Prepared on behalf of Board of Trustees and the LDCSB, the Community Update is designed to provide relevant information about progress on the LDCSB’s 2023-27 Multi-Year Strategic Plan (MYSP).
CATHOLICITY AND COMMUNITY
Faith Day: October 6 PD Day
The theme for Faith Day 2023, “Called to Love: Community, Connection, and Communion,” was inspired by this year’s Catholic Education theme and our Board’s commitment to strengthening community, connection, and communion. As a Catholic educational institution, we participate in the mission of the Church and we accept the Church’s invitation to listen in love, to be a healing presence to one another and to strengthen relationships. The day included participation in a common Liturgy of the Word and faith formation around the Christian understanding of love, listening with the heart, and what staff could learn from the ongoing Synod for our work in education and in schools.
Pastoral Care of our Catholic Schools – Resources
The Diocese has created some wonderful resources to help support the collaboration between schools and parishes.
OCSTA 2023 Short Video Contest
Students in Ontario’s Catholic District School Boards in grades 4 to 12 are invited to create a 2-minute video demonstrating how the scriptural quote, “If we love one another, God lives in us.” (1 John 4:12), is reflected in how we treat and respect one another. Details were shared with schools.
EQUITY, INCLUSION AND WELL-BEING
Navigating World Events
World events can impact individuals, classes, schools, communities and beyond depending on their nature and scope. Our LDCSB Fostering Hope & Resilience resource is a one-page document that offers tips to promote the well-being of all during world events. This resource is supported by other resources that offer a deeper dive about ways to help students in response to world events while navigating supportive conversations during world events both of which are from SMHO's how to help students after tragic events resources.
Monthly Well-Being Resources
A new digital resource for staff. Each undated monthly placemat will include a broad theme and will be full of quick, ready to use mental health and well-being activities & resources that can be implemented & embedded into everyday classroom and school practices.
Mental Health Champions and Equity Leads
Up-to-date rosters of our LDCSB school-based Mental Health Champions and Equity Leads was created. These Champions and Leads are the point persons in each school on various topics.
Truth and Reconciliation Week
The LDCSB honored Truth and Reconciliation Week at the end of September. During this time, we acknowledged the tragedy of residential schools in Canada. The LDCSB recognized Orange Shirt Day as an important step in reconciliation, and in particular with our neighbouring Indigenous nations Chippewas of the Thames First Nation, Munsee Delaware Nation, and Oneida Nation of the Thames.
STUDENT LEARNING, ACHIEVEMENT AND GLOBAL COMPETENCIES
Early Years Sound Walls
A sound wall is organized by the place and manner of articulation. You will often see two walls in a classroom. One wall for consonants, supporting students in thinking about the individual sounds they hear in words. The second wall for vowels, visually represented in the shape of a valley to mimic the change in position of our mouths and shift in our jaw when producing the vowel sounds. While we only have 5, sometimes 6 vowel letters, those letters represent 18 vowel sounds. Students are explicitly taught how to hear the different types of sounds, as well as to recognize voiced and unvoiced sounds.
myBlueprint Accounts for Students
LDCSB students use myBlueprint for course selection, but there are also many other features of this digital tool that can be used in all courses. Career research, post secondary research, exploring the skilled trades, IPP planning, portfolios to present work, class portfolios, interest inventories and more.
Learning Priority: Mathematics Long Range Plans for K-8
One of the LDCSB’s System Goals is that all students will become increasingly proficient in mathematics. A plan that has a focused progression of math learning is a key tool to help students develop mathematical proficiency. Educators can access the LDCSB’s long-range plans within their educator resource portals.
Early Literacy and Mathematics Collaboration
One of the LDCSB’s System Goals is that all students will read by the end of grade 1. At the beginning of the school year, educator learned more about the students in their classrooms and establishing routines for learning. Educators were asked to collaborate with a colleague from Learning and School Services to assist in those areas.
Cyber Security Month
It's Cyber Security Month! Keeping Kids Secure from Kindergarten to Graduation. October is Cyber Security Awareness Month in Canada. Cyber security is a shared responsibility to teach and learn simple steps to protect yourself and your devices.
STEWARDSHIP OF RESOURCES
School Devices
The board regularly places large orders of devices to take advantage of bulk order discounts. In addition, these orders help improve the student to device ratio in schools most-in-need. Devices are distributed to schools at intervals throughout the school year.
Regina Mundi Replacement
The Ministry of Education recently announced that it has granted additional funds for a replacement secondary school for Regina Mundi Catholic College (RMC) in London. The revised amount to construct the new building is $51.6 million. Rising material and construction costs, inflation and delays due to the pandemic contributed to the need for additional funding.
The new school, to be built on the current property, will have a capacity for approximately 700 students. Construction could start as early as Spring of 2024. Renderings of the new building are available on the LDCSB website.
Large Capital Projects and Priorities
The LDCSB has approval to construct three new schools and are hoping for approval to construct more.
Approved Projects
New NW London elementary school
New NE London elementary school
Replacement for RMC secondary school
Next Largest Capital Priorities
New SW London elementary school
New Middlesex Centre elementary school
New North London secondary school
New St. Thomas elementary school
Replacement for St. Patrick, Lucan elementary school
New St. Thomas secondary school