Franco-Nord set for new school year

Conseil scolaire catholique Franco-Nord
News Release

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The 2007-2008 school year will officially begin next week, as students of Conseil scolaire catholique Franco-Nord will head back to class on Tuesday, September 4th. This year is especially promising, as many new projects and initiatives are announced.

These initiatives include projects related to the Board’s Capital plans, technology, student safety, as well as our efforts aimed at students at risk of dropping out.

“We are getting ready for a busy year”, said Director of Education at CSC Franco-Nord, Raymond Lessard. With regards to facilities, our board will be completing its renovation and construction of École secondaire catholique Algonquin, a project which involved approximately 15.5 million dollars invested in North Bay’s only French-Catholic secondary school. This year, CSCFN is also to begin its extensive planning process in the construction of a new French-Catholic secondary school in Mattawa.
The CSC Franco-Nord is still awaiting a favourable response from the Ministry of Education, concerning funds dedicated to schools deemed prohibitive to repair. Such funding would allow the board to replace some older schools.

At the elementary level, the Conseil scolaire catholique Franco-Nord plans on implementing a new full-time daycare program at École St-Vincent, in North Bay, and at École St-Thomas d’Aquin in Astorville. A before- and after-school daycare program will also be added to École Ste-Marguerite d’Youville, in Verner.

From a technology point of view, the region’s French-Catholic schools are once again forerunners! The Director of Education confirms that all elementary schools will be equipped with Smart Boards. These interactive whiteboards are excellent learning tools that allow teachers to support their lessons with multimedia activities. “We are happy to be able to encourage innovative strategies that support our students’ learning”, declared Lessard.

The French-Catholic school board is also pursuing its mobile computer labs initiative, this year. Each classroom will benefit from the availability of portable computer laptops for its students.

“Several initiatives have also been implemented to ensure the safety of the children entrusted to us”, said Lessard. For instance, he notes an important investment for anti-bullying and anti-violence projects. The CSCFN has also received funds to set up programs for students who are suspended for more than 5 days.

To help support students at risk of abandoning school, the school board will work on many initiatives that support students on their path to school success. Among these are a specialization major and an employability program at the secondary level. The Conseil scolaire catholique Franco-Nord is committed to expending the needed efforts to help potential dropouts, and those who are returning to school.

In addition to all those projects, there are many things which make the area’s French-Catholic schools places conducive to learning. “Among others, said the Director of Education, “there are breakfast programs, Saturday programs in North Bay, and Sturgeon Falls, oral communication projects, and projects for the construction of students’ cultural identity, pertinent professional development and training for both teaching and non-teaching staff, and many more.”

The efforts deployed by the Conseil scolaire catholique Franco-Nord and its schools, towards student achievement, are directly aligned with the mission of French-Catholic schools. This mission, which advocates solid partnerships with families, parishes, and its school communities, ensures that each student receive a superior-quality education, allowing him or her to enjoy an educational, spiritual, and cultural experience, while enriching our changing society.

Conseil scolaire catholique Franco-Nord has 17 French-language Catholic schools, 14 elementary and 3 secondary. Over 3300 students attend a CSCFN school, covering the area including the municipalities of Thorne, Mattawa, Astorville, Bonfield, North Bay and West Nipissing.

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