Director`s Annual Report

HURON-PERTH CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
Faith and Learning... Celebrating the Journey
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Director’s 2005-2006 Annual Report
It’s different here
DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE
Director’s Message
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It is once again my distinct privilege to develop and submit to
the Ministry of Education, the Board of Trustees and our
community, a report on our initiatives and progress.
The Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board had an
excellent 2005/06 school year as demonstrated by many
student and staff achievements and successes. Underpinning
these is the unwavering inspiration we draw from our faith as we
continue our commitment to Catholic education. We are
blessed to have highly talented staff who care deeply for the
4,800 students we have the privilege of serving.
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“Our vision, ‘Faith and Learning, Celebrating
the Journey,’ will guide us as we continue to
develop a Catholic learning community with
the goal of improving student achievement.”
Larry Langan, Director of Education
In the spring, we developed a new Strategic Plan for our
Board. This resulted in a comprehensive, clearly defined
roadmap for our school system for the next three years. Our
vision, 'Faith and Learning, Celebrating the Journey,' will guide
us as we continue to develop a Catholic learning community
with the goal of improving student achievement. In our new plan
we worked hard to align our practice with our strategic
directions. We're optimistic we can continue our focus on
students, advance our goals of continuous improvement, and
engage students, parents and the community – while
simultaneously enhancing accountability and celebrating
excellence.
The reduction of class size across the system was an
important focus for the Board last year. We also worked
diligently to provide the finest learning environments for our
students and continued to invest in capital repairs and
renovations to improve the condition of our schools, a direction
supported by the Ministry's 'Good Places to Learn' initiative.
Each of our schools instituted Safe and Healthy School
Teams which were busy mapping out plans to ensure all our
students felt safe, healthy and secure. Our system also adopted
a Daily Quality Physical Education program that helped us all to
stay more active.
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In the area of province-wide assessment, Huron-Perth
continued to score well above the Ontario average on all
assessments; in fact we led the province in a number of areas.
While our results were positive, schools continued to develop
action plans and strived towards improving levels of
achievement for all students. The Huron-Perth Board remains
dedicated to giving all learners the support and options they
need to reach the highest levels of achievement possible.
We're also very proud of the results of our secondary Student
Success initiative. Our students have experienced success and
received a great deal of support in choosing their pathways to
the future. We've been blessed to have two outstanding
secondary schools.
In this report you'll read about our many new partnerships,
programs and initiatives as we discovered new ways to provide
quality education for our students. The Huron-Perth Catholic
District School Board had the privilege of working closely with
the provincial Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat throughout
2005/06 and as a result we were instrumental in the
development of many innovative new programs currently being
showcased throughout the province.
We have a tremendously dedicated and supportive staff.
Our partners in Catholic education – our entire staff, Catholic
school councils, parents, volunteers and our parishes – all
worked cooperatively to provide the best for our students. Our
trustees continued to provide excellent leadership and guidance
and remained very active within the school system. We've been
truly blessed to have such outstanding individuals serving our
students.
We trust you'll find this publication both enlightening and
encouraging. Thank you for supporting Catholic education.
I'm always interested in your comments or suggestions. You
can write me at P.O. Box 70, Dublin, ON NOK1EO, or email me
at [email protected]
Larry Langan
Director of Education
Huron-Perth Catholic Schools | Phone: 519-345-2440 | Fax: 519-345-2449 | www.hpcdsb.edu.on.ca
FAITH
WORKING TOGETHER TO ENHANCE OUR FAITH
Working together to enhance our fai
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Catholic education has been an integral part of Ontario's
history for more than 160 years. As part of the province's
publicly-funded education system, Catholic schools educate
approximately 600,000 students each year – almost one-third
of Ontario's students.
The Catholic Education Team had an extremely busy and
productive year in 2005/06. Their focus was to enhance faith
development opportunities for staff and students. Some of the
highlights of their work included:
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“This board's greatest strength is without
a doubt its attention to our Catholic identity.
We try to operate on a day-to-day basis
with this focus in mind, ensuring our
schools live our mission.”
Larry Langan, Director of Education
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As a Catholic learning community, a key priority for the
Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board is to ensure our faith
is infused throughout the curriculum. Our faith is also prominent
in our policies, protocols, professional development
opportunities and our board communications. In our schools we
have the daily privilege of celebrating our faith in liturgies,
religion classes, prayer services, and retreats. Through
charitable and community initiatives, students have many
opportunities to develop a commitment to serve. By nurturing
this spirit of service and bringing the curriculum to life,
educators are able to help students explore their full spiritual
and academic potential. Each becomes, for the world, the light
of Christ. Our schools are involved in a multitude of charitable
projects both locally and provincially.
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offering support and professional development
for religion advisory teachers
developing a campaign and new materials to
further promote Catholic graduate expectations
forming 'Teachers As Scholars' partnerships
with King's College, which allowed our teachers
to participate in lecture series at the college
co-coordinating the Mother Teresa Faith
in Action Awards and Annual Student Trustee
Award program
helping to plan and facilitate system and
individual school faith development days
co-ordinating Catholic Education Week activities
sponsoring the Annual Principal/Deanery dinner
supporting 'When Faith Meets Pedagogy' Conference
developing a brochure for parents on religion
courses in secondary schools
organizing the 'Called to Lead' program for staff
faith development
aligning our strategic plan with the London
Diocese plan, 'Embracing a Future Full of Hope’
Quick Fact:
The spirit of giving was alive and well in 2005/06. Donations to charity from students and staff topped $110,000.
Huron-Perth Catholic Schools | Annual Report 2005-2006
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ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
SETTING OUR SIGHTS ON LITERACY AND NUMERACY
Sights
on literacy and numberacy
Supporting teachers and
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improving learning
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The Board's strategic focus for the elementary grades
continued to be on literacy and numeracy during 2005/06. Our
efforts to provide the best resources for students and the most
innovative supports for teachers led to impressive progress and
success in many areas.
Success belongs to every student
Using the Ministry's resource guide, Education for All,
elementary teachers and support staff received professional
training which gave them new and effective teaching techniques
for all students; in particular those with special needs.
'Differentiated Instruction,' for example, showed teachers how to
tailor teaching methods to individual students' needs, learning
styles and abilities. Teachers were also equipped with new
resource materials, textbooks and classroom teaching tools.
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These 'Professional Learning Communities' gave
teachers a great opportunity to learn from one another.
We continued to support Literacy Resource Teachers.
These teachers worked in teams of four, paying regular
visits to classrooms where they helped teachers plan
and teach lessons, review the process and prepare for
next steps. They were also assigned to work with young
students in an intervention program that supported
early learners in Grades 1 and 2.
“Today a reader, tomorrow a leader.”
Margaret Fuller, leading intellectual of the 19th century
Quick Fact:
Education For All funding enabled 25 teachers to
take a Special Education course last year.
Building literacy skills in new ways
We're always looking for new and innovative ways to support
literacy and we came up with some exciting – and effective –
strategies in 2005/06. Take our new 'Tutors on the Bus'
program, for example. Every Tuesday we bused in 20 university
students from King's University College at the University of
Western Ontario. These young adults were dropped off at our
four elementary schools in Stratford where they spent the
morning helping students in Grades 1 to 6 improve their
reading and writing skills. Most of the university students were
interested in pursuing careers in education and were grateful for
the volunteer opportunity. Stratford pupils quickly connected
with their young tutors and teachers observed real progress.
Other initiatives that supported literacy skills were introduced
in 2005/06, including:
• With boys in mind, we added more non-fiction
books, since research shows their interests
tend to gravitate more to non-fiction than fiction.
• Teachers regularly met with other teachers outside
their home schools to share literacy teaching
strategies, experiences and best practices.
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Counting on numeracy progress
Strong numeracy skills and effective teaching strategies are
inextricably linked. You can't have one without the other. That's
why we introduced some new initiatives in 2005/06 to give
teachers more valuable tools they can use in the classroom.
“Having teachers come together to share
classroom experiences and exchange ideas
about how kids learn best leads to improved
teaching strategies. This type of collaboration
was a very strong focus for us last year
and continued to be a high priority in
our budget allocations.”
Martha Dutrizac, Superintendent of Education
Huron-Perth Catholic Schools | Phone: 519-345-2440 | Fax: 519-345-2449 | www.hpcdsb.edu.on.ca
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
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With help from the Ministry of Education's Literacy and
Numeracy Secretariat, we made a professional teaching video
in 2005/06 aimed at split grade programming. The video
offered instructional tips to help teachers reach students of all
learning styles and abilities.
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In 2005/06, we also introduced a dynamic teacher training
process known as job-embedded professional learning. This
simply means the training took place in the classroom while the
teacher was teaching, as opposed to at an off-site location
where the emphasis is more on theory. Research shows this kind
of 'real time' training has a powerful impact. It encourages
teachers to reflect on their own practices and consider teaching
alternatives. It also means they can use the feedback and
incorporate suggestions on the spot.
Teachers also participated in what we call demonstration
lessons to study how students approach learning math. Experts
from the Ministry's Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat helped to
conduct the lessons, which included suggestions and tips for the
effective use of Math textbooks.
Maximizing the power of data
benchmarks. To maximize the use of data, we also held
workshops for teachers and principals to show them how to
interpret and use data in classroom practice to improve student
performance.
Success Story:
Daily exercise pays off
Jennifer Prendergast has seen the difference 20
minutes of daily physical activity can make to
students. The Grade 6 teacher at St. Joseph's School
in Clinton says her pupils are happier, more focused
and a lot more alert since the daily exercise program
was introduced in 2005. In every elementary
classroom in Huron-Perth and elsewhere across
Ontario, teachers like Jennifer have been leading
their students in daily physical activity as part of the
Ministry's Healthy Schools initiative. When the
program was first launched, in-class trainers visited
teachers to show them ways to get students moving in
fun and easy ways. Jennifer's class decided to do two
10-minute sessions a day; one mid-morning, the
other mid-afternoon. Sometimes they played games,
sometimes they just did jumping jacks. Usually there
was music involved. “Being able to stand up, jump
around and get moving really re-energized the kids
for the rest of the day,” says Jennifer. “You'd think it
would lead to things getting out of control, but the
opposite was true. They let off steam and that helped
them refocus when they sat back down.” Her 11-yearold student Jeb agrees – for mostly the right reasons.
“I liked it because you got to miss work and it was fun.
It helped get me ready to learn again.”
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The Board has always kept data, but in 2005/06 we
dramatically improved the collection and application of it. We
used it to better track progress and identify problem areas so we
could make informed decisions. Our 'data warehouse' stores all
kinds of information on student performance and had many
applications. For example, the reading and math scores we
collected allowed us to instantly track a student's performance
and identify whether he or she had reached the expected
“Harnessing the power of data to better
understand student learning – to see where
they're excelling and where they need help –
represents an amazing opportunity. Data is
an extremely useful tool in our never-ending
quest to improve student achievement.”
Martha Dutrizac, Superintendent of Education
Huron-Perth Catholic Schools | Annual Report 2005-2006
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ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
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Encouraging & developing leadership
Early JK registration a big success
At the Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board we
recognize the importance of leadership development so in
2005/06 we introduced our staff to some exciting new
training opportunities.
In 2005/06 we very successfully piloted an early registration
program for three-year-olds. These future graduates of 2020
registered for junior kindergarten in November 2005 – almost a
year before they headed off to school in September 2006.
Representatives from various pre-school support programs in
Huron-Perth were also on hand to explain to parents what they
had to offer and to answer questions. It proved to be a great
opportunity for parents and service providers to connect at a
critical juncture in children's lives. These future JK students also
got tours of the school and met their principals so they had a
chance to get a 'feel' for the school. The 'Calling All Three-YearOlds' program was a highlight in 2005/06 and was
enthusiastically welcomed by families served by the board.
Elementary teachers aspiring to become principals, viceprincipals or curriculum advisors participated in a two-part
leadership series, called 'Journey to Lead' which touched on a
number of areas including the history and context of Catholic
education, communication strategies and conflict resolution.
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Elementary principals and vice-principals also met monthly
throughout the school year and were introduced to respected
researchers, members of the Ministry's Literacy and Numeracy
Secretariat, and exposed to such prominent guest speakers as
Dr. Michael Fullan, author, researcher and international
authority on leadership in education.
We also facilitated an exchange program with Head
Teachers (what we call principals) from Wigan in the U.K. In
February 2006 they came to Huron-Perth to study how we
approach literacy, numeracy and employ technology in
education. In July 2006, some of our staff went to see how the
U.K. approached those topics in their schools. It was a valuable
learning experience for both sides.
Human Resources
- Our people are our strength
The Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board continued its
commitment to having a well-supported and healthy workforce
by introducing a number of improved benefits for our 500
permanent staff members in 2005/06.
We hired Shepell.fgi, one of North America's leading
providers of health and wellness solutions for employers and
their employees. Shepell.fgi offers a wide range of counselling
services – in person, over the phone and on-line. We anticipate
e-counselling will be a popular service, since it's conveniently
available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, anywhere there's a
computer. Shepell.fgi helped maintain the Board's continuing
focus on prevention and work-life balance, by providing support
on family matters, medical concerns, child and elder care, as
well as legal and financial matters.
The Board continued to support wellness in our schools by
working with Health Systems Group, specialists in workplace
health strategies. The company brought assorted activities and
clinics into our schools, all designed to inform, inspire and keep
our teachers healthy and active. The Amazing Huron-Perth
Race, for example, challenged teachers to take a healthy
10,000 steps a day. Pedometers helped keep everyone
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motivated and on target. The race, which turned into a schoolto-school challenge, proved being active could also be fun.
Our conversion last year to a new system of finding
replacements for absent employees has made the process
quicker, easier and more flexible. The computer software,
known as SmartFind Express, has been well received by staff. A
simple phone call into the system from an employee who expects
to be absent now generates a search in the same area for a
suitable replacement, then contacts that person with the offer
and details. Considering the Board might need as many as 100
replacements on a given day, having a fast, reliable and flexible
system is crucial.
Our Human Resource Information System continues to
expand, giving us more control and enhanced ability to meet the
needs of the Board and staff. The new computer software we
added last year now also generates our payroll, a function which
was previously subcontracted out. Our database continues to
track such areas as seniority, job history, date of hire, absences
and courses taken, but now adds payroll to its growing list of
functions. This was one more way the Human Resources
Department continued to expand and improve its service to the
Board's employees in 2005/06.
Huron-Perth Catholic Schools | Phone: 519-345-2440 | Fax: 519-345-2449 | www.hpcdsb.edu.on.ca
SECONDARY SCHOOLS
‘DIRECT CONNECT YOUR FUTURE’
Direct
Connect Your
Future
Board pilots new pre-apprenticeship
Success Story:
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high school programs
What do you get when you take an interested student in a
traditional high school technology class, add more tech classes to
create a 'bundle' of related courses, offer relevant co-op
opportunities for on-the job experience, then top it all off with an
industry-recognized certificate? You get a motivated student on the
fast track to a career in the skilled trades.
This is the kind of learning that's helping secondary students in
the Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board directly match their
education with future career goals.
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In 2005/06, St. Michael Catholic Secondary School
introduced a new program in Construction Technology while St.
Anne's launched Agricultural Technology. These preapprenticeship programs, billed as an opportunity to 'Direct
Connect Your Future,' are fully recognized by Community
Colleges, as well as the Ministry of Training, Colleges &
Universities' Apprenticeship Program.
Since the programs were developed in partnership with the
Ministry of Training and Fanshawe College, our students
received the support they needed to get where they wanted to go
– and fast. It meant students who successfully completed the
programs were well-prepared to write the Ministry of Training's
level one apprenticeship exemption exam. Bottom line? They
spent less time in school doing theory and more time on the job
applying their skills. Alternatively, if they chose to go on to
college, they got preferred admission into Fanshawe's
Technology programs. Either way, students were fast-tracked to
their goals.
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The Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board is proud to
be offering these innovative new programs which are serving as
models for the Ministry of Education's new 'Specialist High Skills
Major' diploma programs, currently being piloted in select
schools across the province.
“Traditionally, we've been better at helping
university-bound students achieve their
goals. Now, we realize we can do just as
well with those students interested in the
skilled trades. This is an exciting and
promising achievement.”
Dan Parr, Superintendent of Education
The right opportunity at the
right time
Shane Querin didn't mind school but he wasn't big
on academics. The 18-year-old thrived on hands-on
learning, especially if it had anything to do with cars or
engines. Shane studied automotive technology at St.
Michael Catholic Secondary School and loved it.
When he heard he could start an apprenticeship as an
automotive service technician while he was still in
school, he jumped at the chance. Supervised through
the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program, Shane
took a co-op placement in 2004 at Midas in Stratford
while in Grade 11. So impressed was the co-op
employer, they offered Shane apprenticeship training
while he was still in school. Shane graduated from
Grade 12 last year. In the two years leading up to
graduation he also managed to earn 1,000 of the
8,000 apprenticeship hours required to become a
fully certified automotive service technician. It was a
double success. “I really like my job,” says Shane,
who's now almost 20 and continues his
apprenticeship at Midas. “I knew I was never destined
for a desk job. This is what I've always been interested
in. The sooner I could get here, the better.”
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Quick Fact:
Thirty-five Huron-Perth Catholic students entered
apprenticeships during 2005/06 through the Ontario
Youth Apprenticeship Program.
Building Teacher Capacity
The Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board recognizes
that teachers thrive on high-quality professional development.
For this reason, in 2005/06 we formed a partnership with the
University of Toronto's Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
(OISE), one of the largest and most research-intensive faculties
of education in North America. This allowed us to offer our
secondary teachers several multi-session courses, called 'Show
Me How.' These courses focused on at-risk students in reading,
writing and math. Teachers were equipped with practical new
skills and strategies that not only helped them teach at-risk
students, but enabled them to communicate with all students in
more effective and innovate ways.
Huron-Perth Catholic Schools | Annual Report 2005-2006
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SECONDARY SCHOOLS
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Quick Fact:
When students work hard, it pays off. We're elated 156 of
our Grade 12 students (41 per cent of the graduating class)
were recognized as Ontario Scholars in 2005/06. That requires
a minimum 80 per cent average in at least six courses.
Help where it's needed
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The Student Success Initiative is about finding ways for all
students to be successful in high school. One of the most
common roadblocks to achieving success is failing to submit
assignments. Some students simply lack the resources,
motivation, support, or supervision to complete the work. This
can quickly spell trouble as failures compound and feed
discouragement. For this reason, St. Anne's and St. Michael
Schools issued an invitation to all students to 'Join the Club.' This
after-school homework club runs two afternoons a week and
provides a place where students can get extra help from
teachers and access to the schools' computers.
“Teenagers run on hope the way a car
rides on gas. When it runs out they stop
working. We're trying to intervene before
that happens since we know that success
very quickly renews hope.”
Dan Parr, Superintendent of Education
Keeping credits and confidence intact
Help recovering lost credits is another support the board
introduced in 2005/06 for struggling students. Research points
to some important – and troubling – observations about credit
accumulation:
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Recognizing the importance of well-developed literacy skills
in all subjects, teachers in the Huron-Perth Catholic board
introduced literacy assignments in all Grade 10 courses, and
with resounding success. The assignments were tailored to each
course and proved to be great preparation for the provincewide Grade 10 Literacy Test. It also helped students and
teachers realize that literacy is a skill that crosses all areas of the
curriculum, not just English.
All these supports came under the watchful eyes of the
Student Success Teachers at St. Anne's and St. Michael schools.
Their job was to provide supports for struggling students and
help all teachers develop the necessary skills to reach every
student.
Bringing music to the class and
the community
After several years of offering guitar, keyboarding, and
other creative music programs, the board introduced complete
instrumental music programs in both its high schools in
2005/06. Co-operation between music teachers at both
schools, combined with board-level support, launched a
promising start to the new program which consists of extracurricular bands, as well as for-credit instrumental music
classes. Since then, student musicians from both schools have
been impressing audiences during liturgies, assemblies, arts
productions, and public performances.
The more successful students are in Grades 9 and
10, the more likely they are to graduate and
achieve their post-secondary goals.
Students often fail an entire course just because
they do poorly in a single section of it.
Course failure among younger students can
have serious, long-lasting consequences on
their academic self-confidence.
Credit-recovery has helped struggling students stay on the
path to success even when they've failed one or two classes in
Grades 9 or 10. These students can now take a credit-recovery
class that allows them to learn and demonstrate the knowledge
and skills they missed the first time. This allows them to pick up
the lost course and successfully finish Grade 10 – their credits
and confidence intact.
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Cross-curriculum literacy skills
Quick Fact:
By the time Huron-Perth Catholic students have
reached the end of Grade 10, 85 per cent of them have
earned the 16 credits required. This is encouraging when
you consider the provincial success rate is 61 per cent.
Huron-Perth Catholic Schools | Phone: 519-345-2440 | Fax: 519-345-2449 | www.hpcdsb.edu.on.ca
EQAO
PROVINCE-WIDE TESTING
Province
Wide Testing
Impressive results for
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Huron-Perth students
Students in the Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board
continued to score well above the provincial average on
EQAO tests in 2005/06. In a number of areas they topped
the ratings.
“Linking classroom instruction to tangible
evidence leads to purposeful improvement.”
EQAO, the Education and Accountability Office, is an
arms-length agency of the provincial government. It conducts
province-wide assessments at the primary, junior and
secondary levels to measure student achievement against
curriculum expectations. The data is also widely used as an
additional tool to guide improvements in education.
Marguerite Jackson, EQAO Chief Executive Officer
As these charts show, we can be proud of our students.
Our Grade 6 reading average, for example, was 77 per cent
last year, compared to the provincial average of 64 per cent.
And 91 per cent of our Grade 10 students successfully
passed the OSSLT in March 2006, compared to 84 per cent
provincially.
EQAO tests all students in Grade 3 and Grade 6 in
reading, writing and math. EQAO also administers two
secondary school tests. There's a Grade 9 Math test and a
Grade 10 reading and writing test, known as the Ontario
Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT).
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Quick Fact:
For two years running, our Grade 3 and Grade 6
students have topped the ratings in provincial testing
of reading, writing and math.
Quick Fact:
Our Grade 3 math average was 80 per cent, compared
to the provincial average of 68 per cent.
Grade 3
79
80
73
68
64
62
Reading
Writing
HPCDSB
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Levels 3 & 4
Levels 3 & 4
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Grade 6
61
Writing
HPCDSB
61
Mathematics
Province
Grade 10 OSSLT March 2006
100
71
58
35
% Successful
Levels 3 & 4
64
Province
75
80
72
Reading
Mathematics
Grade 9 Math
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
77
91
84
80
60
40
20
Applied
Academic
HPCDSB
Province
0
HPCDSB
Province
HPCDSB
Province
Huron-Perth Catholic Schools | Annual Report 2005-2006
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FINANCIAL REPORT
FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES
Financial
Activities
Sound planning, solid future
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The Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board continued its
pattern of successfully balancing the budget in 2005/06. Good
financial management and sound fiscal planning meant we
were able to complete the fiscal year without having to use any
of our working funds reserve while ensuring our programs and
services were kept intact. This will provide flexibility in future
years as we're faced with declining enrolment and a
corresponding decrease in provincial grants. The Board's 4,995
students, 550 employees and 18 schools were well served by the
financial stewardship shown during the year.
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Since the Ministry of Education determines the amount of
grants the Board is eligible for each year, our ability to increase
revenue is very limited. This makes the proper management of
our expenditures all the more critical. At the beginning of the
2005/06 school year, the Board approved a balanced budget
of $48.5 million that reflected both the Ministry of Education's
policy directions and fulfilled the goals of our own Strategic
Plan. The budget provided staffing levels and salaries that met
the requirements of collective agreements, as well as the
necessary funds to operate our schools, provide administrative
support and meet our debt obligations.
As these financial charts indicate, 68 per cent of the 2005/06
budget went directly to the classroom to cover instruction costs,
while $4.8 million went towards student transportation. School
maintenance and operations accounted for a further $3.7
million.
Quick Fact:
In 2005/06 the board focused on increasing the
operating efficiency of its buildings, which included
replacing classroom and hallway lighting with energyefficient fixtures. This not only helped reduced power
consumption, but brightened up our buildings.
2005 - 2006 Sources of Funds
Local Taxation (15.9%)
Provincial Grants (75.7%)
Other Provincial Grants (4.0%)
Investment Income & Other Revenue (.6%)
School Activities Funds (3.8%)
$
7,726,346
36,721,423
1,952,633
290,382
1,843,614
$ 48,534,398
2005 - 2006 Operating / School Activities Revenues
Local Taxation (15.9%)
Provincial Grants (75.7%)
Other Provincial Grants (4.0%)
Investment Income &
Other Revenue (.6%)
School Activities Funds (3.8%)
2005 - 2006 Application of Funds
The Board also received $1.9 million in other grants
throughout the year. This amounted to 4 per cent of its operating
revenue. One of these grants provided funding for teacher
training to support student literacy programs. The Huron-Perth
Catholic District School Board was the lead Board responsible
for the administration and implementation of the Ministry's
strategy for improving student literacy in Southwestern Ontario.
This was an exceptional opportunity for a small board like ours.
Instruction (68.0%)
Administration (3.7%)
Transportation (10.1%)
School Operations & Maintenance (7.8%)
Pupil Accommodation & Capital Fund (1.6%)
Ministry Funded Debt / Other (1.4%)
Capital Fund Revenue (3.6%)
Surplus - Operations & School Activities (.1%)
School Activities Expenditures (3.7%)
The Business and Financial Services of the Board continued
to provide support and direction to all Board staff during
2005/06 in the areas of finance, budget management,
accounting, payroll, transportation and operations.
2005 - 2006 Operating & School Activities Expenditures
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“This Board is committed to maintaining its
programs and services, which is why we
put so much emphasis on having a
sustainable budget right from the start.
The two go hand in hand.”
Gerry Thuss, Superintendent of Business
9
Huron-Perth Catholic Schools | Phone: 519-345-2440 | Fax: 519-345-2449 | www.hpcdsb.edu.on.ca
$ 33,013,289
1,793,855
4,893,767
3,777,577
780,243
687,829
1,723,822
51,919
1,812,097
$ 48,534,398
Instruction (68.0%)
Administration (3.7%)
Transportation (10.1%)
School Operations & Maintenance (7.8%)
Pupil Accommodation & Capital Fund (1.6%)
Ministry Funded Debt / Other (1.4%)
Capital Fund Revenue (3.6%)
Surplus - Operations & School Activities (.1%)
School Activities Expenditures (3.7%)
CAPITAL PROJECTS
CAPITAL PROJECTS
Capital
Projects
Facility Updates
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In 2005/06 the Board embarked on an exciting and
ambitious capital renewal plan. The following projects were
successfully launched with the support and enthusiasm of staff,
students and the communities we serve.
Overhaul overdue
St. Mary's School, Goderich
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Six portable classrooms and piecemeal additions had
created a disjointed layout at St. Mary's School over the years. A
major facelift was long overdue. A $2.7 million school upgrade
in 2005/06 included a six-classroom addition, renovations and
landscaping, plus the relocation of the central office.
The project completely
transformed the school.
One highlight of this capital
project was the creation of a
Grand Hall where students
could gather. A prominent
place was also reserved for
a statue of the Virgin Mary.
This reminder of the
Catholic focus we bring to
education is now the first thing visitors see when entering the
school. “We don't look at this project as an addition, but as a
bringing together,” says Principal Jodi Kuran. “These changes
truly joined us as a community.”
New look, new feeling
St. Aloysius School, Stratford
Renovations worth $950,000 took place at St. Aloysius
School in 2005/06 under
the ministry's Good Places
to Learn initiative. They
transformed the school
from a tired and outdated
environment to a bright,
new place to learn. The
school's library was
enlarged by roughly 40 per
cent and windows were
added. New washrooms for
boys, girls, special needs students, and staff were created and
an existing classroom was modified to create a suitable space
for special education. The lighting in classrooms, the gym and
hallways was also upgraded and the narrow halls were widened
and repainted. “It was an incredible transformation,” says
Principal Larry Murray. “It created a whole new feeling and a
tremendous sense of pride for students, staff and parents.”
Getting on track
St. Anne's Catholic Secondary School, Clinton
Timing is everything sometimes. When the board began
construction of the new St. Joseph's School in Clinton in
2005/06, opportunity came knocking. Since St. Anne's Catholic
Secondary School next door was required to update its storm
water management plan in tandem with construction, the board
decided the time was right to upgrade the school's outdoor
recreational facilities. After all, the ground was going be dug up
anyway. The ensuing $600,000 site improvement included a
newly seeded soccer field and a state-of-the-art track that meets
international specifications. This means a world record could
theoretically be broken at St. Anne's and accepted by governing
authorities. “There isn't another track of this caliber within 100
kilometers of the school,” says Principal Chris Roehrig. “It also
means we can now accommodate an ambitious schedule
of events. We're able to host
Huron-Perth district meets,
mini track and field meets
for elementary students,
and down the road we
may even host WOSSA
events (Western Ontario
Secondary School Athletic
Association.) This is a huge
improvement – not just for
St. Anne's, but for the whole
community.”
New childcare program a plus
for families
In 2006, we joined a partnership to supply high-quality
daycare programs in six of our elementary schools in Huron and
Perth counties. The program, called Best Start, offers highquality, affordable childcare for junior and senior kindergarten
students within the school setting. Students spend half the time in
class and the rest of the time in daycare at the school. The
program is funded in partnership with the Ministry of Children
and Youth, municipalities and school boards. We were able to
use existing school space in most cases, although a $600,000
two-room addition was needed at Sacred Heart School in
Wingham and was paid for by the Best Start Funding Initiative.
“This is an effort to make life easier for families and children and
to bridge that gap between child care and education,” says
Eveleen McDonagh, Children's Services Manager for Huron
County, which administers the Best Start funds on behalf of the
Ministry. “It also provides a seamless day for children in junior
and senior kindergarten. It's a real bonus for families.”
Huron-Perth Catholic Schools | Annual Report 2005-2006
10
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Z PQ
Quick Facts:
Elementary Students: 3,318
Secondary Students: 1,677
Total: 4,995
Y
Elementary Schools: 16
Secondary Schools: 2
Employees: 506
Board Area: 6,000 sq. km.
Total Board Budget: $48,534,398
School Trustees
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standing, from left: Mike Miller and Bernard Murray
seated, from left: Vincent McInnes, Ronald Marcy
and Mary-Catherine McKeon
Student Trustees
Leadership Team
from left to right: Dan Parr – Superintendent of Education
Martha Dutrizac – Superintendent of Education
Larry Langan – Director of Education
Gerry Thuss – Superintendent of Business & Finance
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from left: Sarah McGregor, St. Anne’s C.S.S.
Larissa Currah, St. Michael C.S.S.
Report prepared by Snap Marketing & Communications
Huron-Perth Catholic Schools | Phone: 519-345-2440 | Fax: 519-345-2449 | www.hpcdsb.edu.on.ca
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