Coping with
2010
Forum Attracts a Packed House
to CCH
Another Success! For Youth, Parents,
Educators and Community Partners: Coping with 2010
The 4th annual February information session
held at Catholic Central High School organized by London District
Catholic School Council & Parent Involvement Committee (LDCSC),
Thames Valley Parent Involvement Committee (TVPIC) and
Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) was, again, an incredible
success! (The full session will be broadcast on Rogers at 5:00 p.m.
this afternoon)
"We want to raise awareness and create
community partnerships," said Linda Steel, Co-Chair, LDCSC.
"Parents need to be active, engaged partners contributing to
the success and safety of all students and their families. We want
to provide everyone with all the resources we can."
In addition, this year's theme
"addresses a growing interest in mental health issues suffered
by young people. We see a common thread here - connecting all
issues; we must raise awareness!" said Arlene Morell, Chair,
TVPIC.
The event included a keynote address by a man
who's life was dramatically altered when he was diagnosed as
bipolar. For 27 years, Craig Hurst has dedicated his energies to
improving life for those who have suffered crippling mental health
issues and reminds parents of the value of a strong support system
and a healthy lifestyle. His honest sharing was very well received
by and clearly touched the audience. The broad-based panel
presentations were: Mental Health 4 Kids (Darren Robbins); MLHU
Young Adult Team (Jane Berardini); London Public Library (Brian
Rhoden); London Anti-Bullying Coalition (Kathryn Wilkins); CCH
School Social Worker ("Mr Mitch" Lesperance); London
Police Services (Community Police Officer, Dennis Rivest); Western
Association of Youth Services (WAYS) (Terry Lyn); Mind Your Mind
(Student Volunteer/CCH graduate); Canadian Association of Mental
Health (Craig Hurst). ALL were warm, personal, candid, clear,
effective, and motivating. They were wonderful! Approximately 200
people attended the event. (Two came all the way from Waterloo!)
Some were moved to tears at various points during the presentations
and comments made by audience members. Survey responses collected
from the audience at the end of the evening indicated: they didn't
feel alone; they had a better understand of the many services &
resources available to them; and the importance of maintaining an
open, honest, non-judgemental dialogue between children and parents.
LDCSC and TVPIC gratefully acknowledge the assistance of: London
District Catholic School Board, Thames Valley District School Board,
Elgin-St Thomas Public Health, Oxford County Public Health and
Emergency Services in promoting and supporting this event. Further
thanks are extended to the Administration, Chaplaincy, and Staff at
CCH, the CCH Jazz Ensemble, Cathy Hird & the Holy Cross
Secondary School Peer Helpers, the other student & parent
volunteers, Superintendent of Education - Terry Grand (LDCSB),
Superintendent of Education - Barb Sonier (TVDSB), and Jim Madden,
Manager, Family Health Promotion Team, MLHU. Linda Steel, Co-Chair,
LDCSC, wishes to personally thank her "partners-in-crime":
Arlene Morell, Chair, TVPIC, and Jayne Scarterfield, Public Health
Nurse, Family Promotion Team, MLHU, for their continued and ongoing
partnership, all of their hard work, and commitment to delivering
this annual co-terminus/community February information session.
Together - we are stronger. It really does take a whole village to
raise a child!
From learning the art of origami to active
games, Peer Helpers from the Holy Cross community served the needs
of younger family members as their parents participated in the
informative and engaging parent forum.
Ron Curridor, Principal at
J. H. O’Neil Catholic Elementary School in Tillsonburg, was
honoured in Toronto this week as one of Canada’s Outstanding
Principals, as named by the Learning Partnership. Above, Principal
Curridor with Board Vice-Chair Cliff Roach, Superintendent Tamara
Nugent, Director Wilma de Rond and Board Chair Bill Hall. He is one
of 32 Principals nationwide to receive the honour. The Canada’s
Outstanding Principals (COP) program is in its 6th year. The award
is an initiative of The Learning Partnership, a national
not-for-profit organization that has championed public education in
Canada since 1993. The award is presented to principals who have
made a measurable difference in the lives of their students and
their own local communities and help ensure that Canada’s young
people continue to receive a quality world-class education
On
February 1 the new Keeping Our Kids Safe at School Act (Bill
157) came into force. This legislation supports the London District
Catholic School Board's belief that all members of our school
community - staff, students, parents, and community agencies - have
a role to play in making our schools a safe place in which to learn.
Find out what's being done to keep our kids
safe and what parents should know. Click on the Bulletin Board
on the LDCSB front page.
Schools across the LDCSB
have been busy collecting money to help the earthquake victims in
Haiti. To date they have raised more than 60-thousand dollars
and the total continues to climb. If you want to help,
donations are being
collected by a number of relief agencies, including the Red Cross
and the Catholic charities:
Development
and Peace and Free
the Children
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, 2010. (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.
On
February 1 the new Keeping Our Kids Safe at School Act (Bill
157) came into force. This legislation supports the London District
Catholic School Board's belief that all members of our school
community - staff, students, parents, and community agencies - have
a role to play in making our schools a safe place in which to learn.
Schools across the LDCSB
have been busy collecting money to help the earthquake victims in
Haiti. To date they have raised more than 60-thousand dollars
and the total continues to climb. If you want to help,
donations are being
collected by a number of relief agencies, including the Red Cross
and the Catholic charities: 
