Jim Costigan congratulates Sue McMahon,
Curriculum Resource Teacher - Health and
Physical Education on her recent provincial
award. Sue was acknowledged by the Ontario
Association for the Supervision of Physical and
Health Education (OASPHE) for her advocacy in
the area of health and physical education in the
province of Ontario. Sue was instrumental in
creating the provincial guidelines for the
implementation of educational policies regarding
revisions to credit requirements for physical
education. Students can now take more than one
credit per year in Health and Physical
Education!
The
Board of Trustees got its first look this week
at the preliminary budget for the next school
year – a balanced budget that calls for
revenues and expenditures of just over
$202-million. Early release of the 2008-09
Grants for Student Needs provided Senior
Administration time to conduct a review of its
operations and enabled potential solutions to be
identified to tackle a potential deficit, which
had been identified as $1.4 million.
Administration identified a number of
expenditure reductions totalling nearly one
million dollars, spread over various
departments, which are achievable without
further staff reductions and which will have a
minimal effect on the Board’s operations.
Additional revenues of a half million dollars
have been identified, including a proposal that
the Board request from Green Shield Canada, the
provider of the Board’s Health and Dental
Benefits, a repayment of funds on deposit. Tim
Holmes, Superintendent of Business, said he is
concerned the Board continues to face an annual
budget deficit, partially the result of grant
reductions caused by declining enrolment. He
said these estimates are unusual, in that they
do not contain the increased staffing costs
agreed to at the provincial negotiations. They
also do not contain the increased grants to pay
for these increased costs. The Ministry of
Education has offered assurances that the
increased costs will be fully-funded and it is
likely that boards will be required to re-submit
estimates, which contain both increased revenues
and expenditures once the agreements have been
concluded.
The Board honoured teachers and students from
John Paul ll and Catholic Central, who took part
in a recent trip to Mississippi to help
reconstruction efforts after Hurricane Katrina.
Student participants were in Grades 11 and 12.
In addition to committing themselves to
community service, the students wrote a daily
journal of their thoughts and experiences. The
Board also thanked the sponsors who helped with
the expenses. (Above, students had a chance to
thank the sponsors in person)
T
The Board honoured the Catholic Central High
School Senior Strings – Award Winners and
Trustees were rewarded themselves with a special
selection. (Above) The ensemble, comprised of
students from Grades 10 through 12, achieved two
first place awards and the Douglas Gilmour
Memorial Award from the Kiwanis Festival of
Greater Toronto; two gold standings and the
Bruce Richardson Trophy from the Kiwanis Music
Festival of London, and upon recommendation by
adjudicators to the Ontario Music Festival
Association Provincial Competition, have
received Honourable Mention in the Class 4,
Senior String Orchestra Category.
Our
Mission
To serve the Catholic
student in a community that nurtures a living faith
and provides a quality Catholic education that enables the individual to
become a contributing member of the Church and Society.
or contact: John
Boles,
Manager of Communications,
663-2088, ext 40015
is produced weekly by the
Communications Department of the LDCSB.
Spotlight is a BRAVO Award winner for
demonstrated excellence, recognized by the Canadian Association of Communicators in Education and
a winner of the
Glorya Nanne Award from the
Ontario Association of Parents in Catholic Education for making
a substantial contribution to fostering better understanding of
Catholic Education.
The
Board of Trustees got its first look this week
at the preliminary budget for the next school
year – a balanced budget that calls for
revenues and expenditures of just over
$202-million. Early release of the 2008-09
Grants for Student Needs provided Senior
Administration time to conduct a review of its
operations and enabled potential solutions to be
identified to tackle a potential deficit, which
had been identified as $1.4 million.
Administration identified a number of
expenditure reductions totalling nearly one
million dollars, spread over various
departments, which are achievable without
further staff reductions and which will have a
minimal effect on the Board’s operations.
Additional revenues of a half million dollars
have been identified, including a proposal that
the Board request from Green Shield Canada, the
provider of the Board’s Health and Dental
Benefits, a repayment of funds on deposit. Tim
Holmes, Superintendent of Business, said he is
concerned the Board continues to face an annual
budget deficit, partially the result of grant
reductions caused by declining enrolment. He
said these estimates are unusual, in that they
do not contain the increased staffing costs
agreed to at the provincial negotiations. They
also do not contain the increased grants to pay
for these increased costs. The Ministry of
Education has offered assurances that the
increased costs will be fully-funded and it is
likely that boards will be required to re-submit
estimates, which contain both increased revenues
and expenditures once the agreements have been
concluded.
T
is produced weekly by the 
