Inside this Issue:
[toc]
President’s Message
For a child has been born for us;
a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders;
and he is named
Wonderful counsellor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah)
As we celebrate the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ we give thanks to God for the gift of a publicly funded school system in which each day young people boldly proclaim that indeed, “a child (a saviour) has been born for us.”
The academic and co-curricular excellence, faith formation and Christian service we see evident in our schools flow from this distinctively Catholic identity. We give thanks for the blessing of teachers, system and school leaders, administrative and support staff whose tremendous Christian Witness inspires hope in the students they serve. We recognize parents, parishes and Catholic ratepayers whose support is so crucial to the realization of our mission.
On behalf of the OCSTA Board of Directors and our dedicated staff, I thank all Catholic Trustees for your selfless service and wish you and your families a happy and holy Christmas.
Patrick Daly,
OCSTA President
Upcoming Event
2017 Catholic Trustees’ Seminar – January 13-14
- Location: Hilton Mississauga Meadowvale Hotel, 6750 Mississauga Rd., Mississauga
- Keynote Presenter: Professor Randy Boyagoda, NY Times Bestselling Author and Principal, University of St. Michael’s College, University of Toronto
- Trustee Regional Meetings for West, Central, North East, North West and East Regions
- Ministry of Education Workshop: School Board Multi-Year Planning for Trustees
- How to Stay on Message Workshop: led by Dave Sieger, Enterprise
- Aboriginal Education Presentation by Robert Horton of the Seven Generations Education Institute
- Registration Form
- Full Program
Legislative and Policy Update
For the reference and use of trustees, following are links to the most recent legislative updates, briefs and government submissions prepared by OCSTA:
December 2016
Bill 45 Election Statute Law Amendment Act
OCSTA/OCSOA Joint Submission re: Ontario’s Well-Being Strategy for Education
OCSTA Online Community Forum for Trustees
All trustees are encouraged to join the OCSTA Online Community Forum for Trustees. This forum has been established in response to trustees’ requests for secure online space for trustees to share ideas and questions on issues related to Catholic education, Catholic school board governance, and Ministry of Education initiatives, policies and legislation. If you need assistance to log onto this forum, please do not hesitate to contact Ashlee Cabral at acabral@ocsta.on.ca – 416-932-9460, ext. 232.
New Categories: New discussion categories have been added to provide trustees with timely and direct access to OCSTA memos, briefs, submissions and information on upcoming events.
View the Finalists: 2016 Student Short-video Contest
OCSTA received a record total of 170 submissions for this year’s annual OCSTA short video competition for Catholic schools! The theme “The Story Behind the Name of My Catholic School” generated a huge response this year and that response has resulted in the creation of exceptional content, by students, about faith-based leadership in our schools and our world.
Of the 170 submissions received and reviewed, 20 have been picked as the top finalists in the province for this video competition.
Every one of these submissions is a joy to watch. We hope you will take some time over the holidays to view these videos from your computer or smart phone. The top 20 videos have been divided into two YouTube playlists – one is an “Elementary Panel” playlist and the other is a “Secondary Panel” playlist. Each video is approximately 2-minutes in length.
The top three winners at both the Elementary and Secondary levels will be announced at the Catholic Trustees Seminar on January 13th, 2017.
Links to both playlists are below.
For more information, please contact Sharon McMillan, Director of Communications at (416) 932-9460 / smcmillan [at] ocsta.on.ca.
Together in Faith Campaign
On November 30, OCSTA launched the “Together in Faith Campaign” to highlight the positive impact of Catholic education in local communities and across this province. As a valued and significant segment of Ontario’s publicly funded education system, Catholic education in Ontario strives on the engagement of parents, students, trustees, staff, clergy, alumni, parishioners, community partners and all Catholic ratepayers.
This campaign is designed to support and bolster engagement by providing a place on the web for Catholic school communities and supporters to learn more about the people, initiatives and faith-based activities that make Catholic schools distinctive, and the work they do educating students so important for our world.
We hope you will join this campaign by adding your name to the list at www.togetherinfaith.ca.
Honouring the Sisters of Loretto
The Wellington Catholic District School Board recently created a video for the board’s System Spiritual Development Day to honour the Sisters of Loretto for their dedication and contribution to Catholic education in the region and the province. We are pleased to share that video with you here.
0 Comments