Catholic School Board briefs
Strategic plan in the works
Candace Thomson
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, October 30, 2013
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Trustees with Yellowknife Catholic Schools (YCS) attended in a planning session earlier this month to discuss the board's new three-year strategic plan. During the session, they discussed the successes of the board during the last three years, and the challenges they have ahead.
Those challenges, according to superintendent Claudia Parker, include funding the Do Edaezhe leadership program, which is entering its fifth and final year of $7.2 million in funding from the federal government's Crime Prevention Action Fund. The program identifies students with leadership abilities and fosters those skills through workshops, cultural activities and participation in special events.
"We've seen a lot of success in that program and it's really important for us to continue it," Parker said. "But it's going to be a challenge to keep it going."
Board members are pleased with the work they've been doing with aboriginal students, the expansion of their French programs and the use of technology in the classroom.
Parker said she hopes to present the finalized plan before the trustees during the board meeting in December.
Students rewarded for diploma exam results
St. Patrick High School principal Coleen McDonald and vice-principal Don Reid attended the Oct. 16 board meeting to speak about the diploma exam results from last year.
Four students achieved 100 per cent on their Math 30-1 exams and one student achieved 100 on their Math 30-2. The students who accomplished this were rewarded with $500 in cash from the school board.
In Math 30-1, 11 out of 23 students scored an 80 per cent or higher on their exam.
"This is the first time we've seen achievement of this level in our schools with four students getting perfect marks on their exams," said Reid.
There were also four Minister's Awards given to St. Patrick High School students last year, which is also quite the accomplishment, according to Reid.
$29,000 from GNWT for elders in schools program
Yellowknife Catholic Schools has been granted $29,000 from the territorial government so it can pay for First Nation elders to visit schools and speak with students.
The money will go toward paying the elders for giving presentations, taking part in programs such as culture camps or simply being at the schools to make connections with aboriginal students. The elders are paid $250 per day that they attend the schools.
"This initiative will go towards our focus of improving on aboriginal students' education and achievement," superintendent Claudia Park said. She said there has already been a lot of money in recent years going toward cultural camps in YCS and she is happy to see that continuing.
Anti-bullying expert coming to YCS
Students, staff and, potentially, parents, will be able to voice their concerns over bullying and cyber-bullying when expert Parry Aftab visits Yellowknife in February. Aftab is a U.S. lawyer who specializes in cyber-law, cyber-harassment, cyber-bullying and privacy.
There will be a full-day conference for St. Patrick High School students, which Grade 7 to 8 students from St. Joseph School will also be invited to attend. There is also the potential for a parent session in the evening if enough interest is shown, according to superintendent Claudia Parker.
Parker said the schools have had to deal with cases of bullying and cyber-bullying.
"We know that in every school there's some bullying that takes place, but with social media it becomes easier for people to bully other children and not realize the seriousness of it," she said.
During the Oct. 18 board meeting both Johnnie Bowden, assistant superintendent of learning, and Mike Huvenaars, assistant superintendent of finance, wore pink to represent the anti-bullying campaign.
