Summer Programs in Full Swing

FOCUS ON YOUTH

The Focus on Youth program is a partnership involving the Ontario Ministry of Education, the Ottawa Catholic School Board, and local not-for-profit community agencies.   The objective of Focus on Youth is to enhance summer program opportunities for children and youth by offering free use of school space for organized not-for-profit community-based programs and by providing employment opportunities and leadership activities for high school students. 

Through the leadership of teacher Randy Baird and a team of monitors, 85 high school students have been employed this summer - 64 as camp counselors and 21 as custodial helpers.

On July 3, students in the Focus on Youth program gathered at the Catholic Education Centre for orientation.  I was pleased to welcome them officially to the program on behalf of the Board of Trustees and our Director, Mr. Julian Hanlon.  I also challenged them to work conscientiously and enthusiastically and to be good ambassadors for Catholic education.

Over the past few weeks, I visited some of the students at their placements.  One student in our custodial program whom I spent some time with is St. Paul graduate Austin Buchan-Semple.  When I arrived at All Saints High School, I found him busy cleaning out lockers and  preparing classrooms for the return of students in September.  The caretaker he was assisting, Mr. Peter McLean, had high praise for Austin's work and clearly articulated one of the benefits of the Focus on Youth custodial program:  "When students help clean schools, they become more responsible in how they treat their own school."

St Paul Gradute Austin Buchan-Semple Hard at Work at All Saints

INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGES SUMMER PROGRAM

The Continuing & Community Education Department with the Ottawa Catholic School Board is also pleased to be offering International Languages programs at 5 of our schools during the summer: Notre Dame High School, St. Clare, St. Elizabeth, St. Emily, and St. Luke (Barrhaven).  

Approximately 1,000 elementary students are spending their mornings receiving instruction in a variety of languages, including Spanish, Italian, Russian, Korean, Cantonese, and Mandarin.

My visit with Chinese Mandarin Kindergarten Students at Notre Dame - July 2012

During my visits to these schools, I was very impressd with the range of activities the children experienced and the enthusiasm and creativity of the instructors.  The children sang songs, played games, and created stories and wonderful art work in order to learn the language and culture of their heritage.  They also enjoyed special activities such as a visit by Litte Ray's Reptiles.