DCDSB Secondary Students Attend Ordinandi Lunch

On Tuesday, March 19, students from DCDSB attended the Ordinandi lunch, which is open to youth of the Archdiocese of Toronto to celebrate individuals going into the priesthood. Students heard from Deacon Ryan from St. Augustine Seminary and Sister Beata Victoria from Sisters of Life, who shared their vocation stories. 

Students from St. Mary Catholic Secondary School are pictured below, and shared they are grateful for the opportunity to see how perfectly God works in our lives and how He will always provide for us.

St. James Catholic School knows the meaning of community care! Vice-Principal, Ms. Glover, shared that their Lenten fundraising commitment to raise funds for ShareLife began with a raffle where students’ names were drawn for the opportunity to put a pie in the face of their chosen teacher or administrator at a school assembly!

Read the full story here.

On March 31, we recognized National Indigenous Languages Day. This day celebrates and honours the importance of Indigenous languages and Indigenous Communities in Canada. As part of our ongoing commitment to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, we are dedicated to continuous learning and to walking the path together with Indigenous community partners.

We have compiled resources to support Indigenous language learning on our website, which includes websites, apps, and programs to support learning. 

Visit the Indigenous Education webpage to learn more.

It's been a busy few weeks as students across DCDSB have continued to engage in Indigenous Education.

Please see the stories below to learn more:

• Learning on the Land at St. John Bosco Catholic School
• Indigenous Storyteller Visits St. Paul Catholic School

Summer School Facilities Rental Request

DCDSB is now welcoming applications for indoor gym and outdoor field rentals for the upcoming summer season.

Existing permit renewals will conclude on April 5, 2024, while new permit applications will be accepted from April 22 to May 3, 2024.



Click here to submit your rental request online.

Click here to view the flyer.

Reminder: Elementary and Secondary PA Day is on April 8, 2024

Monday, April 8, 2024, is a Professional Activity (PA) Day for all Durham Catholic District School Board elementary and secondary students. 

To support families, we have compiled educational activities and resources that you may wish to use at home to safely engage your children in learning about the eclipse on April 8. Please visit our website to learn more.

Please note that Friday, April 19 (which had previously been a scheduled PA Day) will be a regular school day for all DCDSB elementary and secondary schools.

Save the date! Families that have pre-registered for Kindergarten at DCDSB are invited to attend the Welcome to Kindergarten Resource Fair on Tuesday, April 23, 2024, at All Saints Catholic Secondary School (3001 Country Lane, Whitby).

Drop in any time between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. to learn more about the DCDSB Kindergarten program, meet community partners and engage in hands-on activities. Children are welcome! Register to attend the Kindergarten Resource Fair here.

If you have not registered your child for Kindergarten, please visit our website to register today.

St. Anne Catholic School Addition Opening and Blessing

On Tuesday, March 5, students, families, staff, Trustees, community members and government officials came together to celebrate the official opening and blessing of the addition at St. Anne Catholic School in Oshawa.

Visit our website to read more.

Durham Catholic Children’s Foundation is pleased to announce the 10th Annual Durham Catholic Children’s Foundation Gala, where 100% of the proceeds will go towards supporting DCDSB students and families. We invite you to join us on Thursday, May 16, 2024, for the Gala Honouring Bishop Vincent Nguyen and our Distinguished Catholic Alumni.

This signature event is a crucial part of our fundraising efforts. All monies raised will go to the Durham Catholic Children’s Foundation, which is committed to enhancing student well-being and academic success, by providing basic needs to some of the most vulnerable students in our Catholic school communities.

To purchase tickets, and to learn more about sponsorship opportunities, please visit DurhamCatholicFoundation.ca/Gala.

DCDSB Student Trustee Election

Current Grade 10 students are invited to apply to be a Student Trustee for the upcoming school year! Student Trustees are secondary students who are elected by their peers on the Student Senate to sit on the Board of Trustees as a non-voting member. Student representation on the Board provides opportunities for student interests to be heard and considered in Board decisions.

Click here for more information.

Life Promotion/Suicide Prevention - Prepare, Prevent and Respond Virtual Workshop

Parents, guardians and caregivers are invited to join us for Prepare, Prevent and Respond, a virtual workshop presented by DCDSB Student Services Staff. This workshop will explore some frequently asked questions that will help you prepare, prevent, and respond if your child or adolescent is experiencing thoughts of suicide.

The following session will take place over Zoom on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Click here to join the Zoom meeting.

Meeting ID: 950 1735 1876

Passcode: mentalheal

Monsignor Philip Coffey Catholic School

This School Spotlight segment features Monsignor Philip Coffey Catholic School. Thank you to the Philip Coffey staff for taking the time to gather and reflect on the past, present and future of the school.

Past: Monsignor Philip Coffey Catholic School is 65 years old! It began as an eight classroom school in September 1959 in response to the growing population in the south Oshawa area. The school was first named St. Philip Catholic School and was later renamed in 1977 by the Board of Trustees in grateful appreciation to Monsignor Philip Coffey who resided in Oshawa for more than 24 years. For 20 of those years, he was the representative of the Durham Region Roman Catholic Seperate School Board. He helped organize fundraising activities for the expansion of churches and schools in the Durham Region. 

Present: We offer our student body a wide variety of clubs and teams. We have a Calm Club for over lunch time, a Chess Club, Knot Club, Art Club, Eco Club, Book Club, Jigsaw Puzzle Club, Folk Dance Club and even a Ukulele Club! We also send teams to every tournament including a Cricket Team and this year our Jr. Boys Basketball Team finished first in their tournament. We are also excited to be making great use of our new state-of-the-art child care centre that opened in 2022.

Future: This spring we are excited to have our outdoor Kindergarten area renovated to include artificial turf, a rubberized play area, a triple hoop, an outdoor chalk board, lots of wooden seating, logs for climbing and other wood planters and even some painted pavement games.

It is the mission of the Durham Catholic District School Board (DCDSB) to be an inclusive Catholic learning community that inspires every student to achieve their full potential through faith and education.

In order to effectively support every student in reaching their full potential, resources and supports need to be aligned with student needs. To assist in making evidence-based and informed decisions about supports and resource allocation, we will be conducting a Student Demographic Survey from April 22-26, 2024. Collecting demographic data allows the board to better analyze the trends and patterns in student achievement and student success. 

We have outlined information about the Student Demographic Survey on our board and school websites and includes a preview of the survey questions and answers to frequently asked questions.

Please visit dcdsb.ca/StudentSurvey to learn more.

Summer STEM Camp for Black Students

Durham Catholic District School Board's Coach/ Advocate for Black Students (CABS) program is excited to offer three Summer STEM Camps, in partnership with three Ontario universities.

DCDSB elementary students currently enrolled in Grades 7 and 8, and secondary students currently enrolled in Grades 9 and 10 are invited to register. Space is limited, so please only register for one of the free camps being offered. Click here to register.

If you have any questions or require additional information, please contact cabs@dcdsb.ca. View the full poster here.

Join the Regional Arts and Media Program

Are you currently a Grade 9 or 10 student and interested in the Arts? If so, we invite you to join the Regional Arts and Media Program (AMP) at All Saints Catholic Secondary School!

Apply now for a Grade 10 or Grade 11 start in September 2024. The application deadline is Monday, April 22, 2024.

Visit amp.dcdsb.ca for information on application deadlines, audition information, and more.

Grade 7-9 Students Participate in Virtual Engagement Session

On Thursday, March 21, 2024, approximately 520 Grade 7-9 students across DCDSB participated in the first session of Created in the Image of God: I am because We are (Ubuntu). Ubuntu is a virtual engagement series led by Tanika Riley with guest, Matthew Jones, in collaboration with a board planning team. The first session was focused on self-awareness, and it took a closer look at personal beliefs, labels, and personal identities such as race, culture, stereotypes, talent, and skills, and how our beliefs can be helpful or harmful.

Summer School Registration – Archbishop Anthony Meagher Catholic Continuing Education Centre

April is Records and Information Management Month and Sikh Heritage Month.

• Apr. 9: Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC)
• Apr. 9: End of Ramadan (at sundown) - Muslim Festival of Eid-a-Fitr
• Apr. 11: Durham Catholic Parent Involvement Committee (DCPIC)
• Apr. 14-20: National Volunteer Week
• Apr. 15: Finance Committee Meeting
• Apr. 17: Feast of St. Kateri Tekakwitha (Patron of Canadian Indigenous Peoples)
• Apr. 17: Anti-Black Racism and Black Excellence Advisory Committee
• Apr. 19: Elementary and Secondary PA Day
• Apr. 19: Secondary Semester 2 Midterm Reports - Edsby Distribution
• Apr. 22-26: Earth Day/Week
• Apr. 22: Beginning of the Jewish Festival of Passover (at sunset - continues for 7 days)
• Apr. 24: Administrative Professionals Day
• Apr. 25: Feast of St. Mark the Evangelist
• Apr. 28: National Day of Mourning
• Apr. 29: Feast of St. Catherine of Siena
• Apr. 29: Audit Committee Meeting
• Apr. 29: End of the Jewish Festival of Passover