Our first few days of school have been a very positive start to the 2010-11 school year! We continue to be higher in student numbers than projected; we will be just below 1500 students this year, an increase of 58 students from this time last year and we continue to have calls for registrations. Thank you for the opportunity to work with your children and I will continue to send you weekly updates as often as I can.
- Welcome Back message from Julian Hanlon, Director of Education.
Director's Message - OSTA Website: You can check your child's bus routes and transportation information for our Board's schools at the Ottawa Student Transportation Authority website.
- The Ottawa Catholic School Parents' Association (CSPA) provides support and information to parents. Please visit the CSPA website to learn more.
- Election Information - School Zone Maps: Ottawa's municipal election takes place on Monday, October 25. You can find your school zone and learn which candidates are running for school board trustee. (See School Board Website)
- Direction of School Support: Check your school support status prior to the election. If you have moved since the Municipal Election in 2006, you may not be registered as a Catholic school board supporter. (See block below.)
- Continuing & Community Education Programs: The Continuing Education website has information on adult learning opportunities, including language and computer training programs, dance, wellness and more. Copies of "The Connections" program guide was distributed last Sunday, September 6 to Ottawa Citizen subscribers, or through Flyer Force on Thursday, September 2. (See School Board Website)
Pastoral Perspectives:Transitions are never easy. Starting over in a new school community is often exciting and at the same time nerve-racking; new culture, new traditions, new names and new faces. Then there is the community watching and wondering what the "newbie" is planning to start or change or re-do. We've all been there, right?
Well, first of all, we gathered as a staff community and prayed. As Mother Teresa said, "It all begins with prayer." She also said, "Our vocation is not our work. Our vocation is to love Jesus Christ." As Catholic educators, we are privileged to be able to celebrate our faith through our work. One thing I have learned is that this community truly embraces the loving presence of the Holy Spirit. Through this newsletter, I want to share with you all the ways that our school does express our deep faith in God.
One tangible and obvious way of expressing our faith is by giving the chapel a facelift. As of Wednesday morning, the chapel was painted and the carpets cleaned. Over the next two weeks, you will notice a change in and around the chapel environs. It is only fitting that we celebrate the 100th birthday of Mother Teresa with a fresh face. Program Night is scheduled for September 16, and I do hope that you will stop by the chapel.
Martha Dougherty
Mother Teresa High School iPhone App:
Mother Teresa Catholic High School has gone to the next step to allow students and parents the ability to hold school information in the palms of their hands. Mother Teresa has introduced for the first time in schools servicing the Ottawa area (and it is believed the first in Canada), their very own school iPhone app.
This application allows users to access the daily morning announcements, weekly e-newsletters sent by the principal, the school activity calendar, the student handbook, location of school, contact information and other educational information. This app is the latest development for our school that prides itself on being technologically literate for its students. Many teachers have course websites and this September all students and staff will have access to wireless internet everywhere in the school.
The MTHS iPhone app shows the school's continuing commitment to working with the students, parents and other educators in an increasingly wireless environment. The hope is that parents and students will not only use this app to keep up to date about what is going on in the school, but that students will use other apps in the classroom to enhance their learning. Many students already have either iPhones or iPod Touches that they use constantly throughout the day to access information and to stay in touch. The goal with a wireless school and the school app is to help teach students how to properly use modern technology in useful, meaningful and beneficial ways.
The next step in the development of mobile apps for the school is to develop a Blackberry version, due to the widespread use of the device by parents who work in the Ottawa area. It is also hoped that the Grade 12 Computer Class will help improve the app or even come up with their own apps that might help their fellow students or the community at large.
Thanks very much to Technology Teacher, Patrick Coxall for spending part of his summer developing this new tool for Mother Teresa!
MTHS for the iPhone is available at
http://apps.mths.ca or just search for "MTHS" on the Apps Store.
Emergency Response Focus Program at MT:This semester marks the inaugural class of the Emergency Response Focus Program at Mother Teresa High School. These students will explore the careers of First Responders (Police, Fire, Paramedic) through a variety of lab activities, theory classes and physical training sessions. Students will get the chance to certify their St. John Ambulance First Aid and CPR (Level C), partake in Self-Defense workshops, and attempt the standardized physical tests for each profession. The Focus program has aligned itself with the Duke of Edinburgh Award program, recognized worldwide for developing student leaders, and will prove an asset to our students as they pursue their career paths.
The Focus Program students will be encouraged to take part in fundraising activities to support our Ottawa Area First Responders (The Big Pull and 9-Run-Run).
As defending champions in the High School Division, Mother Teresa will be returning to Mooney's Bay on September 25, 2010 to take part in the 4th Annual Big Pull Tug of War Competition. All of the teams taking part are "pulling together" to raise money for The Ottawa Mission Stepping Stones Program.
If any members of our Mother Teresa Community are directly involved with Police, Fire, or Paramedic Services and would like to volunteer, please contact Dean Prigent at Mother Teresa.
High School Girls Hockey Team Tryouts:Girls hockey team try-outs will begin this Friday, September 10th and next Monday, September 13th at Walter Baker A from 3pm-5pm. Try-out schedules will be handed out at the rink on Friday. All girls Grades 9-12 are welcome; full equipment is needed. Transportation to try-outs is the responsibility of the parents.
- September 10th - Walter Baker A - 3pm-5pm
- September 13th - Walter Baker A - 3pm-5pm
- September 16th - Walter Baker A - 3pm-5pm
- September 20th - Walter Baker A - 3pm-5pm
Direction of School Support:By registering your child into an Ottawa Catholic school, you have chosen to support Catholic education through direction of your school support.
When you designate yourself as a separate school supporter, there is no financial benefit to our Board. Instead, you help foster a strong political voice through your elected representative (trustee) in ensuring your rights to a Catholic education for the young people in our province.
Your education taxes, at a rate mandated by the Province, are pooled with those from all taxpayers in Ontario. The money is then redistributed equally on a per pupil basis to all school boards in Ontario. As a residential English separate school supporter, the assessment section of your tax bill should read as follows...
If "ES" does not appear and you are eligible and wish to be designated as a separate school supporter, please call the Ottawa Catholic School Board's Admissions Department at 613-224-4455, ext. 2283, or e-mail Admissions@ottawacatholicschools.ca. We'll help you through the process.
If you do not have children in our school system, you can still choose to support the Ottawa Catholic School Board. Catholic homeowners and tenants are eligible to designate their support. In the case where one partner is non-Catholic, then an Assessment Lease form is also required. School support cannot be divided between two school boards.
Application for Direction of School Support Separate School Assessment Lease FormBoth of the above forms should be completed and mailed to the:
Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC)
P.O. Box 9808, Toronto, ON MlS 5T9
Phone: 1-866-296-6722
Question: How do I know that I am on the voter's list for the next municipal election on October 25, 2010?
Answer: Call MPAC toll free at 1-866-296-6722. If you provide them with your date of birth and your address, they can tell you if you are on the voter's list, and can also tell you if you are designated as a Catholic school supporter.
