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October Update – Trustee Sara

What a busy time we are in, fall is in the air, as are elections with the provinces of New Brunswick, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and also the upcoming US election. Education, child care and the rights of children have figured prominently in all of these elections, and each victory for the rights of children gives me a renewed hope for our work here in Ontario and Toronto-Danforth.

At the TDSB, schools are continuing to feel the effects of consecutive years of cuts and underfunding, front of mind in this is the challenges in staffing classrooms with professional educators. I’m saddened to share that I’ve been receiving a higher than usual number of requests for assistance. I continue to seek to do what I can to support our community but I would also encourage everyone to continue to share experiences and concerns with the new Education Minister, I created an email template you could start from here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1u3bZ_2UWiDNeeRyFNAo-Q-wG2TVeI0beR_tUFmuC4BQ/edit?usp=sharing

For those joining Halloween celebrations this week I hope is it a safe and happy time.

Take care,

-Sara

Sara Ehrhardt
TDSB Trustee, Toronto-Danforth

PS – As I write this, I see an opinion piece I wrote about funding clean air in schools is out in the Toronto Star, you can read it here: Ontario schools need funding for better ventilation

Sara at the Frankland Boo Bash, and with a cast of characters at the Pape Hoot and Howl. Thank you to the many volunteers who make these school events happen.

Sara with a cast of characters at the Pape Hoot and Howl

Get Vaccinated! Covid-19 and Flu Vaccines Available Vaccines for Covid and the Flu are available to anyone 6 months of age and older at pharmacies and primary care providers

You can find information on the Covid-19 vaccines here COVID‑19 vaccines | ontario.ca and on the Flu vaccine here: Universal Influenza Immunization Program | ontario.ca

Board News

You can see agendas and minutes for all committee meetings once they are posted here: https://www.tdsb.on.ca/Leadership/Boardroom/Agenda-Minutes , information on delegating during committee meetings is https://www.tdsb.on.ca/leadership/boardroom/delegations

Cell phone policy: The new policy for personal mobile device use in schools is up for consultation you can read the new policy here Policy Consultations and take a survey to share your views until December 10 here Personal Mobile Device Use in Schools - Policy Consultation

Upcoming Events

November 4: Town Hall for Parents/Guardians/Caregivers of Students with Disabilities/Special Education Needs

Date: November 4, 2024
Time: 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Location: Virtual or In-person (TDSB Board Office, 5050 Yonge St.)

TDSB’s Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) includes volunteers who advise the TDSB on how to improve special education programs and services. We want your feedback and to learn from your experience.

TDSB SEAC is hosting a Town Hall. This is an opportunity for families who have a child with a disability/special education needs to share their experiences at school.

We will ask you 2 questions:

1. What barriers to learning have you and your child encountered in school?

2. What recommendations do you have to enhance services and experiences for students receiving special education services?

We will use this information to help develop recommendations for the TDSB on how it can better serve these students. The Town Hall is not set up to give you advice on how to navigate TDSB services. Families needing help with this regarding their child’s services should contact their school’s principal and superintendent.

At the Town Hall, you will get up to 5 minutes to share your experiences. If you want to attend in-person or online, please complete this registration form. If instead, you would like to submit a pre-recorded video, your written comments, or even an artistic piece, email it to lianne.dixon@tdsb.on.ca.

At the Town Hall and in any feedback you send in, to respect privacy, please do not use the names of specific staff or schools. SEAC cannot investigate specific problems. We want to learn from your feedback on what system-wide reforms we should recommend to TDSB.

November 20: Joint Ward Forum: Digital Media Literacy

Wednesday, November 20th from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM Via Zoom

Join Trustee Sara Ehrhardt, and Trustee Michelle Aarts for a special virtual ward forum.

It can be challenging to sort fact from fiction online, and an increase in hate speech, alongside ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence tools, have made it even harder.

This virtual workshop, led by CIVIX, is designed to help parents/caregivers learn simple skills for spotting misinformation in the context of social media platforms and AI.

All parents/ guardians/ caregivers, students, staff, and members of school communities in Toronto-Danforth and Beaches-East York are welcome to attend.

Please REGISTER HERE to let us know you will be attending.

We look forward to seeing you there!

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Trustee Update