Grade 8 Welcome Night ~ November 18, 2020

Hello parents, guardians, students and friends. Bonjour! I welcome you to St. Brother Andre C.H.S., a school for Advanced Placement, French Immersion, and Specialist High Skills Majors and more--a school where we truly do have something for everyone and have embraced the virtual learning reality!

I want to begin this address by acknowledging the fact that we would have loved to welcome you in person, however, in an effort to do our part and curb the pandemic and adhere to all the Public Health guidelines we welcome you virtually.

SBA is a comprehensive school, supporting students from all walks of life. When our graduates come back to visit during reading week, they consistently mention how prepared they feel to tackle post-secondary education as a result of their four years at St. Brother Andre.

As a comprehensive school, we offer students opportunities to hone their skills by capitalizing on their God-given talents. There are not many schools in our region that offer the variety of courses that we have here at SBA. Whether your child is interested in hands-on courses like woodworking and transportation technology, the Arts like drama, vocal, and instrumental music, workplace, college, or university offerings, they will find their niche at SBA. We also offer Advanced Placement and French Immersion programs, to provide yet another opportunity for an academic challenge.

The St. Brother Andre community is a village interested in raising one child at a time. In a village, the aim is to create a S.A.F.E.space for everyone. We will create opportunities for Success for your child, hold each other Accountable to you and your child, Forgive each other and provide opportunities to re-do work until it is understood and expect Excellence from everyone. I can assure you that your child will find their niche at SBA.

In order to build confidence and create a smooth transition from elementary to high school, we will provide them an opportunity to explore this space during the month of July through our unique KickStart Program, connect them with a mentor on day one in September, and take them on a three-day excursion to Muskoka Woods with their peers during the first month of Grade 9 if we have curbed the COVID-19.

Although we can not participate in live clubs/council or sports at this time, we continue to find ways to engage our students. We have over 51 clubs and councils in our school. We offer clubs such as chess, gaming, Best Buddies, Luke 4:18, Power Source, and so many more.. And all of these activities take place in a welcoming, Christ-centered environment.

We are a Catholic Learning Community and as such, students are expected to attend school-sanctioned religious retreats. This is not an exercise in conversion, but rather an opportunity for them to explore, deepen, or just experience our faith. Our Catholic values are embedded in all aspects of what we do and who we are as a system. Please know that your child will take one Religion course every year for four years while attending SBA.

I will leave you with this quote from Nelson Mandela, “No country can really develop unless its citizens are educated. Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. Education is the great engine of personal development.” Dec 6, 2013