Board Highlights June 8th
Opening Prayer
Trustees always begin the meeting with opening prayers and reflections – here is an excerpt:
O Holy Spirit,
Let your fire rest on each one of us
Allow us to give us new life from within.
Lead us to the springs of life-giving water
So that we may cleanse our souls
And begin new life in you…
Presentations
Tom Leon Bursary
Mrs. Constance Leon attended the board meeting to recognize the two students who are this year’s recipients of the Ton Leon Bursary. For the past five years, the Leon family has been awarding this $5,000 bursary to one male and one female graduating student pursuing post secondary studies.
Mrs. Leon spoke about the requirements needed to be eligible for this award. Students must have made contributions to the school or community that reflect Catholic values, worked as a volunteer, contributed to extra curricular activities or sports, maintained academic excellence, all while overcoming personal challenges or obstacles. She congratulated Corina Savio of St. Joan of Arc Catholic High School and Johnathon Healy (JJ) of Patrick Fogarty Catholic Secondary School, this year’s recipients. Mrs. Leon said, “It is all too clear that today’s youth is the future of our nation. I know Canada is a better place tomorrow because of the two honourees this evening.”
Gold Medal Band
Superintendent of Secondary Schools Mary Puopolo acknowledged the gold award received by the Patrick Fogarty Catholic Secondary School band at MusicFest Canada. She explained that MusicFest is an annual national event that brings together over 10,000 of Canada’s finest young musicians who perform for recognition as the country’s foremost musical ensembles. Not only was the band a huge winner, but teacher Greg Goodwin was recognized at MusicFest Canada with the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award for unsurpassed commitment to teaching music. Both he and Mary Francis Goodwin were recognized for their passionate dedication to the students at Patrick Fogarty.
Turning Point Winners
Superintendent of Secondary Schools Mary Puopolo spoke about the Learning Partnerships relationship with our schools. It offers many programs for our students including Turning Points. This is a character development and literacy program that provides opportunities for students in Grades 6 to 12 to read, write and think about values. They host an annual essay contest and this year there were over 11,500 entries. Students at Holy Trinity Catholic High School have been participating in this contest since 2002 and Mary indicated that there have been 46 winners over the past 10 years. She welcomed and introduced teacher Vincent O’Brien, Chair of the school’s English department. Vincent spoke about the school’s involvement and what this essay does for the students’ learning. He also congratulated student Scott Turner who was the first place winner in the Grade 10 essay contest this year.
Reports
North Barrie Elementary Pupil Accommodation
Due to declining enrolment in north Barrie and surplus capacity in a number of schools in this area, trustees approved the formation of a Pupil Accommodation Committee for this area including the following elementary schools: St. Monica’s Catholic School, Monsignor Clair Catholic School, Sister Catherine Donnelly Catholic School, St. Marguerite d’Youville Catholic School, St. Mary’s Catholic School and The Good Shepherd Catholic School.
Architect Selection – Three Capital Projects
Trustees approved the architects for the following three projects: Our Lady of Grace Catholic School – Snyder and Associates Inc.; St. Catherine of Siena Catholic School – MCL Architects; and St. Theresa’s Catholic High School, phase 2 – John Jeffery Architect.
Extended Day Update
Trustees were advised that there was not significant interest from parents in the Early Learning before and after school programs. However, for the St. Antoine Daniel Catholic School community, there is enough interest to consider a third party provider. The report indicated this would be pursued for this area.
Catholic Education Centre Facilities Ad Hoc Committee – Update
The report provided an update on ongoing work on this initiative. There will be further follow-up with the Ministry of Education regarding the disposition of surplus board properties.
Budget
Trustees reviewed a detailed preliminary report on the 2011-2012 budget. A detailed document was provided and Associate Director of Education (Business and Finance) Peter Derochie, Controller of Finance Pia Elston and Senior Financial Analyst Suzanne Olimer walked trustees through the details, answering questions and providing background information. In addition to the detailed report, they also presented trustees with balancing initiatives, which they will review prior to final approval of the board budget at the June 21, 2011 board meeting.