| Happy Spring!
I hope everyone had a fantastic March Break, whether you were able to take advantage of the many fun activities our city has to offer, or get out of town. For students and staff of the TDSB, March Break brings a welcome pause before the final few months of school. For Trustees, it's a busy time as we review staff and community recommendations in the budget process.
With spring bulbs starting to peak through the still cold ground, I hope you find time to enjoy time with your family, friends, and all the great spring activities our community has to offer.
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| Fix Our Schools
Dovercourt PS parent and Ward Rep Bill Mboutsiadis has become very involved with the terrific grassroots campaign, Fix Our Schools, and gave a terrific presentation at our Ward 9 (Davenport) Council meeting in February at Shirley St. PS. Fix Our Schools is trying to get the Provincial Government to allow the TDSB to access Education Development Charges, to help close the gap on our $3.7B capital repair backlog. They were very disappointed by a recent response by Premier Kathleen Wynne.
In 2015-16, Premier Wynne’s provincial government has only provided school boards with about 5% of what is needed to address the $15-billion repair backlog in schools across the province. Our provincial government hasn’t even provided sufficient funding to school boards to address the $1.7-billion of disrepair that its own Auditor-General has deemed to be both critical and urgent! I cannot stress enough how important this campaign is for our schools, students and community. Please sign on to lend your support and learn more and check out this video made by a TDSB student, that does a great job of explaining what's going wrong.
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| The Great Big Crunch
On March 10, I joined students at Brock Jr Public School, Foodshare and TVOKids for The Great Big Crunch -- an annual moment of 'anti-silence' where everyone gets together and bites into crunchy fresh local produce in unison. Many great apples were crunched and a few more teeth became wiggly, and it was a great opportunity to talk about the role nutritious snacks play in how we grow and learn.
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| Skating Party
The 1st Annual Trustee Stiles Skating Party landed on a beautiful, sunny day in February. Sure, the ice was a little 'wet' but the hot chocolate was delicious, the cookies yummy (thanks Dufferin Grove Park staff!) and the music kept us moving. Thanks to all the families from across our Ward who came out to enjoy the skating, talk about public education and celebrate the wonders of Dufferin Grove.
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| Excellence Awards 2016 The TDSB is proud that our staff are among the most dedicated and qualified in the world.
Their focus, dedication and commitment help build strong healthy relationships and allow our school communities to thrive. We want to recognize the great work of outstanding staff across the system, those who go above and beyond to support student achievement and well-being.
We invite you – staff, students, parents and community members – to nominate a TDSB staff member or team whose work has made a difference in your life or for those around you.
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| TDSB’s New Online Permit System for Community Use of Schools
I'm pleased to announce that a new software package will be used to manage TDSB permit bookings for community use of schools. The software that the TDSB has been using for over 15 years is being retired, after consultation with community permit holders about ways to improve the booking system. The new system should be easier and provide a better experience for organizations seeking to permit space in our schools.
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| Budget Ward Forum
Community consultation is a very important part of the TDSB’s budget process. I hosted a Ward Forum on March 10 at Rawlinson Community School to consult with our community, parents and students about the upcoming budget. We were joined by Carla Kisko, Associate Director of Finance at the TDSB. As always the discussion and questions were very useful and informative.
For more information about the TDSB’s 2016-17 budget, please visit www.tdsb.on.ca/budget.
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Go Team!Davenport's Secondary Schools are making us proud! Oakwood CI Boys were silver medalists in the Ontario Basketball Championships, while the school's excellent arts program hosted the Sears Ontario Drama Festival
Meanwhile, Bloor CI is sending off another robotics team to compete at the University of Windsor on April 7 – 9. The robotics team meets every day after school and all day Saturday to work on their robot for the event. Bloor CI was awarded the $20,000 First Robotics Competition grant, and now the robotics business team is developing a plan for a sustainable annual program. Good luck and Go Arctos Go!
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| Next Ward Council: April 5Mark your calendar! our next Davenport TDSB Ward Council meeting will take place on April 5. Location and topic to be confirmed.
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| Additional PA Day - Important Information for Parents/GuardiansAn additional Professional Activity Day (P.A. Day) has been added to the calendars of all schools in the Toronto District School Board.
All TDSB schools will have a newly designated P.A. Day on Friday, April 15, 2016. This additional P.A. Day has been mandated by the Ministry of Education as a result of provincial labour negotiations. All TDSB schools will be closed to students on Friday, April 15, 2016. On this day, teachers will be taking part in professional development on provincial education priorities identified by the Minister of Education.
Most Before- and After-School Programs will offer full-day care for children currently registered in their program on the P.A. Day. Parents/guardians are encouraged to speak to their local child care provider for further details. The remainder of the 2015-2016 school year calendar remains unaffected. Details on the school year calendar can be found at www.tdsb.on.ca/AboutUs/Calendar.
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