Students across the Durham Catholic District School Board face a series of November deadlines, from a digital Christmas card contest to applications for specialized programs, according to the board's latest monthly update.
The Durham Catholic District School Board said in its November update that students in Grades 3-8 can enter the 2026 Digital Christmas Card Design Contest until Nov. 20. Designs are meant to celebrate the birth of Jesus and Christian values such as faith, love, peace, kindness and care for community. The winner will be announced in December.
The Ontario Catholic School Trustees' Association is also running a short video contest for students in Grades 4-12. Entrants must create a two-minute video on this year's Catholic education theme, "Becoming Artisans of Peace," tied to a passage from the Gospel of Matthew: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." Videos must be uploaded to YouTube by Nov. 26.
New Pickering school gets its name
The board also confirmed that its new Catholic elementary school under construction at Hibiscus Drive and Burkholder Avenue in Pickering will be named St. Carlo Acutis Catholic School. The name was blessed by Frank Cardinal Leo, Metropolitan Archbishop of Toronto, and confirmed by the Ministry of Education following a community consultation and naming process.
French Immersion and arts program deadlines
Registration for Grade 1 French Immersion for the 2027-2028 school year opens Nov. 20 and runs until Jan. 15, 2027. The board is holding a virtual information night on Nov. 19 from 7 to 8 p.m. for interested families. Senior kindergarten students are eligible to register.
Applications for the board's Regional Arts & Media Program close Nov. 26, with current Grade 6 and Grade 8 students invited to apply.
Bullying prevention week ahead
From Nov. 16-20, DCDSB schools will mark Bullying Prevention and Intervention Week. The board is encouraging families to learn the difference between bullying and peer conflict, and to contact the school if they believe their child is being bullied or harassed.
New trustees, new achievement plan
Following the Oct. 26 municipal and school board elections, new trustees have been elected for the 2026-2030 term. The board has also released its 2026-2027 Student Achievement Plan, developed under the Better Schools and Student Outcomes Act, 2023, which sets goals around faith and well-being, Indigenous education, human rights and equity, and student learning.
The board's latest EQAO results, covering the 2025-2026 school year, are also now available, spanning primary and junior assessments, Grade 9 mathematics and the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test.
Around the board
In other news, more than 700 student athletes from Grades 3-8 competed in the DECA Super 60 Cross Country Championship Meet on Oct. 8, the culminating event of the cross country season. On Oct. 27, Grade 11 and 12 students visited Durham College's Whitby campus for an Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program cook information day, where they toured culinary labs and prepared salads, pasta and sauces.
Earlier in October, 115 secondary students attended the board's second annual Student Human Rights Conference at the Pope Francis Centre, and more than 80 Grade 3 educators gathered at the same venue for a professional learning day on student achievement and well-being.
