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| Shelley Laskin, Trustee
Toronto District School Board
Ward 8: Eglinton-Lawrence & Toronto-St Paul's
416-395-8787
Shelley.Laskin@tdsb.on.ca
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In this Issue -- Happy Pride!
- Administrative Changes
- Provincial Election – Government Cabinet Announced
- 2022-23 Operating Budget
- COVID-19 Reminders
- EcoSchools
- Board Meeting this Week
- TDSB System Calendar
- Policy Consultations
- New Invitation - Visit a Toronto Public Health clinic to get vaccines missed during the pandemic
- Worth Repeating - June's Heritage Months; Summer 2022 Well-Being Guide; Community Updates; Ontario Legislative Page Program; Backpack and School Supplies Drive; TDSBcares: Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Appeal; Respect the Rules - No Dogs Allowed on School Grounds
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Happy Pride!
Had a blast at the Pride Parade today representing TDSB with so many students, staff and families... #loveislove All are welcome here.
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Administrative Changes
Principal and Vice-Principal Changes in Ward 8
On June 22, 2022, the Board approved a series of promotions and transfers within the system. The following are the new leadership changes in Ward 8 schools effective September 1, 2022:
- Brown PS - Dafna Jalon, VicePrincipal has been transferred to Vice-Principal at Glenview SPS.
- Flemington Park PS - Cherylann Samuel Graham, Principal is taking a leave of absence; Tracey Belleau, will remain at Flemington as full-time Vice-Principal;
- Forest Hill Collegiate Institute - Joseph Ghassibe, Vice Principal has been transferred to VIce Principal at Central Technical School; Anita Love, Vice-Principal has been transferred to Vice Principal at Western Technical Commercial School; we welcome Nancy Martins transferring as Vice Principal from York Memorial CI and Maharukh Kootar, teacher at George Harvey CI promoted to Vice-Principal at FHCI;
- Forest Hill Jr/Sr PS - Jordan Applebaum, Vice-Principal has been transferred to Vice Principal at Millwood Jr S;
- Glenview Sr PS - Dafne Jalon will be transferring from Brown PS as Vice-Principal replacing Melanie Wolfe; Erin Quinn, who was Acting Vice-Principal has been made permanent;
- Hillcrest Community School - Anthony Levy, Principal will be transferring to West Preparatory Jr S; Douglas Cornell has been promoted to Principal of Hillcrest from Vice Principal at HJ Alexander;
- Humewood Community School - Julie Whitfield, Principal will be transferring to McMurrich Jr PS; Cindy Closner, Principal of George Syme CS has been transferred to Humewood;
- JR Wilcox CS - Valarie Taitt, Vice-Principal has been transferred as Vice Principal to Charles E Webster CS;
- John Wanless Jr PS - Rosa Lio, Vice Principal has been transferred as Vice Principal to West Preparatory PS;
- Joyce PS - Susan Billington, Principal is retiring;
- Lawrence Heights MS - Stephen Miles, Principal is going on leave; Gary Stewart, currently Middle Years Student Success Counsellor for LCI is being promoted as Vice-Princpal to Lawrence Heights;
- Lawrence Park Collegiate Institute - Victoria Johnson Lee, Vice-Principal is transferring to the York Board; Emily Saylor, teacher at York Memorial has been promoted to Vice Principal at LPCI;
- Ledbury Park EMS - Penni Rosen who was Acting Principal has been made permanent;
- McMurrich PS - Natalie Vine, Principal is going on leave; Julie Whitfield, current Principal of Humewood is being transferred to McMurrich;
- North Toronto Collegiate Institute - Kathleen Pyper has retired; Sara Dicks, teacher at George Harvey CI has been promoted to Vice Principal at NTCI;
- West Preparatory Jr PS - Manny Da Luz, Principal has been transferred to Principal at Rippleton PS; Anthony Levy has been transferred from Hillcrest as Principal to West Prep; Jill Kelsall, Vice Principal has been transferred to Bedford Park; Rosa Lio, Vice Principal at John Wanless has been transferred to West Prep;
- Winona Drive Sr PS - Terrence Bristow Vice Principal who was Acting has been made permanent;
- Yorkdale Secondary School - Julie Ardell, Principal at Parkdale CI has been transferred to Yorkdale as Principal replacing Tasneem Khan who has served as the Interim Principal
Congratulations to those promoted and to those transferring. We have great community schools with engaged students, parents/caregivers and communities and excellent staff who value equity, learning and wellbeing… hope you will enjoy your time supporting students, staff and community in your new school. And congratulations to those retiring or on leave - we wish you all the best.
Please know existing vacancies created by leaves and retirements will continue to be filled as processes continue throughout the summer.
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Provincial Election – Government Cabinet Announced
From OPSBA's Legislative Update
Thursday the province’s 124 MPP-elects were sworn-in as Members of Provincial Parliament. These ceremonies were individual sessions held inside the legislature. Friday Doug Ford and his 30 member cabinet were officially sworn-in by Lieutenant-Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell outside of Queen’s Park. Many MPPs returned to their previous cabinet positions, including the Minister of Education. Stephen Lecce was first elected in 2018 and is the MPP for King—Vaughan. On June 20, 2019, he became the Minister of Education and held previous positions of deputy government House Leader, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Infrastructure, and Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier. Today’s announcement did not include Parliamentary Assistant assignments, but these should be announced soon, and perhaps as early as next week.
Friday afternoon Minister Lecce held a virtual meeting with the four school board/trustee associations. OPSBA President Cathy Abraham and Executive Director Rusty Hick attended. The Minister also held a teleconference with school board chairs. OPSBA will be reaching out to Minister Lecce and his staff to establish a re-introductory meeting to discuss OPSBA and education priorities.
The government will resume for a short period in July to read/deliver a throne speech, introduce a budget and its supporting legislation, which will be debated. The 2022 parliamentary calendar lists September 12, 2022 as when the Legislative Assembly of Ontario will reconvene, but this may change due to the summer sitting session. Key minister appointments in cabinet include:
- Doug Ford - Premier
- Sylvia Jones - Deputy Premier and Minister of Health
- Doug Downey- Attorney General
- Peter Bethlenfalvy – Minister of Finance
- Prabmeet Sarkaria - President of the Treasury Board
- Paul Calandra – Minister of Long Term-Care and Government House Leader
- Todd Smith – Minister of Energy
- Stephen Lecce - Minister of Education
- Monte McNaughton - Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development
- Caroline Mulroney – Minister of Transportation and Minister of Francophone Affairs
- Steve Clark - Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing
- Jill Dunlop - Minister of Colleges and Universities
- Greg Rickford – Minister of northern Development and Minister of Indigenous Affairs
- Michael Ford - Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism
- Vic Fedeli – Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, with an additional mandate for small business
- Merrilee Fullerton- Minister of Children, Community and Social Services
Next Tuesday, the New Democratic Party of Ontario is to confirm their appointment for interim leader and the timelines for their leadership election. There is no confirmed timing for an interim Liberal leader. OPSBA will continue to monitor NDP and Liberal announcements regarding shadow cabinets and list of opposition critics.
Click here for the news release regarding cabinet member appointments.
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2022-23 Operating Budget
Throughout the school year, the Finance, Budget and Enrolment Committee (FBEC) has been committed to recommending the best possible budget for TDSB students, taking into account the ongoing pandemic needs of the system and the lack of adequate funding by the Ministry.
FBEC has referred the 2022-23 Operating Budget to the Board without recommendation to ensure that all Trustees are given the opportunity to discuss the budget, as needed, in order for it to be approved at the meeting on June 29. Please note, staff’s recommendation will be on the floor once moved and seconded at the meeting.
Staff are seeking approval of the 2022-23 revised operating budget, which outlines a $40.4M projected operating deficit (1.4% of operating allocation).Over the course of the pandemic, every available resource was put towards supporting students, and doing everything we could to keep staff, students and their families safe.
The 2022-23 Projected Operating Deficit of $40.4M is due to the following three factors:
- Revenue losses associated with the pandemic e.g. Decrease in international students revenues and other ancillary revenues
- Unanticipated costs and cost increases that are temporary or cyclical in nature e.g. Natural gas, fuel, maintenance and supplies cost inflation, board-funded pandemic costs
- Structural deficit, or cumulative unfunded portion of Board costs e.g. CPP/EI, LTD, transportation costs, etc.
Staff and Trustees continue to advocate for funding from the province, including the reimbursement of pandemic related expenses and other revenue losses incurred and funding to cover inflationary cost increases not currently funded by the Ministry.
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COVID-19 RemindersPlease Continue to Wear a Mask
Face masks combined with other preventive measures, such as getting vaccinated, frequent hand-washing and physical distancing, can help slow the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19. Please wear a mask to protect yourself and others, especially those that cannot yet be vaccinated. COVID-19: Where to Get Vaccinated.
We will continue to engage with Toronto Public Health over the summer and before the end of August ensure we have the most up to date advice for reopening schools safely.
Mental Health and Well-Being
COVID-19 Case Reporting - Adding TDSB-wide Totals
Effective June 15, Board and school staff are no longer expected to report student and staff absences and closures to the Ministry of Education. The TDSB will continue to report on schools that have absences that exceed 30 per cent above the established baseline and will inform Toronto Public Health of those schools. We will also continue to report the system total of staff and student absences until the end of the school year. Weekly totals will be updated every Tuesday for the preceding week, here is the data from June 23.
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EcoSchools
The TDSB first launched the EcoSchools program in 2003, to promote environmental education and action, and improve how schools and school grounds are used, run and even designed. The goal of the EcoSchools program is to support students and staff in learning about, caring for and protecting the environment — starting right in their own school. Research shows the EcoSchools program is “well-positioned to facilitate the integration of climate change learning and action throughout school communities”.
Congratulations to the following Ward 8 schools that certified this year:
- Brown JPS – Platinum
- John Polanyi CI – Gold
- Lawrence Park CI – Gold
- North Toronto CI – Gold
I understand that due to the ongoing challenges caused by the pandemic, many of our strongest and longest standing EcoTeams did not feel that they could participate in the official EcoSchools program this year, though many of them do continue to focus on ecological literacy in their classrooms, and taking their students outdoors as much as possible. We are hopeful that the 2022-23 school year will be better for everyone and that we will see a return of many of our long standing schools to the program.
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Board Meeting This Week
Wednesday, June 29, 2022 - Hybrid Board Meeting - 7:00 p.m. Public Session - Agenda
- 14. Confirmation of Minutes of Meetings Held on May 25 and June 22, 2022
- 15.1 Integrity Commissioner Code Complaint Investigation Report
- 16.1 Letter of Resignation From Trustee David Smith, Ward 17 (Scarborough Centre)
- 16.2 Trustee Vacancy in the Toronto District School Board Ward 17 (Scarborough Centre)
- 17.1 Governance and Policy Committee, Report No. 05, June 1, 2022
- 17.1 (1) Sexual Misconduct Policy: Status Update and Preliminary Provisions
- 17.1 (2) P040, Accountability for Student Achievement Policy Review: Phase
- 17.1 (3) P034, Workplace Harassment Prevention for Non-Human Rights-Code Harassment: Annual Review
- 17.1 (4) P020, Transportation of Students Policy Review: Phase 5
- 17.1 (5) Inner City Community Advisory Committee: Review of Policy P067, Learning Opportunities Index
- 17.2 Governance and Policy Committee (Special Meeting), Report No. 06, June 16, 2022
- 17.2 (1) Flexible Working Arrangements, Phase 5: New Policy
- 17.2 (2) P023, Parent and Caregiver Engagement Policy Review: Phase 5
- 17.2 (3) P085, Student Attendance and Safe Arrival Policy: Phase 5
- 17.3 Finance, Budget and Enrolment Committee (Special Meeting), Report No. 09, May 30, 2022
- 17.3 (1) Feedback Received From Budget Townhall Meetings
- 17.3 (2) Three-Year Projection and Deficit Recovery Plan: Update
- 17.4 Finance, Budget and Enrolment Committee, Report No. 10, June 8, 2022
- 17.4 (1) Contract Awards, Operations
- 17.4 (2) Contract Awards, Facilities
- 17.4 (3) Contract Awards: Summer Approval Process, 2022
- 17.4 (4) York Memorial Collegiate Institute: Reconstruction Update
- 17.4 (5) Davisville Junior Public School and Spectrum Alternative Senior School Land Conveyance
- 17.5 (1) 2022-23 Revised Operating Budget
- 17.6 Program and School Services Committee, Report No. 05, June 15, 2022
- 17.6 (1) Inner City Community Advisory Committee: Learning Opportunities Index Calculation
- 17.6 (2) Annual Report on Early Literacy: 2021-22
- 17.6 (3) Global Competencies Annual Report and Critical Global Citizenship Education Report
- 17.6 (4) Annual Enrolment in Early and Middle French Immersion Programs 2022-2023 and Core French Program 2021-2022
- 17.7 Planning and Priorities Committee, Report No. 07, June 22, 2022
- 17.7 (1) Toronto Lands Corporation: 2021-22 Third Quarter Business Operations Report
- 17.7 (2) Toronto Lands Corporation: 2022-23 Toronto Lands Corporation Annual Plan
- 17.7 (3) Toronto Lands Corporation: Sir Robert Borden 770 Don Mills Road: Land Exchange With the City of Toronto
- 17.7 (4) Toronto Lands Corporation: Etobicoke School of the Arts: Parking and Recreation License Agreement
- 17.7 (5) SafeTO: Toronto's Ten-Year Community Safety and Well-Being Plan
- 17.7 (6) Review of the Need for the Scarlett Heights Property, 15 Trehorne Drive
- 17.7 (7) Accommodation of Students From New Residential Developments at 38 Annie Craig Drive and 2150, 2169-2173 and 2189 Lake Shore Boulevard West
- 17.7 (8) Addressing Instances of Anti-Black Racism and Hate in the Dr. Rita Cox – Kina Minogok Public School (formerly Queen Victoria Public School) and Parkdale Collegiate Institute Community
- 17.7 (9) Combating Hate and Promoting Understanding: Update
- 17.7 (10) Establishment of a Compliance Audit Committee Under the Municipal Elections Act, 1996
- 17.7 (11) Implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action
- 17.8 Audit Committee, Report No. 08, June 27, 2022
- 18.1. Partnerships With Local and International Organizations (Trustees Mammoliti and Li) - Notice of Motion
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TDSB System Calendar
There are many ways for parents/guardians and school community members to get involved, learn, connect and participate in TDSB activities and events. Visit this page often and see what's coming up!
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School Year Calendar 2021-2022- The last day of class for elementary students is June 30, 2022
- The last day of class for secondary students is June 29, 2022
The first day of school for students for the 2022-2023 school year is Wednesday, September 7.
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Visit a Toronto Public Health clinic to get vaccines missed during the pandemic
Toronto Public Health (TPH) is holding vaccine clinics throughout the summer to give students completing grades 7 to 12 these important lifesaving vaccines:
- Meningococcal vaccine (prevents meningitis)
- Human Papillomavirus vaccine (prevents cancers)
- Hepatitis B vaccine (prevents liver disease and cancer).
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many students did not get these vaccines. They are free, safe and recommended before leaving high school.
Get vaccinated at a Toronto Public Health clinicThese vaccines are free for students completing grades 7 to 12 at TPH Vaccine Clinics. OHIP is not required. Walk-in or make an appointment online. New clinics are added each week and are also available on evenings and weekends.
Unsure if you got these vaccines?Check your yellow immunization card or your online TPH vaccine record. Vaccine records can also be checked at a Toronto Public Health clinic.
School requirementsIn Ontario, the Immunization of School Pupils Act requires all students to be up-to-date with their Meningococcal vaccine or have a valid exemption. Hepatitis B and Human Papillomavirus vaccines are strongly recommended.
Find out more on our website about these vaccines, TPH clinics and the school-based vaccination program. If you have any questions, please speak to your health care provider or call Toronto Public Health at 416-338-7600 (option '1'), Monday-Friday 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM. Language interpretation is available.
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History and Heritage Months in June
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Summer 2022 Well-Being Guide
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Ontario's Legislative Page Program
Applications for the Fall 2022 term are now open. We are accepting applications until July 11th, 2022.
For the Fall 2022 period, applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Attend school in Ontario and be entering Grade 8 in the Fall of 2022;
- Be fully vaccinated by the start of the term (both doses and 2 week wait period); and
- Have an academic average of Level 4 or 80 % (or higher).
Each year approximately 150 young students from across Ontario are selected to participate in Ontario's Legislative Page Program. This unique educational program for Ontario students provides an opportunity to experience the provincial legislature in action and forge new lifelong friendships with peers from all over the province.
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Community Updates Now Posted
To follow these current and potential projects, int the Ward click on the following links:
Baycrest Public School - Sir Sandford Fleming Retrofit
Memorial Park Stormwater Management Partnership Project
- The City of Toronto’s Midtown Toronto Storm Sewer Relief Project (MTSSRP) involves construction of an underground stormwater storage tank and a pumping station in Memorial Park. This work is part of the City of Toronto’s Basement Flooding Protection Program to help reduce the risk of future basement flooding. TDSB/TLC and the City are working towards an agreement that permits the City of Toronto to use TDSB lands at North Preparatory JPS (Memorial Park) which will also affect Forest Hill Collegiate Institute. The information from the information meeting on May 26, 2022 is posted https://www.tdsb.on.ca/About-Us/Strategy-Planning/Search-All-Reviews/id/175.
Eglinton Junior Public School
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Backpack and School Supplies Drive
Backpacks and school supplies can be expensive. They can also wear out easily or are often lost or misplaced by students throughout the school year. They represent a difficult purchase for some students and for their families.
This year’s Backpacks & School Supplies Drive will run from March 1, 2022 to the end of September 2022. Individual donors and companies can help our students by making a monetary donation and/or a donation of new backpacks and school supplies. Tax receipts are available for these donations.
100% of all proceeds and in-kind donations go to benefit our students
NOTE: Due to potential health & safety, hygiene, sorting and storage limitations, the TDSB can only accept new items. Please contact BusinessDevelopment@tdsb.on.ca for more information about how to donate new items.
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TDSBcares: Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Appeal
Since the start of the conflict, a number of schools across the TDSB have been holding fundraisers and collecting donations in support of the ongoing relief efforts in Ukraine. The launch of TDSBcares: Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Appeal complements these school initiatives and streamlines the process for schools and central departments to make new or additional donations.
The TDSBcares: Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Appeal will run until May 31, 2022. Tax receipts will be issued by the Canadian Red Cross (for all donations of $1 or more) and UNICEF (for all donations of $10 or more).
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Respect the Rules - No Dogs Allowed on School Grounds
Dogs are not allowed on school property at any time. Many people are surprised to learn that TDSB Policy prohibit dogs (leashed or unleashed) being on school property. Section 6.10 PR523 Access to School Premises prohibits canines on our properties “at any time” (except service animals).
Please respect children’s play spaces. And please do not verbally abuse TDSB caretaking staff - I am hearing that when members of the public and caretakers onsite try and inform dog owners, they are met with threats and intimidation.
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Community Safety & Support
If you should you ever see any suspicious activity around school buildings after school hours, please contact 311, Toronto Police Services Dispatch at 416-808-2222, or the TDSB’s 24-hour Call Centre at 416-395-4620.
If you or a family member is in crisis, please contact Kids Help Phone:1-800-668-6868 or get support right now by texting CONNECT to 686868.
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