100 years of memories celebrated at Toronto's St. John's School
By Sheila Dabu Nonato, The Catholic Register
TORONTO - Aside from the annual Lenten Masses at St. John's School, alumni Angela Carroll remembers joining her Grade 4 classmates in the hallway as the school set up TVs in the hallway to watch Paul Henderson's 1972 history-making goal against the Soviet team.Carroll is now a teacher at her old school on Kingston Road in Toronto's east end and will be joining alumni in celebrating St. John's centenary milestone May 8. Carroll says the event will be special, not only because she is an alumni, but her husband also attended the school, and their children are now students there.
Catholic principals slam minister over Ontario budget call to freeze wages
By Ron Stang, Catholic Register Special
WINDSOR, Ont. - Ontario Education Minister Leona Dombrowsky was taken to task by Catholic principals and vice principals here over her government’s recent budget bill which could hit them in the wallet.Bill 16 proposes that non-bargaining employees across the public sector — about 350,000 employees altogether — have their wages frozen for two years as part of an austerity move by the province to cope with a severe deficit.
Dombrowsky was speaking before more than 300 delegates at the annual meeting of the the Catholic Principals’ Council of Ontario in Windsor April 22.
Toronto school rescues Iraqi refugees
By Michael Swan, The Catholic Register
For Iraqi families that have endured months and years living as refugees in Damascus and Beirut, just landing in Canada doesn't solve all their problems.
But the Ontario's publicly funded Catholic schools come close. Take a virtual visit to St. Andrew's Catholic School in Etobicoke.
Ontario Catholic schools will follow Catholic doctrine
By Sheila Dabu Nonato, The Catholic Register
TORONTO - Ontario’s public Catholic schools will always assert their right to teach students Catholic doctrine on matters of faith and morality, says the Institute of Catholic Education.“When it comes to matters of faith and morality, denominational rights accorded to the Catholic schools of Ontario supersede any Government of Ontario directives which are at variance with the teachings of the church,” said ICE executive director Sr. Joan Cronin.
Toronto schools embrace EcoSchools program
By Michael Swan, The Catholic Register
TORONTO - Anna Zappone stands less than four feet tall holding a beach-ball sized model of the Earth and its atmosphere. She’s no scientist, yet. But she’s figured out a thing or two about global climate change.Book ban lifted
By Sara Loftson, The Catholic Register
MISSISSAUGA, Ont. - The award-winning novel Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson is back on school shelves for Catholic students in Dufferin-Peel west of Toronto. Students take charge at Toronto pro-life conference
By Carolyn Girard, The Catholic Register
TORONTO - May 11 marked the first Toronto Catholic District School Board collaboration with students to promote leadership on pro-life issues. The TCDSB hosted it’s annual Respect for Life Week but turned its usual keynote address into a student leadership day which drew more than 70 students to learn about the issues and how to take action.
Combining faith and aboriginal roots
By Sheila Dabu Nonato, The Catholic Register
Sudbury Catholic Schools’ native language teacher Verna Hardwick combines her aboriginal roots and Catholic faith in the classroom, sharing her gift of song and First Nations culture to students who have lost touch with their own language and roots. Hardwick, 57, recently released a CD entitled Aanii (which means “hello” in Ojibwe) with songs featuring drumming and sung in the native language. This CD is now a teaching tool in her classes at St. David and St. Raphael Catholic School.
St. Anthony’s School celebrates 100 years
By Michael Swan, The Catholic Register
{mosimage}TORONTO - One hundred years on and St. Anthony’s Catholic School is still teaching girls like Hailey Moreno reading, spelling and arithmetic, plus getting them ready for first Communion. In the last weeks of her Grade 1 year, Moreno is more than happy the centenarian school is going strong in a brand new building.
Ontario trustees turn down single board
By Catholic Register Staff
{mosimage}HUNTSVILLE, Ont. - Public school trustees have voted down a call to eliminate Ontario’s Catholic school system by a margin of almost two to one.
Dufferin-Peel education director retires
By Catholic Register Staff
{mosimage}MISSISSAUGA, Ont. — Michael Bator announced his retirement after 34 years in education.