Remembrance Day and Indigenous Veterans Day | |
Honouring our Veterans: A DCDSB Community Tribute | |
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In honour of Indigenous Veterans Day and Remembrance Day, we invite members of our Durham Catholic learning community to share the name(s) of those in current or past service that you will be thinking of this November. The names will be displayed on the board’s website and on the digital sign located in front of the DCDSB Catholic Education Centre (650 Rossland Rd. E, Oshawa, ON), from November 8-12, 2024.
If you would like to participate, please complete the form by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, November 6, 2024. Click here to complete the form.
Please visit our website to learn more.
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Friars Student Writing Contest | |
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The Archdiocese of Toronto invites secondary students between the ages of 13 and 19 to participate in the annual Friars Student Writing Contest!
Interested students are asked to write a 450-500 word essay addressing the theme of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity from the Gospel of John 11:26, “Do you believe this?”
Students must submit their entries at CatholicRegister.org/WritingAward no later than Monday, January 13, 2025, at 2:00 p.m.
View the poster to learn more.
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ShareLife School Poster Contest | |
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The 17th Annual ShareLife Poster Contest is open to all Catholic elementary students. Create a poster that shows how you live the Gospel in your community!
The winning entry will be the 2024-2025 elementary school poster and be distributed to schools and parishes of the Archdiocese of Toronto.
Please visit ShareLife.org/Contest for more details. The contest is open until until Monday, December 2, 2024.
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Indigenous Education in Action | |
Treaties Recognition Week | |
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From November 3 to 9, we honour Treaties Recognition Week. This week highlights the importance of treaty rights and relationships for students and residents of Ontario.
By learning more about our collective treaty rights and obligations, we can create greater understanding and nurture relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.
Learn more about Treaties Recognition Week in Ontario.
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All Saints Catholic Secondary School Students Explore the Land | |
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On Wednesday, October 23, Ms. McClosky's World Religions class at All Saints Catholic Secondary School participated in on the land learning with the DCDSB Indigenous Education Team. The learning was focused on the Land Acknowledgement and our responsibilities to the relationship we have with the land. The class discussed personal positionality as well as Indigenous perspectives on how the land is our relative and the importance of maintaining and taking care of this relationship. The students have committed to extending their learning by getting to know a chosen plant or tree species that they encountered during the land walk, and then introducing their new relationship to the rest of the class for further sharing.
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2024-2025 Student Achievement Plan | |
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Durham Catholic District School Board (DCDSB) is pleased to present the 2024-2025 Student
Achievement Plan. In accordance with the Better Schools and Student Outcomes Act (2023) the DCDSB Student Achievement Plan was developed to include the following mandatory provincial priorities and goals:
- Priority 1 – Achievement of Learning Outcomes in Core Academic Skills
- Goal #1 (a) - Improve students’ literacy learning and achievement
- Goal #1 (b) - Improve students’ math learning and achievement
- Priority 2 – Preparation of Students for Future Success
- Goal #2 (a) - Improve graduation rates and preparedness for future success
- Priority 3 – Student Engagement and Well-Being
- Goal #3 (a) - Improve students’ participation in class time and learning
- Goal #3 (b) - Improve student well-being
Please click here to view the 2024-2025 Student Achievement Plan.
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French Immersion Registration is Open November 27! | |
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Registration for Grade 1 French Immersion opens on November 27, 2024. All interested Year 2 Kindergarten/Senior Kindergarten students are invited to register, to begin in the 2025-2026 school year.
Families are invited to a virtual French Immersion Information Night on Tuesday, November 26 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Read the flyer to learn more.
Registration for Grade 1 French Immersion will be open from November 27, 2024 - January 17, 2025.
Click here to learn more about the DCDSB French Immersion program.
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Regional Arts & Media Program Registration Deadline | |
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Students and families are reminded that applications to the Regional Arts & Media Program close on Monday, November 28, 2024. Current Grade 6 and Grade 8 students are invited to apply now!
Click here for more information and to apply.
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Submit Nominations for December Beacons of Hope | |
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Families, students and staff are invited to nominate a DCDSB student or employee that exemplifies and embodies the theme for Beacons of Hope in December. The theme is: Patience.
The selected nominees will be recognized during the December Board Meeting for a special award presentation. The deadline to submit your nominations for December is Friday, November 22, at 4:00 p.m.
Visit our website to make your nominations and to see previous award receipients: dcdsb.ca/BeaconsOfHope.
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Parent, Guardian, and Caregiver Resources | |
Structured Literacy: A Guide for Parents | |
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Parents, guardians and caregivers are invited to read a resource created by the board titled Structured Literacy: A Guide for Parents. The handout aims to provide simple and effective activities that families can do at home to help support your child's literacy development. These activities are designed to help your child develop crucial skills such as phonemic awareness, letter-sound correspondence, and decoding, all of which are essential for becoming a confident reader.
Click here to download the handout.
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Math Resources for Families | |
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Research shows that fostering a positive growth mindset toward learning mathematics can significantly enhance student achievement. The DCDSB Math Page offers numerous resources, including links to videos, games, and activities, to help families encourage positive attitudes toward math learning at home.
Fluency by Heart by Amplify is an excellent resource for families seeking tools to support math fact fluency. It provides students with engaging games to practice addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division in a fun and interactive way.
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Mental Health and Well-Being | |
Recognizing When Your Child is Struggling with their Mental Health | |
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Family awareness and early identification are often the first steps to effective treatment for children and youth with mental health difficulties. It’s easy to recognize when a child has a fever, but a child’s mental health is different. It can be difficult to distinguish between ‘typical’ problems that children and adolescents experience from time to time, and behaviour that may be indicative of a mental health disorder. It can be difficult to know how to help children who are struggling and who to reach out to for support. The good news is there are many supports to help parents understand and help their children.
Take a look at the Family Care Centre website that offers information on how to understand, talk to and support your child with their mental health.
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It's been a busy few weeks as students and staff across DCDSB have continued to engage in a variety of activities and learning!
Please see the stories below to learn more:
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Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School Participates in Special Olympics | |
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On October 23, Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School participated in the Special Olympics Soccer Tournament hosted by the Special Olympics Committee of Durham!
The Notre Dame Cougars won two of the three games and, more importantly, had a great time! Special thanks to to the coaches and volunteers, and congratulations to the ND Cougars on their big win.
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Students and educators came together to support community members in need through a series of successful fundraising events for ShareLife. Let’s celebrate the outstanding efforts of the top three schools in our Catholic learning community: St. Paul Catholic School, Monsignor Paul Dwyer Catholic High School, and St. James Catholic School.
Congratulations to all DCDSB schools who participated - thank you for making a difference in our community. To check out the top school fundraisers, visit the ShareLife website.
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Archbishop Anthony Meagher Catholic Continuing Education Centre Graduation | |
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Archbishop Anthony Meagher Catholic Continuing Education Centre celebrated its 2023-2024 school year graduation on the afternoon of October 10, 2024 at Hebron Christian Reformed Church. School staff, special guests, families and friends gathered for a ceremony and reception to celebrate this exciting milestone with the graduates.
The Valedictorian, Samia Hossain, delivered an inspiring speech outlining her journey from being a newcomer to Canada to achieving her Ontario Secondary School Diploma as a student of Archbishop Anthony Meagher, and is now enrolled in college. In her speech, she acknowledged the support she received while attending school: “blending with a new culture was a big challenge for me, though Archbishop Anthony Meagher Catholic Continuing Education Centre gave me the flexibility to adjust with them so beautifully. Their teaching methods and flexibility to learn online gave me much freedom to explore more or work on my own time.” A reception was held after the ceremony in the church hall, the air full of excitement and jubilation.
In the 2023-2024 school year, 307 adult students graduated with their Ontario Secondary School Diploma. In addition, 100 students received their Personal Support Worker certificate. Other successes from last school year include 13 students who earned their Custodial Services Training Program certificate and 56 students who earned their Child Care Assistant Training Program certificate.
Adults who are 18 years of age or older and out of school can register at our Adult and Continuing Education Centre to earn a high school diploma, upgrade courses or skills for post-secondary, learn English, or prepare for employment. Continuous enrolment options are available. Check out our Program Guide or visit us at www.con-ed.ca.
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November is Albanian and Hindu Heritage Month.
- Nov. 1 - Solemnity of All Saints
- Nov. 2 - Solemnity of All Souls
- Nov. 3-9 - Treaties Recognition Week
- Nov. 5 - Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) Meeting
- Nov. 6 - Take Your Kid to Work Day
- Nov. 7 - International Inuit Day
- Nov. 7 - Durham Catholic Parent Involvement Committee (DCPIC) Meeting
- Nov. 7 - Equity Invitational Learning Series
- Nov. 8 - National Indigenous Veterans Day
- Nov. 8 - Secondary Midterm Reports
- Nov. 10-16 - Rock Your Mocs Week
- Nov. 11 - Remembrance Day
- Nov. 11 - Elementary Progress Reports
- Nov. 15 - Elementary and Secondary P.A. Day
- Nov. 16 - Louis Riel Day (DCDSB to celebrate on Nov. 14)
- Nov. 17-23 - Bullying Prevention and Intervention Week
- Nov. 17 - World Day of the Poor
- Nov. 20 - National Child Day
- Nov. 20 - Transgender Day of Remembrance
- Nov. 20 - Anti-Black Racism and Black Excellence Advisory Committee Meeting
- Nov. 21 - DCPIC Financial Literacy Parent Night Event
- Nov. 24 - Solemnity of Christ the King
- Nov. 24 - World Youth Day
- Nov. 24 - Holodomor Memorial Day
- Nov. 25 - Annual Board Meeting
- Nov. 26 - Grade 1 French Immersion Information Night
- Nov. 27 - French Immersion Registration Opens
- Nov. 27 - Educational Assistant (EA) Appreciation Day
- Nov. 28 - AMP Applications Close
- Nov. 28 - DCDSB Let's Talk Day
Click here and subscribe to our calendar to receive reminders about holidays, P.A. days, events, and recognition days.
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Durham Catholic District School Board
650 Rossland Road West
Oshawa, ON L1J 7C4
(905) 576-6150
www.dcdsb.ca
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