Curriculum Consultations
On Friday, October 19, 2018 at 12 p.m. the first of several telephone hall meetings will be held by the Ministry of Education on the curriculum revisions for boards and stakeholders living in Northwestern Ontario. Advance registration is required and details were sent earlier in the week to boards.
In addition to the October 19th consultation, the Ministry of Education has informed OCSTA that telephone town hall meetings will take place on the following dates (further dates may be arranged in the future):
- October 25: 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
- October 27: 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- November 1: 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Details are in this OCSTA memo.
OCSTA Provincial Update
- On October 12, Ontario Regulation 438/18 was released outlining revisions to education development charges (“EDC”) and the process through which school boards may pass education development charge by-laws. In essence the new regulation implements a temporary cap on EDC rate increases at their current level (as of August, 2018) and limits the ability of boards to change the areas in their by-laws that are subject to EDCs. Additional changes are outlined in the recent OCSTA memo.
- As of October 17, non-medical use of cannabis is legal for adults 19 years and older to use, buy, possess, cultivate and distribute recreational cannabis in Ontario. The Cannabis Act, 2017 amends the Education Act to reflect suspension, expulsion, and code of conduct changes so that cannabis remains prohibited at school, on school property and at school-related activities.The Ministry of Education has taken a number of steps to help schools and school boards prepare for the legalization of recreational cannabis including revising ministry policies for schools and school boards to reflect the changes to the Education Act. These policies and supporting fact sheets have been updated and are available at www.ontario.ca/safeschools.On September 27, the government introduced Bill 36 the Cannabis Statute Law Amendment Act 2018 which amends various Acts introduced by the previous government on the use of cannabis and enacts one new Act i nrelation to the use and sale in Ontario of cannabis and of vapour products. Please see the OCSTA memo on this issue.
OCSTA Student Short-Video Contest
Last week OCSTA issued to boards the ‘call for submission’ for the 2018 short-video contest for students in grades 4 through 12 at Ontario’s publicly funded Catholic schools. The theme for the 2018 short-video contest is:
“Community Builders”
This year’s theme invites students to demonstrate in a 2-minute video how their participation in a school or parish based charitable/social justice initiative serves to strengthen their community.
Partners in the Community Builder Program
OCSTA is pleased to announce that the Ontario chapters of the Catholic Women’s League (CWL) and the Knights of Columbus (KoC) are collaborating with the Association in support of this year’s “Community Builders” short-video contest for students.
Many CWL and KoC chapters have or will be launching charitable initiatives this fall and invite students to explore these local Christian service activities as possible subjects for students’ “Community Builders” short-video submissions.
Given that CWL and KoC chapters are not located in every parish, students are encouraged to contact their parish to explore alternative parish based charitable or social justice activities or similar Christian service activities at their local schools.
Submission Guidelines and Forms
The contest is open to all students in grades 4 – 12 at Ontario’s publicly funded Catholic schools. Participants are asked to submit a 2-minute video that demonstrates how through Christian service in local social justice and charitable initiatives they are helping to strengthen their local communities.
The submission deadline is December 10, 2018.
Submission forms can be downloaded here.
Prizes
First place: $300 Best Buy Gift Certificate
Second place: $150 Best Buy Gift Certificate
Third place: $100 Indigo Gift Certificate.
1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prizes will be awarded at both the Elementary and Secondary panels. The winners will be announced in January.
Upcoming Events
OCSTA Catholic Trustees Seminar
When: January 18 – 19, 2019
Location: Delta Hotels by Marriott Toronto Airport
For program and registration details please click here.
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