At schools all across the LDCSB, students and staff
are responding quickly to assist the victims of this week's
devastating earthquake in Haiti. To name just a few of the ongoing
efforts:
* John Paul II Students' Council initiative
for Haiti Relief began this morning during period 1. The students
have collected more than five thousand dollars from students
and staff. Fundraising efforts will continue into next week with a
bake sale on Monday. All proceeds will go directly to Haiti Relief
Canadian Red Cross. Students Nikar, Justin, Sarah, Joel, and Jesse
are pictured above collecting and donating.
* Holy Cross Catholic Elementary School had
prayers for the people of Haiti and are collecting loose
change.
* St. Catherine is Siena is holding a dress-down
day and a hat day, with the donation of a toonie or more to
participate.
* St. Sebastian students are holding a
Spirit Day on Tuesday to raise funds.
How can I help?
Donations are being
collected by a number of relief agencies, including: The
Canadian Red Cross Donations can be made online at www.redcross.ca/helpnow by
calling toll free 1-800-418-1111 or at any Red Cross office.
Development
and Peace The organization has already committed a first pledge of $50,000
to Caritas Haiti, which runs 200 medical clinics in the country but
is in dire need of financial resources to respond to the growing
humanitarian needs of this population in crisis.
The Canadian
government has said it will match every dollar
Canadians give to the relief effort in Haiti. The government is
prepared to match contributions dollar for dollar, up to a maximum
of $50 million, on money collected before February 12th.
Members of student
parliament at St. Patrick's in Woodstock are busy planning and
preparing for a response to the tragedy in Haiti. The student
parliament have planned a special assembly for each of the divisions
in which they will be unveiling their Red and Blue Ribbon Campaign.
The colours correspond to the colours in the Haitian flag. Students
will bring in donations for the response efforts and wear a ribbon
as a sign of support. The student parliament members are also
preparing a special bulletin board to educate other students about
Haiti.
Two Grade 6 students at Monsignor O'Neil
Catholic Elementary School - Heather and Flora - have spent time
making personal and original bracelets to sell in hopes of raising
money for the Haitian Relief Fund. Angels for Haiti are collecting
donations that will be sent to purchase much needed supplies for
Mother Theresa's Orphanage and medical centres in Haiti. Monsignor
O'Neil will continue with continue with fundraising by planning a
Toonie for a Movie Day and a Spaghetti Luncheon for all staff and
students. Anyone wishing to donate to the fundraiser can do so
directly through Monsignor O'Neil.
The crisis in Haiti sparked a group of Mother
Teresa Catholic Secondary School students to wonder how they could
raise a large amounts of funds in the quickest possible manner. As a
result, the school sponsored and "emergency off uniform
day" today. (Above) Following prayer dedications and
encouraging several classrooms to watch the news of the Haitian
disaster, this group of students went throughout the school to
collect the donations - amounting to more than $5,000 - which will
be sent directly to the Red Cross.
Five LDCSB Schools to offer
full day Early Learning.
Details HERE
Celebrating Those
Who Have Made a Difference!
This will be the sixth year of an
initiative to profile London District Catholic School Board
Graduates who live the Ontario Catholic Graduate Expectations. Those
selected must be secondary school graduates of the London District
Catholic School Board or its predecessor Boards. They must
demonstrate impact in professional and/or personal life in the
following areas: spiritual, academic, aesthetic, social, or
physical; demonstrate fulfillment of the Ontario Catholic Graduate
Expectations; and demonstrate stewardship in Catholic Education.
Nominators must complete a nomination form, signed by the nominee
and submitted to John Boles at the Catholic Education Centre by
February 28th, 2009. (Printable nominations forms are available HERE).
There is a limit of one nomination per
nominator. A Selection Committee will review all nominations and
make a final decision based on the criteria. The graduate (s) will
be profiled in Spotlight, on the Board Website and during Education
Week. This is your opportunity to publicly honour someone you know
who has made a difference in the world around them!
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.
For feedback,
submissions, suggestions and input, please contact:
or contact:
John Boles, Manager of Communications, 519-663-2088, ext
40015
Spotlight
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.
