Supporting Faith and Well-Being

Provincial Priority: Student Engagement and Well-Being

DCDSB is committed to:

  • Developing and strengthening Catholic identity through a focus on the five key elements of Catholic schools
  • Improving student well-being
  • Improving students’ participation in class time and learning

Further information on the goals and strategies so support student engagement and well-being can be found below.

Faith – Catholic Identity

DCDSB Goal: Develop and strengthen Catholic identity through a focus on the five key elements of Catholic schools.

  • Support schools in evaluating the quality and representative nature of the signs and symbols of faith and welcome in shared spaces (e.g., with Teacher Librarians, Adult Faith Ambassadors, student groups, Catholic School Council, etc.)
  • Reflect upon the symbolic elements of the spiritual theme design poster to foster a deeper understanding of the Beatitude, “Blessed are the Peacemakers”

  • Promote a deeper understanding of the Catholic school’s role in sacramental preparation and ongoing sacramental catechesis
  • Highlight the distinctiveness of Catholic education by engaging staff, families, and parish partners through targeted and intentional communication

  • Professional learning for Grade 2 educators to support the implementation of the new Family Life Education resource
  • Professional learning for Grade 9 educators to support the implementation of the new Religious Education resource
  • Collaborate with the DCDSB Indigenous Education team to guide educators in delivering the Indigenous spiritualities curriculum expectations within the Grade 11 World Religions course

  • Establish a Catholic Social Teaching Framework and support its integration into teaching and learning to ensure a Catholic perspective across curriculum and practice
  • Support school and system leaders in applying the Catholic Social Teaching Framework to guide decision making and leadership practices 

  • Engage new educators and their mentors in purposeful formation through the New Teacher Induction Program (NTIP) to cultivate an understanding of Catholic education as a vocation rooted in faith and service
  • Facilitate professional learning with Adult Faith Ambassadors and Chaplains to build a strong foundation in adult faith formation principles and practices

Mental Health and Well-Being

DCDSB Goal: Improve student well-being

  • Support the BWell student group to design a plan to engage elementary students at select schools in age-appropriate ways
  • Support the Take Action, Make an Impact for Mental Heath Coalition (TAMI) and the Durham Youth Drug Awareness Committee (DYDAC) in promoting positive mental health through system-wide initiatives and regional summits
  • Develop monthly “podcasts” for staff based on the Leading Mentally Healthy Schools document
  • Support Mental Health Champions to share information at staff meetings and circulate the monthly newsletter to staff

  • Provide professional development to educators and support staff on noticing signs and providing supports to students
  • Build educator knowledge around substance use through training developed with Pinewood and Lakeridge Health
  • Collect and analyze data from the Ontario Health and Peer Relations Study to understand student needs and target professional development to support these needs

  • Employ a multi-tiered system of support through brief clinical intervention social work services at the elementary level
  • Pilot School Mental Health Ontario’s online course, MH LIT: Mental Health in Action, with Program Support Teachers
  • Establish ongoing use of culturally responsive practices for Psychological Services staff through new assessment tools

  • Strengthen the safety net supporting suicide prevention and intervention by annual mandatory refresher of the protocol
  • Increase number of staff who are trained in suicide intervention
  • Increase awareness of staff in “gatekeeper” roles (e.g., Guidance educators, Program Support Teachers) around what supports are available through monthly newsletters and virtual drop-in sessions
DCDSB Goal: Improve students’ participation in class time and learning

  • Strengthen Program Support Teacher capacity by deepening understanding and application of Universal Design for Learning

  • Support administrators in utilizing the “Supporting Student Attendance” video with school staff to foster a shared understanding and consistent strategies to improve student attendance
  • Review student attendance data and related supports with school administrators following each reporting period to inform responsive strategies