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| The celebration of the New Year on January 1st is a relatively new phenomenon. The earliest recording of a new year celebration is believed to have been in Mesopotamia, c. 2000 B.C. and was celebrated around the time of the vernal equinox, in mid-March. A variety of other dates tied to the seasons were also used by various ancient cultures. The Egyptians, Phoenicians, and Persians began their new year with the fall equinox, and the Greeks celebrated it on the winter solstice. No matter how you celebrated the beginning of the New Year, I hope it was fun and safe for everyone. And now that 2016 has started, I am energized to connect with parents, students, school councils and the community. I'd like to put an emphasis on making connections with people in Willowdale in different ways and at different events. I will be getting out to as many School Council Meetings as I can, and holding ward forum / brainstorming sessions where we will have a chance to meet, talk and share ideas. I also encourage you to invite me to your meetings or events throughout the year. And as always, don't hesitate to contact me any time.
Best Wishes,
Alexander
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January is Tamil Heritage Month at the TDSB
January is Tamil Heritage Month. It is an opportunity to remember, celebrate and educate current and future generations about the culture, heritage, language, history and traditions of Tamil Canadians in the Toronto District School Board. In support of this month, a culminating event, Tamil Heritage Month Awards and Celebration will occur on Saturday, January 23, 2016 from 1-6 p.m. at Woburn Collegiate Institute.
As part of TDSB’s inaugural Tamil Heritage Month, an Essay, Poetry and Art contest is available to students. For more information, please see the attached contest details or contact Diane DeiAmoah, Equity and Inclusive Schools at 416-396-7106 or at diane.deiamoah@tdsb.on.ca.
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The Toronto District School Board is pleased to welcome John Malloy as the Board’s new Director of Education.
John brings with him a wealth of experience in public education, having served as Director of Education for the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board and a Superintendent of Education with the York Region District School Board and the Durham Catholic District School Board. Most recently, John was an Assistant Deputy Minister and Chief Student Achievement Officer with the Ontario Ministry of Education.
As Director, John’s key priorities include improving student achievement and well-being. He is focused on increasing student engagement, ensuring learning environments are supportive, and providing equitable access to opportunities for all students. John also believes very strongly in the importance of collaboration, especially with parents and the community. John started work on January 4th, 2016.
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TDSB Parent Conference 2016: Parents as Partners
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The Parent Involvement Advisory Committee (PIAC), Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC), Mental Health and Well-Being Parent Partnership Committee and Model Schools for Inner Cities’ Parent Academies are partnering to bring one INCLUSIVE conference on Saturday, April 16, 2016. Please save this date in your calendar. The expected outcome of the conference will be to reinforce the commitment of leaders and practitioners in schools and communities, to continue to build on existing exemplary school board and school practices and to establish new networks in order to close achievement and opportunity gaps,to ensure higher levels of success for all students. Registration for this event is expected to begin during the first week of February. The registration information will be posted here in a future newsletter. OR go to the TDSB website.
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| School Council Appreciation & Information Evening
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| Please join The Parent Involvement Advisory Committee (PIAC) in celebrating the work and contribution of school councils/parents to the education system.
Note:
Registration limited to 2 parent/school council representatives per school
Child minding available by online registration only. Thursday February 25, 2016
Register Now! Montecassino Hotel and Event Centre Time: 6:00 pm-9:00 pm
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Nominations Now Open Premier's Award for Accepting Schools
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| The Premier's Award for Accepting Schools recognizes and celebrates the innovative work that school teams do in promoting a positive school environment, and supporting student achievement and well-being. Ontario's safe and accepting schools teams do essential work promoting a safe, inclusive and accepting school environment because they understand how vital this is to students' learning and well-being. This includes ongoing work by school communities who put in place prevention and intervention strategies to help create safe, inclusive and accepting schools.
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Stay Healthy During Flu Season Flu season: October to April. The Government of Ontario is encouraging Ontarians to avoid getting sick this flu season by getting their annual flu shot. Toronto Public Health is recommending that whenever students and staff experience flu-like symptoms, they are sent home and do not return to school until they are no longer infectious to others. Therefore, ill students and staff should be symptom-free (especially from vomiting and diarrhea) for at least 48 hours before returning to school. Please note that no special measures are required when there is a case of influenza in a school or daycare. However, everyone should do their part to stop the spread of the flu. As parents, you can also assist by:- Reminding children to wash their hands often, especially after using the washroom and before and after eating
- Reminding children to cover when sneezing and coughing
- Watching for symptoms of vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, and/or high fever
- Informing the school if your child is ill
- Keeping your child at home when he/she is ill
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Severe Weather
This year the weather seems unpredictable. It's already the middle of January without much snow but we could have some severe weather going forward. On rare occasions, severe weather makes it necessary to close schools, administrative offices or sites.
With approximately 250,000 students in our schools, any decision to cancel buses, classes and/or programs or to close sites can have a significant impact on thousands of families across Toronto. This decision is not taken lightly. When schools remain open on days with inclement weather, parents/guardians make the final decision on whether to send their children to school and they can keep children home from school if they so choose.
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HEAD LICE - What to do at the TDSB...
The TDSB’s current procedure with regards to head lice (PR537) is that “the parent is required to keep the child at home until the problem is cleared.” It’s important to note that this procedure, which aims at reducing the spread of lice, remains in effect for the TDSB and has not changed.
Recently, Toronto Public Health changed its head lice policy following a position statement from the Canadian Pediatric Society which states: “Exclusion from school and daycare due to the detection of the presence of ‘nits’ does not have sound medical rationale.”
As Toronto Public Health advises the TDSB on health matters, staff are now looking at our current procedure to determine if any changes are needed or required. At this point in time, there have been no final determinations. I will be sure to keep you informed of any changes to the procedure.
I've attached some news articles from local media for your reference.
The Globe and Mail/Canadian Press (January 13)
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Aboriginal Education Opportunities
As a member of the Aboriginal Community Advisory Committee, I am learning a great deal about the history and importance of all Aboriginal people in Canada. I consider myself an ally with our Aboriginal communities, and I am excited about the journey that the TDSB is taking by embracing Aboriginal education models and working with First Nation, Metis and Inuit communties to make public education better for everyone.
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Please note that the MARCH BREAK EXPERIENCE is aimed at First Nations, Metis and Inuit students. Please share this information with Aboriginal students in your schools. Thank you.
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| IMPORTANT WARD FORUM Toronto District School Board 2016-17 Budget Consultation
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Joint Meeting by Trustees Alexander Brown & Ken Lister Shaughnessy Public School February 23rd, 2016 Start: 7 pm Your Voice is Important This ward forum will give you an early opportunity to be a part of the budget process for the upcoming school year. The Board of Trustees have to approve both the Operating and Capital Budgets. Come to this Budget Meeting/Consultation and learn more about the process and how you can play a role in helping us to make better budget decisions. Bring your ideas, observations and comments. ALL WELCOME! Agenda will be sent out in February 2016. ***If you require child minding or translation services please indicate how many children and what language you would like translations in. Thank you.
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TDSB POLICY REVIEW - 2016
Public Consultations Being Held for Feedback on Two Policy Revisions Earlier this year, the Ministry of Education released new guidelines for Pupil Accommodation Reviews and for Community Planning and Partnerships. To adhere to the new guidelines, we must update our policies. As part of the consultation process, we are seeking feedback from staff, parents/guardians, and community members. We would like to invite you to provide your feedback by:
Attend one of the three public meetings listed below from 6:00 - 8:00pm- Mon, Jan 18 - Winston Churchill CI Library, 2239 Lawrence Av E
- Tue, Jan 19 - TDSB Committee Room A, 5050 Yonge St
- Thu, Jan 21 - Martingrove CI Library, 50 Winterton Dr
Learn More
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JUST A REMINDER
Optional Attendance - Within the City of Toronto students have the right to attend a school which is designated to serve their residential address. The "Find Your School" section of the website identifies the designated schools for each residential address. Students also have the opportunity to access schools outside of the school that is designated to serve their residential address by applying on optional attendance. Acceptance at these schools is subject to space availability and program suitability. The procedures, conditions and timelines relating to optional attendance are described in the Optional Attendance Policy and the Optional Attendance Operational Procedure.
Please note that the optional attendance status is updated every January (Secondary) and February (Elementary) for admission in September.
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Kindergarten Registration Month 2016
TDSB Kindergarten Registration begins in the month of February. To attend Junior Kindergarten in September, children must turn four years old by December 31, 2016. To register for Senior Kindergarten, children must be five years old by December 31, 2016.
The following materials have been prepared for parents/guardians to promote Full-Day Kindergarten (JK/SK), welcome new families and support the registration process. Follow to links below to find them on our website.
Come Learn With Us: A new booklet developed by Early Years Learning & Child Care to build confidence in the learning that happens in TDSB FDK classrooms. It also provides good information about transitioning to school as well as our practice of welcoming all children into FDK.
Questions may be directed to Colleen Russell-Rawlins, Executive Superintendent – Early Years Learning & Child Care, Professional Learning, Leadership and Training at colleen.russell-rawlins@tdsb.on.ca
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SPECIAL EDUCATION
Secondary School Boundaries for Students with Giftedness Exceptionalities
As a result of increased numbers of students placed in gifted ISP programs at the elementary level and the accommodation pressures at a number of our gifted secondary program sites, a review of the attendance boundaries for all Gifted ISP secondary programs was conducted during the 2014/2015 school year. In addition to the creation of attendance boundaries for the secondary programs, this review also established a number of new programs throughout the city to ensure that more students had access to this program. This review involved extensive consultation with members of SEAC, parents/guardians, community members and staff.
As a result, a new process has been established for determining what school students within the gifted Intensive Support Program (ISP) will attend. Students who have been offered and accepted a program placement through the Identification Placement Review Committee (IPRC) process or the Special Education Program Recommendation Committee (SEPRC) process, can now use the School Finder Link to find site locations. It is possible that a program in any given site can reach capacity, which may result in some students being directed to another site location with available program space.
The pathway for the above link is through the TDSB public webpage as follows: www.tdsb.on.ca>Education>Programs>ISP>Giftedness Secondary School Finder (which is located under the sub-heading of Intellectual).
For further information, please contact Ian Allison, Coordinating Superintendent Special Education and Section Programs at Ian.Allison@tdsb.on.ca / 416-393-8955, Special Education Central Principal East, Lori Moore at Lori.Moore@tdsb.on.ca / 416-396-7968 or Special Education Central Principal West, Maria Lo Bianco at Maria.LoBianco@tdsb.on.ca / 416-394-4898.
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