The Durham Catholic Parent Involvement Committee (DCPIC) marked the start of the school year this week with its annual Commissioning Mass, welcoming new and returning Catholic School Council chairs, co-chairs and principals from across the board — including schools in Ajax.
The mass took place Wednesday, Oct. 28, and also served to greet the committee's new parent representatives for the year ahead.
Father Jim Kelly presided over the mass, according to a Durham Catholic District School Board news release. Following the service, attendees heard greetings from Gerard Winn, the board's Chief Executive Officer, and Morgan Ste. Marie, Chair of the Board.
The evening also included presentations on this year's board Spiritual Theme, "Shining Our Light," as well as on the Ontario Association of Parents in Catholic Education (OAPCE) and the Parents Reaching Out Grant, a provincial funding program that supports parent engagement initiatives.
The board described the event as a strong way to begin the year.
DCPIC is a committee of parents and board staff that works with Catholic School Councils to support students and families throughout the Durham Catholic District School Board, which serves Ajax and surrounding Durham Region communities.
The committee says it looks forward to continuing that work with school councils over the coming months.
