鱿鱼视频app

Riverso has been presenting concerts at Catholic parishes on behalf of parish-selected charities. Funds raised from the $20 tickets to her concerts (three tickets for $45) go directly to the parish鱿鱼视频app charity. At St. Paul鱿鱼视频app the money will go to support tutoring for Grade 6-to-8 kids who are at risk of failing or entering high school without much chance of success.

As a teacher herself with the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board, Riverso believes giving poor kids a hand up in education is essential.

鈥淚f the Church has an ability to do that, they need to do that,鈥� said the singer, songwriter and business teacher at the Brian J. Fleming Catholic Adult Learning Centre in Mississauga.

The tutoring program at St. Paul鱿鱼视频app Catholic School is Msgr. Brad Massman鱿鱼视频app big idea. The pastor of St. Paul鱿鱼视频app has seen the Kumon Learning Centres in malls and main streets throughout the leafy middle class suburbs. The postal code surrounding St. Paul鱿鱼视频app (the school and the church are side-by-side) is the poorest in Toronto and there aren鈥檛 any tutoring franchises nearby.

Massman believes it鱿鱼视频app the Church鱿鱼视频app job to level that playing field as much as possible.

鈥淎 lot of our parents, they鈥檙e wonderful parents, but they鈥檙e poor,鈥� Massman said.

For parents who may not have had a great education themselves, or who are holding multiple jobs, it鱿鱼视频app not so easy to help their children develop good study habits, said the parish priest.

The Tuesday and Thursday after-school program is a pure gift for many of the parents and kids, said Sr. Margaret Feeley. Helping families climb out of poverty is what Churches are supposed to do, according to the St. Joseph Sister.

鈥淔aith without good works 鈥� it鱿鱼视频app nothing,鈥� said Feeley.

The tutoring program is the natural extension of St. Paul鱿鱼视频app 21-year-old breakfast club.

鈥淲e鈥檝e moved from the breakfast club to try to think of the whole child,鈥� Massman said.

Uptown at the school board offices, administrators were surprised and pleased to hear of the program at St. Paul鱿鱼视频app. But Toronto Catholic District School Board superintendent Josie Di Giovanni isn鈥檛 so sure private tutoring services have opened up a huge academic gap between middle class kids and the underprivileged. She believes the Kumon approach, with its heavy emphasis on repetition, is out of step with the school curriculum and pedagogical methods.

With provincial funding, the board runs its own after-school tutoring programs in the city鱿鱼视频app priority neighbourhoods, plus in-class tutoring programs during the school day. These programs have the advantage of using board-approved materials and employing certified teachers, said Di Giovanni.

鈥淭here鱿鱼视频app a little bit more control over what is taught and how it鱿鱼视频app taught,鈥� said Di Giovanni.

There鱿鱼视频app no reason to believe that publicly funded education isn鈥檛 good enough without private-sector tutoring add-ons, she said.

鈥淭hat鱿鱼视频app what we鈥檙e trying to do is close the gap in student achievement,鈥� she said.

Perhaps the most important thing about a parish-supported tutoring program is that it sends a message to kids that education is important 鈥� important enough that the whole Church community cares about it, said Di Giovanni.

鈥淓very little bit helps,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 want to say to the monsignor that what you鈥檙e doing is not appropriate. But I don鈥檛 think we are expecting the parishes to be raising money to do this... It鱿鱼视频app an individual response to a need.鈥�