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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 -- Holy Season for Many
- Latin America History Month at Toronto District School Board – April 2022
- Sikh Heritage Month at the Toronto District School Board – April 2022
- Tutoring Update
- Winter Outerwear Drive Provides a Warm Welcome to TDSB Newcomers
- Repeating this Important Message from Last Week - Recovery Continues... Funding Required!
- Watch for It! Short Survey on Pandemic Recovery
- New Invitations - Bhangra Dance with Gurdeep Pandher; Outdoor Education Summer Camps; Clean Toronto Together; Upcoming Webinars; Ward Forum May 16, 2023 - School Building in Toronto: Where are we now?
- Worth Repeating - Credit Summer Programs; TDSB Ukrainian Fair; Holocaust Remembrance Day Student Event; Virtual Office Hours for Parents and Caregivers; Focus on Youth Summer Community Request Applications; Excellence Awards 2023 to Celebrate Staff Dedication; PIAC Conference: Save May 6! Summer School 2023; Continuing Education Programming at the TDSB; Useful Links; PSS Virtual Drop-In Hours; We have a Poop Problem! School Year Calendar 2022-23; Approved 2023-2024 Calendar; Community Safety & Support
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Holy Season for Many
Ramadan began at sundown on Wednesday, March 22 and is the Islamic holy month where Mohammed was commanded by the angel Gabriel to recite the words of the Q’uran and when many Muslims fast from dawn to sunset and do acts of kindness.
Passover begins at sundown on Wednesday, April 5 and celebrates the liberation of Jews from slavery in Egypt It is a weeklong holiday of freedom and homecoming where Jews retell the Exodus story during a traditional Passover meal known as a seder the first two nights and remove leavened products from their home for the duration.
Good Friday is Friday, April 7. Easter is Sunday, April 9 and celebrates the resurrection of Jesus three days after his death by crucifixion. Orthodox Easter is a week later. Holy Week is the week leading up to the important Christian festival of Easter, beginning on Palm Sunday, including Maundy Thursday and ending on Holy Saturday.
With this season of Ramadan, Passover and Easter, wishing you warm thoughts and blessings as you gather with the ones you love.
Ramadan Mubarek! Chag Pesach Sameach! Happy Easter! Happy Spring!
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Latin America History Month at Toronto District School Board – April 2023
Latin America History Month is proudly recognized at the TDSB during the month of April because of a motion passed through our Board of Trustees in 2016. This year the theme to mark Latin America History Month is (Decolonizing) Latin America History Month & Beyond: Honouring & Uplifting the Real Hxstories and Multiplicities of Our Identities.
The "x" in HXStories was purposefully chosen to decentre patriarchal HIStories and tell our multiple stories--historical, lived, and living. "The X is intended to reflect the many distinct identities, struggles, and intersectionalities as an inclusive and progressive term. The X is a way of recognizing our untold histories and pushing forward collectively to recover what has been stolen from us." (Citation)
Since its creation of the Latin America History Month Volunteer planning committee in 2016, the membership, who is comprised of educators, community organizers, parents and TDSB staff and alumni continues to ensure that we are reflective of all intersectional differences within our communities of Latin America / Abya Yala / Pachamana and its diaspora, including those right here at the TDSB.
During the month of April, several activities are being planned for students, staff, and community members. We invite everyone to join us to kick off Latin America History Month with a virtual launch (save the date details are below). Please follow us on twitter: @TDSBLAHM
TDSB Latin America Month Virtual Launch Celebration
- Thursday, April 13th, 2023
- 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
- Virtual link to follow
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Sikh Heritage Month at the Toronto District School Board – April 2023
Sikh Heritage Month has proudly been recognized at the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) during the month of April since 2016. The TDSB became the first school board in Canada to designate April of each year as Sikh Heritage Month. This designation matches the recognition by the Province of Ontario that proclaimed the Sikh Heritage Month Act in December 2013, and the recognition proclaimed by the Government of Canada on April 30, 2019. Sikh Heritage Month is recognized nationally across Canada.
Sikh Canadians have lived in Ontario since the turn of the twentieth century. They have made significant contributions to the growth and prosperity of Ontario and their traditions and culture continues to be a vibrant part of every aspect of life of Canadians today.
This year our theme is Kes. Kes is one of the five Kahaars, indicators that Sikh individuals must acknowledge as part of their faith. The five Kakaars are five sacred articles of faith prescribed by Guru Gobind Singh Ji. They are also known as the ‘Five Ks’ because each one starts with letter K representing Kakka in the Punjabi language. The five K’s are: Kes; Kirpan; Karra; Kangha; Kacchera. We are inviting all TDSB community, students, and staff to join our virtual Sikh Heritage Month launch to recognize the contributions of Sikh Canadians. Join us for a remarkable morning of information and celebration.
As part of the celebrations to mark Sikh Heritage Month at the Toronto District School Board, we are proud to share a three-part Podcast series with staff, students and the TDSB community on:
Lastly during the month of April, Sikh Canadians recognize Vaisakhi, also known as Khalsa Day, which celebrates the Sikh New Year across Ontario. This year Khalsa Day will be celebrated on Sunday, April 30th in downtown Toronto at Exhibition Place. This celebration is the third largest parade in Canada with thousands of individuals joining in the festivities! We hope you are available to join us and join the event!
TDSB Sikh Heritage Month Virtual Launch Celebration
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Tutoring Update
Tutoring across the TDSB continues to be successful on all fronts. TDSB staff have visited many of the tutoring programs offered by community organizations. It’s been great to see the level of student engagement and enthusiasm. Tutoring affords students an opportunity to interact, bond, and develop skills. These tutoring organizations operate in the same neighbourhoods where students live.
Continuing Education programs have helped over 20,000 students as they work toward the completion of any unfinished learning, supported by teachers who know them. Online tutoring is a growing success with an increasing number of students accessing the services.
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Winter Outerwear Drive Provides a Warm Welcome to TDSB Newcomers
Winter is a hard time of year for families in need. Many TDSB students are newcomers to Canada who are experiencing their first Canadian winter without the necessary gear to focus on learning and participate in the wonderful activities that winter has to offer.
The TDSB held its annual Winter Outerwear Drive from October 2022 to February 2023 to answer the call. 100% of monetary and in-kind donations were earmarked for students in need and provided a warm welcome to many students that are newcomers to Canada, mainly from Ukraine and Afghanistan. The drive saw 2,356 students in 74 TDSB schools receive in-kind donations of coats, pants, hats, gloves, and boots valued at $322,428.
We are grateful to the many donors and supporters of the drive that realizes our Board’s mission and vision. This is a great example of how an entire community can come together to support student achievement and well-being. We continue to accept monetary and in-kind donations throughout the year. Please contact BusinessDevelopment@tdsb.on.ca to find out how you can support the campaign.
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Repeating this Important Message from Last Week - Recovery Continues... Funding Required!
The pandemic is not over, and the recovery continues - it is imperative that the province provides funding to ensure the TDSB can fully implement its Pandemic Recovery Plan.
Based on the Ontario budget, it’s very difficult to anticipate what this will mean for the TDSB. We understand increases are there to cover salary increases, but unsure what else. It is our hope that once the Grants for Student Needs – the main funding source for school boards – are released at the end of the month or beginning of next month, there will be additional funding to help support students in Toronto.
Toronto was an epicentre of the pandemic in Canada for approximately two years – during which the TDSB worked to implement directions and advice from Toronto Public Health for items such as reducing class sizes, and cohorting at lunch to keep students and staff as safe as possible – all while maintaining learning. I believe this unique approach led to safer school environments and may have saved lives. As a result, the TDSB incurred approximately $70 million in pandemic-related costs that were not covered by the Ministry of Education. We continue to ask the province to repay those pandemic costs. We are simply asking to be treated fairly and be reimbursed for the COVID expenses - just like the city of Toronto (who has tax base that school boards don’t). This is a very reasonable ask.
Fast forward to now, we’re currently facing a $61 million deficit for the 2023-24 school year [over $63M with the addition of 40 school based safety monitors]. We have depleted working reserves and used reserves put away for other reasons. If pandemic costs were reimbursed by the Ministry, the TDSB would have additional funding to support its current financial shortfall without having to reduce programs and services.
We’re also very concerned that pandemic funding of $31.5 million, which allowed TDSB to put an additional 485 staff resources into the system is ending. This included teachers, social workers, child and youth workers, caretaking and vice-principals, among other categories, and we are worried about the ramifications to student well-being with the reduction of this funding. The recovery continues so this funding must continue. We are still dealing with the effects of COVID, grappling with violence in our communities. A potential cut of hundreds of staff will only make the situation worse for students.
An additional budget pressure relates to employee benefit (LTD, WSIB, CPP, EI) and sick leave cost increases that are not funded by the Ministry. For 2023-24, TDSB employee benefits and sick leave costs are projected to be underfunded by $48.6 million. Remember, these are not negotiated benefits, These are their personal contributions to CPP that have increased and as the government has not funded those legislated increases, money comes from other programs. We are requesting that the Ministry commit to funding the actual costs of employee benefits and sick leave for all Ontario school boards.
We acknowledge that we must always look inward for efficiencies as well, however when Canada’s largest school board depletes its reserves to cover $70 million in pandemic costs – we have no option but to go to our funder – the Province – and request support. Our students deserve to have their recovery from the pandemic supported.
There are other areas where the Province could look for savings. For example, we have repeatedly asked for them to lift the moratorium on school closures. We have tens of thousands of empty spaces spread out across the system. If we had the opportunity to right size the system, it would not only provide better opportunities for students, but it would also save money – not to mention that we could target repair funding on a smaller number of aging schools.
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Watch for It! Short Survey on Pandemic Recovery
At our Special Board Meeting on March 31, Trustees supported a Pandemic Recovery Period Survey.
Whereas, the Ministry of Education has indicated that pandemic funding is set to come to an end by August 31, 2023, and yet we are still in the recovery mode; and Whereas, the funding expected from the Grants for Student Needs (GSNs) and the recently announced Provincial budget seem to indicate an assumption that the pandemic is no longer a financial focus of the Provincial Government; and Whereas, academic and societal indicators suggest the impacts of the pandemic remain significant for many children, from our youngest learners to our oldest students; and Whereas, the student supports paid for by the government (formerly known as covid funding) are still very much required;
Therefore, be it resolved: The Director conduct a brief survey to hear broadly from parents and caregivers on the needs of their children and youth, focused on their academic success, mental health and well-being that continue to be required during this pandemic recovery period.
Please complete the survey as soon as you receive it as your answers will help us with our advocacy for pandemic recovery funding. Your support is appreciated.
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Bhangra Dance with Gurdeep Pandher
Back again to bring joy to our classrooms! We're honoured to host Gurdeep Pandher on Monday, April 3, 2023 1:00 pm - 1:45 pm talking about Bhangra Dance Gurdeep Pandher is a Yukon based, Bhangra dance artist. He lives in a small off-the-grid cabin in the wilderness near Lake Laberge and creates dance videos in nature/outdoors and performances that bring people together. He is best known for spreading joy, hope and positivity during the pandemic. Millions of viewers throughout the world have watched his wilderness videos. There will be an opportunity to ask questions. More information on Gurdeep Pandher may be found by following his twitter account @GurdeepPandher.
We encourage all TDSB classes K-8 to participate in this amazing learning experience with Gurdeep Pandher! Please click the link below to join the webinar: https://tdsb-ca.zoom.us/j/92342473345
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Outdoor Education Summer Camps
The Toronto District School Board's Outdoor Education Centres are once again excited to offer overnight camps at the Scarborough Outdoor Education School (SOES), in Kearney, and at the Island Natural Science School this summer.
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Clean Toronto Together
Toronto’s annual spring cleanup April 21 to 23 – register your cleanup now! This April, gather your family, friends, neighbours and colleagues and help cleanup litter in Toronto’s parks, beaches, or other public spaces.
Organize a 20-Minute Makeover on Friday, April 21 or schedule a community cleanup on Saturday, April 22 (Earth Day) or Sunday, April 23. Twenty minutes is all it takes to help put litter in its proper place!
The City welcomes the support of students, schools, colleges and universities to help keep Toronto clean. Gather students and staff and spend 20-minutes cleaning up your schoolyard or a neighbourhood park. We encourage school cleanups on Friday, April 21 to celebrate Earth Day. TDSB and TCDSB participants will be provided additional information where to get bags and gloves. The City no longer provides free cleanup supply kits to schools. Register your school here.
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Upcoming Webinars
TDSB Community Support Workers invite you to hold the date for these upcoming webinars.
The Joys of Parenting (Part 1): Expanding Your Toolbox
Monday, April 3rd from 6:30 to 8:00pm Click here to register
Building Mathematical Minds (part 2)
Tuesday, April 25th from 6:30 to 8:00pm Click here to register
Councils Connecting for Change - Fundraising Do's and Don'ts
Saturday, April 29th from 10:00am to 11:00am Click here to register
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HOLD THE DATE - May 16, 2023 - 7-8:30pm - School Building in Toronto: Where are we now?
The TDSB's Long-Term Program and Accommodation Strategy is refreshed every year - please join Trustee Alexis Dawson and me to discuss the plans for our Wards. If you are interested in participating, please Register online here - https://forms.gle/aEoGS5BcgmJXDdYo7.
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Credit Summer Programs
If you have questions, please contact Katie Ferguson, Centrally Assigned Vice Principal, Continuing Education: Secondary Credit & Literacy-Numeracy Programs, at Katie.Ferguson@tdsb.on.ca or Peggy Aitchison, Centrally Assigned Principal, E-Learning at Peggy.Aitchison@tdsb.on.ca.
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TDSB Ukrainian Fair
TDSB Ukrainian "Laskavo Prosymo" Welcome Fair is taking place 11:00AM-2:00PM, Saturday, April 15, at Western Technical-Commercial School and Ursula Franklin Academy, 125 Evelyn Crescent. All TDSB Ukrainian secondary students and families are welcome. Please complete the registration form below by April 1, 2023.
Дорогі учні з України, TDSB запрошує вас на вітальний ярмарок, який відбудеться в суботу 15 квітня з 11:00 до 14:00, у Western Technical-Commercial School and Ursula Franklin Academy, за адресою: 125 Evelyn Crescent. Запрошуються всі українські учні старших класів шкіл TDSB та їхні родини. Будь ласка, заповніть реєстраційну форму до 1 квітня 2023 року, якщо ви зацікавлені.
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Holocaust Remembrance Day Student Event - The Holocaust & Antisemitism Through The Eyes of a Child
REGISTRATION IS OPEN! Join us April 18, 9am-3pm, for the Holocaust Remembrance Day Student Event. Concurrent sessions for grades 4-6, 7-9 & 10-12. Virtual and Free -Bring your class to one or more of our grade-specific educational programs on Holocaust Remembrance Day. Leading Holocaust organizations, speakers, authors and survivors will help students:
- Develop an understanding of the events of the Holocaust through a child’s perspective
- Build connections between the past and the present
- Apply the lessons of empathy, moral courage, inclusion, and acceptance to their own lives
- Explore the impact of antisemitism on the most vulnerable in society
and much more!
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Focus on Youth Summer Community Request Applications - Now Open
Community agency applications are now open to participate in the TDSB’s Focus on Youth Summer program. The purpose of the Focus on Youth program is to hire, serve and support students who experience challenges such as socio-economic disadvantages, systemic racism and, since 2020, have been significantly impacted due to the repercussions of the pandemic. For the summer of 2023, the TDSB is focusing on providing meaningful employment and training opportunities to students. The program will run from July 4 to August 18, 2023. For a complete list of agency criteria and to fill out an online application form, visit the Focus on Youth Summer Community Request page.
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Excellence Awards 2023 to Celebrate Staff Dedication
TDSB staff make our schools and workplaces incredible spaces to learn, work and play. We all know stories of staff who go above and beyond for students, colleagues and the broader community, and every year, the TDSB Excellence Awards are a chance to spotlight these stories and recognize the efforts of TDSB staff.
Last year, the Excellence Awards were modified to align with our shared system priorities and help highlight TDSB staff’s efforts to foster joy, engagement and belonging in our schools, workplaces and communities as a foundation for academic achievement, student success and service excellence. Nomination categories also reflect our shared commitment to Indigenous rights and human rights, equity, anti-racism, anti-oppression – all within a framework of creativity and innovation.
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PIAC Conference: Save May 6!
Join the Parent Involvement Advisory Committee (PIAC) as it returns to the first post-pandemic, in-person conference, with speakers and workshops focused on bridging gaps in Parent Engagement and School Councils. Mark your calendar for Saturday, May 6, 2023 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Earl Haig SS. Learn more.
Parents and Caregivers as Partners: Call for Workshop Proposal
The Parents and Caregivers as Partners Conference (PCasP), happening on October 21 and 22, 2023 is seeking proposals for virtual and hybrid (in-person or streaming) workshops, micro-sessions, and panel presentations. PCasP provides an opportunity to highlight innovation and high-impact strategies for partnering, collaborating, and nurturing parent/caregiver partnerships and alliances. Submit your proposal now! Due by April 11, 2023. Visit www.parentsaspartners.ca for further information.
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Summer School 2023
Looking to build your child’s literacy and numeracy skills? Elementary Summer School registration is now open! The focus of the 2023 Elementary Literacy and Numeracy Summer School Program is to continue student engagement through the month of July. Programs, which are developed by the local summer school principal to reflect the local school focus, are offered in-person to students in Kindergarten to Grade 8, from July 4 to July 28, 2023, in various locations around the city. This year, one remote program will also be available. For more information, including a list of schools and online registration forms, visit our summer school program page.
As noted above, registration for Secondary Summer School Credit Programs begin April 4.
Continuing Education Programming at the TDSB
Did you know we offer a wide variety of Continuing Education at the TDSB? I encourage you to explore learning opportunities available for children, families, adults, and visitors - click here for more information on continuing education programs and click here for more information on summer programs.
- African Heritage Elementary Program
- International Languages Elementary Program
- Learn4Life General Interest Spring Program - Adults 18+ and Senior
- Adult ESL Program
- Summer Music & Art Camps
- International Youth Summer Program
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PSS Virtual Drop-In Hours
We are here to help you in any way we can. Our Professional Support Services team offers monthly virtual drop-in times where you can connect directly with a staff member to help answer questions and provide support to help you and your child.
Wednesdays once a month: from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Virtual Drop in Hours
Virtual Drop-In Hours for Students with Special/Complex Needs
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We have a Poop Problem!Respect the Rules - No Dogs Allowed on School Grounds
A reminder to dog owners (and I know not all of you have kids at school). 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.
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School Year Calendar 2022-23
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Approved 2023-2024 Calendar
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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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