| James Li TDSB Ward 13 - Don Valley North
TRUSTEE UPDATE
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November 2019
Happy November!
We have had an exciting and wonderful start to the new school year and I hope everyone has had a chance to settle into their regular routines.
With November here, I want to give everyone an outline on important policy and program reviews that are happening at the TDSB and provide some information on how you may participate in the consultation process or get your questions answered. Please take a read through this newsletter to learn more details on important changes happening at the TDSB.
December 5 Ward Forum on TDSB GIFTED PROGRAMS
Come for a information discussion on our Gifted Program with Centrally Assigned Principal for Special Education Susan Moulton
When: December 5, 2019 @ 7:00 PM
Where: A Y Jackson Secondary School
Address: 50 Francine Dr, North York, ON M2H 2G6
Secondary Program Review
The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) is undertaking a review of secondary schools to ensure all students have equitable access to programs and opportunities as close to home as possible. As part of this review modifications and updates to current policies and procedures will be required. This includes the Optional Attendance Policy (P013) and related procedures (PR545 and PR612).
There are four consultation sessions available for you to ask questions and voice your opinions and I encourage everyone to take part in one of the session if possible.
- November 14, 7:00 PM at Western Technical-Commercial School, 125 Evelyn Crescent, Cafeteria
- November 20, 7:00 PM at East Education Office, 140 Borough Drive, Committee Room 3/4
- November 26, 7:00 PM at C W Jefferys Collegiate Institute, 340 Sentinel Road, Cafeteria
- November 28, 7:00 PM at John Polanyi Collegiate Institute, 640 Lawrence Avenue West, Cafeteria
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French-as-a-Second-Language
At the June 2019 Board meeting, recommendations to change the Intensive French-as-a-Second Lan-guage programs in the TDSB were passed. For your information, please see the FSL Program Review Recommendations Q & A that has been prepared. Additional details regarding TDSB French programs, including the application process and information on who to contact with any further questions, can be found on the TDSB French Programs webpage.
For families interested in the Toronto District School Board's French Immersion or Extended French programs, we offer an online process for applying to:
Early French Immersion (EFI) which begins in Senior Kindergarten; Junior
Extended French (JEF) which begins in Grade 4
At this time, we guarantee an offer of placement in the program (not a specific school) to all on-time applicants. The timelines for applying for these programs for September 2020 are:
Applications for Early French Immersion (for a Junior Kindergarten aged child), must be completed online between November 4, 2019 and November 29, 2019.
Applications for Junior Extended French must be completed online between January 6, 2020 and January 31, 2020.
Offers of placement within your chosen program will be made to all on-time applicants in the weeks following the close of the application window.
Please note that families with an older sibling currently in a French program are still required to complete an online application for the new student.
For additional information about French as a Second Language programs, the application process and important dates, please visit www.tdsb.on.ca/french. For virtual webinars on for parents interested in our French Immersion Program, click on Information Sessions on the website.
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Ward 13 Forum
Date: Thursday, December 5, 2019
Time: 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Location: A Y Jackson Secondary School, 50 Francine Drive, North York
Don Valley North School Councils, Parents/Guardians, Community Members, Superintendents and School Staff are invited to attend Trustee James Li's Ward Forum
Guest Speaker: Susan Moulton, Centrally Assigned Principal, Special Education
Agenda:
- Welcome and introductions
- Susan Moulton Presentation on Gifted Programs
- Q&A
Light Refreshments will be provided, and child care will be available
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Academic Pathways: Grade 9 and 10
Student success drives everything we do in the Toronto District School Board. Our focus is to ensure that every student receives a great education by having equitable access to programs and resources and increased opportunities. As part of the Board’s Multi-Year Strategic Plan, we are committed to working over the course of three years to support the majority of students to study academic courses for Grades 9 and 10.
Parent-Teacher Interviews
Regular parent-teacher communication is an important part of student learning. Parent-teacher interviews are scheduled throughout the year after report cards are sent home.
These interviews are your opportunity to ask questions about your child's progress and to discuss any issues. In addition to regularly scheduled parent-teacher interviews, you can request a meeting at any time during the school year by contacting the school or your child's teacher directly.
High School Information Nights
To help you make an informed decision when choosing a high school, TDSB schools host information nights for parents and grade 8 students each year between October and January. Learn everything you need to know about our incredible variety of schools, programs and courses.
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| November is Indigenous Education Month at the TDSB
In November, we honour Indigenous Education Month at the TDSB. This month provides an opportunity to centre on First Nations, Métis and Inuit perspectives, histories and contemporary realities. In classrooms across the TDSB, it is an opportunity to learn about treaties, Indigenous leadership, achievements, and resistance. Learn more.
Hindu Heritage Month is recognized at the TDSB
In 2016, the Government of Ontario declared the month of November each year as Hindu Heritage Month. Further to this, On April 18, 2018, the TDSB Board of Trustees voted to recognize the month of November as Hindu Heritage Month. The theme chosen this year is OM – Sound of the Universe. The sound OM, or AUM, is energy, a vibration from which all the universe originates. It is believed that form and creation emanate from this vibration. OM symbolizes vibrations of being, life, and consciousness in all worlds and all creatures. By chanting OM correctly, one feels a connection to the creation and transformation of the cosmos. And then, it is traditional to pause, sit in silence, and experience that creative void of complete peace and understanding.
Canadians of Hindu faith have greatly contributed to civic life in Canada for decades, and are a vibrant part of the growth and prosperity of Toronto, Ontario and Canada. November is an opportunity to celebrate the Hindu way of life, examine its impact and contributions to the world culture, and recognize values which promote compassion, tolerance and inclusion – and hey, it is the birthplace of the number zero, without which the binary code in computers could not exist!
Materials, including posters, will be available on Friday, Nov. 1, 2019. Please visit the main page of tdsb.on.ca and click on Hindu Heritage Month in the bottom left corner.
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Saturday Credit Program NEW
The Continuing Education Department is offering a credit program in several international languages for current high school students. Classes run 3.5 hours a week on Saturdays beginning on October 26 to June 13, 2020, depending on sufficient enrollment numbers. A minimum of 25 students are needed to run a course. Registration is available online till October 22 at 12:00 PM. Registration will be accepted on October 26 at the sites offering the courses. Please bring the registration form with you. You will need your student number, current high school, and signed parent/guardian permission.
*Please note: Level 1 is the pre-requisite for Level 2.
Students must have successfully completed the Level 1 credit course to enrol in Level 2 courses
Arabic - Level 1 (Code: LYABD1)/Level 2 (Code: LYACU1*) Milne Valley MS 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM
Armenian - Level 1 (Code: LYRBD1)/Level 2 (Code: LYRCU1*) Forest Manor PS 9:15 AM to 12:45 PM
Greek - Level 1 (Code: LBGBD1)/Level 2 (Code: LBGCU1) Donview MS 8:45 AM to 12:15 PM
Korean - Level 1 (Code: LKKBD1)/Level 2 (Code: LKKCU1*) Cummer Valley MS 9:15 AM to 12:45 PM
Farsi - Level 1 (Code: LYFBD1) Cummer Valley MS 9:15 AM to 12:45 PM
Tamil - Level 1 (Code: LITBD1) Dr. Marion Hilliard 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM
Punjabi - Level 1 (Code: LIPBD1) Humberwood Downs Jr MS 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM
Simplified Chinese - Level 1 (Code: LKBBD1) George Vanier SS 9:15 AM to 12:45 PM
Spanish - Level 1 (Code: LWSBD1)/Level 2 (Code: LWSCU*) Ryerson CS 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM
Traditional Chinese-Mandarin - Level 1 (Code: LKMBD1) Woodbine JHS 9:15 AM to 12:45 PM
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| Remembrance Day
On Monday, November 11, students and staff at our schools and across the city will mark Remembrance Day with classroom activities and school assemblies. For Remembrance Day, teachers make connections between global events and students' lives by promoting peace within our school community. On this solemn occasion, staff, students, parents, and the wider community all join together in a call for peace.
As a point of interest, TDSB's Danforth Collegiate and Technical Institute has the recognized distinction of having the greatest number of students, graduates, teachers, and other staff enlist in the military during the Second World War than any other school in the British Commonwealth.
John McCrae
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders Fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
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