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I wish
to extend a warm welcome to one and all as we begin the new school
year. I hope that the summertime has given you an opportunity for
rest and relaxation with family and friends.
I am very excited about our new theme which will guide us for the
next two school years. The theme, Shalom... Acting justly...
Living peacefully... Celebrating joyfully!, is routed in St.
Paul’s Letter to the Romans (Romans 14:17) where we read, “For
the Kingdom of God is not food and drink but justice, peace and joy
in the Holy Spirit.”
The
Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario is known for its
outstanding contribution to Eastern Ontario by is many acts of
justice through outreach to the most vulnerable among us, our
commitment to success for all, the many ways we seek peace with one
another, and through the wonderful ways in which we celebrate the
great gift of Catholic education. The theme will help us to
recharge our efforts so that we will indeed grow as authentic
witnesses to Shalom.
Throughout this year, it is my sincere hope that the Catholic
District School Board of Eastern Ontario will embrace this theme so
that Shalom permeates not only the fine work that is done in the
classrooms and beyond, but also the relationships we have with all
of our partners.
The
theme encompasses our strategic plan which has three goals:
achieving literacy for all, living our Catholic faith,
and making resources matter. Each of these goals reflects
our hope that we experience Shalom at a deep level. The strategic
plan will continue to be the lens through which all of our work is
done.
 I
want to thank the parents for entrusting your children to be
educated in the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario.
Our outstanding staff focuses on the whole child – mind, heart,
body, and soul. We look forward to working with your children,
providing each of them an opportunity to reach his/her goals.
In
closing, I wish to thank you for the many ways in which you have
prepared to open this new school year. It promises to be a good
one!
Yours in
Catholic education,
Wm. J. Gartland
Director of Education |
