St. Monica Catholic School Council Newsletter
Issue 13
JK Supplement
May 21, 2009
Connecting Parents and Guardians with our School Community…
On behalf of St. Monica School Council, we
would like to welcome you and your children
to our school! This year the School Council
had a wonderful group of parents and
guardians who worked together to make
things happen at St. Monica. We will be
preparing for another great year in 2009/2010
and encourage you to join us…
Have you considered being part
of School Council?
We
welcome all new members!
The meetings are open to all parents and
guardians of St. Monica School. Everyone
has different experiences and ideas that can
add value to the school and the Council.
Being involved is a nice way to meet new
people, to become familiar with the school
and staff and to help make your child’s school
experience something to remember!
time
What is the School Council?
Is
The School Council is a committee of parents,
guardians and staff from St. Monica School.
All parents and guardians of our students are
invited to our meetings and are welcome to
join the Council.
Many parents may hesitate to attend
meetings or become involved in Council due
to concerns about the amount of time
required. There are many positions available
on Council and the meetings are held only
once per month. The Council and our school
are pleased with any time that parents can
offer. If you would like to learn more about
School Council, please visit our website or
send us an e-mail. You can also leave a
message with the school office and one of the
Council members would be happy to talk with
you in person!
St. Monica School Council represents the
parents/guardians by sharing your ideas and
suggestions with the school. We support and
encourage ways to enhance the educational
experience of our students. The Council also
contributes to the fund-raising efforts in the
school and helps to organize volunteers for
various events and activities.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Phone:
Website:
E-mail:
(905) 454-6346
www.dpcdsb.org/MONIC/School+Council/
council4parents@yahoo.ca
a concern?
1st meeting:
September 2009 (TBD) - 7:00 pm – St. Monica
School Library – Please join us!
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board.
But, did you know that today Catholic
education systems exist only in Ontario and
Alberta? Over the years provinces have
eliminated separate school boards in an effort
to consolidate funding. Since the last election
there has been a growing public debate about
the funding of Catholic schools to the
exclusion of other faith-based schools. Will
our education system cease to exist?
In August 2007, the Institute for Catholic
Education provided an overview of dialogues
across the province entitled: Our Catholic
Schools - A Discussion on Ontario’s Catholic
Schools and Their Future: Summary Report.
Members of the Catholic community and
school boards across Ontario participated.
When asked about what makes Catholic
schools distinctive, the top five responses
were:
•
•
•
•
•
a place where we can exercise our
freedom to practice the Catholic faith
tradition
reinforces the teaching of our Catholic
values
a place where students learn about social
justice and service to the community
promotes respect and the dignity of all
people
promotes the strong home-school-parish
relationship.
When asked what they value about
Catholic schools, the top five reasons were:
•
•
•
•
•
the distinct culture and the Catholic
tradition
the teaching of values, morals and
discipline
the traditions
the connection between home, school and
parish
social justice activities and the belief that
we are responding to a “call to service”.
What can we do? There are ways we can
help keep Catholic education alive:
1. BECOME INFORMED – There are
many books and papers available on the
importance of Catholic education. Authors
such as Father James T. Mulligan have
written papers and books such as
Distinctly Catholic (1999), Catholic
Education: The Future is Now (1999) and
Catholic Education: Ensuring a Future
(2005) and others. Reading these
wonderful works can help us to gain more
appreciation for our unique education
system. Catholic Education Week (May
3 - 8, 2009) is also a time to reflect and
celebrate the unique and distinctive
contribution that Catholic schools make to
our students, our community and our
province.
2. BECOME A ROLE MODEL – As
parents, we are the primary educators of
our children. By showing children that our
own faith development is important, they
will learn by example. We can also seek
ways to help bridge the gap between
parish, home and school. Developing
positive relationships and becoming
involved in school activities shows your
child that you value their education.
3. BECOME AN ADVOCATE – Develop
your own ideas and thoughts on Catholic
schools, so you can share this viewpoint
during discussions about publicly-funded
education. During election time, become
aware of the candidates’ platforms on
education – it may be a deciding factor.
Lastly, remember that we are blessed with a
unique balance of faith, discipline, values and
academic excellence that makes Catholic
education a gift…
The Link newsletter is written by parents for parents…
Author/Editor:
Reviewers:
L. Felato (Community Rep.)
L. McNicol and D. Rutigliano (Council
Co-Chairs), M. Smith (Principal) and
M. Miller (Vice-Principal)