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Students with special needs are valued members of the inclusive Niagara Catholic community. Niagara Catholic has several strategies in place, including our Equity, Diversity and Inclusive Education Policy, which reinforce the value we place on students who bring their unique gifts to our schools every day.
Mental Health Supports
Niagara Catholic has provided increased supports in the area of professional development opportunities, focused programs, community partnerships and resources to address the need for increased mental health literacy and awareness.
Professional Development
Professional Development opportunities occurred for staff (Principals, Educational Assistants, Child and Youth Workers, Educational Resource Teachers, Student Success Teachers), throughout 2011 in the area of mental health supports.
Student Support Leadership
Through the work of the Student Support Leadership Initiative (SSLI), the following initiatives were implemented in 2011:
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Niagara Child and Youth Services (NCYS) provided staff members at the School-Based Team Meeting to participate in a pilot project at one elementary and one secondary school.
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The Working Together For Kids’ Mental Health Project (within four (4) elementary schools and one (1) secondary school), provided Educational Resource Teachers with tools to help identify potential mental health challenges. In addition, this group of community partners developed a professional development workshop template to be used with staff to enhance their knowledge about Mental Health.
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To enhance parent engagement the SSLI organized a focus group of parents to gather information to make informed decisions about Mental Health in the Niagara region.
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The Stop Now and Plan (SNAP) project was implemented in twenty (20) elementary classes throughout Niagara Catholic.
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