DCDSB News: December 2021

Posted On Friday December 03, 2021

DCDSB News: December 2021 
A monthly newsletter to keep parents and guardians informed of DCDSB news, events, and highlights.

Message from the Chair of the Board and Director of Education

As we enter the season of Advent, we allow time for silence, prayer and anticipation of the birth of our Saviour. 

During these unprecedented times, we realize how special it is to participate in Advent activities in our schools and parishes. As a community of faith, our schools and classrooms will continue to offer opportunities to celebrate and reflect as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of Jesus. Students and staff will be encouraged to participate in activities such as charitable acts, virtual reflections, and classroom prayers as they prepare their heart for the birth of our Saviour. 

To our friends and partners who celebrate nondenominational traditions, may you find peace, love, and joy in your hearts this holiday season.  

Click here to read the full message on our website.

We look forward to seeing all of our elementary and secondary students on Monday, January 3, 2022. Please note that our schools are closed from December 20 - December 31, 2021.

 

Grade 1 French Immersion Registration Now Open!

Registration for Grade 1 French Immersion is now open! All interested Year 2 Kindergarten/Senior Kindergarten students are invited to register for French Immersion at the Durham Catholic District School Board (DCDSB).

Registration for Grade 1 French Immersion is open from Friday, December 3, 2021 – Friday, January 14, 2022.

We have compiled some helpful resources below:

Registration for French Immersion is completed online through OSAS. You will need to login to your OSAS account, and select “French Immersion New Application”.

If you have questions about French Immersion, or French as a Second Language (FSL) programs, please contact us at FrenchPrograms@dcdsb.ca or visit our website.  

 

Regional Arts & Media Program

As a friendly reminder, there are only 10 days left to submit an application for the Regional Arts & Media Program, located at All Saints Catholic Secondary School in Whitby! This program serves students in Grade 7 - 12 and offers additional specialized instruction in the arts or media program area of their choice.

We are excited to invite all Grade 6 and Grade 8 students to apply now for a September 2022 start. If you have a passion for the arts we encourage you to apply – no prior experience is necessary.

Program areas include Dance, Instrumental Music, Media Arts, Performing Arts (Drama and Vocal Music), and Visual Arts.

Upcoming Key Dates:

To learn more visit amp.dcdsb.ca or contact us at amp@dcdsb.ca.

 

Advent Activities

 

Student Spotlight

Welcome to Student Spotlight, an opportunity to meet and learn about our DCDSB students and how they are promoting Excellence, Equity and Engagement.

This month we are pleased to introduce Marysia G., a Grade 6 student at St. Marguerite D'Youville Catholic School in Whitby.

Please click here to view this month's Student Spotlight video with Marysia.

 

Support Ontario Youth: Father Leo J. Austin Catholic Secondary School

Students in Mr. Carnovale's classes at Father Leo J. Austin Catholic Secondary School in Whitby participated in Tools in the Trades workshops with Support Ontario Youth. 

Click here to view the video.

 

DCDSB Indigenous Student Circle

Twelve students from DCDSB's Indigenous Student Circle came together to learn with Beedahbin Peltier about Indigenous plants and their medicinal properties on November 23, 2021. They also learned how to make tamarack tea and its benefits for our health. Students ranged from Grade 6 to Grade 12. Food was brought in and catered by Indigenish Catering, an Indigenous-owned catering business in Oshawa which is run by Chef Keriann Peacock.

 

COVID-19 Vaccine Clinics for Children Ages 5 to 11

On November 19, 2021, Health Canada approved the paediatric Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11. Beginning on November 23, the Ontario government, in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health and other health experts, began to offer the paediatric Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to children aged 5 to 11. Ontario is expected to receive more than 1,000,000 doses of paediatric Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines. This is enough to provide a first dose to all children in the 5 to 11 cohort in Ontario. The 5 to 11 vaccination roll out is the last major initiative to protect children, keep children in school, and get Ontario back on track to normalcy.

Durham Region Health Department has shared the following information regarding COVID-19 Vaccine Clinics for children ages 5 to 11. Vaccinating children will provide them with strong protection against COVID-19 and the highly contagious Delta variant. The vaccine will decrease serious illness and long-term effects from COVID-19, help keep schools open, and reduce the rare but serious complication called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C).  Since children can be infected and not have any symptoms, vaccination will help protect other family members too, such as those who are too young to receive the vaccine yet or vulnerable elderly individuals. Please click here to view the full letter from the Durham Region Health Department.  

Please note that there are no plans to have vaccines administered during school hours. Parents/Guardians who would like to book a COVID-19 vaccination for child should visit www.durham.ca/vaccineappointment or call 1-888-444-5113.  

 

Updates from the Ontario Government

A couple of weeks ago, the Ontario government announced several updates for families. These updates include important information about:

  • Semester Schedule for Secondary Schools
  • Rapid Antigen Screening Kits – All Students
  • Travelling over the Christmas Break
  • COVID-19 Vaccinations for Students age 5 to 11 Years

These updates and further information can be found on our website.

 

Onsite Confirmation of Self-assessment Following the Christmas Break

All students and staff are required to conduct daily screening for symptoms of COVID-19 before attending school using the COVID-19 school screening tool. Please do not send your child(ren) to school if they have symptoms or have not passed the self-assessment. 

The Ministry of Education has instructed Ontario School Boards to complete active screening for all students, staff, and visitors to our schools for the 10 days of school following the Christmas break (i.e. January 3 - 14, 2022) – similar to what was done in September.

More information on how to complete the active screening will be shared with families next week.

 

Minister of Long-Term Care Visits Archbishop Anthony Meagher’s Personal Support Worker (PSW) Training Program

On Friday, November 19th, Ontario’s Minister of Long-Term Care, the Honourable Rod Phillips, paid a visit to Archbishop Anthony Meagher Catholic Continuing Education Centre’s (CCEC) Oshawa Campus.  After a brief tour of the campus, Minister Phillips joined the PSW day class to speak with staff and students about Ontario’s plan to increase staffing and beds in Long-Term Care facilities and to learn more the benefits of a PSW school board program.  During the visit, PSW students demonstrated how to use a Hoyer lift, and the Minister participated in the hands-on activity, earning an honorary PSW Certification upon completion. 

Stacey Ritchie, Principal of Archbishop Anthony Meagher CCEC, shared the following highlights with Minister Phillips:

  • The PSW program at Archbishop Anthony Meagher is well-established in the Durham Region and students have a proven, high success rate of employment upon completion.
  • Each year we provide four PSW day programs (6-month accelerated) and two part-time evening programs (10 months) in Ajax and Oshawa.
  • In 2021-2022 we are offering a new PSW program, PSW North, located in Port Perry (North Durham) to reach students in more remote and rural areas that are not serviced by the public colleges, to provide certified PSWs for LTC facilities in underserved areas.
  • In addition to training PSWs, we also facilitate Mature PLAR credits, OSSD completion and support for pathway planning to college or university nursing programs which provides solutions to Ontario’s healthcare staffing shortfalls.
  • Annually, 100 – 200 students achieve PSW accreditation through Archbishop Anthony Meagher CCEC with an over 90% completion rate.
  • Our program is less costly than a college program, which allows many students who experience financial burdens to have access to PSW training.

A former PSW student who is currently working in Long-Term Care, Yanick Mareus, gave a testimonial to how well the PSW program prepared her for employment.  A special thank you to DCDSB Chair of the Board and Trustee, Morgan Ste. Marie and Superintendent Scott Grieve for representing the board and for their support during the Minister Phillip’s visit.

 

DCDSB is Hiring! Join Our Durham Catholic Team

The Durham Catholic District School Board (DCDSB) is hiring for various teaching and non-teaching positions. If you are interested in applying, visit our website at www.dcdsb.ca/careers and email your resume to HR@dcdsb.ca. 

 

Upcoming Events

Important dates and upcoming events in December 2021 are listed below:

  • Dec. 3 – International Day of Persons with Disabilities
  • Dec. 5 – Second Sunday of Advent
  • Dec. 5 – World Soil Day
  • Dec. 6 - National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women
  • Dec. 6-12 - Computer Science Week
  • Dec. 7 - Special Education Advisory Committee Meeting
  • Dec. 8 - The Immaculate Conception of The Blessed Virgin Mary
  • Dec. 10 - Human Rights Day
  • Dec. 12 - Third Sunday of Advent
  • Dec. 13 - Board meeting
  • Dec. 19 - Fourth Sunday of Advent
  • Dec. 20 - 31 - Christmas break
  • Dec. 24 - Christmas Eve
  • Dec. 25 - Christmas Day – Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord
  • January 1 - New Years Day
  • January 3 - School resumes (both elementary and secondary)
  • January 4 - Special Education Advisory Committee Meeting
  • January 6 - Epiphany
  • January 6 - Durham Catholic Parent Involvement Committee Meeting

Please visit our calendar for more important dates and upcoming events.