email : Webview : Trustee Stiles Update - STEM, Fix Our Schools, Community & School Events

Hello Davenport friends, students, staff, families, neighbours!

May is here and it's a busy time of year for our students, staff and families at TDSB schools. Graduation preparation is underway for many -- from kindergarteners to grade 6's, 8's and highschool students -- and everyone is studying for those end of year exams or finalizing school projects. Meanwhile, kids are getting more and more 'wiggley' as the beautiful weather beckons.

I'd like to invite everyone to join me and the TDSB's new Director of Education, John Malloy, for a special year-end Ward Council social, on Monday June 13 (please note date change) from 6:30-8:30PM at Perth Avenue Jr Public School, 14 Ruskin Ave. We'll have some dinner, hear from Director Malloy, and reflect on what we've achieved in 2015/16. ALL welcome. Childcare provided. Interpretation available upon request. Hope to see you there! Download Flyer PDF

Finally, the Bloor-Dufferin lands continue to be the subject of ongoing meetings between senior TDSB, City of Toronto and provincial staff. I was able to 'pause' the sale of the land after I was elected in 2015 so that we could consider it as a potential site for a community hub... and that conversation continues. As soon as I have more news, I'll be reaching out to ensure the community is consulted. In the meantime, renovations will begin soon at the former Brockton school site on Croatia St. with an aim to move Bloor CI and Alpha2 schools there in September 2018. As always, if you have any questions, please email or call me.

Spring Fairs

Support your community school and have fun doing it!

Davenport Fun Fair Dates

Regal Road JPS - May 26 (5pm)
Dovercourt PS - May 27 (3:30pm - 8:30pm)
Carleton Village - May 28 (11am - 3pm)
Perth Avenue JPS - June 2 (5pm - 8pm)
Rawlinson CS - June 4
FH Miller - June 4 (11am – 3pm)
Alexander Muir Gladstone - Portugal Day celebration - June 9 (4pm – 7pm)
General Mercer - June 18

Family Friendly "Fix Our Schools” Campfire

When: Thursday, June 9, 6 - 9 pm … but the Farmer’s Market is open earlier, so come down early!

Where: Dufferin Grove Park, Main Campfire Site

What: A great opportunity for people to meet (and share a hotdog with) the community members working hard for safe, well-maintained schools in the TDSB and across Ontario.

Contact info@fixourschools.ca for more information. See you there!

STEM Parent Conference

The STEM Parent Conference is a grassroots initiative by parents promoting student achievement within the community and the education system.

Studies indicate that even modest involvement by parents can boost student enrolment and success in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math-based programs.

The conference takes place on June 6. Find out more here.

Shirley Street PS STEM Showcase!

Shirley Street students put their STEM skills on display this month. Students from JK-6 developed inventions to address every day problems -- everything from cleaning up dog poop, to helping honey bees, to creating accessible spaces. Check out this fantastic 'planter shoe' that some JKs invented to plant seeds. There's even a special container in the heel to keep seeds. And it's beautifully painted!

Exploring Toronto’s Labour History

City View Alternative Schools' Grade 8 class (and teacher Michelle Munk) stepped into Jane's Walk with an informative downtown tour reflecting on Toronto’s labour history.

Held on May 6 in honour of International Workers’ Day, the tour began at the United Negro Improvement Association and stopped at the Toronto Labour Lyceum before ending at Simcoe Park, the site of the 100 Workers monument.

Their walk was highlighted by NOW Magazine in their "best of Jane's Walk 2016" list.

Way to go CityView!

Summary Of Construction Expenditure For 2015-16 Quarter 1

The Quarterly Report is the TDSB's Construction Expenditure for 2015-16 Quarter 1 (September 1, 2015 – November 30,2015). The report shows all funding sources and the actuals spent in each funding source along with projected expenditures for the current fiscal year.

Reminder: Application Deadline for 2016/2017 Parents Reaching Out Grants - May 29, 2016

This is a gentle reminder that the deadline to apply for¬¬ 2016-17 Parents Reaching Out (PRO) Grants for School Councils is Sunday, May 29, 2016 at 11:59 PM EST.

Under the program, school councils are eligible to receive up to $1000 from the Ministry of Education to support projects that help identify and remove barriers that may prevent some parents from fully participating in their children’s learning.

To learn more about the PRO Grants program, please visit www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/parents/reaching.html or see this presentation.

An Evening with Jennifer Kolari

Oakwood Collegiate Institute School Council invites you to An Evening with Jennifer Kolari on Wed. May 25th 2016, 7:00 pm.

Jennifer Kolari, MSW, RSW, author and founder of Connected Parenting will discuss her CALM technique which helps to de-escalate behaviour while building trust and increasing emotional resilience in children.

Parents will learn to use the tools that therapists implement to help children (K-12) develop the emotional and neurological hardware they need to deal with whatever life throws at them.

Auditorium, Oakwood Collegiate Institute, 991 St. Clair Avenue West, Space is limited. Please RSVP marjoleinwinterink@yahoo.ca

Download Flyer PDF

Anti-Islamophobia Resources

Intolerance and discrimination against Muslims persists, and the Equity and Inclusive Schools Department continues to develop resources to help educators, parents and students recognize and address Islamophobia. Within the next few weeks, a number of new items will be available to the system, including:

Webinar

Tip Sheets for Educators

Tip Sheet for Students

Resource Guide for Elementary Schools: Using Critical Literacy Skills to Unpack Islamophobia

Additional material that can be integrated into Grade 10 Canadian History and Grade 11 Gender Studies courses

For further information, please contact the Equity and Inclusive Schools team at 416-396-6058 or equity@tdsb.on.ca.

System-wide School Council Survey

Until May 31st, the TDSB, in collaboration with the Parent Involvement Advisory Committee (PIAC), has launched the first system-wide School Council survey.

The survey will help identify what's working, what's not and how we can better aid and support School Council efforts.

Fill out the survey here.

Have your say about the Superbridge

Last chance to submit to the Metrolinx TPAP- Deadline is this Friday May 13.

Do you have concerns about the province's plans to build a 'Superbridge' overpass through Davenport? I certainly have concerns about what the noise and diesel fumes will mean for staff, students and families in our community, and I've written to the MPP, Metrolinx CEO and Minister of Transportation to share my concerns.

Metrolinx has indicated that each of us in the community have until May 13 to submit our comments and questions about the proposed overpass project. To learn more and find out how the community is organizing to ensure our voices are heard, check out optionsfordavenport.ca

Email:

RERDavenport@metrolinx.com

Ward 9 Teacher chosen for acclaimed National Geographic Education program

Two TDSB teachers are among a select group of educators to be chosen to participate in the acclaimed Grosvenor Teacher Fellow (GTF) program this school year. Ellie Clin from our very own The Grove Community School recently returned from a trip to Antarctica. Another TDSB teacher, Fiona Hall from Sir Wilfrid Laurier CI, gets set for her trip to the Arctic later this June.

National Geographic Education and Lindblad Expeditions have partnered to offer the GTF as a professional development opportunity for K-12 classroom teachers across Canada and the USA. For Clin, her trip was a once-in-a-lifetime field experience. She was one of 35 participants selected from some 2700 teachers who applied to be part of the 2015 GTF class. When she returned from her 2-week expedition, she brought with her a wealth of information to help her teach students about a little-understood part of the world.

“This has had a big impact on my classroom,” she said. “My students have been engaged in a lot of learning about Antarctic wildlife, which has been highlighted on my own blog and on the National Geographic Education blog.” She said that the program instilled a sense of responsibility to share what she learned with students so that they would know about the importance of protecting the Antarctic environment.

To read more about the 2016 Class of Grosvenor Teacher Fellows, click here. Teachers can apply to be part of the 2017 GTF class later this year.

Upcoming Days of Significance

May 2016

• Asian Heritage Month

• Jewish Heritage Month

• Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month

15 Visakha Puja** (Buddhism)

15 Pentecost (Christian)

15 International Day of Families (UN)

17 International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia

23 Declaration of the Ba’b (Baha’i)

23 Victoria Day (Public holiday)

29 Ascension of Baha’u’llah* (Baha’i)

31 World No Tobacco Day (WHO)

June 2016

• Italian Heritage Month

• Portuguese Speaking Heritage Month

• PRIDE

1 Intergenerational Day

5 World Environment Day (UN)

6 Ramadan** (Islam)

12 World Day Against Child Labour (UN)

12‐13 Shavuot* (Judaism)

17 World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought* (UN)

20 World Refugee Day (UN)

20 Solstice – Litha*/Yule (Wicca/Pagan)

21 National Aboriginal Day (Canada) (First Nations,Métis, Inuit)

24 St‐Jean‐Baptiste Day (Quebec and Francophone culture)

25‐July 3 LGBTTQQI2S Pride Week

26 International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking (UN)

26 International Day in Support of Victims of Torture (UN)

New Workgroup to Improve Access to Data

The Board approved the mandate for a newly created Documents for Access, Transparency and Accountability Workgroup (DATA). The workgroup will develop an open data policy for the Board with the goal of publishing Board data online, with the exception of private information. This new policy will guide the creation and launch of an online tool that will enable the public to easily access TDSB's data. Read page 12 of this report.

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