May 14-21, 2013

Teacher hiring rules will cause havoc, Ontario school boards say Page 1 of 3
Your Toronto / Schools
Ontario school boards say they’re being forced to interview all qualified applicants for long-term supply jobs, not just the ones they want to.
COLIN MCCONNELL / TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO
Education Minister Liz Sandals says the changes were made to clarify what the original intent of the regulation was, that teachers with enough experience on the job — 20 days — “shall” get an interview, not “may” get one, as the rules initially stated.
By: Kristin Rushowy Education Reporter, Published on Tue May 21 2013
Ontario’s education ministry has quietly amended a controversial regulation around hiring teachers — changes that force school boards to interview all qualified applicants for long-term supply jobs, not just the ones they want to.
The Peel District School Board estimates it will have to conduct more than 3,000 meetings alone for supply jobs, when staff would normally speak to about 400 candidates.
“Anyone interested in teaching wants to get an LTO (long-term occasional) position” because it is the gateway to a permanent job, said Peel board Chair Janet McDougald.
“I just think it’s an incredible waste of resources. On the one hand, the Peel board is looking at challenges with our budget, we are looking at (cutting) $9 million to balance, and now the ministry is suggesting that we put resources toward interviewing this number of people?”
More education stories on Thestar.com
http://www.thestar.com/yourtoronto/education/2013/05/21/teacher_hiring_rules_will_caus...
5/21/2013

Teacher hiring rules will cause havoc, Ontario school boards say Page 2 of 3
Education Minister Liz Sandals says the changes were made to clarify what the original intent of the regulation was, that teachers with enough experience on the job — 20 days — “shall” get an interview, not “may” get one, as the rules initially stated.
“It isn’t like this is everybody who ever dropped a letter off at your personnel department” being entitled to an interview, she added.
Sandals acknowledged boards’ concerns, but said “we don’t specify the structure of the interview, it’s really up to boards to decide how onerous they want the interview to be.”
Boards typically bring in many pairs of principals to act as hiring panels, interviewing candidates for occasional teacher supply list on weekends, without additional pay.
McDougald says Peel will have to bring in retired principals, and pay them, to handle the extra work.
Both Peel and Toronto say they don’t currently have separate lists for long-term occasional assignments — typically 10 days or more — and are now forced to create one to manage the new workload.
“This is going to have a significant impact at the board level,” added Michael Barrett, president of the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association .
“These changes they are making do not rectify any issues that school boards put on the table,” he said. “It compounds them even further.”
Boards are most upset at the provision requiring principals to hire from the top five teachers with the most seniority, not the ones they think are best suited for permanent positions.
Barrett said the amendments were done without the input of school boards, nor a committee recently created to look at the concerns around Regulation 274 .
“This smacks of a continued process by which they are making changes without consultation, and
I thought we were past that,” Barrett added.
Sandals told the Star there was no consultation because the province was simply correcting the language in the regulation to match what had been agreed upon with the province’s Catholic teachers, the deal that set the stage for all others with other teacher groups in the province.
The ministry has said the “principle of the regulation (is) … to promote a consistent, transparent and fair hiring process for long-term and permanent occasional teachers.”
The updated Regulation 274 also opens up the applicant pool to those who have worked 20 days in a 10-month period within the past five years. Sandals said this was done so as not to discriminate against a teacher who has taken parental or other leave.
But Trustee Howard Goodman of the Toronto District School Board wonders why an exemption wasn’t simply granted for teachers who’ve taken a leave. He is not sure how the five-year http://www.thestar.com/yourtoronto/education/2013/05/21/teacher_hiring_rules_will_caus...
5/21/2013

Teacher hiring rules will cause havoc, Ontario school boards say Page 3 of 3 stipulation will play out, “but what it does is open to door to a larger group of people; it shuffles people around a lot.”
“This throws another wrench in the ability of boards to keep up with ministry directives,”
Goodman said. “It’s unfair to our staff at all levels to have the rules changed so often and so dramatically.”
McDougald said the new rules seriously hamper the Peel board’s drive to hire a more diverse teaching body — typically new graduates.
Those concerns were echoed by the deans of education at universities across the province, who wrote to the education minister late last year.
“We believe that unless the regulation is revoked, there will be significant long-term adverse impacts on the renewal of the teaching profession in Ontario,” said the letter, obtained by the Star.
“We feel that this is not in the best interest of Ontario’s public school students.
“By privileging seniority over all other factors in the hiring of teachers, the regulation removes school boards’ freedom to hire the candidates whom they consider best able to meet the needs of students.”
It also means that experienced teachers won’t be able take jobs at other boards, given they won’t have any seniority in a new board, it adds.
Sandals said the province is open to changing the regulation, and to boards’ suggesting ideas that they feel are less onerous “as along as it meets our criteria about fair hiring and transparency and reasonable access to new grads for jobs.” http://www.thestar.com/yourtoronto/education/2013/05/21/teacher_hiring_rules_will_caus...
5/21/2013

Kristin Rushowy/Torstar Network
May 21, 2013
PEEL — Ontario's Education Ministry has quietly amended a controversial regulation on hiring teachers — changes that force school boards to interview all qualified applicants for long-term supply jobs, not just the ones they want to.
The Peel District School Board estimates it will have to conduct more than 3,000 meetings alone for supply jobs, when it would normally call 400 candidates.
"Anyone interested in teaching wants to get an
LTO (long-term occasional) position" because it can lead to a permanent job, said Peel chair
Janet McDougald, the trustee for Misssissauga
Wards 1 and 7.
"I just think it's an incredible waste of resources. On the one hand, the Peel board is
McDougald.
Peel District School Board chair Janet McDougald.
File photo looking at challenges with our budget - we are looking at (cutting) $9 million to balance — and now the ministry is suggesting that we put resources toward interviewing this number of people?"
Education Minister Liz Sandals says the changes were made to clarify the original intent of the regulation: that teachers with enough experience on the job — 20 days — "shall" get an interview, not "may" get one, as the rules initially stated.
"It isn't like this is everybody who ever dropped a letter off at your personnel department" being entitled to an interview, she added.
Sandals acknowledged boards' concerns, but said, "We don't specify the structure of the interview. It's really up to boards to decide how onerous they want the interview to be."
Boards typically bring in many pairs of principals on weekends, without additional pay, to act as hiring panels, interviewing candidates for occasional teacher supply lists.
McDougald says Peel will have to bring in retired principals, and pay them, to handle the extra work.
Both the Peel and Toronto boards say they don't currently have separate lists for long-term occasional assignments — typically 10 days or more — and are now forced to create one to manage the new workload.
"This is going to have a significant impact at the board level, " added Michael Barrett, president of the Ontario
Public School Boards' Association. "These changes they are making do not rectify any issues that school boards put on the table. It compounds them even further."
Boards are most upset at a provision requiring principals to hire from the top five teachers with the most seniority, not the ones they think are best suited for permanent positions.
Barrett said the amendments were made without the input of school boards or a committee recently created to look at the concerns over Regulation 274.
"This smacks of a continued process by which they are making changes without consultation, and I thought we were past that, " he said.
Sandals said there was no consultation because the province was simply correcting the language in the regulation to match what had been agreed upon with the province's Catholic teachers, the deal that set the stage for those with other teacher groups in the province.
The ministry has said the "principle of the regulation (is) ... to promote a consistent, transparent and fair hiring process for long-term and permanent occasional teachers."
The updated Regulation 274 also opens up the applicant pool to those who have worked 20 days during a 10month period within the past five years. Sandals said this was done so as not to discriminate against a teacher who has taken parental or other leave.
But trustee Howard Goodman of the Toronto District School Board wonders why an exemption wasn't simply granted for teachers who have taken a leave.
He is not sure how the five-year stipulation will play out, "but what it does is open the door to a larger group of people; it shuffles people around a lot, " he said.
McDougald said the new rules seriously hamper the Peel board's drive to hire a more diverse teaching body -

typically new graduates.
Those concerns were echoed by the deans of education at universities across the province, who wrote to the education minister late last year.
"We believe that unless the regulation is revoked, there will be significant long-term adverse impacts on the renewal of the teaching profession in Ontario, " said the letter. "We feel that this is not in the best interest of
Ontario's public school students.
"By privileging seniority over all other factors in the hiring of teachers, the regulation removes school boards' freedom to hire the candidates whom they consider best able to meet the needs of students."
It also means that experienced teachers won't be able take jobs at other boards, given they won't have any seniority elsewhere, it adds.
Sandals said the province is open to changing the regulation "as long as it meets our criteria about fair hiring and transparency and reasonable access to new grads for jobs."
This article is for personal use only courtesy of Mississauga.com - a division of Metroland Media Group Ltd.

May 21, 2013
Brampton’s Bramalea Secondary School marked the official launch of its truck and coach program with celebrations and ribbon cutting at the school’s new training facility.
The Peel District School Board program is the area’s first for students interested in working in the trucking and transportation industry.
“Our truck and coach program is unique because of our brand new state-of-the-art facility designed specifically for this program,” said Peter Gibson, the school’s vice-principal.
“The facility alone sets us apart from any truck and coach program in Ontario, and possibly
Canada.”
The program opened for Grade 9 students this past September. It is designed to complement the school’s existing Specialist High Skills Major
(SHSM) program in transportation, which starts in Grade 11.
As a regional program, students are accepted from all over Brampton. They take courses focused on various aspects of the transportation industry and after high school graduation, students are expected to be
Truck and coach.
Liz Sandals, Ontario's education minister, watches as Brianna Watson-Abrams, a Grade 9 student in the transportation technologies program at Brampton's Bramalea
Secondary School, shows her the inner-workings of a small engine during the official launch of the school's Truck and Coach Technology facility.
Photo by Bryon Johnson prepared for college, university or a career in the transportation industry.
The program is offered in partnership with Centennial College and other advanced training institutions.
Centennial College first contacted the board about possibly creating the program. The college noticed more than
20 per cent of the enrollees in its transportation program were students from Peel, where there is a high prevalence of truck companies operating.
For more information, visit the school’s website .
This article is for personal use only courtesy of BramptonGuardian.com - a division of Metroland Media Group Ltd.

by Patrick B. Craine
Mon May 20 12:56 PM EST
TORONTO, May 20, 2013 ( LifeSiteNews.com
) – As North America’s largest Catholic school board prepares to vote Thursday on a motion to ban homosexual activist groups in the schools, LifeSiteNews.com has learned that school officials tried to block the move when it was brought forward in April.
Garry Tanuan, a new trustee in the Toronto Catholic District School Board, had filed his notice of motion by the deadline before the board’s April 25 th meeting, but board chair Ann Andrachuk and Director of Education
Bruce Rodrigues removed it from the agenda on a technicality.
In a rare display of dissension, however, the trustees at the April meeting challenged the chair, with one comparing Andrachuk’s actions to those of a “dictator,” and voted 5-3 to put the motion back on the agenda.
(View the meeting here .)
During the meeting, the motion’s opponents made clear that the real concern about it is that it would go against Bill 13, the Liberal government’s controversial “anti-bullying” legislation that forced Catholic schools to allow gay-straight alliances.
As she was challenged by trustee John Del Grande for scuttling the motion,
Andrachuk said it was removed as a “legal matter.”
“The motion was contrary to the [Education] Act and the Act supersedes any bylaws or policies of this board. We have to follow them first and foremost,” she said.
"If it's you as an individual who would like to challenge the government and its policies, that’s your opportunity, but at this particular time I made the decision in consultation with the director that that would not happen at this board today,” she said.
Click "like" if you want to defend true marriage.
After this exchange, Andrachuk went on to direct attendees to refrain from tweeting her comments. "If there is any tweeting going on about this conversation, we're already in public, it would be nice if the private opinions wouldn't be tweeted out to the world,” she said.
Backers of the motion have argued that Bill 13 itself violates the Education Act’s protection of Catholic denominational rights by mandating Catholic schools to allow groups that go against their faith. The motion itself charges that the government is “breaking the law” by violating section 93 of the Constitution, which enshrines Catholic denominational rights.
At the time of Bill 13’s passage last year, Toronto’s Cardinal Thomas Collins called it a “very real” threat to religious freedom that “overrides the deeply held beliefs” of Catholics.
In addition to the legal issue, Andrachuk claimed the motion had not been submitted by the deadline and that it ought to have been sent to herself as board chair and the director of education as board secretary, but instead was merely sent to the board’s recording secretary.
Other trustees protested, however, that while the board’s by-laws require motions to be sent to the chair and director, the standard practice is to submit them to the recording secretary who then forwards them to the chair and director.

A number of trustees said Andrachuk and Rodrigues had essentially taken it upon themselves to remove an item from the agenda because they disagreed with it.
Del Grande called it a "gross misconduct of democracy" and trustee Maria Rizzo said they were setting a bad precedent.
“I do really think that you've overstepped your authority and in doing so it's sort of like a dictatorship,” said
Rizzo, while also emphasizing that she does not support Tanuan’s motion.
“We've had notices of motions for ever and ever and ever. I have never heard you say, I'm going to pull this because I don't like what it says,” Rizzo added. “We're smart people, we can figure it out. … You are not our mommy and I really resent that you are treating us in this way.”
During the discussion, trustees Peter Jakovcic and Barbara Poplawski rose to support Andrachuk, and trustees
Jo-Ann Davis and Angela Kennedy, as well as student trustee Andrew Walker, opposed her. The five who voted against the chair were Rizzo, Del Grande, Tanuan, Davis, and Kennedy, and the three who voted to support her were Jakovcic, Poplawski, and Andrachuk.
The trustees will vote on Tanuan’s motion to ban GSAs on Thursday, May 23. Contact the trustees here .
Copyright © 2012 LifeSiteNews.com, Inc. All rights reserved.

Students in Oshawa challenge shadeism Page 1 of 4
News / GTA
Oshawa teen group is raising awareness at their school about discrimination based on one's skin tone.
NICK KOZAK / FOR THE TORONTO STAR
A group of black students in Oshawa including Infinitee Wellington, 17, are raising awareness in their school, and possibly throughout the Durham District School Board, about shadeism.
By: Kamila Hinkson News reporter, Published on Sun May 19 2013
Dark-skinned black girls are all tall, fat and quiet. Oh, and they shouldn't wear red lipstick — it doesn't look good against dark skin.
Light-skinned girls are pretty, full of themselves, and go out of their way to “act black.”
Those statements may sound outlandish, but they're not uncommon preconceptions in certain communities.
A group of 15 high school students in Oshawa is trying to raise awareness about the intraracial,
“black-on-black” discrimination they grapple with daily. It has a name: shadeism.
They deal with it at school, on the web, even within their own families. And while some of the media are new, the message is not.
The Star spoke to four students in the group.
All four were black, and they explained that for them, shadeism comes in many forms:
• Rap stars who only feature lighter-skinned girls in their music videos. http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/05/19/students_in_oshawa_challenge_shadeism.pri...
5/21/2013

Students in Oshawa challenge shadeism Page 2 of 4
• The hashtags #TeamDarkSkin or #TeamLightSkin , which are employed by Twitter users as descriptors.
• When others try to get their attention by referring to them as “darkie” or “light skin” instead of by their first names.
• On Instagram, where girls use filters to lighten photos of themselves before sharing them.
Also known as colourism, in the black community the issue is rooted in colonialism: sexual relations between the white slave masters and black slaves would produce children with lighter skin.
They, along with slaves who had naturally lighter skin, received better treatment than their darker counterparts.
The G.L. Collegiate students began this project in February, deciding to address shadeism and the elimination of the n-word during a Black History Month presentation for the school's “Week of
Acceptance.”
Students and teachers approached them afterward with questions about shadeism. None had ever heard of it before.
Now, they're fleshing out their presentation so they can get board approval to take their message on the road, visiting other schools in Durham Region and possibly in Toronto.
When asked why their peers make those comments, the four students' response was immediate and unanimous: “ignorance.”
“I'm glad we're doing this,” said Jah-One Fari, who is 15 and the only male member. “So we can get it out.”
Shadeism is seen as a gendered problem, affecting girls and women more than men and boys. But
Fari said he's had girls tell him they “don't date dark guys.”
What do they say, then, to someone who makes a derogatory remark about their skin colour right to their face?
“You need help,” pipes up Annesha Adams, 16, and shakes her head. They all dissolve into laughter.
They act tough, but admit the name-calling, insults and ignorance make them angry. And sad.
Shannie Felix-Albert admitted to having the #TeamLightSkin hashtag in her Twitter biography before her older sister ordered her to remove it. For the 15-year-old, it wasn't self-segregation — she was just stating a fact. Or so she thought.
“I was so unaware that it's a big problem,” she said.
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/05/19/students_in_oshawa_challenge_shadeism.pri...
5/21/2013

Students in Oshawa challenge shadeism Page 3 of 4
Infinitee Wellington, 17, said she was surprised to find a poem describing the plight of a lightskinned girl, indicating to her that though they supposedly have it all, they don't always feel that way.
Felix-Albert, who has lighter skin, identified with that, noting that her skin tone is only seen as advantageous within her own community.
“At the end of the day, I'm black,” she said.
This kind of social hierarchy is known as a pigmentocracy, said Camille Hernandez-Ramdwar, an associate professor at Ryerson University. She said it makes sense that shadeism would become a problem as schools shift from having a few black students who may stick up for each other, to having larger groups with varying skin tones.
Though lighter skin tones tend to be held in higher esteem than darker ones, Hernandez-
Ramdwar said the opposite was once true. As the Black Power movement gained momentum in the 1960s and 1970s, it brought with it the “black is beautiful” mentality, favouring dark skin, naturally curly hair and other “black” features. But the pendulum has swung back to the “white is light is right” message.
During his career, Michael Jackson created controversy over his skin colour, eventually claiming he suffered from vitiligo, a disorder that destroys skin's pigmentation. More recently, singer
Beyoncé Knowles has been the subject of debate, with some questioning whether her skin was lighter in certain photos.
Both celebrities have been accused of bleaching, a skin-lightening process practised around the globe . The worldwide market for skin lightening products is expected to reach $10 billion (U.S.) by
2015, according to the market research firm Global Industry Analysts.
Shadeism , a 2010 short documentary created by five Ryerson students, examines the issue from a cross-cultural perspective. The film chronicles the experiences of director and narrator Nayani
Thiyagarajah, a young Tamil woman, and four of her friends, who are of African, Caribbean, South
American and Southeast Asian descent.
In the film, Thiyagarajah describes how having pale skin at birth made her a “light-skinned wonder child” to her family. As her skin darkened, she says she began to question her culture's obsession with light skin. Realizing her 4-year-old niece had already internalized the main tenets of shadeism — dark skin bad, light skin good — prompted her to delve deeper.
“In a lot of communities, this issue of shadeism isn't given a name, but it's something that's become normalized,” Thiyagarajah said.
The team is extending the film into a feature documentary, and recently raised enough money through crowdfunding for post-production on the film.
“There were definitely women in the film who had lighter skin and recognized that it came with certain privileges, both in their ethnic communities but also across cultural and racial http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/05/19/students_in_oshawa_challenge_shadeism.pri...
5/21/2013

Students in Oshawa challenge shadeism Page 4 of 4 boundaries,” Thiyagarajah said, adding some light-skinned women reported feeling singled out for
“not being brown enough or black enough or Asian enough.”
Thiyagarajah says initiatives like the one started by the Oshawa students might not singlehandedly stamp out the practice, but are important as they inspire dialogue.
All four teenagers plan to continue the mission next year. They're considering naming their endeavour “Black in Canada: The Shadeism Project.” Felix-Albert said she came up with it as a tip of the hat to CNN's “Black In America” series. In fact, she wants the project featured on CNN.
Their drive is obvious and their enthusiasm, infectious.
“It's like Bob Marley said, ‘Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, None but ourselves can free our minds,' ” Fari said, quoting the reggae icon's “Redemption Song.”
“We're segregating ourselves,” Adams said.
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/05/19/students_in_oshawa_challenge_shadeism.pri...
5/21/2013

ISOBEL ORFI/Torstar Network
May 19, 2013
“Calling   somebody   stupid   won’t   make   you   any   smarter.
Calling   someone   fat   won’t   make   you   any   thinner.
Calling   someone   weak   won’t   make   you   any   stronger.”
Nine ­ year ­ old   St.
Faustina   Elementary   School   student   Nolan   Nambiar   addressed   the   growing   issue   of   bullying   in   his   prize ­ winning   speech   delivered   yesterday   (Thurs.
May   16)   at   the   University   of
Toronto   Mississauga,   site   of   the   first   What   if
Everyone   Did   Something   to   Stop   Cyber ­ bullying?
poster/video   competition   gala.
The   gala   was   the   culmination   of   a   new   program   created
Committee.
cyber ­
The bullying students contest
Students by
to   the
Peel awareness help within were demonstrating
Regional program victims.
pilot the
asked   to
seeks in
Police
to reinforce schools
Program schools   at create program's
a
Internet and   empower leaders both   school poster theme.
or
The
Safety
launched boards.
video   winner
of
a
Cyber bullying gala.
Fletcher's Meadows Secondary School entry,
Pay Attention won first prize and $1500 in the 1st ever "What If
Everyone Did Something" poster/video competition. The students were awarded their prize during the Cyber Bullying Awareness Gala
Thursday hosted by Peel Regional Police and the Peel Internet
Safety Committee at the University of Toronto Mississauga UTM. from left, Fiza Waraich, Nathan Taylor, Paige Fisher, Patience
Bradford, Orville Cummings and Sean Laird.
Staff photo by Fred
Loek the   competition   will   have   their   poster   displayed   throughout   Peel   in   bus   shelters   or   their   video   displayed   as   a   trailer   at   Cineplex   movie   theatres.
The   gala   was   a   celebration   of   the   finalists   in   the   contest.
Students,   teachers   and   community   members   were   invited   to   see   the   top   30   photo   and   video   submissions.
A   number   of   guest   speakers   also   told   their   stories   and   encouraged   students   to   "be   the   change"   and   stop   bullying   in   their   schools   and   communities.
The   gala   opened   with   speeches   from   Peel   Const.
Yvette   Logan   and   representatives   from   both   the   Peel   and   Dufferin ­ Peel
Catholic   district   school   boards.
Nolan,   who's   in   Grade   4,   presented   his   speech   on   bullying,   which   had   received   third   place   at   the   recent   Mississauga   North
Speech   Competition.
At   the   end   of   the   show,   Nolan   passed   out   pink   wristbands   he   had   made   to   spread   awareness   about   bullying.
The   bracelets   were   imprinted   with   his   speech   slogan:   “If   you   can   see   it,   you   can   stop   it!”
“I   got   the   idea   to   do   my   speech   on   bullying   because   I   was   once   bullied   and   I   know   a   lot   of   people   who   were   bullied,”   said
Nolan.
“I   hope   something   will   happen   with   my   speech   and   my   bracelets.
I   hope   they   will   help   everyone   take   a   stand   and   make   a   difference.”
Other   presentations   included   a   video   honouring   Brampton   student   Michelle   McCulloch,   winner   of   a   student   achievement   award,   and   a   speech   by   Josh   Yandt,   of   London,   who   overcame   years   of   bullying   and   spread   a   message   of   positivity   by   holding   doors   open   for   other   students.
Judges   said   choosing   the   three   winners   was   tough.
First   place   went   to   students   from   Fletchers   Meadow   Secondary   School   in   Brampton,   who   were   awarded   a   $1,500   cheque   for   their   video,   "Pay   Attention."
Second   place   went   to   Jamie   Alferez,   Lucky   Santos,   Aiken   Yong   and   Michelle   Jachna   from   John   Cabot   Secondary   School   in
Mississauga.
They   received   $500   for   their   video   presentation.
“It   really   means   a   lot   to   participate   in   this   contest,”   said   the   second ­ place   students.
“We   didn’t   really   expect   it.
It’s   a   bit   overwhelming.”
Their   video   consisted   of   the   four   students   performing   self ­ written   poems   about   the   impact   of   cyber ­ bullying.

“We   all   write   a   lot   of   poetry,”   said   the   students.
“For   this   contest,   we   really   wanted   to   send   a   message   with   our   video   to   help   end   cyber ­ bullying.”
Third   place,   and   $500,   went   to   a   Meadowvale   Secondary   School   student   for   his   poster,   "Hit   Ignore."
This article is for personal use only courtesy of BramptonGuardian.com - a division of Metroland Media Group Ltd.

Jason Spencer
May 18, 2013
MISSISSAUGA — Instead of kicking back for the long weekend, some 50 students rolled up their sleeves to help pick up litter at Shelby
Park today.
The Change the World: One Community at a
Time Park Clean-Up, was the curtain call for the month-long Change the World Youth Volunteer
Challenge, a provincially-sponsored initiative which aimed to encourage volunteerism to high school students.
The effort kicked off during National Volunteer
Week in April and had its sights set on getting
30,000 Ontario youth to give three hours of their time to the community, with 6,200 volunteers as the goal for Peel.
The spring cleaning session was hosted by
Volunteer MBC, a volunteer centre which promotes community service and pairs students with volunteer placements throughout Peel.
Volunteer MBC executive director Carine Strong said the first park clean up by the initiative six years ago was also behind John Cabot
Secondary School.
"Back then it was a lot worse than what we
Spring cleaning.
From left, Sanggavi Kuruparan, Volunteer MBC executive director Carine Strong and Ward 3 Councillor Chris
Fonseca were helping keep Shelby Park clean today during the
Change the World: One Community at a Time Park Clean-up. Some
50 students from John Cabot and Applewood Heights Secondary
Schools participated in the event.
Staff photo by Jason Spencer found it today," said Volunteer MBC executive director Carine Strong, adding that today's clean up was a success.
Sanggavi Kuruparan came out to pitch in with her friends. The Grade 9 John Cabot student had no qualms surrendering her time to such an important cause.
"The message is to help the environment and to take care of our world ... and to get the garbage off the ground," said Kuruparan.
The three volunteer hours Kuruparan earned went toward her high school diploma requirement of 40 hours.
Strong said participating students from John Cabot and Applewood Heights Secondary Schools also brought donations such as backpacks, socks and deodorant for local shelter Our Place Peel.
"We're trying to raise awareness for the homeless youth in Mississauga," said Strong.
"Our city wouldn't be the way it is without volunteers," said Ward 3 Councillor Chris Fonseca, who helped scour the field with picker and garbage bag in hand.
"We have so many great parks in the city and so much great green space, (to keep) our community clean we need everybody to participate," she said. "By choosing to do a park clean up, it's really sending a positive message to our young people."
Volunteer MBC also coordinated another clean up today at Lake Aquitaine Park.
Throughout the month, Volunteer MBC coupled students with volunteering opportunities at National Youth Arts
Week activities and the Mississauga Marathon.
"We try to match volunteers with something meaningful," said Strong.
jspencer@mississauga.net
This article is for personal use only courtesy of Mississauga.com - a division of Metroland Media Group Ltd.

MAY 21, 2013
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The Toronto District School Board has no problem supporting students. Image via TDSB .
Here's what happens when bullies bully the anti-bulliers.
Members of the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) are attempting to eradicate Gay-
Straight Alliances (GSAs) in an appeal to overthrow provincial Bill 13: The Accepting Schools Act. The bill explicitly states that all schools in Ontario must support LGBT “ organizations with the name gay-straight alliance or another name .”
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Board members Garry Tanuan and John Del Grande are the vocal leaders of the movement, who are opposed to gay-straight alliances insofar as they “promote a positive view of homosexual activity, which undermines Catholic teaching on chastity and marriage.”
Tanuan and Del Grande have quite the uphill battle ahead of them, facing opposition from both the chair of the board, and the Education Minister. The motion was first raised at the TCDSN meeting on April 25, but the board chair Ann Andrachuck refused to entertain the conversation, claiming that the movement was “unlawful” and “contrary to the education act.” Del Grande proclaimed that democracy “has been put to shame tonight.” (What a Drama Queen, eh?)
Likewise, Education Minister Liz Sandals was also quick to discourage the movement: “It is our responsibility to ensure all students feel safe and welcome at school.”
The movement will be put on the agenda for a meeting next Thursday, May 23.
[Via Xtra ]
__
Jeremy Schipper is an intern at Toronto Standard. You can follow him on Twitter at  @jeromeoschipps .
For more, follow us on Twitter at  @torontostandard , and subscribe to our  newsletter .
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Should a Protestant work in the Catholic school board?
Page 1 of 2
Life
The Catholic school system’s values should make teacher think twice before applying for job
DREAMSTIME
Catholic schools have a “preferential right” to hire teachers who are Catholic — or at least claim to be.
By: Ken Gallinger Ethically speaking columnist, Published on Fri May 17 2013
Q: I’m an active member of a liberal Protestant church. I’ve been hired at a local school board in a casual capacity. A friend, recently hired by the Catholic board, tells me her casual position pays significantly more. She has encouraged me to apply; is it ethical to do so?
A: Ontario has two publicly funded school systems, and they are fundamentally different. The public system is by definition non-sectarian; it is structured around community values rather than religious ones, and is open to Muslims, Jews, Catholics, Protestants, Wiccans, and anyone else who either chooses not to, or can’t afford to, send their kids to private school. The Catholic system, on the other hand, is explicitly sectarian. The Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) puts it this way: “while our schools adhere to Ministry of Education requirements, we do so from a
Catholic perspective … Faith development is integral to every part of a Catholic education.”
Please don’t ask me to defend that; asking an ethicist to defend such a situation would be like asking the Pope to curse out loud. But it is what it is, and no Ontario politician is going to challenge it after what happened to John Tory.
There are several important implications of building a faith-based system.
First, Catholic schools have a “preferential right” to hire teachers who are Catholic — or at least claim to be. I don’t know of another publicly funded institution that could legally ask job applicants about their religious convictions, but it is an explicitly stated preference/expectation http://www.thestar.com/life/2013/05/17/should_a_protestant_work_in_the_catholic_school...
5/21/2013

Should a Protestant work in the Catholic school board?
Page 2 of 2 that those who teach in the Catholic system be active, practicing Catholics. How this plays out varies from board to board, but if you applied for a teaching job in many parts of the province, you would be required to declare that you will “participate regularly in the sacramental life of the church” — and bring a note from your priest (!!) confirming that you do so.
Second, Catholic schools are for Catholic kids. In a paper called “ Catholic Education: Myths and
Realities ,” the Ontario Catholic School Trustees Association spells it out: “It is the constitutional mandate of Catholic Schools to provide Catholic education to Catholic kids.” That’s a fifteen-word sentence in which the word “Catholic” is used three times. Amen. There are some circumstances in which “other” kids are allowed to attend a Catholic school — but the system is explicitly designed for Catholics.
And third, Catholic schools are shaped by Catholic values. The TCDSB puts it like this: “Graduates are taught the virtues and values of the Catholic faith.” Please note that’s not “Christian,” but
“Catholic.” Most of those values, listed by TCDSB, are wonderful: faith, hope and love are at the core, with justice and ecology strongly expressed. But official Catholic values on LGBT issues, abortion and the place of women are more troublesome for many people.
So, let’s rephrase your question based on all this. You’re asking “Is it OK to take a job in a system where people of my faith don’t have the right to teach, where my kids don’t have the right to attend, and where some values are unacceptable to liberal protestants like me?”
Do you still need help to arrive at an answer?
Send your questions to star.ethics@yahoo.ca http://www.thestar.com/life/2013/05/17/should_a_protestant_work_in_the_catholic_school...
5/21/2013

Safety fears: Caledon East parents fight loss of school bus Page 1 of 3
News / City Hall
Caledon East Public School students face loss of school bus, parents say walk is not safe. Two children have died on Airport Rd. in last decade
ADAM MARTIN-ROBBINS / SPECIAL TO THE STAR
Nine-year-old twins Taylor, left, and Cassie Martin-Robbins at the corner of Hilltop Dr. and Airport Rd. in Caledon
East. Parents are fighting the decision to cancel a school bus.
By: Paul Moloney Valerie Hauch City Hall Bureau and Staff Reporter, Published on Fri May 17 2013
Two children have already died on Airport Rd. in Caledon East in the last decade and parent Adam
Martin-Robbins doesn’t want to see any more lives lost to the heavy flow of truck and car traffic.
That’s why he and more than 280 residents of Caledon East have signed a petition, recently presented to the Peel District School Board, asking it to keep the current school bus service — set to end this September — which picks up about 49 area children from 36 families and transports them safely to Caledon East Public School at 15738 Airport Rd.
They just don’t feel it’s safe for the children to walk a route to school that includes narrow sidewalks, obscured sightlines and a number of driveways, says Martin-Robbins whose twin 9year-old daughters, Cassie and Taylor, are in Grade 3 at Caledon East Public School.
“These are huge trucks and the sidewalk is very close to the road. My concern is big, heavy trucks driving very close to children as young as six,” says Martin-Robbins.
His local trustee Stan Cameron, who recently walked the route with Martin-Robbins and his children, agrees.
http://www.thestar.com/news/city_hall/2013/05/17/safety_fears_caledon_east_parents_fig...
5/17/2013

Safety fears: Caledon East parents fight loss of school bus Page 2 of 3
When the issue goes back to the school board May 28, Cameron plans to present a motion that the board ask Student Transportation of Peel Region (STOPR) — the consortium which operates busing for the public and Catholic school boards – to rescind its decision to drop the bus service for the 49 Caledon East Public School students.
“Yes, there are sidewalks but there’s only about a 3-foot gap to the road. This is not a distance issue, it’s safety,” said Cameron. “Nobody is saying it’s too far to walk. The issue is whether it’s safe to walk.”
The Martin-Robbins’ children live about 1.5 kilometres from the 255-student school, with a big chunk of that route along Airport Rd.
And there’s a lot of traffic rolling along 50-kilometre-an-hour Airport Rd. in Caledon East, which is used by an average 11,000 vehicles daily, including about 1,200 heavy trucks, according to data from the Region of Peel, Traffic Engineering, Transportation, Public Works.
Caledon Ontario Provincial Police has identified Airport Rd. as one of its “Hot Spots’’ because of
“increased volume and increased history of collisions.”
The Caledon area is a source of sand and gravel used in construction and Airport Rd. is one of the transportation routes used by heavy dump trucks run by a number of companies in the area.
Martin-Robbins said the community has not forgotten the deaths of 13-year-old Sarah Harding, who died in March 2012, after being struck by a car while trying to cross Airport Rd., near
Huntsmill Rd., and Christina Cardwell, also 13, who died in 2003 when she was hit by a car while crossing Airport Rd. on her bike.
He doesn’t understand why, for more than 25 years, the area has qualified for school bus service and suddenly it doesn’t. “The sidewalks went in in 1995 and it was still considered a hazardous area – so what’s changed?” he asks. “I’m baffled,’’ he says.
There is a bit of a mystery in all this, acknowledges Tom Howe, manager of STOPR.
“There doesn’t seem to be any record or rationale for why” busing to Caledon East Public School was started in the first place, Howe told the Star. He said busing is primarily approved on distance criteria, or for students who are challenged, or when there’s a “legitimate hazard” like if a highway intervened between a school and its students.
STOPR reassessed the Caledon East area bus routes this year and also consulted with the Town of
Caledon. The consensus was that the road and infrastructure were considered safe, with the addition of a crossing guard being provided by the town this September at Airport Rd. and Old
Church Road.
Howe said he realizes parents may not like the change but he says that STOPR’s job is to provide
“an equitable level of service.”
“How do we justify to other ratepayers, parents, that these kids are getting buses and their kids aren’t?” he said.
http://www.thestar.com/news/city_hall/2013/05/17/safety_fears_caledon_east_parents_fig...
5/17/2013

Iain Colpitts
May 17, 2013
MISSISSAUGA — The St. Martin Mustangs senior boys' soccer team won't be taking any opponent for granted anytime soon.
Coach Anto Cosic will make sure of that.
Yesterday, his charges reminded each other to play as if the score was tied 0-0 no matter how much they were leading by in their 6-0 win over the St. Paul Wolverines at Huron Park.
The win gave the Mustangs the Region of Peel
Secondary School Athletic Association AA championship and a spot in the Ontario high school championships next month in Stratford.
Cosic was expecting the contest to be closer considering the Mustangs and Wolverines finished first and second, respectively, in the
Southeast Division standings.
"We were up 3-0 when we played them on
Monday (in the final regular-season game) and we had that mentality of just taking it easy and they came back (in a 3-2 final)," Cosic said. "It wasn't a case of us wanting to run up the score today, we just couldn't let up. The game's not over until the whistle sounds, so until that comes, we'll keep pushing."
Man to man.
The St. Martin Mustangs defeated the St. Paul
Wolverines 6-0 yesterday to win the Peel high school AA soccer championship at Huron Park. Here, St. Martin's Michael Misiak (in white) and St. Paul's Ryan Kolenda go after the ball.
Iain Colpitts
Staff photo by
Luke Ewack led the way with a pair of goals while Jordan Cordero, Brandon Duarte, Paul Fila and Marlin Misiak also scored.
The Mustangs, who boast a 7-1 record this year, will advance to their third Ontario Federation of School Athletic
Associations tournament in the past past four years.
St. Martin has reached the quarter-finals twice in that span, but Cosic is hoping for better this year. He thinks having players who buy into the concept of team play will help.
"We had a few standout players last year, who we started to rely on, but this year we've stressed that it has to be a team effort," Cosic said. "We don't have one or two guys (who are) looking to win the game for us, but we do have a team that's willing to work well together and I'll take that any day."
Earlier Thursday, St. Martin's senior girls' team won 2-1 over St. Paul in another ROPSSAA AA championship match at Huron Park and the Loyola Warriors senior girls' team blanked the Iona Dolphins 1-0 to win the AAA championship at the Hershey Centre.
The Mustangs and Warriors will represent Peel at their respective tournaments in Windsor next month.
This article is for personal use only courtesy of Mississauga.com - a division of Metroland Media Group Ltd.

Roger Belgrave
May 17, 2013
PEEL — Preliminary numbers show the Peel District School Board could be facing a $9-million deficit.
The budget development process at the Board is now underway to determine costs and spending for the
2013/14 school year. Early figures show about $9 million in cost savings will have to be found to balance the books, according to Board chair Janet McDougald.
She mentioned the looming financial hole during Tuesday’s regular Board meeting.
Reductions in government funding, new labour deals and continued funding inequities are combining to make things difficult for finance staff, she explained.
McDougald said the provincial government’s controversial labour legislation, Bill 115, has been very costly.
The legislation was passed last fall to impose wage freezes, pay cuts, benefit reductions and other measures designed to save the government millions in education spending.
The bill drove teachers to protest and soured the relationship between teachers’ unions and the Liberal government. After Premier Kathleen Wynne took over from Dalton McGuinty, she initiated steps to mend that relationship. The government brought teachers back to the negotiating table and altered some of the measures imposed under the bill.
For instance, McDougald noted, the original bill required teachers to take three unpaid days next year. That has since been changed to one unpaid day, she said, meaning the Board now must pay teachers for two days it didn’t expect.
Also, Peel is no longer a growth board. Like most other boards in the province, enrolment increases have finally started to level out. With declining enrolment comes a decline in funding.
“That creates challenges,” said McDougald.
The Board is still spending about $12 million more than the Province is providing in funding to meet the needs of local special education students, she added. Compared to comparable school boards, Peel is not getting its fair share of grant revenues because the government continues to base funding on outdated census data, she said.
These kinds of funding issues are going to make the budget process a tough balancing act, she suggested.
Each department has been instructed to cut budgets by five per cent. The Board may also have to consider delaying some planned initiatives to save money, said McDougald.
The budget must be completed and submitted to the Ministry of Education next month and school boards are required to file balanced budgets.
-30-
This article is for personal use only courtesy of Mississauga.com - a division of Metroland Media Group Ltd.

Isobel Orfi
May 17, 2013
MISSISSAUGA — “Calling somebody stupid won’t make you any smarter. Calling someone fat won’t make you any thinner. Calling someone weak won’t make you any stronger.”
Nine-year-old St. Faustina Elementary School student Nolan Nambiar addressed the growing issue of bullying in his prize-winning speech delivered yesterday at the University of Toronto
Mississauga, site of the first What if Everyone
Did Something to Stop Cyber-bullying?
poster/video competition gala.
The gala was the culmination of a new program created by the Peel Regional Police Internet
Safety Committee. The program seeks to reinforce cyber-bullying awareness in schools and empower students to help victims. Program leaders launched a contest within pilot schools at both school boards. Students were asked to create a poster or video demonstrating the program's theme. The winner of the competition will have their poster displayed throughout Peel in bus shelters or their video displayed as a trailer at Cineplex movie
Cyber Bullying Gala.
Fletcher's Meadows Secondary School entry,
Pay Attention won first prize and $1500 in the 1st ever "What If
Everyone Did Something" poster/video competition. The students were awarded their prize during the Cyber Bullying Awareness Gala
Thursday hosted by Peel Regional Police and the Peel Internet
Safety Committee at the University of Toronto Mississauga UTM. from left, Fiza Waraich, Nathan Taylor, Paige Fisher, Patience
Bradford, Orville Cummings and Sean Laird.
Loek
Staff photo by Fred theatres.
The gala was a celebration of the finalists in the contest. Students, teachers and community members were invited to see the top 30 photo and video submissions. A number of guest speakers also told their stories and encouraged students to "be the change" and stop bullying in their schools and communities.
The gala opened with speeches from Peel Const. Yvette Logan and representatives from both the Peel and
Dufferin-Peel Catholic district school boards.
Nolan, who's in Grade 4, presented his speech on bullying, which had received third place at the recent
Mississauga North Speech Competition. At the end of the show, Nolan passed out pink wristbands he had made to spread awareness about bullying. The bracelets were imprinted with his speech slogan: “If you can see it, you can stop it!”
“I got the idea to do my speech on bullying because I was once bullied and I know a lot of people who were bullied,” said Nolan. “I hope something will happen with my speech and my bracelets. I hope they will help everyone take a stand and make a difference.”
Other presentations included a video honouring Brampton student Michelle McCulloch, winner of a student achievement award, and a speech by Josh Yandt, of London, who overcame years of bullying and spread a message of positivity by holding doors open for other students.
Judges said choosing the three winners was tough.
First place went to students from Fletchers Meadow Secondary School in Brampton, who were awarded a $1,500 cheque for their video, "Pay Attention."
Second place went to Jamie Alferez, Lucky Santos, Aiken Yong and Michelle Jachna from John Cabot Secondary
School in Mississauga. They received $500 for their video presentation.
“It really means a lot to participate in this contest,” said the second-place students. “We didn’t really expect it.
It’s a bit overwhelming.”
Their video consisted of the four students performing self-written poems about the impact of cyber-bullying.
“We all write a lot of poetry,” said the students. “For this contest, we really wanted to send a message with our video to help end cyber-bullying.”
Third place, and $500, went to a Meadowvale Secondary School student for his poster, "Hit Ignore."

Page 1 of 2
Fri, 17 May, 2013 10:59 AM EDT
TORONTO, May 17, 2013 /CNW/ - The Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association (OECTA) is proud to recognize
May 17 as the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, and reaffirms its commitment to providing safe, inclusive and respectful environments for all students to learn and grow.
Nearly one year after the passage of Bill 13, the Accepting Schools Act , Catholic teachers continue to support antihomophobia education programs and groups in Catholic schools that have the goal of eliminating homophobic and transphobic bullying - both in schools and online.
"OECTA has been a leading voice in our Catholic community promoting schools that are welcoming for our LGBTQ students," said Kevin O'Dwyer, OECTA President. "Great progress has been made and now is not the time to take a step backwards. We must continue to be vigilant in our efforts to ensure our schools are physically and emotionally safe for our students."
This year, OECTA provided workshops to hundreds of teachers across the province about the issues that marginalized and lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgendered and questioning (LGBTQ) students face in the classroom and online. Participants shared ideas and returned to their classrooms with concrete examples of what they can do immediately to become, as one teacher explained, "an agent of change to make change visible."
"As Catholic teachers we have a special duty of care that calls on us to nurture, accept, and respect every student," said
Kevin O'Dwyer, OECTA president. "I am proud of the work that OECTA's teachers do everyday to apply our belief that every student is created equal."
OECTA represents the 45,000 professional women and men who teach all grades in publicly funded English Catholic schools in Ontario.
SOURCE: Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/catholic-teachers-reaffirm-support-marginalized-145900...
5/21/2013

By ROGER BELGRAVE
May 17, 2013
Preliminary numbers show Peel’s public school board could be facing a $9 million deficit.
The budget development process at the Peel
District School Board is now underway to determine costs and spending for the
2013/2014 school year. Early figures show about $9 million in cost-savings will have to be found to balance accounting books, according to Board Chair Janet McDougald.
She mentioned the looming financial hole during last Tuesday’s regular board meeting.
Reductions in government funding, new labour deals and continued funding inequities are combining to make things difficult for finance department staff, she explained.
McDougald said the provincial government’s controversial labour legislation, “Bill 115 has been very costly,”.
The legislation was passed by the government last fall to impose wage freezes, pay cuts,
Budget planning.
Early figures show about $9 million in costsavings will have to be found to balance Peel District School Board accounting books for 2013/2014, according to Board Chair Janet
McDougald.
File photo by Rob Beintema/Torstar Network benefit reductions and other measures designed to save the government millions is education spending.
The bill drove teachers to protest and soured the relationship between teachers’ unions and the Liberal government. After Kathleen Wynne took over for former premier Dalton McGuinty, she initiated steps to mend that relationship. The government brought teachers back to the negotiating table and altered some of the measures imposed under the bill.
For instance, McDougald noted, the original bill required teachers to take three unpaid days next year. That has since been changed to one unpaid day, she said, that means the board now has to pay teachers for two days it didn’t expect to be funding.
Also, Peel is no longer a growth board. Like most other boards in the province, enrolment increases have finally started to level out. With declining enrolment comes a decline in funding.
“That creates challenges,” remarked McDougald.
The board is still spending about $12 million more than the province is providing in funding to meet the needs of local special education students, she added. Compared to comparable school boards, Peel is not getting its fair share of grant revenues because the government continues to base funding on outdated census data, she said.
These kinds of funding issues are going to make the budget process a though balancing act, she suggested.
Each department has been instructed to cut budgets by five per cent. The board may also have to consider delaying some planned initiatives to save money, according to McDougald.
The budget must be completed and submitted to the Ministry of Education sometime next month and school boards are required to file balanced budgets.
This article is for personal use only courtesy of BramptonGuardian.com - a division of Metroland Media Group Ltd.

TORONTO NEWS / More than 300 youth and 100 educators to take part May 17 to
20
Andrea Houston / Toronto / Thursday, May 16, 2013
Queer youth from schools across the country are gearing up for OUTShine , Canada’s first national gaystraight alliance summit, which takes place in Toronto this weekend, May 17 to 20.
More than 300 GSA members and 100 educators will come together at the Sheraton Centre and Jarvis
Collegiate Institute for a full weekend of workshops, entertainment, panels and speakers.
Egale executive director Helen Kennedy, who is organizing the event in partnership with the Toronto District
School Board’s office for gender-based-violence prevention, says the politics surrounding GSAs, and the resistance that some schools have demonstrated, will be front and centre.
“What we are trying to do is facilitate networking and dialogue between youth across the country to talk about the issues they are facing in their own communities and discuss some of the push-back from LGBT inclusiveness within the educational environment,” Kennedy says.
“We want them to talk about curriculum. We hope they create a dialogue and a series of networks to start comparing notes and talking to each other about the establishment of gay-straight alliances and inclusive spaces within their schools when they go home.”
Representatives from three Catholic schools, two in Ontario and one in Yukon, are attending. Also confirmed are youth from
North Battleford, Saskatchewan, who started the first ever GSA in a First Nations school.
“So you can imagine the wealth of information they will have to share around their experiences,” Kennedy says. “Shared experiences, I think, will be the most valuable parts of the weekend for the youth.”
Last year, Ontario passed Bill 13 , which mandates that GSAs must be allowed in all schools when requested by students. The passage of the legislation capped a two-year fight by students in Catholic schools, which previously banned GSAs .
Catholic Students for GSAs marching in the Toronto Pride parade in 2011.
(Andrea Houston (file photo))
While GSAs are common in public schools, especially those in large urban centres, most faith-based schools and schools in small rural communities continue to make it difficult for students trying to start the clubs, Kennedy says.
“What kinds of push-back are they still getting?” she says. “What kind of support are they getting from their boards and the broader community? Do they have access to resources?”
Organizers say they plan to hold the summit every two years in locations across Canada. The 2015 summit will take place in Winnipeg.
OUTShine: Canada's First GSA Summit_ Final Program by Andrea Houston

ETFO should butt out of Catholic school gay-straight alliance stance | Ontario | News | Toronto Sun
BY CHRISTINA BLIZZARD,QMI AGENCY
FIRST POSTED: THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013 06:28 PM EDT | UPDATED: THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013 06:37 PM EDT
Page 1 of 3
TORONTO - Why is the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) meddling in the affairs of Catholic schools?
They don’t represent Catholic teachers.
That union is the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) — so what gives with ETFO president Sam
Hammond putting out a news release Thursday slamming two Toronto Catholic school trustees’ move to have Gay-
Straight Alliances banned from Catholic schools?
“This motion goes farther than banning GSAs. It would shut down all student discussion on issues of sexual orientation or gender identity in school-based clubs,” Hammond said in a release.
“How does that make a young student who is lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) feel welcome or safe in a school environment? How does that educate students to be respectful of differences?” he asked.
Trustee Garry Tanuan has brought “The Anti-Bullying Clubs Policy Change” motion to the Toronto District Catholic
School Board.
Seconded by Trustee John Del Grande, the motion supports the anti-bullying program recommended by the Archdiocese of Toronto, which opposes bullying of any type — not just that directed at gays and lesbians.
The Catholic view of Gay-Straight Alliances is that it is a program promoted by activists and is not part of the curriculum.
Cardinal Tom Collins took the unusual step last year of holding a news conference to slam the hard line former premier
Dalton McGuinty took in forcing GSAs on Catholic schools.
Hammond’s meddling in this issue is just plain wrong.
Like it or not, Catholics have a constitutional right to their schools — and to teach the morals and values in keeping with their faith. It was a deal made 150 years ago to bring Catholics into Confederation.
You and I may not agree with those beliefs, but until a politician has the courage to break that deal and take away funding from Catholic schools, you have to either put up or shut up.
http://www.torontosun.com/2013/05/16/etfo-should-butt-out-of-catholic-school-gay-straight-alliance-stance 5/17/2013

ETFO should butt out of Catholic school gay-straight alliance stance | Ontario | News | Toronto Sun
The government risked a constitutional challenge with the GSA legislation.
And Hammond is wrong when he says it will shut down discussions about gay and lesbian issues in Catholic schools.
When I covered education, I found Catholic schools did a far better job of teaching the touchy-feely stuff than did public schools.
Why? Because they put it in a sensitive context that includes values and ethics — which the public board largely ignores.
Unless your idea of values and ethics includes a sexually explicit poster depicting a gay sex act.
In fact, OECTA’s website includes a prominent article about International Day Against Homophobia.
There’s a reason why parents put their kids into Catholic schools — in droves.
They want their kids educated according to their own values. They don’t want interfering, meddlesome activists and union leaders dictating their morals.
Remember the outcry when the Liberals tried to foist a far too explicit and inappropriate new sex-ed curriculum on the province? Where is it now? Underneath a pile of papers on her desk, Education Minister Liz Sandals said recently.
It’s not her top priority. Watch out, though. If the Liberals ever form a majority government, it’ll miraculously soar to the top of the pile.
Why is government so eager and determined to force their own sex agenda on our children?
Bullying is bullying — no matter why a kid is being singled out. It’s not just a gay issue. Kids are bullied simply for being different.
Hammond should go back to his day job — and try to get a deal with the government. While his members are back doing extracurriculars because they’re happy with the way talks are going, his is still the last hold-out and the most militant.
(Hammond did not return a request for an interview Thursday.)
Perhaps media interviews are an extracurricular.
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http://www.torontosun.com/2013/05/16/etfo-should-butt-out-of-catholic-school-gay-straight-alliance-stance 5/17/2013

Toronto trustees call on board to refuse gay-straight alliances in Catholic schools Page 1 of 2
Your Toronto / Schools
Two Toronto trustees are calling on their board to refuse to allow gay-straight alliances in Catholic schools.
By: Louise Brown GTA, Education Schools, Published on Thu May 16 2013
A Toronto Catholic District School trustee is calling on the board to refuse to allow gay-straight alliances in schools, even though Ontario law says they must be permitted if a student asks.
New trustee Garry Tanuan, elected in a December byelection, has proposed a motion calling on fellow trustees to agree that “schools shall have no gay-straight alliance (GSA) clubs” — in defiance of Ontario’s year-old Accepting Schools Act that says boards must let students set up GSAs if they wish.
Tanuan’s motion, which was seconded by Trustee John Del Grande and will come before the board
May 23, also suggests anti-bullying clubs follow guidelines set out last year by Catholic trustees, parents and bishops that such groups be called “Respecting Differences” clubs and not include political activism or personal counselling or discussion of gender identity or sexual attraction.
“Gay-straight alliances promote a positive view of homosexual activity, which undermines
Catholic teaching on chastity and marriage,” reads Tanuan’s motion. Tanuan could not be reached for comment, but his motion also claims the Accepting Schools Act steps on Catholic boards’ constitutional right to provide teaching that follows Catholic values.
The Catholic Church does not condone the homosexual act, although board Chair Ann Andrachuk said Catholic schools do support all students and are “very empathetic to concerns about safety.”
Andrachuk said she does not agree with Tanuan’s motion because “it’s against the law of the land, and nobody has the stomach for a constitutional challenge,” although she noted the term “gaystraight alliance” offends a number of people, not just Catholics.
Opposing GSAs was a campaign promise of Tanuan, a management consultant who has replaced former trustee Tobias Enverga Jr., who was appointed to the Senate last year. However,
Andrachuk said she has not heard of students at any board school asking to set up a gay-straight alliance. It was not clear whether the motion has enough trustee support to pass.
Ontario Minister of Education Liz Sandals said: “It is my expectation that all school boards comply with the Accepting Schools Act. It is our responsibility to ensure all students feel safe and welcomed at school. That’s why the Act states that neither the board nor the principal can refuse to allow students to have a gay-straight alliance or a similarly named club.” http://www.thestar.com/yourtoronto/education/2013/05/16/toronto_trustees_call_on_board...
5/17/2013

Toronto trustees call on board to refuse gay-straight alliances in Catholic schools Page 2 of 2
In a statement, Sandals noted: “Catholic school boards and stakeholders have demonstrated leadership and support in providing safe, positive and inclusive environments for all students. I know that Catholic values of tolerance and love make them natural allies in the fight against bullying. I hope the board will continue to foster an accepting environment for all students.”
The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario warned Tanuan’s motion “puts gay students at high risk.
“This motion goes farther than banning GSAs; it would shut down all student discussion on issues of sexual orientation or gender identity in school-based clubs,” said ETFO President Sam
Hammond. “How does that make a young student who is lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender feel welcome or safe in a school environment? How does that educate students to be respectful of differences?”
This Friday, May 17, marks the official launch of Outshine, Canada’s first national GSA summit and the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. The summit, to be held in
Toronto, will include students from the Sakewew High School Gay-Straight Alliance in North
Battleford, Sask., Canada’s first First Nations’ school to have a GSA. The summit is hosted by
Egale Canada Human Rights Trust, Canada’s only national charity promoting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans human rights through research, education and community engagement.
http://www.thestar.com/yourtoronto/education/2013/05/16/toronto_trustees_call_on_board...
5/17/2013

BY NECO COCKBURN, OTTAWA CITIZEN MAY 16, 2013
Rowan Stringer died after she was removed from life support on Sunday, four days after receiving a hard tackle and landing on her head and neck during a school rugby game the previous Wednesday.
OTTAWA — The province’s largest school board is stepping up the way it manages student concussions, and the issue has become increasingly complex, says a trustee involved in the work.
The Toronto District School Board recently launched a pilot program at eight schools to deal with how students who have suffered a concussion should get back to their studies.
Although school boards across the province follow protocols for a student’s return to sports after a brain injury, so-called “return-to-learn” programs aren’t so entrenched.
They should be, said Howard Goodman, a trustee who has been a key advocate for the Toronto program.
“When you break your leg, you don’t go running sprints before it’s healed. When you’ve injured your brain, you don’t go working it really hard until it’s healed,” he said.
Changes to the way a student learns might need to be in place for weeks, said George Kourtis, the board’s health and physical education program co-ordinator.

Lower lighting might be necessary, for example. The student might not be able to take notes or tests.
And teachers must be made aware that they’re dealing with a brain injury because it’s not always obvious, Kourtis said.
Officials are also exploring ways to improve communication and information provided about concussions, and to collect data, said Goodman.
Questions about concussion management at schools have followed the death of Rowan Stringer, a
Grade 12 student at John McCrae Secondary School who was taken off life support on Sunday. Rowan had received a hard tackle and landed on her head and neck during a school rugby game the previous
Wednesday.
The girl’s family has said she suffered blows to the head in at least two games in the week leading up to her final game, though school officials apparently weren’t told and her parents didn’t know about one of the incidents. The family has been waiting for autopsy results that might suggest what effect the other blows could have had.
Concussions are complex and challenging, partly because researchers are constantly learning more about how the brain works, Goodman said.
In schools, these injuries also require a change of mindset, he said. Teachers should tell students who have suffered concussions to do less, and students must recognize the significance of their injury and take appropriate steps to heal.
A requirement for boards to come up with policies for a student’s return to learning was part of legislation proposed by the provincial Liberal government in March of last year, though the bill’s progress stopped when the legislature was prorogued in the fall.
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board doesn’t have formal return-to-learn guidelines, stating that the effects of a concussion must be assessed on an individual basis.
“The medical health of the student is best assessed by his or her physician. The decision about a student’s readiness to return to school after an injury is one that is best made by the parents after consultation with a medical professional,” the board stated in an email.
Private schools such as St. Andrew’s College in Aurora, Ont., use the protocols. The St. Andrew’s guidelines include six stages for a recovering student that generally move from full rest and no electronic screens to gradually increased attendance and a return to the full program. Testing isn’t allowed until a student is cleared by a doctor.
About two years ago, the Toronto board approved a motion from Goodman that called for annual reviews of concussion procedures and training, as well as return-to-learn templates. Staff had been looking into such guidelines, but it all needed to move faster, he said on Thursday.
There are some challenges, Goodman said. Collecting data about suspected concussions is difficult because students who want to keep playing sports might not report symptoms, for instance.

When a concussion has happened outside of school, privacy concerns can hinder the transfer of information between a community sports club, doctors and other medical officials, and schools,
Goodman said.
Waivers are required and take time to process even as the effects of a concussion on a student are changing, he said. Officials have asked the provincial government to consider making a “fast waiver” procedure for such situations, he said.
“Here we have something that needs immediate attention, and needs attention from a whole group of people because nobody sees the whole thing,” Goodman said.
“The legal impediments about the waivers is a major obstacle, because the first week or two weeks is really critical and it often takes that long to sort out the removal of the legal hurdles.”
The board is also trying to improve the information it provides to students and parents, said Goodman.
Ensuring that messages are consistent with those provided by other sports organizations outside school is important, he said.
“There’s all sorts of things that we’re wrestling with to make it better.”
The board has held presentations for parents, said Kourtis. Thousands of coaches have had training through partnerships with the Toronto Argonauts football team, the University of Toronto, and renowned neurosurgeon Charles Tator, he said.
Ideally, Goodman would like to see information about the brain taught to all students — not just athletes — in every grade, he said.
“The sooner they understand what their brain is, the better they will understand themselves,” he said.
In the meantime, the board is working toward having every parent and student involved in organized sport at school take some concussion training, Goodman said.
ncockburn@ottawacitizen.com
twitter.com/NecoCockburn
© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen

BY NECO COCKBURN, OTTAWA CITIZEN MAY 16, 2013 7:24 AM
Are schools doing enough to monitor and protect students engaged in hard physical sports? Can more be done? Let us know.
Photograph by: Chris Mikula, The Ottawa Citizen
OTTAWA — Education and a “cultural change” are key to preventing sports-related concussions, says the medical director of the Eastern Ontario Concussion Clinic.
One of the biggest concerns is that athletes often don’t want to report receiving a hit to the head because they don’t want to miss games, said Dr. Kristian Goulet, and it’s important to stress the problems that leaving head injuries untreated can have.
“You want to get to the point where if the teammates see someone that they know is concussed, that they tell them not to go and play, and don’t just put the onus on the trainer or the coaches. It’s impossible for every coach and every trainer to monitor every single hit,” he said, especially in sports like hockey.

Click on the image to enlarge. To view other graphics visit our Graphics Blog or our Graphics board on Pinterest.
How schools, coaches, parents and students manage concussions has faced scrutiny following the death of Rowan Stringer, a 17-year-old student at John McCrae Secondary School.
Rowan was taken off life support on Sunday. She was knocked unconscious after landing on the side of her face and neck when she was tackled during a rugby game on May 8. Her family has also said that Rowan received hits to the head in at least two games during the previous week.
Rowan took pain medication after one of the games and felt fine, and her parents and coaches apparently didn’t learn about the second head injury until the girl’s friends told them after the incident on May 8. The family has been waiting for autopsy results to see what effect the other blows might have had.
Speaking generally, Goulet said it’s important to always err on the side of caution.
“The way that I look at it is if you take a hit — it doesn’t have to necessarily be the head — and you have a change in your mental status ... that’s a concussion until proven otherwise.
“You have to be pulled from that game and be evaluated by a health care professional trained in concussions.”
A change in mental status includes everything from a prolonged headache to nausea, dizziness and feeling foggy, he said.

Concussion education for students involved in high-risk or competitive sports would be a reasonable measure for schools to take, said Goulet.
“At the end it comes down to the kid being honest. You can teach the trainers and you can teach the coaches what to look out for, but if the kids aren’t going to be forthcoming with their symptoms — they can definitely hide the fact that they have a concussion and nobody would have any idea,” he said.
There are several benefits to having young people play sports, said Goulet, “but you just have to do it in the safest way possible.” ncockburn@ottawacitizen.com
twitter.com/NecoCockburn
© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen

Iain Colpitts
May 16, 2013
MISSISSAUGA — Andrew Nicholson has come a long way since his days at Father Michael Goetz
Secondary School.
Since graduating in 2008, he has been a basketball All-American, a conference player of the year in college hoops, a first-round NBA draft pick and has established himself as a rising prospect with the Orlando Magic.
This afternoon, he returned to Father Goetz, where it all began, to talk with The News about his rookie season.
"I've made the best of what I've been given," said Nicholson, a 6-foot-9 power forward who made an appearance in the NBA Rising Stars
Challenge during NBA All Star Weekend in
February. "I feel like I've gotten better both on and off the court and I'm looking forward to growing next year … One of my goals was to go to the All-Star Weekend and I made it there. I'm really looking forward to making my goals for
Andrew Nicholson.
Basketball star Andrew Nicholson was back at
Father Michael Goetz Secondary School briefly today (May 16) photo by Fred Loek
Staff next year and doing the same thing."
Nicholson, 23, is in town to participate in tonight's 5 To Watch conference at George
Brown College, an awards ceremony honouring five young professionals who have made an impact in the sports business industry.
Nicholson was invited to be a keynote speaker along with CFL commissioner Mark Cohon, Women's Tennis
Association executive Stacey Allaster and CTV broadcaster Brian Williams.
Last year, he was selected 19th overall by the Magic after a storied career with St. Bonaventure University in
Buffalo.
Nicholson led the Bonnies to the Atlantic-10 Conference championship as well as an appearance in the 2012
NCAA March Madness tournament and was later named Conference Player of the Year and an All-American.
In 75 games with the Magic, he averaged 7.8 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.
The team finished at the bottom of the league standings with a 20-62 record, but Nicholson feels the team has potential with fellow rookies Maurice Harkless, DeQuan Jones and Kyle O'Quinn developing.
"We're all together whether we're working out or working hard on the court," Nicholson said. "It's a pretty young core and we're going to continue developing our chemistry next year."
In the future, Nicholson would love to suit up for his country in international competitions. Canada is producing many top-notch prospects such as recent NBA draftees Tristian Thompson, Cory Joseph, Kris Joseph and Robert
Sacre.
As well, youngsters such as Mississauga's Nik Stauskas, Brampton's Anthony Bennett and Kelly Olynyk of
Kamloops are making waves in the NCAA while Thornhill's Andrew Wiggins, who recently committed to the
University of Kansas, is projected to be the top pick in the 2014 NBA draft.
The most important thing Nicholson addressed with The News is that he's still the same guy he's always been.
The culture of being a professional athlete can be overwhelming for a young player, but Nicholson has taken steps to ensure he doesn't get swallowed up by the pro life. He's careful with his money and he earned his physics degree from St. Bonaventure before entering the NBA draft.
"I like to save my money and think of the future," Nicholson said. "I'm not out there buying expensive things, I just like sticking to the same life I've always had. I've always wanted to have a degree and play pro basketball and I think I've accomplished that."
This article is for personal use only courtesy of Mississauga.com - a division of Metroland Media Group Ltd.

Iain Colpitts
May 16, 2013
MISSISSAUGA — It was an emotional day for the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Crusaders senior girls soccer team, but not because of the final outcome in their game versus the Gonzaga
Bulldogs.
Yesterday afternoon's 2-1 loss at Gonzaga was the last time longtime coach Mike Maiola would guide his charges. He is retiring at the end of the school year.
Maiola, the only active staffer who was there when Mount Carmel opened 26 years ago, serves as the school's athletic director. He recalls nothing but good times in his tenure.
"There's a lot of emotions, that's for sure," said
Maiola, who also worked at Loyola secondary school for nine years before moving to Mount
Carmel.
"What I'll remember the most is that we've always had one of the most competitive (senior girls) teams in all of Peel. We've won two
Make a move.
The St. Aloysius Gonzaga Bulldogs defeated the Our
Lady of Mount Carmel Crusaders 2-1 in Wednesday's Region of Peel senior girls' soccer match at Gonzaga. Gonzaga's Yelena Banjavcic
(14) tries to get by Mount Carmel's Jessica Michetti.
Iain Colpitts
Staff photo by
(Region of Peel) championships and made two
OFSAA appearances in those eight years (I was coaching)."
To pay tribute to their coach, the Crusaders wore red armbands with "MAIOLA" written across them.
Team captain Rachel Donaldson said the Crusaders have the utmost respect for Maiola because he always has a positive attitude, regardless of whether his team wins or loses.
"He's not only seen as a soccer coach, he's seen as someone we look up to," Donaldson said. "It's good to have a coach like him and I'm very glad to end my season with him … We just wanted to do (the armbands) to make him happy and it clearly worked for the best."
Nicole Zajak scored both goals to lead Gonzaga to victory while Jessica Michetti notched the lone marker for
Mount Carmel.
Neither team qualified for the playoffs this season. The Crusaders, last year's Region of Peel Secondary School
Athletic Association champions, finished with a 2-3-1 record while the Bulldogs finished at 3-3.
Maiola was proud of his team's fourth place finish at last year's provincials, a feat that was good enough for the antique bronze medal.
He's even more pleased about the core lessons his players have learned during his many years of coaching various teams.
"You're always representing the school and you always have to be a class act," Maiola said. "You have to be loyal not only to yourself, but the other girls, because everybody's depending on each other. The girls showed no quit and they fought this year."
Through 35 years with the Dufferin-Peel Catholic School Board, Maiola said it's been a pleasure going to work every day.
"I can honestly say I've had an unbelievable ride," he said. "I could never have imagined my career being like this." icolpitts@mississauga.net
This article is for personal use only courtesy of Mississauga.com - a division of Metroland Media Group Ltd.

Justin Fauteux
The Globe and Mail
PublishedThursday, May. 16 2013, 3:27 PM EDT
Last updatedFriday, May. 17 2013, 12:12 AM EDT
Two Toronto Catholic District School Board trustees are looking to eliminate Gay Straight
Alliances from the city’s Catholic Schools.
Trustee Garry Tanuan, who represents Ward 8 Scarborough, will introduce a motion at a May
23 board meeting that states that “Toronto Catholic District School Board schools shall have no
Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) clubs or similar.” The motion was seconded by Trustee John Del
Grande, who represents Ward 7 Scarborough/NorthYork.
What Mr. Tanuan is proposing would go against Ontario law. Last June, the provincial government passed the Accepting Schools Act, which stated that students could not be prevented from setting up a GSA in any Ontario school.
In a statement Thursday, Ontario Education Minister Liz Sandals said that no school board is exempt from the Act.
“It is my expectation that all school boards comply with the Accepting Schools Act,” said Ms.
Sandals in the statement.
“It is our responsibility to ensure all students feel safe and welcomed at school. That’s why the
Act states that neither the board nor the principal can refuse to allow students to have a gaystraight alliance or a similarly named club. Catholic school boards and stakeholders have demonstrated leadership and support in providing safe, positive and inclusive environments for all students. I know that Catholic values of tolerance and love make them natural allies in the fight against bullying. I hope the Board will continue to foster an accepting environment for all students.”
Mr. Tanuan did not respond to requests for comment.
The Accepting Schools Act officially came into effect in September. However, later that month it was revealed that a provision in Canada’s constitution could be used to circumvent the Act.

According to Eugene Meehan, a constitutional scholar who was hired by a conservative-minded think-tank Cardus, Section 93 of the Constitution Act of 1867 protects the rights of Catholics to run their own schools in ways consistent with their religious doctrines. This would allow for an appeal to the federal cabinet, which has the power to impose legislation to amend provincial law.
Mr. Tanuan’s motion calls for all anti-bullying clubs to adhere to the “Respecting Difference” report issued by the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association in January of 2012. This report offered guidelines for Catholic schools that included calling groups like GSAs “Respecting
Differences” clubs and avoiding discussions of sexual attraction, political activism and gender identity.
According to the report, these groups would not be meant as “fora for activism, protest or advocacy of anything that is not in accord with the Catholic faith foundation of the school.”
Kevin O’Dwyer, president of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association (OECTA), said having a group call itself a gay-straight alliance in a Catholic school has “never been an issue” for the teachers he represents.
“We need to have the wherewithal and the tools to address students’ needs,” said Mr. O’Dwyer.
“There are clearly students that are gay and lesbian that are struggling... I think we’ve recognized a need to continue to respect all walks of life that come into our communities. That’s the focus we need to have.”
The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) issued a statement Thursday condemning Mr. Tanuan’s motion, saying it “puts gay students at high risk.”
“This motion goes farther than banning GSAs. It would shut down all student discussion on issues of sexual orientation or gender identity in school-based clubs,” said ETFO President Sam
Hammond in the statement. “How does that make a young student who is lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) feel welcome or safe in a school environment? How does that educate students to be respectful of differences?”
Sal Piccininni, Catholic School Board Trustee for Ward 3 North York, was frustrated by Mr.
Tanuan’s motion.
“It’s a motion put out by a new trustee who is very naïve and doesn’t respect the law of the land and can’t seem to understand that no matter how many times we tell him,” he said, referencing that Mr. Tanuan was elected in a by-election in December. “I’m hoping that it doesn’t pass. I think my colleagues see the light.”
Mr. Piccininni added that he is in support of allowing gay-straight alliances in Catholic schools.

“I have no problem with gay-straight alliances in Catholic schools,” he said. “I have no problems with people talking about their feelings. I think it’s wonderful for student rights.”

By FRANK JUZENAS
May 16, 2013
The Notre Dame Knights senior boys’ soccer team knew their playoff hopes were on the line on Monday afternoon.
And they came through, equalling their biggest offensive output of the season in a 5-3 victory over the St. Thomas Aquinas Cardinals at
Chinguacousy Park in a Region of Peel
Secondary School Athletic Association
(ROPSSAA) Tier 1 contest.
The victory allowed the Knights to finish their regular season with 10 points, after a 3-3-1 record. With their 10 points they have moved into a four-way tie for second place in the
Northeast division.
“Mathematically we still have a chance to make the playoffs. It depends on what the other teams do,” said Knights head coach Nelly Joao.
Sandalwood Heights Sabres lead the Northeast with 15 points and one game remaining.
Ascension of Our Lord Eagles, Cardinal
GOING FOR THE BALL.
Dali Rafo (16) of the Notre Dame Knights attempts to stop a St. Thomas Aquinas opponent in a ROPSSAA Tier
1 senior boys’ soccer contest at Chinguacousy Park. The Knights took a 5-3 victory.
Photo by Bryon Johnson
Ambrozic Riverhawks, Notre Dame and St.
Marguerite d’Youville Panthers all have 10 points. Ambrozic and Notre Dame have each finished their seasons while Ascension and Sandalwood each have one game left. D’Youville has two games remaining. Only the top two teams in each division will advance to the playoffs which begin next week.
Notre Dame has had a bit of an up and down season. Joao said injuries have hurt the team. In the last week the
Knights claimed the championship of the Peel Cup Invitational tournament, but lost a league game the next day to Ascension.
Against the Cardinals the Knights gave up the first goal but scored four consecutive times to pull away on a sunny but cool day. Paul Bialkowski scored three times while Chinelo Johnson and Gursraj Grewal had singles.
Nathaniel Ennis had three goals for the Cardinals, who slipped to 2-3-2 with eight points as their season ends.
This was a re-building year for coach Nick Galati as all of the roster is expected back next season.
The top two spots are determined in the Northwest division. Defending Ontario Federation of Schools Athletic
Association (OFSAA) champion St. Edmund Campion Bears and the St. Francis Xavier Tigers finish their regular season deadlocked, each with 5-0-1 records. The teams met on Friday, playing to a 1-1 tie.
The Bears completed play defeating the third-place St. Augustine Falcons 3-0 on Monday. The Bears, who scored 32 goals, yielded just two during the regular season.
This article is for personal use only courtesy of BramptonGuardian.com - a division of Metroland Media Group Ltd.

Peel police called into lunch-hour protest at Mississauga Catholic school Page 1 of 2
News / GTA
Students protesting changes to lunch that some claim would cut into extracurriculars and academic help.
By: Arshy Mann Staff Reporter, Published on Wed May 15 2013
Lockers were banged, garbage cans thrown and the cops were called in — all because of a change to the lunchtime at one Mississauga school.
Peel police were called to Ascension of Our Lord Catholic Secondary on Friday afternoon after students staged a walkout to protest changes to their lunch hour.
The school had recently announced it would be changing the one-hour lunch period into two 40minute periods which different grades would take at different times.
Many students argue the change not only reduces their lunch by a third, but that it hurts working students who can’t stay after class for academic help or extracurriculars.
At least 100 students protested outside the school with some carrying signs emblazoned with
“#keepcommonlunch.” But as it began to rain, the students went back inside and some ran through the halls banging on lockers and throwing potted plants and garbage cans.
“Some of the kids were in the hallways and screaming out, ‘Keep common lunch,’ ” said student
Samantha Thompson. “But some of the kids got too silly.”
Peel police confirmed they had been called to the scene but would not say how many officers were dispatched.
One student claimed to see five cars, while another said she saw seven.
A number of students were suspended after the protest, but the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District
School Board declined to say how many.
The lunch changes are purely a safety issue as only a handful of staff supervise 800 students during lunch hour, said Paul McMorrow, supervisor for the Brampton East-Caledon-Dufferin-
Malton family of schools.
“If we can reduce the number of students during any given time that require supervision that’s a positive thing,” he said. “We don’t want to wait till something happens to take these proactive steps.” http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/05/15/peel_police_called_into_lunchhour_protest_...
5/15/2013

Peel police called into lunch-hour protest at Mississauga Catholic school Page 2 of 2
Many students are upset because they use the lunch hour for academic help or to participate in extracurriculars. But if classes take place during that time, those facilities will be in use.
“The art room is open for ceramic, you can go play basketball, because no classes are taking up that space,” said Grade 11 student Jessica Serrao.
She said many students must work after school and so can’t stay behind for tutoring or extracurriculars.
“We’re not a rich community,” she said. “There are kids in my school that have to work two jobs to put food on the table.”
The school board said the change has been in the works for a while and that the school consulted numerous stakeholders, including the school safety committee, the Peel police neighbourhood policing unit and the school council.
McMorrow said they had not received any calls from parents on the issue. However, Serrao said her parents called the school early last week and she claimed to know numerous other parents who had done the same.
Serrao said students intend to continue protesting the changes.
With files from Kim Magi and Andrew Nguyen http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/05/15/peel_police_called_into_lunchhour_protest_...
5/15/2013

Torstar Network
May 15, 2013
TORONTO — After hearing for months about the bullying her 11-year-old daughter has allegedly endured in the schoolyard, Jill Trahan-
Hardy took matters into her own hands.
Dissatisfied with the solutions presented by administrators at Earl Haig Public School, she has become her daughter’s near-constant guardian in the hallways, at recess and during lunch. With the approval of the superintendent,
Trahan-Hardy is at her daughter’s classroom door from the moment the bell rings — a fix she calls extreme but necessary.
“It’s ridiculous that I have to do this,” said
Trahan-Hardy, who has been escorting her daughter in school since Monday. “Hopefully this doesn’t have to go on for the rest of the school year, but if it does, I’ll be here.”
As the potentially tragic implications of bullying are repeatedly thrust into the spotlight, this case points to the mounting unrest of parents
Team work.
Following a bullying incident, Jill Trahan-Hardy is escorting her daughter, Grade 5 student Harley Campos, to class at
Earl Haig Public School. She picks her up at her classroom at recess and lunch, basically acting as her body guard.
Medleson/Torstar Network
Rachel whose children suffer schoolyard torment and raises questions about the appropriate response.
Trahan-Hardy said she first brought her concerns about bullying to teachers in March. But she began to truly fear for the safety of her daughter, Harley Campos, when her alleged tormenters — two Grade 7 girls — confronted her during the lunch hour early last week.
According to an audio recording of the interaction, the older girls repeatedly threatened to beat up the Grade 5 student for talking behind their backs, and making quips about one of their mothers who had recently passed away — allegations Harley denies.
Trahan-Hardy pulled her daughter out of school, and brought the recording, made with another student’s iPhone, to administrators. But she was unhappy with the day-and-a-half suspension she said the older students received, and upset by the fixes the school offered, such as allowing Harley to stay in the office during lunch, or transfer to another school.
“She is being punished for being bullied,” Trahan-Hardy said. “It’s unacceptable.”
Trahan-Hardy also reported the incident to police. Const. Wendy Drummond said an investigation was conducted, but no charges laid. The case is now closed.
Citing privacy concerns, school board superintendent Vicky Branco declined to discuss the specifics of the case.
But speaking on behalf of school officials, Branco confirmed that, at the moment, a parent is “volunteering in the school for a period of one week.”
“As with any resolution, each is unique and made in the best interests of the student. . . . Should there be any concerns moving forward, we will of course have further conversations with those involved,” she said in an email.
TDSB spokesman Ryan Bird said schools rely of a number of methods to deal with bullying, including
“restorative practices, mediation, progressive discipline, and use of social workers.”
Karen Finley-Kelly, co-chair of the school council at Earl Haig, said Trahan-Hardy’s concerns are not shared by most other parents, who view it as a “very safe and supportive community.”
“If (being at school is) what’s going to make her feel better, I guess that’s OK, but I think the school does a pretty good job on its own,” she said. “I worry that more kids will feel that they will have to do that. I don’t like that idea, and I don’t think it’s necessary.”
David Smith, a bullying prevention expert at the University of Ottawa, said the trouble with this solution is that it risks “further isolating” Harley, a concern Trahan-Hardy said she also shares.
But Harley said having her mom around isn’t as “weird” as she thought it would be. And so far, apart from the odd snicker in the hallway, the older girls have left her alone.

Isobel Orfi
May 15, 2013
MISSISSAUGA — Seven students from the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board showed off their bilingual ability when they won awards this past Saturday at “Le concours/festival d’art oratoire,” an annual French public speaking contest.
The contest is organized by Canadian Parents for French and the Ontario Modern Languages Teachers
Association, and it was held at Glendon College, York University’s bilingual campus.
This year, 220 schoolchildren from across Ontario qualified for and competed in the event. The Dufferin-Peel
Board sent 23 students to the contest.
The prize winners in the Grade 9-10 category were Stephani Ponniah and Olena Pankiw from Philip Pocock
Secondary School, Melissa Sam Soon from St. Aloysius Gonzaga and Amina Almawlawi from St. Joseph.
In the Grade 11-12 category, the winners were Sukaina Al-Mawlawi from St. Joseph, Anna Halawa from St.
Francis Xavier and Safrine Mouajou from Holy Name of Mary.
The cash prizes ranged from $125 to $250 for the winning students.
“Le concours/festival d’art oratoire” is the largest French public-speaking contest in Ontario. It's held annually and is open to students from Grade 4 through to Grade 12. The contest consists of children reciting an original speech and answering several questions from the judges.
This article is for personal use only courtesy of Mississauga.com - a division of Metroland Media Group Ltd.

By ROGER BELGRAVE
May 15, 2013
Public school trustees have decided to wait one more year before beginning to phase out
French Immersion classes at Brampton’s David
Suzuki Secondary School.
Last month, Peel District School Board trustees voted 6-4 in favour of phasing out the program starting next September. Grade 9 students, who expected to begin classes in the school’s program next fall, were going to be redirected to Brampton Centennial Secondary School where a new program was to be launched in
September 2013.
The decision drew vocal protest from parents and students who had visited Suzuki, attended an information night and chosen the program last fall.
They were surprised and upset when the board informed them this past April that the program was being phased out and Grade 9 students who still wanted to enrol would have to go to
Brampton Centennial.
Trustees have been inundated with phone calls and emails since voting to move the program.
Some of those upset parents showed up at last
French Immersion plea.
Parent Imran Ali presented a delegation at the Peel District School Board meeting Tuesday night asking trustees to reverse a decision to begin phasing out the French Immersion program at Brampton's David Suzuki Secondary School next fall.
Photo by Roger Belgrave night’s regular board meeting to request trustees reverse their decision.
But before delegations began, Brampton Trustee Suzanne Nurse surprised parents again by presenting a motion to have trustees reconsider their previous decision.
Board members ended up deciding to defer the program’s phase out for one year. By a 9-3 vote, they agreed
French Immersion at David Suzuki would accept Grade 9 students in September. But after that, no more new students would be accepted at the school and the program there will end when next year’s crop of freshmen graduate Grade 12.
An alternative French Immersion program will begin at Brampton Centennial in September 2014 and students from the Suzuki area who want to continue those classes after elementary school will have to do it there.
Nurse, who supported the original decision to begin the phase out this year, said she changed her mind because the board’s decision-making process left parents and children with very little advance warning their school of choice had been changed.
Brampton Trustee Steve Kavanagh, who also voted to defer the phase out, said he supports moving the French
Immersion program to Brampton Centennial, but until last month the board process gave trustees and families no “hint” the program would be moved.
“It’s just rushed through... we have snatched away a portion of the dreams of these students and their families,” he remarked.
Imran Ali’s daughter Aamna is already taking French Immersion in Grade 9 at David Suzuki and his 13-year-old son Rafay is scheduled to enter the program next September.
The family was upset by “the last-minute notification” of his son’s redirection to Brampton Centennial. Even though the board’s deferral means his son will join his older sister at Suzuki next September, Ali’s Grade 6 daughter Maryum will not be able to join her siblings if she wants to continue French Immersion in high school, he noted.
Gail Brathwaite was considering sending her daughter to the local Catholic high school, where Extended French is offered or the regular program at Fletcher’s Meadow Secondary School after learning French Immersion at
David Suzuki would be closed to Grade 9’s next year.

Brathwaite and daughter Kyayra were impressed by the program at Suzuki and neither were keen about the 13year-old spending two hours on public transit travelling to and from Brampton Centennial each day.
Suzuki, which opened in 2011, is also more aesthetically appealing to parents and students than Brampton
Centennial, which opened its doors in the ‘60s.
Parents with kids at Brampton Centennial and trustees cautioned parents enraptured by Suzuki not to judge the older school by its appearance. Kavanagh three children have attended the school.
“It would be the school of my choice,” he said.
But the old school, in an older, built out part of the city has seen enrolment decline, while Suzuki, in a still rapidly developing part of Brampton, is experiencing enrolment surge.
Phasing out French Immersion at Suzuki is an attempt to control increasing enrolment at the school— where school board administrators are beginning to worry about having enough space for students.
The school has capacity for about 1,500. With room for 12 portable classrooms that capacity can be stretched to about 1,850 students.
According to school board staff, enrolment at the school is projected to be 1,800 students with the existing
French Immersion enrolment next fall. Numbers were expected to climb to 1,850 by the fall of 2014.
On the other hand, Brampton Centennial has an enrolment capacity of about 1,404 students. Adding the French
Immersion program there, starting the with the Grade 9 students who were expected to head to Suzuki next
September, would have given the school a student population of about 1,076 students next fall.
Redirecting students “would help balance enrolment versus capacity at both schools, and reduce David Suzuki’s projected enrolment,” an administrative staff report had concluded.
This article is for personal use only courtesy of BramptonGuardian.com - a division of Metroland Media Group Ltd.

by John-Henry Westen
Tue May 14 2:26 PM EST
TORONTO, May 13, 2013 ( LifeSiteNews.com
) – A new Toronto District Catholic School Board motion up for vote on May 23, seeks to reject the Ontario Liberal Government’s enforcement of homosexual activist clubs in
Catholic schools. "The Anti-Bullying Clubs Policy Change" motion supports the anti-bullying program recommended by the Archdiocese of Toronto, which opposes bullying of any type in school, thus rejecting
Premier Dalton McGuinty’s insistence on homosexual-focused anti-bullying clubs. (See the motion here )
The motion, submitted by Toronto District Catholic School Board Trustee Garry
Tanuan and seconded by Trustee John Del Grande, has the support of Catholic ratepayers and parents groups around the province which fought the legislation passed in June which attempted to force compliance by Catholic schools.
Jim Hughes, National President of Campaign Life Coalition, told
LifeSiteNews.com: “I think it’s very courageous of Garry and John. More importantly, this motion is in keeping with the Catholic faith. I applaud them for showing leadership in bullying solutions that respects Catholic teaching. I encourage all supporters of Catholic education, especially in Toronto, to ask their trustees to support this motion.”
Taking its cue from legal opinion rendered after the passage of Bill 13, the motion notes, “The provincial government is breaking the law by violating s. 93 of the Constitution, which enshrines the denominational rights of the Catholic schools,” by insisting on Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) clubs, which “promote a positive view of homosexual activity, which undermines Catholic teaching on chastity and marriage.”
The motion quotes Cardinal Thomas Collins noting that “the key issue is not just the [GSA] name itself, but the content connected with the name.”
The trustees recall that it is their duty to “protect Catholic school principals from being forced to betray their
Catholic values.” Moreover, the motion notes that such a decision is up to the trustees to make.
On March 7, 2012 the Toronto Catholic District School Board passed a motion by an overwhelming majority of
Trustees in a vote of 8-2 making “Respecting Difference” clubs the anti-bullying solution for the board. The
“Respecting Difference” document was drawn up by the Ontario Catholic School Trustees Association and approved by the Archdiocese of Toronto as an anti-bullying program in line with Catholic teaching.
The motion concludes: “That the Toronto Catholic District School Board schools shall have no Gay Straight
Alliance (GSA) clubs or similar and that anti-bullying clubs and activities must adhere to the framework outlined in ‘Respecting Difference.’ And be it further resolved that the relevant section of the Board’s Equity and Inclusion (EIE) Policy shall be amended to reflect that “Respecting Difference” shall govern the operations of school anti-bullying clubs.”
Contact:
Contact Toronto District Catholic School Board Trustees here .
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