Another tremendous school year has come to a close and I offer these reflections toward the realization of our Mission.

I extend my appreciation and thanks to all of you for your support, and more importantly for the tremendous work you do each and every day for our students. No matter your role in this school board, each of you contributes to the education of our students – which is to form them in their faith and educate them to become citizens of the world. As I travel around this great school board I see the many ways that each of you contribute to this great Mission that we share.

We have accomplished much in this school year. Our students continue to do well in their academic achievement; our teachers and support staff continue to value the progress and improvement that every student makes when they experience a challenging and engaging learning classrooms. To our front line educators and support staff, I thank you for making such a difference in the lives of our students. I salute our students who have taken on the challenge of being good stewards of the earth and have assumed tremendous leadership in their schools in support of the ECO -Schools initiative. In this appreciation, I want to recognize our staff that supports these students – the custodians, the EA’s and teachers who provide the necessary supports.

Each month I hear about wonderful examples of our students imitating Christ – being ‘disciples of the Risen Lord’ as they pursue social justice initiatives, service learning trips, build schools in third world countries, petition for justice and human rights, and raise awareness and funds in support of ensuring respect for the human dignity of others. Discipleship is a pillar of strength in our Board.

Excitement mounted with the completion of the new Sacred Heart Catholic School, Marmora as we proudly watched the students move into this new facility in June and look forward to the official Opening and Blessing in September. We continue to keep our eye on St. Michael’s Catholic School in Belleville as they too, will be moving into a new facility in early 2011. The community of Quinte West is excited with the Board’s approval to move forward on the new K - Grade 6 building for St. Peter Catholic School in Trenton and a refreshed Grade 7 – 12 St. Paul Catholic Secondary School. Much work and planning has gone into these projects and I thank our staff in Plant and Planning for their tremendous efforts in bringing these projects to the planning and design phase.

We proclaimed our new Board Theme, “Come, Follow Me” in May and we look forward to animating it throughout the next school year. As we approach summer and look at time to renew and re-energize ourselves, think about your own priorities and goals in life in light of our new theme. How does each of us take up the mantle to be Director of Education

Vendor Gord Tanner of Diversey Canada Inc. tees off

Mike Coles chips to the green as Paul O’Connor, left, and Jim Eastman look on. They are all members of the ALCDSB Information Technology Department.

The 12th Annual Director’s Charity Golf Tournament was held July 8th at Trillium Wood Golf Club in Belleville, with all proceeds going to support the Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic Education Foundation. The Foundation has established the Emergency Response Fund to provide immediate financial assistance to children and their families in need. This assistance includes the provisions of eyeglasses, EpiPens, medical supplies, food and clothing, transportation and many other financial needs resulting from family crises. Over the past three school years (07/08, 08/09 and 09/10) the Foundation has provided financial assistance totalling $55,300.00 to 192 students and their families. Through fund raising efforts such as this the Foundation is able to better the lives of students and their families.

The Board of Trustees of the Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board has approved the Board’s Environmental Education and Management Policy at the final Board Meeting of the school year.

The policy, Environmental Sustainability Through Stewardship, was drafted by the Environmental Education and Management Advisory Committee (EEMAC). The policy was developed to align with the Ministry of Education’s Acting Today, Shaping Tomorrow: A Policy Framework for Environmental Education in Ontario Schools. The ALCDSB policy is framed in three themes: Teaching and Learning, Student Engagement and Community Connections, and Environmental Leadership. It reflects the board’s commitment to environmental education, responsible and accountable environmental practices and our call to care for all of God’s creation.

In conjunction with the release of the Environmental Sustainability Through Stewardship policy, the board has designed a new Environmental Education website that can be accessed from the ALCDSB homepage (http://schools.alcdsb.on.ca/environmentaled/default.aspx). The site contains information about the Ministry’s Environmental Education initiative; resources for administrators and teachers; information about ALCDSB Environmental Education events and best practices as well as a Student Zone.

The board is pleased to announce that 12 schools have been certified as Ontario EcoSchools this year. Ontario EcoSchools was created in 2002 by a consortium of education stakeholders to address environmental issues in the formal education system. Ontario EcoSchool's resources offer an environmental perspective to the choices we make in operating our schools and in planning classroom programs based on the Ontario Curriculum.

The 12 schools are: Gold Certification: St. Marguerite Bourgeoys Catholic School, St. Carthagh Catholic School. Silver Certification: Mother Teresa Catholic School, St. Joseph Catholic School, Georges Vanier Catholic School, Sacred Heart Catholic School (Batawa), Regiopolis-Notre Dame Catholic High School, Holy Cross Catholic Secondary School. Bronze Certification: St. Paul Catholic Secondary School, St. Patrick Catholic School (Erinsville), J.J. O’Neill Catholic School, Nicholson Catholic College

In an effort to celebrate the extraordinary accomplishments of our students, the Board will be hosting a series of “Beacons of Hope” celebrations at a series of community breakfasts in our region.

“We believe there are many students whose contributions to their school and the wider community reflect our Catholic virtues,” said Michael Schmitt, Director of Education. “These unsung heroes contribute to the betterment of the community with dedication, integrity and gentle spirit.”

The Office of the Director of Education is coordinating and hosting the celebrations at various locations across the Board. Each breakfast venue will host a group of schools including the award winners, their parents, Principals, Superintendents, Trustees and the Director.

The criteria for selection includes:

• Students will be selected from junior, intermediate and senior divisions.
• Successful students will be “unsung heroes” who likely would not be honoured at any other venue.
• Students must be seen as significant contributors to the life of the school through their lived experiences. They come to school each day, give it their best and add to the positive climate of their schools. They give witness to the virtues.