Dr. Kathy Witherow is the new Interim Director of Education
On Tuesday, Oct. 6, Dr. Kathy Witherow was announced as the Interim Director of Education for the Toronto District School Board. Kathy replaces Carlene Jackson who will begin her appointment as Ontario’s Comptroller General.
Before this appointment, and since June 2018, Kathy was the TDSB’s Associate Director of Leadership, Learning and School Improvement. Kathy has been an instrumental part of the TDSB’s senior management team, leading the safe re-opening of the TDSB’s 583 in-person schools and virtual schools during the COVID -19 pandemic.
Permanent Director of Education Search
The Toronto District School Board is in the process of recruiting its next Director of Education. This process is being led by a Trustee Director Search Committee, in partnership with Mandrake, an executive search firm. The job was posted on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020. Interested applicants are asked to apply by Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2020.
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Return to School: In-Person Learning and Virtual School The Toronto District School Board officially welcomed students and staff back to school last month, for both in-person and virtual learning. For the most up-to-date information, including letters to parents/guardians, please visit:
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Returning to School Links
For more details, please click on the links below that will bring you right to the information
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Update on School Reopening
Should you have questions that have not been answered, please e-mail me at Zakir.Patel@tdsb.on.ca and I will do my best to get answers.
Thank you to everyone who is working so hard to ensure our students are learning both in-school and virtually.
Current Enrolments - In-School and Virtual School
- Of the projected total number of students in the TDSB - 242,323, 83,828 are learning virtually which represents 35% of all students in the Board - our Virtual School would be the 6th largest school board in Ontario
- Overall enrolment of projected to be down 3,619 primarily due to JK/SK enrolment
- Impact on the boards budget as we are funded by our enrolment is estimated to be $41.8M
School Budgets
- Student funding for In-Person and Virtual School are funded at the same level
- School Budgets for In-Person schools will be adjusted to their revised enrolments
- Virtual Schools have been provided school budgets to support learning Budget for Virtual School - staff have loaded $150K for secondary and $400K for elementary ($100K per LC) and the SOs are currently assessing needs to distribute to 2700 teachers - information to teachers will come shortly
Elementary Reorganization
- Unfortunately, the school year began with a shortage of teachers at the Elementary Virtual School and we know that it has been a frustrating experience for some students and families as they wait for a teacher
- At this time, the reorganization process has been completed and all teachers have been transferred from in-person schools to the Elementary Virtual School. We continue to staff daily to fill vacancies as they arise
- In-school, all reorganizations have been completed
- Following the reorganization process, all classes (English and French Immersion/Extended French) in Virtual School now have a teacher assigned and learning should be underway for all students
- In elementary virtual school there are a total of 2,579 homeroom teachers of which 226 are French Immersion/Extended French and there are 145 Core French/Resource/Special Education teachers
- That said, 48 classes for French still have English teachers - staff are working on options as noted in their last communication referenced below
- 41 VPs have been redeployed to Virtual School to bring the total number of administrators to 66 to support staff and provide more effective communication to families; senior staff are considering additional resources to support students and teachers
Cancellation of November Elementary Opportunity to Switch
- While the original plan did allow for switching at multiple times throughout the year, the plan has to be responsive to changing situations - some of which no one could have predicted and as such the November switching date has been cancelled
- The decision to change the switching schedule is an operational one, based on the best judgment of senior staff and what is best to stabilize both schools and classrooms. In their view, further disruption in November (when the next switch date was to occur) is not in the best interest of student learning
- As indicated in the parent/guardian letter about switching, there may be some unique circumstances that will be considered in a case by case basis. More information will be shared with parents/guardians next week on how we may respond to these circumstances.
- Staff are exploring different options for how virtual learning may be delivered for the next scheduled transition date in January
Secondary Reorganization
- There are 18,500 students and 800 teachers currently in Secondary Virtual School
- This includes 719 classroom teachers plus 86 Student Success/Guidance/Resource teachers for a total of 805 teachers
- Classes have now settled into their routines. Many teachers with the same course assignment are now collaborating with one another to ensure consistency in delivery. Student Success teachers are reaching to non-attenders and will follow up with families. Resource teachers have started developing IEPs for students with special needs
- Given the exceptional circumstances and the complexities of running exams in both a virtual and in-person setting, the TDSB senior staff has chosen to cancel exams for quadmesters 1 and 2 and final marks will be based on coursework and in-class end of quadmester assessment of learning. Further information will follow for the remaining quads, pending current local health and safety guidelines. There shouldn’t be any impact on students with their graduating marks as they will continue to be assessed on their work and understanding during their year
- To provide more stability and consistency for students/families and teachers, senior staff have paused the October 15 switch date (Quad Two)
- Staff were concerned that students are able to achieve credits and be successful and to ensure courses are available in bricks and mortar, especially in smaller schools
- Staff are working on options after careful consideration of all challenges and complications and are currently working with principals, superintendents, and union to look at the best local school options to support both Virtual School requests and In-Person school needs
- Staff have confirmed that they are not looking at "live teaching" at this time
Adult Day School
- All current Adult Day School students, and newly registered students, were provided with an online pre-registration survey on Tuesday, October 13
- The Quad 2 survey asked: Do you plan to register for a specialty certificate program? What are your intentions for quadmester 2? In School, Online, or not attending in Quad 2
- The survey data will inform how best to meet the learning needs of adult students
- Course selections for Adult Day School students will begin next week
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Health and Safety Measures The health and safety of students, staff and school communities continues to be the main priority of the Toronto District School Board. Read more about the TDSB’s health and safety measures, including daily health screening, mask and face covering requirements and the response plan. Please also note the revised screening guidelines for students.
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COVID-19 Advisories
The Toronto District School Board is committed to providing up to date information about confirmed cases of COVID-19 in schools (students and staff). This information is easily accessible by clicking on the COVID-19 Advisories banner on the main webpage of www.tdsb.on.ca.
Please note that all schools where there is a confirmed case of COVID-19 will receive a letter from Toronto Public Health to inform them about the possible exposure.
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IT Devices - The Board distributed approximately 60,000 devices to students last Spring during emergency remote learning. Students were allowed to keep them for their use this year as long as they were still TDSB students. For this school year, approximately 10,000 students have requested a device
- Approximately 10,000 devices are currently on back order. Currently, we have approximately 2,000 virtual school students waiting for requested devices. Staff anticipate to have those and additional requests covered by the orders that have been placed
- IT is spending $15M more than provincial funding on chromebooks and iPads - we are replenishing devices borrowed from schools - that first replenishing happened in August - more details will come at our meeting Tuesday with regard to further replenishing devices back to schools and distribution of devices for students
Virtual Resources - The Central Math Team has secured access to Mathology licenses (English or French) for Kindergarten and Grades 4-6 Virtual School teachers, as well as MathUp licenses for Grades 1-3 (English or French) and Grades 4-8 (English only) Virtual School teachers. These products are teacher licenses, and are not issued on a per student basis
- Mathology: Teachers will have access to the Mathology.ca (English) or Mathologie.ca (French) platform, which includes curriculum-aligned lessons, activities, little books, assessment tools, and just-in-time professional learning videos
- MathUp: Teachers will have access to the mathup.ca platform, with grade-specific pathways containing rich lessons, activities, suggestions for differentiation and professional learning resources. Student activities, such as number talks, brain benders, and digital games are also included. French is available for Grades 1-3 only
- We are also exploring digital resources for early and adolescent readers and providing a number of tools for assessment of our students
For the latest communication to parents see below -
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HEPA/Air Filters - Updated Information from Toronto Public Health revised October 14, 2020 https://www.toronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/8de9-COVID19-Transmission-Aerosols-Ventilation.pdf - Airflow and ventilation - In larger spaces, such as classrooms or businesses, good ventilation or airflow can help reduce the spread of COVID-19. Open windows and doors in rooms without HVAC systems, weather permitting, and if doing so does not pose a safety risk. If a room does not have ventilation (i.e. no windows or HVAC system), a portable air cleaner/purifier can be considered, but make sure the air exhaust is not blowing directly at the people in the room
- With approximately $6M in provincial funding, staff are purchasing approximately 6,000 institutional-grade HEPA air filters for use in classrooms that do not have operable windows and do not have mechanical ventilation (or have limited mechanical ventilation, exhaust only)
- They have analyzed TDSB schools and determined that these should cover all needed classrooms. The first order of 100 units will be delivered on October 19 with 1000 units per week being delivered after that
- The units will first be distributed to the schools in the highest COVID-19 and then to schools based on LOI and then to all others
- The 500 air purifiers donated from Danby will be replaced and the Danby units placed in offices and smaller rooms.
- At Thursday's meeting staff softened their position on school donations for HEPA filters - although they still prefer monetary donations for HEPA units to be directed to the Covid-19 Central relief fund for schools with greatest ventilation needs, they are considering allowing donations to schools as long as they may be matched with a central donation - units would be specified by the Board and advance approval would be required - details to come.
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Heritage and History Months
The Toronto District School Board is proud to celebrate the following Heritage Months during the month of October:
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She Leads, a non-profit organization
She Leads is an Enactus Ontario Tech University Project. Enactus is a community of entrepreneurial leaders that see business as a way to create social, environmental, and economic change. Enactus strives to create a stronger and more sustainable world through student leadership. She Leads projects aim to seek opportunity, take action, and make an impact in our communities. More info at https://enactusot.ca/.
She Leads is a female empowerment organization designed to connect and empower females. A female’s voice is just the thing that is needed in this day and age to make a long-lasting impact needed to further develop our communities.
Through She Leads, we will be hosting a Women in STEM forum series. As this is usually around the time that grade 11 and 12 students would normally be figuring out where they want to go and what they want to do after high school, we believe that this would be a great opportunity for them to learn more about potential careers in these areas to encourage them to go into STEM-related careers.
The details of the event are as follows:
This series is all online and free to attend, taking place on Wednesdays, beginning October 21st. Each forum will start at 5 pm and be either an hour or an hour and a half in duration. The forums will have all sorts of speakers from current to alumni students of the university, professors, and industry professionals.
- October 21st: Technology
- November 4th: Science
- November 18th: Engineering
- November 25th: Math
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Advocacy - Provincial Budget Consultation
On October 15, TDSB Chair Alexander Brown participated in the Ontario Ministry of Finance’s Fall 2020 Ontario Budget virtual consultation and shared the TDSB’s concerns about the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the TDSB’s budget. The COVID-19 pandemic has, in many ways, changed the way that TDSB operates, and has had a significant financial impact. As we look ahead to next year, we have significant concerns about the residual impacts of the pandemic and the costs that we will continue to face. In his presentation, the Chair touched on the following areas that require additional funding so that students and staff can be fully supported: In-Person/Virtual Models of Education, Special Education, Mental Health and Well-Being, PPE and Cleaning Supplies, and Supply Teacher Costs.
The Chair also discussed the TDSB’s continued advocacy in the areas of Renewal Funding and Access to Education Development Charges. Our current repair backlog is $3.5 billion as a result of years of inadequate funding - it has not increased as the province changed the parameters of the analysis. We need predictable and sustainable funding for school repairs, especially in light of the pandemic and the need to improve HVAC systems in older schools.
We continue to advocate for access to EDCs as TDSB does not currently qualify because of overall excess capacity, even though significant capacity pressures in many schools. If we qualified, we could expect $500M over 15 years to meet growth-related needs.
Please read the Chair’s written submission to the Ministry of Finance for more details - https://www.tdsb.on.ca/Portals/0/docs/TDSBWrittenSubmissionBudgetConsultation2020.pdf.
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More on the Renewal Backlog
The Toronto District School Board’s Renewal Needs Backlog (RNB) list identifies approximately 23,400 different types of repairs needed in our schools. The total value of those repairs was $3.5 billion as of September 2020. This is unchanged from last year.
The Ministry hires external consultants to inspect each school every five years and provides the TDSB with updated information. This is equivalent to 20 percent of our schools. The consultant assesses the condition of each school and determines what needs to be repaired or replaced (e.g. floors, walls, heating and ventilation systems) based on life cycle, the urgency of the repairs/replacements and Facility Condition Index (FCI) rating. Generally, the more repairs a school needs, the higher the FCI. In some cases, the FCI is so high that a school is rated for eventual replacement.
In recent years, when the Consultants have been assessing school buildings and components, they have been moving backlog requirements into future years, where they find building components still have capacity to perform as intended. The impact of this change has been a reduction in the backlog for the current year, but an increase to the backlog in future years. This is due to the movement of components for the current year into the 4 years following the current year. By way of example, for a low-priority repair such as the replacement of interior doors, the replacement date for this repair is pushed out by another five years, and not part of the current window of deferred maintenance backlog.
As a result, there is no significant change in the 5-year projected renewal needs backlog and it now stands at approximately $5.1 billion. We need predictable and stable funding.
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Ontario Regulation 274/12: Hiring Practices On Thursday Minister of Education Stephen Lecce issued a statement announcing the revocation of Ontario Regulation 274/12: Hiring Practices on October 29, 2020. Beginning that day, school boards will be asked to use an interim policy until a Policy/Program Memorandum (PPM) is issued in November. Boards will then be required to “develop and post their own teacher hiring policies that align with the PPM and respect existing collective agreements.”
The Ontario Public School Board Association (OPSBA) has been advocating for the repeal of this regulation which favours seniority as the most important factor in teacher hiring, since its introduction in September 2012. Click here for the full statement.
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Registration Now Open - Partners Conference!
This year’s conference takes place over two days – Saturday, October 24, and Sunday, October 25. It includes two amazing keynotes as well as a host of breakout sessions that you can choose to tailor to your own interests and needs.
Some of the sessions offered include special education, mental health and well-being, anti-Black racism and virtual engagement. In the breakout sessions – led by both TDSB experts and panelists from outside organizations – you also get a chance to connect in a more intimate way with other parents, ask questions and participate in discussions.
Saturday Keynote Speaker -- Kim Katrin
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Kim Katrin is an internationally acclaimed award winning educator, consultant & social entrepreneur. Recognized as one of The Root's' Young Feminists to Watch', celebrated as Canada’s National Youth Role Model. Since 2012, Kim has spoken on equity and social entrepreneurship at institutions across Canada and the US both on and offline to millions. Collaborating with brands like Makeup Forever, Squarespace & Lululemon she has worked both internally and externally to innovate around inclusion.
Sunday Keynote Speaker -- Dr. Sloane Freeman
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Dr. Sloane Freeman, an expert consultant for Lysol, is a pediatrician and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto, with particular expertise in developmental/school issues, health care delivery and care of the medically complex child. Her keynote will focus on keeping kids healthy at home.
Panel Discussion on TDSB School Year Update on Sunday, October 25 2:45 - 3:45 p.m.
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Hear directly from TDSB senior staff -- including Dr. Kathy Witherow, Interim Director of Education; Manon Gardner, Associate Director, School Operations and Service Excellence; and the Executive Officer, Facility Services -- on what’s happening in elementary, secondary and virtual schools. Ask questions and learn about health and safety practices in place to keep students and staff safe.
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2021 Prime Minister's Awards
The Prime Minister's Awards for Teaching Excellence - These awards honour outstanding and innovative elementary and secondary school teachers in all disciplines for their remarkable educational achievements and for their commitment to preparing their students for a digital and innovation‑based economy.
The Prime Minister's Awards for Teaching Excellence in STEM - These awards recognize inspirational Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) teachers at the elementary or secondary school level who keep students engaged in STEM learning and who help develop the culture of innovation that Canada needs today, and in the future.
The Prime Minister's Awards for Excellence in Early Childhood Education - These awards honor outstanding and innovative early childhood educators for their leadership, exemplary early childhood education practices, and their commitment to help build the foundation children need to make the best possible start in life.
Nomination packages must be submitted to the Prime Minister's Awards program office by January 12, 2021 — 11:59 a.m. Pacific Time
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