Durham Catholic District School Board Celebrates Catholic Education Week and Children’s Mental Health Week from May 3-7, 2021

Posted On Monday May 03, 2021

During the first week of May, the Durham Catholic District School Board (DCDSB) celebrates Catholic Education Week, which recognizes the important contributions of Catholic education to our community, the province and Canada. May 3-7, 2021 is also nationally designated as Children’s Mental Health Week. In the DCDSB’s Year of Love, our theme for the combined week is Nurturing Hope; Cultivating Gratitude. This theme is a merging of the Catholic Education Week theme of ‘Nurturing Hope’, with our board’s selected Children’s Mental Health Week theme of ‘Cultivating Gratitude’.

“In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us are experiencing challenges to personal and spiritual well-being posed by the uncertainty and physical isolation of the current global crisis. This makes the timing and the concerns of Mental Health Week, which takes place during the same week as Catholic Education Week, are all the more relevant. We are looking forward to celebrating these important weeks with special activities at all grade levels, including prayer celebrations and service activities” said Tracy Barill, Director of Education.

To celebrate these important weeks, we are inviting families to participate in our ‘With Gratitude’ initiative and At-Home Activities. As part of our ‘With Gratitude’ initiative, families can download our postcard and either print it or send it digitally to praise or thank a friend, a colleague, or a member of our community for something they’ve done, or as a simple message of appreciation.

Schools will be sending messages of hope and gratitude throughout our communities. Some of these messages will be reaching the following frontline essential workers:

  • Durham Catholic Virtual Elementary School: Region of Durham long-term care home staff
  • Good Shepherd Catholic School (Port Perry): Region of Durham water and wastewater treatment operators 
  • Monsignor John Pereyma Catholic Secondary School (Oshawa): Region of Durham transit operators
  • Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School (Ajax): Seniors Living Residence and Palliative Care Unit
  • St. Joseph Catholic School (Uxbridge): Markham Stouffville Hospital, Uxbridge Campus
  • St. Theresa Catholic School (Whitby): Region of Durham Public Health staff and paramedics

Join us as we share uplifting messages of hope and gratitude with everyone around us. Let’s spread joy, love and happiness! When sharing messages on social media, please use the hashtags #DCDSBFaith, #CEW2021 and #CMHW2021. 

We will also be celebrating the following important events during the week:

  • Tuesday, May 4, 2021: Distinguished Catholic Educator and Leader Awards Celebration – a YouTube Premiere Event at 4:30 p.m.
  • Wednesday, May 5, 2021: Catholic Education Week Province Wide Virtual Mass at 11:00 a.m. with His Eminence, Thomas Cardinal Collins
  • Thursday, May 6, 2021: Distinguished Catholic Alumni Award Recipients Announced