Today people have and need to gain a better understanding about their own creativity and the concept of creative thinking and with practice can apply the skill in their personal and professional life. Some benefits of being creative include:

• Do well in your job
• Build a successful career
• Shape your personality
• Clever and fresh solutions to problems
• Sustain friendships and healthy relationships
• Develop self confidence

The experience of being in a familial environment is a great support for students and helps them to navigate high school and the teenage experience. We provide a safe, inclusive environment that fosters stability and acceptance. While talent is certainly a gift we believe that those eager to learn can develop skills and proficiency. Attitude is everything!

Together we can empower every student to reach their future success.

Students will develop their creativity; learn about their own identity, and develop self-awareness. Students deepen their appreciation of diverse perspectives and develop the ability to approach others with openness and flexibility.

“Learning through the Arts; therefore, fosters integration of students’ cognitive, emotional, sensory and motor capacities, and enables students, with a wide variety of learning styles, to increase their learning potential.” (ONTARIO ARTS CURRICULUM 2010)

earning styles, to increase their learning potential.” (ONTARIO ARTS CURRICULUM 2010)

A teacher will host a virtual meeting to provide answers and advise on audition questions. These will be from 6:30 pm to 7:00 pm - links to be published by 6:15 pm on the day of the event.

Tuesday December 1- Visual Arts

Wednesday December 2 - Drama

Monday December 7 - Instrumental Music

Tuesday December 8 - Vocal Music

Wednesday December 9 - Dance

1. Creativity is Multidisciplinary

2. Creativity allows you to express yourself

3. Creativity promotes thinking and problem-solving

4. Creativity reduces stress and anxiety

5. Creativity allows you to enter your happy zone and have fun

6. Creativity gives you a sense of purpose

7. Creativity can lead to feelings of accomplishment and pride

8. Creativity can link you to others with the same passion

9. Creativity improves your ability to focus

10. Creativity promotes risk-taking and iteration

11. Creativity is a prerequisite for innovation

12. Creativity encourages us to be lifelong learners

The mission of the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board’s Regional Arts Program is to educate each student with enhanced Arts curricula in a Christ-centered environment. In partnership with Church, family, community and professional artists, students will have defining moments to develop spiritually, aesthetically, intellectually, socially and multiculturally, while further developing their God-given gifts.

This program provides students the opportunity to root their high school experience in a creative environment. Accumulating credits in courses that ignite the high school experience and enable students to achieve success that can lead them to a plethora of post-secondary opportunities.

· Comprehensive training with content that is authentic to the profession.

· Development of the entire performer with a multi-disciplinary approach to learning dedicated to supporting the individual to realize their full potential.

· Multiple performance opportunities.

· Enquiry based learning with a company approach that fosters collaboration and community building

· Enrichment from Arts Professionals in an enhanced learning environment.

· Visits to major professional arts venues.

· Focus on transferable skills that lead to a fulfilled enriched life.

· A responsive, inclusive and caring culture of learning.

Arts education has lasting benefits beyond school years

Posted on 09/15/2017

By Christine Peets

“Art in and of itself is a basic human activity and children are all inherently creative, so we want to nurture that in a forward-thinking culture.”

That was arts educator Gabriel Deerman's first thought when asked about the main benefits of arts education. Deerman is an Ontario College of Teachers and Internationale Baccalaureate certified educator with expertise in media including painting, printmaking, drawing, sculpture and mixed media, and the current co-owner of Salmon River Studios where he teaches art programs. He also runs art programs in schools.

There is no doubt that having an arts program as part of a curriculum has benefits not only for children taking the program, but for their future and for society in general. Nurturing creativity in all forms, Deerman said, helps everyone to reach their full potential, which goes beyond the school years.

“Essentially, [by not having arts in the schools] the long term effect is the inevitability of the arts being diminished. We need to nurture that creativity from day one, as it does not come in adulthood as easily when it hasn't been fostered in childhood,” he said. “Art and creativity can be taught, and the added benefit of nurturing creative thought is that it benefits other areas of learning. There are a lot of components of creative problem-solving, hand-eye co-ordination, and so forth. It makes us think outside the box—beyond any technical ability needed to produce the art.”

Beyond the technical benefits, there are creative benefits, and there is historical context that the arts help people, Deerman noted. If we only look at the maths and sciences, then we are limited in the appreciation of creative beauty.

“We want to look at what kind of world we want to shape and what to do with those other skills. The arts help kids so much because they are the 'idea generation' and learning within the arts gives kids skills to overcome adversity, and become more resilient. They have a chance to learn from their failures, which is a skill we all need to develop.”

Development of skills in the arts is available in all schools in the Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) from Kindergarten (K) to Grade 12. Many schools put examples of their art programs on the website, such as these programs at Nationview Public School. http://www.ucdsb.on.ca/school/nat/curriculum/Pages/Art.aspx

During Education Week, held from May 1 to 5 this year, many schools highlighted Canadian art in their curriculums to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Canada's confederation. It is evident that the arts play a large role in the UCDSB programs for students, including those who are attending school later in life.

The TR Leger School for Adult, Alternative and Continuing Education gives students the opportunity to learn the Visual Arts at the Grade 9 and Grade 10 level. In Grade 9, they become familiar with the elements and principles of design and the expressive qualities of various materials through working with a range of materials, processes, techniques and styles. They also develop critical thinking skills and learn about art in Canada and in other cultures. In Grade 10 they build on what they've learned, and refine that knowledge in the application of the elements and principles of design.

Students can choose to achieve the course objectives in a comprehensive program or a more focused one,
so critical decision-making processes are put into practice. There is no prerequisite for either level of the course. More information about all of the programs is on the TR Leger website.

These are just some of the arts programs in schools within the UCDSB, and there are some examples of children's creativity being nurtured on the UCDSB Parent Involvement Committee (PIC) Facebook page. Scroll down to find the Earth Day projects that will make fine activities for a summer's day.

Nurturing creativity and arts education have long-lasting benefits well beyond the school years.

Christine Peets is the Writer in Residence for the Upper Canada District School Board Parent Involvement Committee. (UCDSB-PIC)