Parents and CDSB representatives attend OAPCEs 76th AGM in Renfrew, May 30, 2015.

OCSTA’s president, Kathy Burtnik, recently received the following letter of greetings from the president of the Ontario Association of Parents in Catholic Education (OAPCE) that  we are pleased to share with OCSTA members:

Dear Kathy,

On behalf of the Board of Directors for the Ontario Association of Parents in Catholic Education (OAPCE), it is with joy that I extend our best wishes to you and all the trustees across Ontario, for a wonderful and safe school year!

OAPCE has tremendous gratitude for those School Boards and Directors of Education that are committed to ensuring the voice of parents is loud and strong, not just in their local area but across the province, and that the advice provided is duly considered as part of any decision making process. There are, however, still some School Boards that do not have representation on the OAPCE Board.

I hope we will be able to count on your support for promoting membership to CDSBs and having a Board of Director representative, so that the OAPCE can continue its work in promoting and protecting our publicly funded English Catholic Education system in Ontario.

…OAPCE is pleased to also partner with Free the Children, and as such we are introducing a wonderful program called the We Act to all the Directors of Education across the province.

We Act is a five-step program that helps the educator guide their students in discovering their passion for local and global issues.  Through the program, students explore the root causes of pressing issues like hunger, poverty and lack of education.  They also plan at least one local and one global action to improve their community and the world.

The We Act program is designed to increase students’ academic engagement, active citizenship, and university and workplace readiness through diverse learning tools and resources.  Within each step of the We Act program, students achieve learning goals through engagement with We Act resources, which develop core skills.  More information can be found at www.weday.com/we-act-program/#1.

In closing, please allow me to again thank you for your support of parents in your school communities and of OAPCE as their provincially recognized voice.  While we are a volunteer based organization producing the majority of the work we accomplish, your partnership is critical to ensuring our volunteers meet the needs of our parent membership across the province.

Yours in Catholic Education

Brian Evoy,
OAPCE President