The Halton Catholic District School Board is set to welcome back students for a new school year. Classes at all of the Board’s schools will begin on Wednesday, September 7, 2011.
“Our Board remains committed to providing a wide range of quality programs and services with a focus on maintaining a culture of high learning expectations rooted in faith in each of our Catholic schools,” says Michael W. Pautler, Director of Education, Halton Catholic District School Board. “We look forward to welcoming back our students, staff and all members of our Catholic school communities as the new school year begins.”
Some of the new and ongoing initiatives for the 2011-2012 school year will include the following:
- The expansion of the Full-Day Early Learning Kindergarten Program, now to include St. Catherine of Alexandria Catholic Elementary School (Georgetown), St. Joseph Catholic Elementary School (Acton) and Lumen Christi Catholic Elementary School, Milton. A complete list of schools currently offering the Full-Day Early Learning Kindergarten Program can be found on the Board’s website.
- Additional Social Workers to support an increased focus on student mental health, consistent with the province’s current mental health strategy.
- The recent approval of a Sports – Performance Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) program at Christ the King Catholic Secondary School in Georgetown, in addition to the 15 SHSM programs that are currently offered at the Board’s eight secondary schools.
- An increase in spending on technology programs at the secondary level.
- A focus on supporting 21st Century teaching and learning skills.
The new secondary replacement school at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Secondary School in Oakville has been completed and the building opened in February, 2011. The site work and all-weather turf sports field and running track will be completed by late September, 2011. As of September, 2011, all Halton Catholic secondary schools will provide all-weather turf sports fields and running tracks for student and community use.
Construction continues on the addition and interior renovations to St. Ignatius of Loyola Catholic Secondary School in Oakville, with a completion date of September, 2012. For more information, please click here.
Construction of Lumen Christi Catholic Elementary School in Milton, with a student capacity of 612 students, has been completed and the school will open in September, 2011. The Blessing and Dedication Ceremony will take place on December 13, 2011, on the feast day of the school’s patron saint, St. Lucia.
In addition to the construction of new Early Learning Program Kindergarten classrooms, classroom additions are well underway at St. Brigid, St. Catharine of Alexandria and St. Joseph Catholic Elementary Schools in Halton Hills. The Kindergarten classrooms will be ready for the start of the school year, and the additions will be completed by the end of December, 2011.
Installation of new video surveillance camera systems in all eight Halton Catholic secondary schools was initiated during the summer and completion is scheduled for December, 2011.
The Board has received Ministry approval to build two new elementary schools, West Oak Trails #5 in Oakville and Alton Village in Burlington. The schools’ designs have been completed, preparation of construction drawings are in progress, and both schools are planned to be open for September, 2012. Monthly construction reports and updates will be posted on the Board’s website.
All student bus information, including bus stop times, stop location and route numbers, will be available online at www.haltonbus.ca - the Halton Student Transportation Services (HSTS) website, starting Monday, August 29, 2011. Parents should note that in order to access student transportation information, either online or by telephone (1-888-803-8660), it is necessary to know their child’s Ontario Education Number (OEN). The Board reminds all motorists that with the start of the new school year, children will be travelling on our streets during the morning and afternoon rush hours. Please exercise caution when driving near school zones, crosswalks and school buses with flashing lights.
The following schools will celebrate milestone anniversaries during the 2011-2012 school year:
- St. Catherine of Alexandria Catholic Elementary School – 10th anniversary
- Bishop P. F. Reding Catholic Secondary School – 25th anniversary
- St. Matthew Catholic Elementary School – 25th anniversary
- St. Joseph Catholic Elementary School, Oakville – 50th anniversary
As Halton Catholic students return to school for the new 2011-2012 school year, the Board anticipates a very small increase in enrolment. The projected student enrolment figures indicate that 29,577 students (19,646 elementary and 9,931 secondary) will be attending the Board’s schools, as well as the Board’s Continuing Education facilities in Burlington, Oakville and Milton on opening day, compared to 29,536 in September, 2010. The Board employs approximately 3,907 staff, with the total number of new teachers hired to date for this school year now at 22 (17 elementary and 5 secondary).
Trustees of the Board meet twice a month, typically on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 7:30 p.m., in the Board Room of the Catholic Education Centre (802 Drury Lane in Burlington). The Board’s website provides relevant information on the Board, as well as links to individual school pages.