Welcome to the start of a new decade - 2020!  It is hard to believe we have reached this point in our school year.  The Christmas holidays have come and gone so quickly and I hope that the time off for our students was welcomed and enjoyed.  The end of January marks the completion of a half a year of studies.

There is a lot to cover and wrap up in the coming weeks of January.  Exams begin on Friday, January 24^th and the second semester officially ends January 31^st.

The final exams will mark our culminating activity of the first semester.  Students will be busy studying, completing final projects and wrapping up their courses.  All their hard work for the past 5 months will be completed.  February 3^rd will mark the start of semester two.  New teachers, new curriculum and new learning opportunities!  It is a great chance to start fresh again. 

One of the challenges UCC will face in the coming weeks is the potential for OECTA job action.  This job action is happening around the province by all teachers groups.  I’m sure it sure it will prove to have implications that are still unknown to us however, I want to assure you that our commitment to providing a safe school environment remains a priority while offering students a quality Catholic educational experience.  We will strive to meet the Ursuline Sisters’ motto of faith, hope, and charity despite the political unrest that we are part of.    

In the coming weeks UCC will also be encouraging grade 8 students to complete option pages and course selections for grade 9 in September.  Our team has been working with our feeder schools for the past few months to build connections to UCC.  In addition, planning is ongoing for a UCC Open House in late January, however, that too may be impacted by job action.  We will notify our community of any event as soon as possible.  In the meantime, check out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwbBH5TyTTw  to get a glimpse of why UCC is a place to learn and grow.

Finally, we encourage you challenge your student to work hard for the duration of the semester, and look ahead to all the goodness a new semester has to offer.  Thanks for being part of UCC.

Lancer Loud!  Lancer Proud!

Re: CONTINGENCY PLAN - SECONDARY SCHOOL EXAM SCHEDULE

UCC has faced two bus cancellations to date this semester and we have contingency plans for bus cancellations during exams if necessary.  I ask you to review the procedures below and should you have any questions please contact the office for clarification.

The St. Clair Catholic District School Board and the Lambton Kent District School Board have developed the Following plan, which is to be followed in the event of disruptions to the examination schedule due to severe weather or fog.

Exams

·         In the event that inclement weather forces the cancellation of buses in any of Zones 5 through 8; exams at all Chatham-Kent secondary schools will be cancelled for the day and the exam schedule will be pushed back one day.

·         In the event that fog causes a disruption to transportation in any of Zones 5 through 8; exams at all Chatham-Kent secondary schools will be delayed for two hours.

Transportation in the event of fog

·         In the event of fog, buses for secondary students in the affected zone(s) will be operated at a two hour delay and exams will proceed with a two hour delayed start time. If conditions do not improve the delayed secondary routes will be cancelled and exams cancelled for the day. A decision will be made and posted by 7:30 a.m. if buses are to be operated.

·         All buses, elementary and secondary, will run at the end of the day, as normal.

Classes on the Last Day of the Semester

If buses are cancelled due to inclement weather on the last day of the semester, Thursday, January 23, 2019, exams will begin on Friday, January 24, 2019 as scheduled.  In the event of inclement weather, students and parents should listen to local radio stations for announcements regarding transportation and the exam schedule or visit www.schoolbusinfo.com

The Hold & Secure at UCC has now been lifted.

In the end, it wasn’t necessary for the air ambulance to land in the football field.

The first helicopter was able to depart the landing field at Chatham-Kent Health Alliance before the second chopper arrived.

Thanks to the staff and students at UCC, who reacted quickly and appropriately to make our school property available in this community emergency.

Our prayers are with the injured and their families.

Ursuline College is currently in a Hold & Secure.  Ontario air ambulance is dispatching two helicopters to Chatham due to serious injuries as the result of a traffic accident.

One of the helicopters will land at the Chatham Health Alliance and the other will use the UCC football field.

All students are in the building and safe.

The Hold and Secure will be lifted once the helicopter has departed.