Highlights from the Regular Board Meeting of June 20, 2022
Recognition of Student Trustees
Trustee and Chair of the Board present gifts to the two student trustees
Superintendent of Education, Jim Wilson acknowledged and thanked the 2021-2022 Student Trustees, Declan Amaral and Sophie Nwaoha for all their tremendous work and faithful service this school year.

"It was an honour to be a resource for Declan and Sophie. Throughout the year, our student trustees were agents of positive change and excellent advocates for all students at the Durham Catholic District School Board," said Jim Wilson, Superintendent of Education.
Presentation - Oshawa Schools Program and Boundary Study
Two male adults presenting on the Oshawa Catholic School's data
Mr. Grieve, Superintendent of Business, Finance and Facilities Services introduced staff from Watson and Associates Economists Ltd who presented data for a proposed Oshawa Program and Boundary Review Study for the 2022-2023 school year. The study would help to address potential program and service delivery models at one or more Catholic schools in Oshawa which are being impacted by the increased growth in North Oshawa, and due to the Ministry of Education's announcement in July 2020 to replace Monsignor Paul Dwyer Catholic High School with a Grade 7 to 12 school.

The presentation included current and projected Oshawa attendance, accommodation and utilization data. Current numbers include:

  • At present, Oshawa has 10 regular track English elementary boundaries, two secondary boundaries, and three French Immersion boundaries.
  • Utilization rates in most of Oshawa continue to remain strong at over 100%, this is attributed to the growth in North Oshawa.
  • The current French Immersion Programs in Oshawa have 508 elementary students. This number is expected to grow to 550 by 2031. Two of the three dual track French Immersion schools in Oshawa are well over capacity. There is no secondary French Immersion offered within the City of Oshawa until the initiation of the French Immersion program, Monsignor Paul Dwyer Catholic High School.
  • The Ministry of Education has approved an eight-room addition for St. Anne Catholic School.

Watson and Associates provided three recommended options that will be taken to the Oshawa community for consultation as part of a Boundary Review during the 2022-2023 school year.
Presentation - Multi-Year Strategic Planning Process Update
Multi-Year Strategic Planning Process stages
Director Barill presented an update on the Multi-Year Strategic Planning Process and noted that the Senior Administrative Team continue to work on the Multi-Year Strategic Plan (MYSP). The board has completed the gathering information stage and is in the development stage at the present time.

The Senior Administrative Team has been reviewing the board's programs and services, reviewing various data sources and identifying critical work that needs to be done in the coming years.

Director Barill advised the Board of Trustees that input was received during a 2SLGBTQ+ Student Summit on May 31, 2022, and a consultation session with the board's Indigenous Education Circle on June 1, 2022. During the month of May, two Thought Exchanges were completed on the Board's Mission Statement and Strategic Priorities available via dcdsb.ca.

The Director highlighted the strategic priorities identified by staff, parents and guardians and students. The emerging areas of focus are:
  1. Faith Formation and Leadership
  2. Indigenous Education
  3. Equity - Culturally Relevant and Responsive Practice and Pedagogy; Special Education; 2SLGBTQ+, De-streaming; Science of Reading; Representation and Resources
  4. Experiential Learning - Community connected, on the land, authentic
  5. Professional Learning and Leadership Development
  6. Stewardship for Creation

Director Barill shared the potential framework for strategic priorities that the board is looking at is centered around the concepts of "Listening, Learning and Living in Faith".

Listening
  • Creating space and establish practices to listen (with the Ear of the Heart: the board's spiritual theme for the 2022-2023 school year) to all voices, and especially the most vulnerable to build understanding.
  • To listen to what our data tells us to identify areas of needs.
  • To list research and experts to inform our actions.

Learning
  • Student Learning
  • Culturally relevant and responsive
  • De-streamed classes
  • Science of Reading
  • STEM - Coding

  • Professional Learning
  • Timely and focused
  • Culturally Relevant and Research based
  • Building Capacity to support students with special education needs
  • Technical and adaptive

Living in Faith
  • Be Catholic learning communities that embody love and respect for the dignity and worth of each person
  • Be models of Truth and Reconciliation as we Walk the Path Together with the Indigenous community
  • Be stewards of creation
  • Enhance living AS learning - experiential, applicable, practical, on-the-land, in the community authentic.

A draft Strategic Plan document will be shared with the MYSP Committee on September 12, 2022 for final input and approval and brought forward to the Board of Trustees at the regular Board Meeting of September 26, 2022 for review and discussion.
DCDSB's Community of Faith
The Director shared a compilation video that highlighted the board's spiritual theme for the 2021-2022 school year, Community of Faith. Durham Catholic students, staff, community, and partners represented a Community of Faith in various ways. Director Barill thanked students and staff for embodying this theme through a variety of activities such as food and donation drives, helping younger students, or displaying kindness to their colleagues and friends. 
Student Senate's Year-End Report
DCDSB Student Senate logo
Trustees Declan Amaral and Sophie Nwaoha presented the Student Senate's 2021-2022 Year-End Report. The student trustees shared the Student Senate's Pillars of Advocacy - Equity and Inclusivity, Student Well-Being, Student Outreach, and Ecological Sustainability.

Some highlights of the presentation included:
  • Equity and Inclusivity - Meeting with Senior Admin Team, presentations supporting students equitably, advocating for equity and inclusivity in board policies and practices, ensured that Black History Month celebrations were taking place in every school, plus the distribution of free menstrual products for students, and the use of more gender neutral language in communication materials.
  • Student Well-Being - Promoted mental health resources and opportunities on the Senate Instagram, worked with staff to ensure mental health supports were in place during spikes of pandemic and pivots to online learning, and Senators met with school administrators to discuss COVID-19 safety and its affects on students' mental, physical, and social well-being.
  • Student Outreach - The Senate continue to release the "Senate Star" newsletter highlighting events from DCDSB's seven secondary schools. Student Trustees met with student councils to discuss issues facing students during the pandemic and they also continue to ensure that school groups such as GSA clubs, equity groups, and mental health groups were established in all of DCDSB's secondary schools.
  • Environmental Sustainability - The Student Senators released a social media Instagram post for Earth Day that included tips for students on being environmentally sustainable such as following the reduce, reuse, recycle motto, volunteering for cleanups in their local communities, conserving water, and cutting down on individual and household use of plastic.
  • Celebrated the Return to In-Person Events such as art installations at Archbishop Denis O'Connor Catholic High School for Black History and leaders in the school and community, food and donation drives at All Saints and Notre Dame Catholic Secondary Schools; celebrating food and culture at Msgr. Paul Dwyer Catholic High School, and helping to promote the Student Census at all of the board's secondary schools.

Provincially, the Student Trustees were also very active - Student Trustee, Sophie Nwaoha was the Co-Chair of the OCSTA-AGO Equity and Inclusivity Working Group. The working group provided resources for student trustees and leaders on advocating for marginalized groups, created a handbook to shine light on the intersectionality of mental well-being and equity in education, and released posts on the OSTA-AECO Instagram related to equity and inclusivity.

Student Trustee Declan Amaral served as the Catholic Board Council's Vice-President representing nearly 600,000 students at the provincial level, advocating for 2SLGBTQ+ inclusion, and provided professional development and learning opportunities for students and student trustees. Trustee Amaral was a member of the Executive Council advocating on behalf of 2.2 million students across the province as the official student stakeholder with the Ministry of Education. The Executive Council hosted conferences for student trustees across Ontario and worked with partners in education to create change for students.

The student trustees thanked Trustee Forster, Superintendent Wilson, Vice-Principal Travis, and Director Barill for their ongoing guidance and opportunity to serve DCDSB students in a leadership capacity.
Updates
Tracy Barill, Director of Education
Tracy Barill, Director of Education shared that as a Catholic learning community, our students and staff are recognizing the Scared Heart of Jesus by participating in a Novena which started on June 15 and ends with the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 24, 2022.

Annually during the month June, the board recognizes the celebration of diversity and inclusion in a special way – with events such as National AccessAbility Week, National Indigenous History Month, and Pride Month. On May 31, the board held its first, in-person 2SLGBTQ+ Student Summit that brought together students and staff facilitators from across the board's seven secondary schools, who have been advocating for safe spaces for all students and especially those who identify as 2SLGBTQ+. During the Summit, students had an opportunity to network with each other, share concerns and initiatives while providing input into the Board's Multi-year Strategic Plan. The Summit concluded with students and staff gathering at the front of the St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Education Centre and raising the rainbow flag together as a visible sign of DCDSB's commitment to creating safer and more welcoming places for 2SLGBTQ+ students, staff, families, and community members.
In June, the board is also commemorating National Indigenous History Month and on June 21, 2022, will honour the distinct culture and traditions of the 1.7 million Inuit, First Nations, and Metis people across Canada as part of National Indigenous Peoples Day. The Director added, "Throughout the school year, our self-identified Indigenous students have been participating in a Mural Project where they have been working with a local Indigenous artist to design a mural that will completed at the entrance to the St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Education Centre. This project should be completed in the fall and will represent the board's commitment to Indigenous Education."

Director Barill extended congratulations to the 2022 graduates who have worked extremely hard to complete their Ontario Secondary School Diploma; and to Grade 8 student who are transitioning from elementary to secondary school. DCDSB school communities will honour all its 2022 graduates with in-person graduation ceremonies next week. 
 
"To our adult learners completing Continuing Education courses, and our DCDSB retirees who are also moving to a new chapter of their life journeys, I wish you all the best in health, happiness, love, and a continued commitment to lifelong learning with Christ in your heart," said Tracy Barill, Director of Education.
 
Director Barill recognized and thanked Diane Mullane, Senior Manager of Mental Health and Mental Health Leader for her commitment to students and staff well-being. Mrs. Mullane is retiring after 32 years of service. Director Barill also thanked Nicola Dunning, Speech Language Pathologist at the board for her service to Catholic education and extended congratulations on her retirement.

As staff begin to part for the summer months, the Director reminded everyone that the annual Durham Catholic Children’s Foundation #ForetheKids Golf Classic will be held on August 23, 2022. Registration for this event is available on the foundation’s website at durhamcatholicfoundation.ca. The Director thanked everyone of their continued support of Foundation events.
Director Barill added that DCDSB's online school registration program remains open over the summer. "I encourage all families who have not yet registered their child for Kindergarten; or those who may be moving into our
jurisdiction from other areas, to register for September at dcdsb.ca," said Director Barill.

She invited students, families and staff to visit the board's Catholic Continuing Education Centres in Ajax and Oshawa or online at con-ed.ca for summer camp opportunities for elementary students, or courses for secondary students and adult learner who wants to upgrade their skills.
 
In closing, Director Barill shared that students were invited to the Robert McLaughlin Gallery to discuss the board's new spiritual theme for the 2022-2023 school year, ‘Listening with the Ear of the Heart’. Students worked with Tim Dolighan, Academic Religion Consultant and nationally known cartoonist, along with staff to discuss this spiritual theme and sketch ideas that will be incorporated into a visual image for the theme.

The Director wished staff and members of the Durham Catholic
learning communities a safe and peaceful summer. "May we keep our most vulnerable children in our hearts as we pray that they too may enjoy their time away from the day-to-day classroom routines," noted Director Barill. 
Male adult smiling
Morgan Ste. Marie, Chair of the Board acknowledged that June 21 is National Indigenous Peoples Day thank the board's Indigenous Education Team, and Indigenous Education Circle, Student Indigenous Advisory Circle, and the Indigenous partners in the community for sharing their knowledge, heritage, diverse cultures and the outstanding achievements of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples! "We are lucky to have partners who have a passion to create rich learning opportunities that lead to better understanding of current and past issues impacting Indigenous communities," said Chair Ste. Marie.

On June 2 and 3, 2022, the Chair of the Board attended the Canadian Catholic School Trustees’ Association’s virtual conference with a few of his fellow Trustees and Director Barill. The conference featured keynote speakers Spencer West and His Eminence Cardinal Lacroix, who spoke about Pope Francis’s Synodality which focuses on the communion, participation, and mission of the Church.

Chair Ste. Marie provided an update on the board's plan to re-introduce Durham Region Transit (DRT) buses into its transportation options. Chair Ste. Marie shared a quote from the Durham Region Transit's General Manager to Durham Region Transit Executive, "Further to direction from the Transit Executive Committee in December 2021, DRT has continued to work with the Durham District School Board, Durham Catholic District School Board, and Durham Student Transportation Services to review residual capacity on the transit network near secondary schools. The parties have also agreed to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that establishes shared principles to guide on-going collaboration. The Chair added, "This is good news! We are happy to see the Regional government and transit authority are moving forward with us in an effort to provide Durham Transit bus passes to high school students who live within the existing network of bus routes, which is mostly south of Taunton Road. There won't be any changes for this September, but we will see some pilot projects in the coming school year between our transportation consortium DSTS and Durham Region Transit."

Chair Ste. Marie extended thanks to the Board of Trustees for all their work this year and for putting their faith in him as Chair. "This past year began with challenges due to the pandemic. Fortunately, most of those challenges have left us, though some still linger. We welcome the return to in-person graduations, proms, sporting events, school clubs, field trips, and retirement celebrations. We have also seen a return of food drives, donation drives, and many face-to-face acts of kindness throughout our Catholic system," added Morgan Ste. Marie, Chair of the Board. "I appreciate all the support offered endlessly from each one of you here at the Durham Catholic District School Board."

This year, the board's shovels and ribbon cutting scissors came back to life by celebrating special events and important announcements. Earlier this year, the board received Ministry approval to build a new Catholic Elementary School on the Seaton lands in Pickering, and a new addition for St. Anne Catholic School in Oshawa. On May 5, the board celebrated the official opening and blessing of St. Anne Catholic School and on May 18, the board gathered for the official blessing of St. Marguerite d’Youville Catholic School, in Whitby. Both events were great opportunities to open the doors to these communities and see students, families, parishes and community partners gather to celebrate these events together. 

"I personally want to acknowledge the important role of our Student Trustees Declan Amaral and Sophie Nwaoha; our student senators, and student council members for the youthful energy and enthusiasm that you bring to our meetings while speaking on behalf of the student voice – always with careful thought and articulation. I am always impressed by our students’ commitment to sharing their voice and actions. This year, students have shared ideas during focus groups on the Multi-Year Strategic Plan; they helped staff promote the Student Census; demonstrated their Catholic values by organizing countless charitable drives; gathering food and hygiene products and raising money for ShareLife, Terry Fox and to support the people of Ukraine - just to name a few. Chair Ste. Marie extended best wishes to the student trustees on their leadership journeys. "Declan, I'm sure we will soon hear about your involvement in students groups at University. Best of luck. Sophie, we look forward to working with you again soon as the Senior Student Trustee," added Chair Ste. Marie. 

A special congratulations to the graduating Class of 2022! "We are thrilled to celebrate graduation ceremonies in-person again this year and recognizing graduates for meeting and exceeding the Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations," added Morgan Ste. Marie, Chair of the Board. "This is something that is extraordinarily special within the Catholic school system and every graduate achieves this milestone in his or her very own special way. To parents and guardians - we thank you for choosing Catholic education for your child. We recognize you have a choice in where to send your kids to school and we are grateful you chose the Durham Catholic District School Board."
 
Chair Ste. Marie thanked Director Barill and the Senior Administrative Team for their dedication to the students and families this past year. "Thank you all for your commitment to excellence and your countless hours working, thinking and supporting students for always serving our students, staff and families in faith," noted Chair Ste. Marie.
In closing, the Chair also extended thanks to Liz Beckstead, Executive Officer to the Board of Trustees for supporting the trustees throughout the school year. "I pray that you all have a restful and enjoyable summer, and look forward to seeing you again in September," said Chair Ste. Marie.
Motions
  • That the Durham Catholic District School Board approve in principle the proposed program and boundary recommendations to bring to the Oshawa families of schools for community consultation during the 2022-2023 school year.
  • That the Durham Catholic District School Board approve the 2022-2023 Budget and Strategic Priorities Report.
  • That the Durham Catholic District School Board approve in principle the draft DCDSB Sustainability Action Plan.
  • That the Durham Catholic District School Board agree to serve as co-host for the OCSTA's 2023 Annual General Meeting and Conference, to be held April 27-29, 2023 at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel in Toronto.
  • That the Durham Catholic District School Board approve the attendance of two staff members to represent Durham Catholic District School Board at the Canadian Association of Communicators in Education (CACE) Annual Conference 2022, scheduled from October 22-24, 2022, in Victoria, British Columbia.
Announcements
John Rinella, Vice-Chair of the Board, made the following announcements:

Retirements

  • Lynn Hollingworth, All Saints Catholic Secondary School, effective May 31, 2022;
  • Annamaria De Filippis-More, St. Wilfrid Catholic School, effective June 30, 2022;
  • Cody Stephen, St. Joseph Catholic School, effective June 30, 2022;
  • Diane Baginski, Farther Leo J. Austin Catholic Secondary School, effective June 30, 2022;
  • Jill Cyr, St. John XXIII Catholic School, effective June 30, 2022;
  • Juliana Pereira, St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic School, effective June 30, 2022;
  • Lorraine Mueller, Monsignor Paul Dwyer Catholic High School, effective June 30, 2022;
  • Mary Carmel Nuberg-Forgione, St. Wilfrid Catholic School, effective June 30, 2022;
  • Nancy Archer, St. Bernadette Catholic School, effective June 30, 2022;
  • Paul Perron, Secondary Panel, effective June 30, 2022;
  • Ruth Lynk-MacNeil, St. Mathew the Evangelist Catholic School, effective June 30, 2022;
  • Sandra Kearns, Catholic Education Centre-Student Services, effective June 30, 2022;
  • Thelma Dennis, Monsignor Philip Coffey Catholic School, effective June 30, 2022.
  • Diane Mullane, Catholic Education Centre-Student Services, effective August 31, 2022;
  • Mariah O’Reilly, Superintendent of Education, effective August 31, 2022; and
  • Lorraine Clarke, OMAC Maintenance and Custodial Services, effective September 30, 2022;


Resignations
  • Jessica Abrams, CEC-Student Services, effective September 2, 2022;
  • Kathleen McAdam, St. Mary Catholic Secondary School, effective May 20, 2022; and
  • Lisa Zatylny, St. Patrick Catholic School, effective June 1, 2022.
2021-2022 Board of Trustees:
  • Morgan Ste. Marie (Chair) - Oshawa
  • John Rinella (Vice-Chair) - Whitby
  • Richard Damianopoulos - Scugog, Uxbridge and Brock
  • Robert De Souza - Oshawa
  • Monique Forster - Ajax
  • Jim McCafferty - Pickering
  • Janice Oldman - Ajax
  • Mikhail Yurkoski - Whitby
  • Declan Amaral - Student Trustee
  • Sophie Nwaoha - Student Trustee
Minutes of the Regular Board Meeting of June 20, 2022 will be posted on the board website as part of the agenda for the Regular Board Meeting of Monday, September 26, 2022.