February 2023 Welcome Orientation
On Thursday, February 2, 2023, students new to the International Student Program (ISP) attended our Welcome Orientation Day, held at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Secondary School in Oakville.
International Students from around the world, including Colombia, Costa Rica, France, China, Italy, and Korea, gathered for a fun and informative day, which included presentations about all the helpful resources that are available to our students, what students can expect at their new school and homestay, a trivia game with prizes, and a catered lunch.
Our International Student Team, including Antonia Montanari, ISP Vice Principal, and Corinne Laurin, ISP Coordinator, formally welcomed students to the Halton Catholic District School Board and to Canada. Students were commended for their dedication to outstanding education and were encouraged to not only excel in academics, but to also get involved in their school community.
Student Senator’s from various HCDSB secondary schools were on hand to help our new ISP students navigate the orientation, including sharing their school experiences and answering questions.
Apply Now For September 2023!
Applications for September 2023 must be completed and submitted by May 31, 2023.
We are also currently accepting applications for February 2024 until October 15, 2023.
Halton Region Maintains “Safest Large Region in Canada” Rank
According to recent Statistics Canada CSI Reports, Halton Region has maintained the lowest crime severity index of all Canadian municipalities with a population of 100,000 or more for the 24th straight year!
When compared to Ontario’s ‘Big 12’ police services, Halton Region had:
- The lowest CSI (24 years in a row);
- The lowest Violent CSI (24 years in a row);
- The lowest Non-Violent CSI (24 years in a row);
- The highest value WCR (8 years in a row);
- The highest value Violent WCR (4 years in a row);
- The highest value Non-Violent WCR (8 years in a row).
“These results clearly illustrate the alignment and global effectiveness and efficiency of our dedicated officers and civilian staff. These results also reflect the essential partnership between our Community and its Police Service – these results can only be possible with a supportive community engaged proactively in crime prevention and actively cooperating with police investigations and other activities” said Halton Police Board Chair Jeff Knoll. “On behalf of the Halton Police Board, thank you and congratulations to all the dedicated and hard-working members of our police service and the entire community on this continued stalwart success. Working together we will continue to ensure Halton Region remains the safest large community in the Nation.”
Read the full article on the Halton Regional Police website.
September 2022 Welcome Orientation
On Thursday, September 1, 2022, students new to the International Student Program (ISP) attended our Welcome Orientation Day, held at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Secondary School in Oakville.
International Students from around the world, including Bahamas, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Mexico, China, South Korea, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland and Vietnam, gathered for a fun and informative day, which included informative presentations and a catered lunch.
Anthony Cordeiro, Superintendent of the International Student Program, formally welcomed students to the Halton Catholic District School Board and to Canada. He also commended students for their dedication to outstanding education and encouraged them to not only excel in academics, but to also get involved in their school community.
Our International Student Team, including Antonia Montanari, ISP Vice Principal, and Corinne Laurin, ISP Coordinator, presented important information about attending school in our School Board to students. Rui Cai, Youth Settlement Worker, interpreted the presentation into Chinese.
Student volunteers, including Student Senator’s from various HCDSB secondary schools, were on hand to help our new ISP students navigate the orientation, including sharing their school experiences and answering questions.
2021-22 International Student Program Scholarship Recipients!
Our Board is incredibly proud to announce the recipients of our 2021-22 International Student Program Scholarships!
Congratulations to all of our hard-working graduating students, we wish you continued success throughout your secondary and post-secondary career!
Top International Student – University Pathway
This scholarship is awarded to a graduating International Student who has achieved the highest academic average in their top 6 University Level Grade 12 courses and, as a result of their hard-work, has been accepted to a university program. Additionally, the scholarship recipient must have demonstrated leadership qualities and been involved in extra-curricular activities within their school community.
Emma (Qingyan) Jia
Corpus Christi CSS
“Emma, in the opinion of her nominee, is considered to be the poster child for the ISP as she has had great academic success, and at the same time has totally involved herself in the school community, and in all aspects of Canadian culture.
“Despite the challenges faced as an International Student, Emma readily embraced them, and reached out for help when needed, while always maintaining a positive attitude and always being a role model for other International Students at Corpus Christi CSS and within HCDSB.”
Top International Student – College Pathway
This scholarship is awarded to a graduating International Student who has achieved the highest academic average in their top 6 Grade 12 courses and, as a result of their hard-work, has been accepted to a college program. Additionally, the scholarship recipient must have demonstrated leadership qualities and been involved in extra-curricular activities within their school community.
Merelle Vinluan
St. Francis Xavier CSS
“Merelle is a dedicated and conscientious student, who consistently attends classes, completes her work on time, and is polite and respectful to all whom she encounters.
“Merelle has shown her commitment to education by travelling to Canada on her own, has stayed with family and has successfully completed her OSSD. She will be attending Mohawk College in September 2022 for Nursing.”
Most Well-Rounded International Student
This scholarship is awarded to a graduating International Student who has consistently achieved academic excellence, and who is also involved in the culture of their school community. Additionally, the scholarship recipient must be a recognized leader for both international and domestic students within their school community.
Joe Zhang
St. Ignatius of Loyola CSS
“Joe has been a very active and enthusiastic participant in the school life at Loyola. He has contributed to the Asian Heritage Month last year, and created a video for the Lunar New Year which was shared with the entire school community.
“Joe is a leader in the Loyola Multicultural Club. He tutors math students at all levels. He is a member of the Loyola track and field team. He also helped design the prom tickets for this year’s prom. He is also a mentor and guide for new International Students.”
Community Involvement Award
This scholarship is awarded to a graduating International Student who has volunteered in a wide range of extra-curricular activities and community based initiatives. The scholarship recipient should have contributed to the betterment of their school community and beyond.
Thu Doan
Bishop Reding CSS
“Thu participated in Bishop Reding’s Multilingual Learner Land Acknowledgement video by sharing her Vietnamese linguistic talents. She has prepared videos for Asian Heritage Month (cooking demos and prayers). She has also participated in poetry contests and has received an honourable mention for one of her submissions.”
Leadership in Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Award
This scholarship is awarded to a graduating International Student who is actively dedicated to advocating for and improving Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) initiatives in their school community, and who has displayed a personal commitment to social justice and made contributions towards raising awareness of human rights’ causes.
Emma (Qingyan) Jia
Corpus Christi CSS
“Emma has been a constant voice and support to showcase Asian culture in the Corpus Christi school community as well within HCDSB. Emma has made videos for Lunar New Year and Asian Heritage Month so that local Canadians may be able to gain a better appreciation and understanding of these events, and the significance of these events in the lives of International Students.
“Emma has made a significant contribution with her work as a delegate to the board submitting and discussing a letter to increase attention on marginalized groups, and advocacy for increased focus in the curriculum of diverse cultural backgrounds. Emma has been a bridge for so many other international students, doing everything possible to create a community where all “feel like they belong.”
Top International Student at Each Secondary School
This scholarship is awarded to one International Student at each secondary school who has the highest academic average (85% or higher) from among all International Students at the school in their graduating year. Additionally, the Top International Student scholarship recipient must be involved in extra-curricular activities within their school community.
Lily Zhang
St. Thomas Aquinas CSS
“Lily has demonstrated all Catholic Graduate Expectations in her academics and in her involvement of extra-curricular clubs and teams. She perseveres through challenging tasks and courses and has shown tremendous resiliency in learning a new language and adjusting to Ontario curriculum expectations. Lily has been accepted to both the Bio-Medical Science program at Guelph University and the Physical/Chemical Science program at McMaster University.”
Thu Doan
Bishop Reding CSS
“Thu exemplifies all of the Catholic Graduate Expectations through her academics and extra-curricular involvement. Thu’s extracurricular involvement includes: Member of Bishop Reding’s Poet’s Corner, Newcomer Leadership Program, participant of COSTI Refugee and Human Rights Poetry Contest (2021), participant (received honourable mention) of the Asian Heritage Month Poetry Contest in 2021.”
Joanne Kim
Holy Trinity CSS
“Joanne will be attending McMaster University in the fall. Joanne has worked hard to master the English language. She embodies the Catholic Graduate Expectations in that she’s an effective communicator and she is a caring family member who tends to family, school, parish and the wider community through opportunities made available to her.
“She has volunteered with a children’s music program, helped her church with a location move, participated in math contests and is a member of the Holy Trinity running club.”
Kevin (Lie) Ma
St. Ignatius of Loyola CSS
"Kevin goes out of his way to speak to Canadian students/teachers to learn more about the Canadian government, Canadian culture and society. Kevin's extra curricular activities include taking tennis lessons and art classes in order to prepare his portfolio for university applications. Kevin has accepted an offer from McMaster University."
Emma (Qingyan) Jia
Corpus Christi CSS
“Emma has had great academic success, and at the same time has totally involved herself in the school community, and in all aspects of Canadian culture. Despite the challenges faced as an international student, Emma readily embraced them, and reached out for help when needed, while always maintaining a positive attitude and always being a role model for other international students at CC and within HCDSB.”
Merelle Vinluan
St. Francis Xavier CSS
“Merelle is a dedicated and conscientious student, who consistently attends classes, completes her work on time, and is polite and respectful to all whom she encounters.
“Merelle has shown her commitment to education by travelling to Canada on her own, has stayed with family and has successfully completed her OSSD. She will be attending Mohawk College in September 2022 for Nursing.”
Elementary School International Student Scholarship Recipients
This scholarship is awarded to International Students in Elementary School that have achieved academic success, are involved in extracurricular activities in school and in the greater community, and who embody Catholic Graduate Expectations.
Andy (Chan) Song
St. Gregory the Great CES
Kimi (Jingyan) Jiang
Holy Family CES
Emma (Yuyue) Song
Holy Family CES
Kevin Zhang
St. Vincent CES