Letter to Staff from our Board

Letter to staff from our board. For your review.

An Open Letter to All Dufferin-Peel Staff
On the Passage of Bill 115
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board 1
September 11, 2012
Dear Dufferin‐Peel Staff Member:
Let me begin by thanking all staff for a successful opening week to the 2012‐13 school year. This is
often a challenging time, as we all adjust to getting back to business after the summer break. Schools
are open, children are learning, and we are all doing our best to make the Dufferin‐Peel educational
experience a great one for our students and families.
Today, the Ontario legislature approved the passage of Bill 115, the Putting Students First Act. We
remain extremely disappointed and concerned with both the process through which this law was
created and the negative impact it will have on this Board in the future. The Board’s Contract
Negotiations Committee has approved a motion that the Board withdraw from the conciliation
process, effective immediately, and move to local bargaining on the remaining issues that were not
legislated, in accordance with the new law.
On September 7, the Board submitted a written brief to the Standing Committee on Social Policy at
Queen’s Park, registering its grave concerns with the manner in which the provincial Government
disregarded local school board governance in an effort to make political gains. Our concerns, in this
regard, are well documented and have been communicated to staff previously.
We recognize the economic realities in which we all must operate, but we are also gravely
disappointed in the government’s approach to collective bargaining, where it choose to circumvent
traditional collective bargaining processes and rights that had worked well in the past. At the very
least, it remains highly irregular that the province negotiated directly with the representatives of
employees; employees who are employed by school boards, not the province. We do not believe
that economic issues should be used as an excuse to trample on human rights, the long‐held rights
of workers to bargain and our Church’s social justice teachings on the dignity of labour. Other union
groups and associations have already indicated that they will launch a court challenge related to
charter rights on these points in the very near future.
An Open Letter to all staff on the Passage of Bill 115
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board 2
As trustees, we took an oath to defend Catholic education and to provide a strong, vibrant
educational system to our community. As a Board, we have always taken a principled stand on issues
we believe to be worth standing up for. We are proud of our record, in this regard. We remain
opposed to the legislation, which effectively puts Catholic boards and public boards on inequitable
footings and weakens the collective bargaining process for all employees.
Nevertheless, we will abide by the law and move forward, seeking to bargain on the remaining local
issues with our employee groups, as identified in the new legislation.
Sincerely,
Mario Pascucci
Chair of the Board
Copies:
Anna da Silva, Trustee ‐ Brampton Wards 1,3 & 4
Linda Zanella (Vice Chair), Trustee ‐ Brampton Wards 2, 5 & 6
Scott McLauchlan, Trustee ‐ Brampton Wards 7‐10
Frank Di Cosola, Trustee ‐ Caledon/Dufferin
Mario Pascucci (Chair), Trustee ‐ Mississauga Wards 1 & 3
Sharon Hobin, Trustee ‐ Mississauga Wards 2 & 8
Anna Abbruscato, Trustee ‐ Mississauga Ward 4
Thomas Thomas, Trustee ‐ Mississauga Ward 5
Peter Ferreira, Trustee ‐ Mississauga Wards 6 & 11
Bruno Iannicca, Trustee ‐ Mississauga Ward 7
Esther O'Toole, Trustee ‐ Mississauga Wards 9 & 10
John B. Kostoff, Director of Education
Ralph Borrelli, Associate Director‐Instructional Services
John Hrajnik, Associate Director‐Financial Services and Chief Financial Officer

Dufferin Peel Does it again EQAO scores

NEWS RELEASE
September 12, 2012

For Immediate Release

EQAO results show Dufferin-Peel students outperform the province once again

Catholic board students continue trend of EQAO growth

The percentage of Dufferin-Peel students achieving at or above the provincial standard (Levels 3 or 4) in Grades 3, 6 and 9 continues to meet or exceed provincial averages. The results from the spring 2012 administration of the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) primary and junior division assessments of reading, writing and mathematics, and the Grade 9 assessment of mathematics highlight the continued successes of Dufferin-Peel students.

The achievement gains in primary and junior assessments ranged between 1% and 4%, with slightly higher gains made in the primary division. In Grade 9 mathematics, there were increases of 2% and 3% in the academic and applied programs, respectively. The most 1-year gains were made in primary writing (+4%) and Grade 9 applied mathematics (+3%). In all eight assessment areas, Dufferin-Peel exceeded the province by 1% or 2%. This year’s performance continues to support the high levels of achievement of Dufferin-Peel students over the last five years of EQAO testing.

“It is without question that Dufferin-Peel Catholic schools foster a climate of academic excellence, and our EQAO results are but one reflection of that climate.” said John Kostoff, Director of Education. We remain strongly committed, as a system, to improving student learning, achievement and well-being among all learners.

“We are proud of our record of academic excellence, including the historical upward trend of our EQAO results,” said Mario Pascucci, Chair of the Board. “But, we are very concerned that some of the changes imposed on school boards through the newly legislated Putting Students First Act could jeopardize our very successful rate of student achievement as we move forward.”

The EQAO assessments provide an indication of each student’s achievement in reading, writing and mathematics. The spring 2012 assessment results report on three groups of students: Grade 3 students in the areas of reading, writing and mathematics; Grade 6 students in the areas of reading, writing and mathematics and Grade 9 students in academic and applied mathematics. 

The results for students in all assessments for the last two administrations are presented below:

Assessment	2010-2011	2011-2012	1-Year Comparison
Primary Division (Grades 1-3) Reading	68%	70%	+2%
Primary Division (Grades 1-3) Writing	76%	80%	+4%
Primary Division (Grades 1-3) Mathematics	69%	70%	+1%
Junior Division (Grades 4-6) Reading	77%	78%	+1%
Junior Division (Grades 4-6) Writing	78%	78%	+0%
Junior Division (Grades 4-6) Mathematics	62%	63%	+1%
Grade 9 Academic Mathematics	87%	89%	+2%
Grade 9 Applied Mathematics	52%	55%	+3%

The board will further analyze the EQAO results to provide support to schools, students and parents/guardians to ensure that more students continue to improve in all assessment areas. Each school has its own plan, which will be reviewed in the context of the test results, to improve students’ skills in all subject areas. School plans include strategies to assist all students, including intervention and reinforcement for students who did not achieve the provincial standard.

“We are very pleased and proud of our results,” said John Kostoff, “But, at the same time, we know that we still have work to do and want our parents and guardians to know that we will continue to work hard to improve even further in all subject areas.”

Board and individual school results will be available on the board website at www.dpcdsb.org later this fall. Additional information on the various assessments can be obtained through the EQAO web site at www.eqao.com.

The Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) is an independent agency whose mandate is to ensure greater accountability and help improve the quality of education.

The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board is one of the largest and most diverse school boards in Ontario. It currently serves approximately 85,000 students in 146 schools located throughout Mississauga, Brampton, Bolton, Caledon and Orangeville. It is the goal of the board to provide quality education to students in a setting which fosters Catholic values and beliefs.  

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For information contact:          

Bruce Campbell, General Manager, Communications & Community Relations

(905) 890-0708, ext. 24466 or (905) 609-1480

Sheila McWatters, Superintendent of Program

(905) 890-0708, ext. 24261

Shirley Kendrick, Superintendent of Special Education & Support Services

(905) 890-0708, ext. 24228

Follow us on Twitter @DPCDSBSchools

Liberal Government Bill 115 Beware !!!!

Hello Everyone,

 It is important that you are all informed about what the Liberal Government is doing under the guise of budget cutting with their legislation called bill 115. 
This billprovides the government with the power to make almost all decisions centrally without input from trustees or the people who pay taxes as they elect us trustees to represent them. In my opinion, we have taxation without representation.  

In my opinion this bill allows the liberal government to become a dictatorship.  It uses legislation to give itself  powers that they should not have.  We need checks and balances and this bill takes them away.

This article from  "The People for Education" explains what the bill will do.

If you want to continue to have a voice in education, please write an email expressing your disagreement with this bill.  Let the government know that you want a voice in education at the municipal level.  You can send your emails of protest to Paris Meilleur, Senior Advisor for the office of the minister of education.  Send your letters of disagreement to bill 115 to paris.meilleur@ontario.ca .

Please read article below.

Consultation limited for new education bill

September 05, 2012

Bill includes significant shift in power over education

The provincial government has allocated a total of 4.5 hours for public consultations on a Bill that includes substantial changes to Ontario’s education system.
The final Bill – to be voted on Monday, September 10^th – would give the provincial government a number of new legal rights: to impose contracts, ban strikes and lock-outs (and even the threat of strikes) and circumvent  the courts, the Human Rights Code and the Labour Relations Act.

What powers does the new law grant?

The Bill shifts significant control out of the hands of school boards and up to the province. The Law itself will be in effect for two years, but the Bill gives the province the right to extend the law for at least a year beyond that, and to impose permanent regulations shifting control over teacher hiring and student assessments.
Among the new powers in the Bill:

• The province can force employees to pay back any money they receive that contravenes the Act, or demand that boards deduct it from employees’ wages.
• The Labour Relations Board and any other arbitrators are prohibited from either inquiring into or making decisions about the constitutionality of the Act or whether the Act is in conflict with the Human Rights Code.
• The province can use the Labour Relations Act to enforce the new law, but the Labour Relations Act doesn’t apply if it conflicts with the new law.
• The courts are not allowed to be used to question or review any of the terms or conditions in the Act.
• No arbitration can over-ride any terms of the province’s stipulations for the contracts.
• Strikes and lock-outs during the two-year period the legislation currently covers are banned, and deemed unlawful, and it will be unlawful to even call for a strike, threaten a lock-out or encourage any employees to go on strike.
• The Minister of Education may, by regulation (no consultation or return to legislature necessary),  shift control over teacher-hiring and student assessments, so that principals and school boards have less power to make choices in these areas. 
• All contracts between school boards and their employees – including both unionized and non-unionized employees (e.g. principals) – must be approved by the Minister and must follow most of the terms laid out in the Memorandum of Understanding between the province and the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association.

People For Education Viewpoint:

This Bill is being rushed through the legislature. School has started, no one is threatening a strike or job action, yet we are moving ahead with a Bill that will result in a major shift in control over our education system.
It is worth remembering what Don Drummond said in his advice to the province last winter, ‘Crises always spur action, but almost inevitably, they also bring forth bad public policy decisions.’

News Find more P4E News

Protect Catholic Education

Hello Everyone,

Welcome back, it has been a fine summer and I hope you all enjoyed the wonderful weather.  This summer has been quite crazy for us trustees.   There has been a lot going on with the Ministry of Education and the MOU,  the ministry of educations agreement with the catholic teachers union.  In order to help you understand what the issues are I am posting an video file explaining the issues we have been contending with.


http://youtu.be/4YSlyHtaM2o

Bill 13 Same Sex Attraction- Views from catholic youth

Dear Readers,

As you may know Bill 13, the anti bullying bill, has passed and is now legislation. The government has ignored the Bishops recommendations and have legislated that students can call their groups  GSA or gay straight alliances.   To fully understand the impact of this legislation it is important that you read an article written by a young woman who is a both as same sex attraction individual as well as a christian.
I found this article speaks to the issue well and puts in words what cannot often be explained but is known in the heart.  Enjoy.

6 June 10, 2012 1 catholicregister.org
BY BRONWYT LAWRE
Youth Speak News
There’s plenty of well-reasoned
discourse on all sides of the current
debate around Ontario’s new antibullying
legislation — but some
thing’s missing. The voices that I
have not heard in the debate are
those of teens and youths dealing
with same-sex attraction who want
to live in conformity with God and
His Church.
I can’t speak for anyone except
myself — but as
a person who
was bullied, and
a person who
has dealt with
Same-sex at
traction, 1 think
I can offer a
few thoughts.
I returned to
the Church last fall, after 13 years
away. In addition to excellent
pastoral support, a welcoming
parish community and, of course,
God’s grace, one of the biggest
reasons I stayed in the Church
after my return was the Church’s
teaching on sexuality
That might sound a bit strange
considering I was the director of
my campus’s LGBTTQ Pride col
lective at the time. But rather than
defining me solely by gender, or
who I was attracted to, or whether I
preferred fixing cars to tatting lace,
I found that the Church defined me
by one overarching principle: I am
a child of God, created in His own
image and likeness, and loved infi
nitely by Him. By counter-cultur
ally distinguishing between sexual
desire and sexual act, between act
and identity, the Church refused
to let me reduce my identity to a
simplistic summation of sexuality.
it is for this reason that most
Church documents (including
the “Respecting Difference”
report) use the term “persons with
same-sex attraction” in instances
where other groups would use gay,
queer or homosexual. It affirms
that although desire may be a part
of my identity and although my
actions shape my character and my
path towards or away from God, I
am infinitely more than my actions
and feelings.
As I returned to the Church,
walking into the Pride office began
to feel like a form of reductionism
— an implicit assent to the idea
that the most important aspects of
my personhood were my sexuality
and my gender. The Catholic chap
laincy gradually became a refuge
for me — a place where I could
shed the political labels of being
“gay” or “trans” or “queerL” Instead,
I could simply be human.
I eventually resigned as co-ordi
nator, left the Pride collective and
started looking for other Chris
tians who’d embarked on similar
walks towards God. Still, I fall all
too often and need His mercy to
pick me back up. But I know that
God loves me and all those who
have dealt with same-sex attraction
without equivocation and without
compromise.
This is why, as a Catholic, I
cannot in good conscience support
a club flame that would reduce
students’ identities to a simplis
tic definition of who they may or
may not want to sleep with. All
schools — Catholic and secular
— undoubtedly need better antibullying
measures and support
groups for all students, Taking a
stand against bullying can only
start with dubs (and names) that
recognize the inherent dignity and
worth of all human beings.
This is not homophobia. This is
not hatred. This is an attempt, as
best I know, to love.
(Lawrie, 20, is a creative writing
major at the University of Victoria.)
SPEAKJNG OUT
Anti-bullying clubs should
recognize the dignity of all
Bronwyn Lawrie

Catholic Education Week and Cardinals Mass

Thank you to all of the principals, teachers and students who worked to put together the wonder activities and events that the students participated in for Catholic Education week.

I attended a few session during the week and was just amazed at the number of activities and the number of parents that came out to celebrate our religion. It was nice to see students had fun while celebrating their faith.
My week ended with a mass attended by Cardinal Carter, held for the high school students at our board. It was so inspiring to see all the teens singing and praying together. I had the chance to speak with some of them and I was just amazed at the quality of their faith and how happy they were to be there. 

The mass with the Cardinal was the vision of Nathan Fernandez, our student trustee, who wanted his fellow students to have the experience of connecting with the Cardinal.  And let me say that the Cardinal did not disappoint, his words were inspiring and relevant.

After the mass he spent over one hour having his picture taken with the students. He was wonderful.

Mass was held outside in St Marcellinus's field. It was a a beautiful day without a cloud in the sky and the students sang beautifully. It was a great way to end the week. 

Kudos to Nathan, Alex Tucciarone, our superintendent, and all of the educators and students who worked to make this a successful event.

Changing Educational Dynamics

Hello Everyone,

The following is a video clip of that many of us interested in education need to consider.  It is important to see that our society is changing and that maybe we need to embrace the change and find ways to help our students be successful in the new age. Here is a video that explains some the change dynamics.

http://youtu.be/iG9CE55wbtY
Anna da Silva