bu
b
ut also my children
en a
en
are
supported in practicing
Steve
and
Marina
St.
Patrick’s,
practic
icin
ic
ing them in
in
ing
n their
th
heiir everyday
everyd
yd
y
yday
day
y lives.
~S
teve a
nd M
arrin
a
na Pinder - S
t. P
t.
a rick Kinkora
at
When it was time to sign
up
didnt
about
him
anywhere
else.
gn
nu
p my
y sson
on ffor
on
orr sschool,
ch
choo
hooool,
l, I d
idnt tthink
hink
hi
nk ttwice
wice
wice
wi
ce a
abo
boout
b
ut ssending
ending
diin
d
ng
gh
i a
im
ny
nywhere
ny
eel
lse
s . I love tthe
connection the
school
parish,
family
school
honesty,
he Catholic sc
chool
hoo has with the community, paris
ho
sh, a
and
nd ffam
amil
am
ily as one. The sc
il
chooll sstandards
tand
ta
n ards of h
respect, faith and teachings iiss reflec
ected
the
the
students
and
my
son
cte
t d fr
from
om tth
he tteachers on
he
n to th
he st
stud
uden
ud
ents
en
ts a
nd tto
o ha
have
v m
y sso
on benefit from that
atmosphere, I would not expect
anything
him.
my
daughter
expeect any
n thin
ng el
else
se ffor
or h
or
i . I ca
im
ccan’t
n’t
n’
’t wa
wait
it ffor
it
orr m
yd
a
aug
ught
ug
hter
ht
er tto
o sstart!
tarrt!
t!
Gayle
James, Seaforth
~ Gay
yle Timm - St. Jame
We are very satisfi
atisfied and proud
d to have our childr
children
drren b
bee a pa
p
part
rt ooff th
the st
stud
student
uden
ud
ent bo
en
body
dy a
dy
att OLMC. The values that we strive for
at home are paralleled
OLMC
continually
demonstrates
compassion,
community
virtues that
aralleled at school.
schooll. OLM
MC co
cont
ntin
nt
inu
in
ually
lly de
ll
d
monstrates com
mpa
passio
ion,
io
n, ccom
ommunity and a host of other v
om
we all wish forr our children. Wee are blessed with the opp
opportunity
have
environment.
pp
portu
orrtu
tuni
uni
nity
t tto h
ty
ave our children grow and learn in this env
~ Patty Relouw - Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Dashwood
My daughters have had the privilege of attending OLMC school over the past number of years, and we could not ask
for a better school, teaching and community experience for them! We love how the teachers nurture and grow the
“whole child” and inspire them to achieve their best in a spiritual and faith-based way. The moral fabric is interwoven
throughout the whole school, which has proven to be the basis and building blocks of our daughters’ growth in
confidence and self-esteem. We feel very blessed to have such a caring and personalized atmosphere for our children to
learn in. Thank you for enriching our lives with the efforts of everyone at OLMC.
~ Scott and Diane Stewart - Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Dashwood
We are looking for the most positive education we can give our children and the most positive experience in all aspects
of their lives - especially their Catholic faith. I want them to learn in an environment that nurtures strong values, a
kind heart, and an exceptional education. This school provides that.
~ Laurie Diemand - Jeanne Sauvé, Stratford
We chose a Catholic education for our children because we wanted more for them than just academics. Both my husband
and I attended Catholic schools and we believe it is important to have faith and God in our school. It reinforces the morals
and values that we try to teach our children through the church and at home. At school my children learn how to work well
with others in an environment of respect and equality, applying the lessons learned. A Catholic education provides a solid
foundation for our children’s future.
~ Cathy Vesnaver - St. Mary’s, Listowel
6
Upcoming Events
2011
201
11 BOARD
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Ron Marcy
Marcy
Ma
Marc
cy - Ch
Chairperso
Chairperson
s n
Stratford
Stratf
St
tfor
tf
ord
d
May 1-6
Catholic Education Week (CEW)
May 3
CEW System Mass & Mother Teresa
Awards, St. Patrick’s Church, Dublin
5:00 p.m. (All invited)
May 3
Huron Arts Festival - St. Anne’s CSS
May 4
Perth Arts Festival - St. Michael CSS
Perth
Pe
P
ertth South,
So
S
out
u h,
h St.
t Mar
M
Marys,
ary
ar
ys, West
ys,
ys
stt Per
P
Perth
er
rth
th
May 11
World Catholic Education Day
Martha Dutrizac
Director of Education
May 12
H-P Catholic Student Trustees’ Leadership
Awards, St. Anne’s CSS - 4:30 p.m. (Mass)
May 18
Stuff That Bus! (all schools)
May 24
Board Meeting - 8:00 p.m.
May 30 June 6
EQAO - Gr. 3 & 6 Assessment
June 2
Gr. 9 Assessment of Mathematics
Jim
Ji
im McDade - Vice-Chai
Vice-Chairperson
irp
rperrson
Ashfi
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Amyy Cronin
Am
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Huron
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on East,
E st,
Ea
stt Pe
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Perth
rtth East
East,
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Pe
Perth
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Mike Miller
South
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Sout
out
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Bluewater
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Bernardd Mu
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Thank you to all of our
volunteers throughout
Huron-Perth who have
helped build up our
Catholic system in
countless and tireless
ways.
Congratulations!
Third Annual Director’s Symposium
...to Doug Discepolo, teacher at St. Anne’s CSS
on the birth of his daughter Olivia.
The Third Annual Director’s Symposium was held at
Oakwood Inn in Grand Bend on April 14th & 15th, with
the theme “Celebrating the Sprit.” Principals and VicePrincipals attended the Symposium, along with senior
administrators, curriculum support staff, managers and
trustees. Guest Speakers were Scott Saunders, David
Pihach and Chris D’Souza. Mass was celebrated on the
Friday afternoon by Father Michael Bechard, Chaplain of
King’s University College.
...to Hayley Flanagan, teacher at Jeanne Sauvé on
the birth of her daughter Reese.
DIRECTOR’S NEWSLETTER
This newsletter is prepared by Elaine DeCorte at the
Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board. To keep the
system informed of the latest news within your school
and community, forward details about any activities and
achievements by both staff and students to Elaine for
inclusion in upcoming issues of the Director’s Newsletter.
The Director’s Newsletter is distributed monthly to
parents, staff and the wider community, and is posted on
the Board’s website at:
www.huronperthcatholic.ca
Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board
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