NEW YEAR BRINGS NEW CHALLENGES

Catholic Board Sustains Its Tradition Of 'Distinctiveness'

The Halton Catholic District School Board welcomed more than 26,215
students to the new school year at our 35 elementary and seven secondary
schools. This year will be marked by an ongoing concerted effort by all of
our 2,560 staff members to successfully pursue our goal of providing the
best in Catholic education to those we serve in Halton. I would like to
share the new initiatives that will be launched and some of the challenges
that the year will present.

Our system is committed to maintaining and promoting its distinctive
mission in publicly funded education with a budget that continues to
reflect an emphasis on the effective use of available funding to support
student learning, especially in the Early Years (JK - SK), in Special
Education and the acquisition of new curriculum resources in elementary and
secondary schools.

In particular, attention will be focused on the school improvement planning
process, with special emphasis on literacy skills, numeracy skills,
technological studies, instructional strategies that promote and improve
student learning and planning pathways to support success for all students.
Each of our system goals is aligned and focused on improving student
achievement with an approach that is inclusive and contains an
accountability component for its results.

Four new initiatives that will be launched during this year include:

* The new 'Student at Risk' program, through a province-wide network of
Board leaders, will develop and co-ordinate strategies and supports to
improve the outcomes and promote success for students in Grades 7-12, who
may be at risk of not achieving their educational goals. The three key
areas of focus will be in literacy, numeracy and program pathways transitions.

* Our board is proud to have been chosen by the Ministry of Education as
one of only 10 school boards across the province this academic year to
pilot the new standards for Special Education programs and services related
to autism.

* A new Blue Box Recycling program that parallels the Region's residential
recycling program is being introduced this September in all schools. This
joint initiative between the Region and the two Halton school boards is
intended to increase recycling at school and at home, thereby reducing
waste collection, increasing the life of landfill sites and reducing energy
in order to improve our environment.

* As part of the ongoing joint programs with the Halton Regional Police
Services to keep school environments safe, the Safe Schools Canine
Initiative is being re-introduced in Halton high schools this year. It is
designed to maintain and improve safety and well being of all students
within the school environment by reducing and deterring the presence of
drugs or weapons. Through the use of a trained detector dog, the police
will search and indicate if there are drugs and/or weapons in the hallways
or parking areas of schools.

In closing, I would like to commend our dedicated Leadership Team, who
daily promote and articulate a vision of excellence in education, that
ensures our schools remain distinctive and valuable contributors to the
vitality of our communities. Our board advocates a 'servant leadership'
model, which develops and promotes leaders who are team players, team
builders and team leaders who demonstrate a strong sense of service,
collegiality, commitment to accountability, dedication to life-long
learning and a capacity to foster and manage change. Working with all of
our stakeholders, the efforts of our leaders and staff have enabled our
school system to sustain its tradition of distinctiveness and its
commitment to student learning and to excellence in Catholic education.