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8- The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday June 16, 2007 www.oakvillebeaver.com Aquinas profiled in EQAO literacy results By Andrew Fruch SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER A commitment to improving student literacy rates gained an Oakville secondary school recognition by the provincial education system. Oakville's St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School has been chosen as one of 12 secondary schools across the province that will be profiled by the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO). "I think it's really a testament to the commitment of the staff to see literacy improve," said Colin McGillicuddy, principal of the high OAKVILLE - Celebrating 150 years! NOTICE OF STUDY COMMENCEMENT AND 2007 Operating and Capital Budget PUBLIC INFORMATION CENTRE NO. 1 7 Monday, March 26, 200 s Improvements -to C ouncil C Road West 7:30 p.m. Lakeshore hambers, Town Hall - 1225 Trafal gar Road From Mississaga Street to Burloak Drive Council will consider the 2007 Operating and Capital Budgets as Class Environmental Assessment Study recommended by the 2007 Budget C ommittee on Monday, March 26 in C ouncil C hambers. The Town of Oakville has initiated a Class Environmental Assessment (EA) Study to Anyone wishin g to appear as a dele Road West from Mississaga Street to facilitate the improvement of Lakeshore gation must re gister with the Burloak Drive ce at 905.338.4235 by 12 noon on Monday, March 26, 2007. Road are Clerk's Offi (see map). Improvements to this section of Lakeshore needed to accommodate maximum of future travel demands. Members of the Delegations will have a existing and 10 minutes to address C ouncil. public are invited to attend a Public Information Centre (PIC) on: C opiesoftheBudgetdiscussiondocumentareavailableontheTown's Wednesday, June 20, 2007and in the Finance Depm partment located on website at www.oakville.ca -- 6:00 pm to 8:00 Oakville Town Hall, 1225 Trafalgar Road, the secon d floor at Town Hall, 1225 Trafalgar R oad between 8:30 a.m. Committeep.m. and 4:30 Rooms 1 & 2 Written submissions the C ouncil's consideration may be sent, traffic-related This PIC will introducefor project and receive public input onprior to concerns and g, to the Town Clerk, Town of Oakville, 1225 Trafal the meetin potential solutions. gar Road, Oakville, L6J 5A6 or by email to townclerk @oakville.ca . The Process The Study is being carried out in accordance with the planning and design process for `Schedule C' projects as outlined in the Municipal Engineers Association Municipal Class Environmental Assessment document (June 2000). The Class EA process includes public/external agency consultation, an evaluation of alternative solutions and alternative design concepts, an assessment of potential impacts associated with the proposed improvements, and formulation of measures to mitigate identified impacts. Future PICS Additional notices indicating the date and location of forthcoming PICs will be published in future editions of this newspaper. Upon completion of the Study, an Environmental Study Report (ESR) documenting the Preferred Solution and Preliminary Design will be prepared for public/agency review and comment. Comments Invited If you have questions or comments regarding the Study, or wish to be added to the Study mailing list, please contact either of the following Project Team members: David Johnson, C.E.T. Dick Gordon, P.Eng, MCIP, RPP Consultant Project Manager Project Leader UMA Engineering Ltd. Town of Oakville 60 Renfrew Drive, Unit 300 Engineering and Construction P.O. Box 310, 1225 Trafalgar Rd Markham, Ontario L3R 0E1 Oakville, Ontario L6J 5A6 Tel.: (905) 472-2010, Ext. 229 Tel.: (905) 845-6601, Ext. 3326 Fax: (905) 470-2060 Fax: (905) 338-4159 Email: Dick.Gordon@uma.aecom.com Email: djohnson@oakville.ca school that is located at Rebecca Street and Dorval Drive. "And to make sure every student, not just the ones in the higher levels of achievement, but every student, has the tools that they need to succeed," McGillicuddy told The Oakville Beaver. The recognition was due to the school's 92 per cent success rate for students taking the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT), a prerequisite for graduation in the province. That represented an increase over last year's results of 88 per cent for the school. McGillicuddy believes the increase stems from the performance of students at the applied and locally developed level. The Oakville high school has launched a number of positive initiatives to increase the literacy rates among its students, including a mobile computing initiative which garnered the most attention. But according to McGillicuddy, people are "The laptops are only one part of a broader initiative to make the school more welcoming to students who are not so keen on school. The idea is if we make the kids feel excited and welcome, they will buy in and enjoy school. " Colin McGillicuddy St. Thomas Aquinas principal focusing too much on laptops instead of the whole picture. "The laptops are only one part of a broader initiative to make the school more welcoming to students who are not so keen on school," said McGillicuddy. "The idea is if we make the kids feel excited and welcome, they will buy in and enjoy school," added the high school principal. The increase bodes well for St. Thomas Aquinas, however the Halton Catholic District School Board (HCDSB) saw an overall decrease of three per cent compared to last year's level of a 92 per cent success rate. The Halton District School Board (HDSB) had an overall achievement rate of 90 per cent, which marks a 10 per cent increase for the HDSB over the last five years. Both the HCDSB and the HDSB are above the provincial average of 84 per cent success rate. The provincial average remained the same as last year -- the highest OSSLT success rate and 12 per cent higher than when the test was first introduced during the 2002 academic year. St. Thomas Aquinas was one of only two schools chosen in the GTA to be profiled by the EQAO. The results that were released this week included the profiles of two schools, one being Aquinas, the other being Langstaff High School in Richmond Hill. The EQAO believes that higher success rates on average are the result of schools using literacy testing as a reference point for identifying students in need. Terence Young Invites You An Evening with Senator Consiglio Di Nino Monday June 25, 2007 6:30 - 8:30 PM The Oakville Club 56 Water Street Tickets $175 Please call 905-842-5910 or order on line at www.terenceyoung.com Information will be collected in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. With the exception of personal information, all comments will become part of the public record. This Notice issued on June 16, 2007. For more information visit www.oakville.ca or call 905-845-6601 Conservative A fundraiser for the Conservative Party of Canada - Oakville