Welcome to the 2024-2025 School Year

Dear Parents, Guardians and Caregivers:

Welcome to the 2024-2025 school year! I extend a heartfelt greeting to students and families who are new to the Durham Catholic District School Board, and a warm ‘welcome back’ to returning students and families.

I am excited to begin this year as the new Director of Education for the DCDSB and look forward to connecting with students and families in this new role. I am dedicated to the continued growth, collaboration and innovation of the board.

The beginning of each school year brings with it a sense of renewed energy and excitement. We are eager to build upon the successes of last year’s Student Achievement Plan, and to continue to build on the priorities outlined in our multi-year strategic plan, Inspire 2026, to support faith and well-being, advance human rights, equity, and Indigenous Education, and improve student learning.

This year, our spiritual theme is Living in Hope which stems from Pope Francis’ announcement that 2025 will be a Jubilee Year, a spiritual tradition celebrated in the Church every 25 years. Pope Francis has selected “Pilgrims of Hope” as the motto of the Jubilee. Inspired by this significant moment, the DCDSB community will be guided by the spiritual theme of Living in Hope during the 2024-2025 school year. I encourage you to learn more about our spiritual theme and poster design by visiting our website. We are proud to listen, learn and live in faith together at DCDSB, and hope that this spiritual theme will serve as a beacon to guide us as a Catholic learning community. 

Parents, guardians, and caregivers are critical to student success. I encourage you to create an Edsby account, subscribe to the news and calendar sections on your school’s website, and follow the board on social media to keep up-to-date on what’s happening with your child’s education. Through a strong collaboration between home, school and parish, we can collectively work towards our mission to be an inclusive Catholic learning community that inspires every student to achieve their full potential through faith and education. The Durham Catholic Parent Involvement Committee and your school’s Catholic School Council also provide great opportunities to engage with your school community through monthly meetings, events and activities.   

I look forward to seeing students and families when school begins next week on Tuesday, September 3. I wish everyone in our Durham Catholic learning community a successful start to the school year.

Yours in hope and faith,  

Gerard Winn
Director of Education