Adopting the same school calendar as three other regional boards, the Northwest Catholic District School Board last night agreed to submit its draft of the 2001-02 calendar to the Ministry of Education.
While proposed calendars don’t normally have to be submitted to the province before May, the one here must be turned in by March 1 because it differs from the requirements of Section 2 of Regulation 304 of ministry guidelines, noted special education co-ordinator Teresa Dennis.
“Unlike the rest of the province, we start school before Labour Day, so it’s considered a modified calendar to the ministry,” she explained.
Teachers will start Aug. 27, with kids back in class Aug. 28. The last day of school will be June 19, 2002.
Like the current school year, the proposed calendar includes 190 instructional days, four professional activity days, and six single statutory holidays plus a Christmas break from Dec. 24-Jan. 4.
“It’s pretty straightforward. No major objections were received [from staff or the public],” said Dennis.
“There were several people that made suggestions for two weeks at Christmas, two weeks at March Break, and a late start in September to accommodate travel arrangements but that was about it,” she added.
Trustee Cheryl Lovisa questioned why boards in this region agreed to be different than the rest of Ontario. Dennis replied the reason was originally agrarian, then tourism-based.
Education Director Carol-Lynne Oldale added it simply seems to make more sense.
“By the time we get into mid-June, it gets pretty hot in the classroom. And we figured it was cooler to spend the last part of August in school than the last half of June,” she reasoned.
The calendar was developed along with the rest of Curriculum Council West (the Rainy River District School Board, the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board, and the Kenora Catholic District School Board).
In other news from last night’s regular meeting, the board approved five policies left over from the former Fort Frances-Rainy River District Roman Catholic Separate School Board and the Dryden District Roman Catholic Separate School Board since their amalgamation in 1998.
The policies included:
•Policy B-2–Records Management;
• Policy C-03–Use of Personal Vehicles on Board Business;
•Policy D-02–Trespass to Property Act;
•Policy D-04–Key Control; and
•Policy D-06–Replacement and Disposal of Surplus or Outdated Furniture, Equipment, and Print Materials.
Meanwhile, the board last night accepted audited statements for the 1998-99 school year.
It also approved a motion to transfer a surplus of $186,905 to the working funding fund, and a second surplus of $506,849 to the reserve for classroom expenditures.
Superintendent of Business Chris Howarth said the audit, completed by BDO Dunwoody of Dryden, was “a clean report.”
He also noted he was working hard to get caught up on the financial statements since the 1998 amalgamation, and would try to get the 1999-2000 statement ready by the board’s meeting in April.
Also last night, the board:
•received a report of cash disbursements for January, 2001 totalling $900,410.04;
•approved health and safety minutes from the November meetings at Our Lady of the Way and Sacred Heart Schools; and
•heard school council minutes from the December meetings at Our Lady of the Way and St. Francis schools.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
