Gratitude
Thank you to all the members within our community who continue to work so we can stay home... and to all the educators... our students continue to learn in a pandemic because of you - whether teaching and supporting through the Virtual School or now remotely instead of in-person, your efforts have been extraordinary and you are all appreciated. We will continue to advocate for a safe return to school in September for all. Let's all do our part by continuing to follow public health measures.
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This Week's Update- Covid-19 Update
- June is Italian Heritage Month
- June is Portuguese-Speaking Heritage Month
- Vaccine Hunters
- The Human Library
- Committee Meetings this Week
- Ward Forum Presentation - LTPAS
- Renewal, School Conditions Improvement (SCI) Funding & CVRIS Funding 2021-22
New Invitations - 2021-22 TDSB Budget Virtual Town Halls
- A Continued Conversation on Residential Schools
- Centre of Excellence for Black Student Achievement - Focus Group Invitation
- Inspired to Excel
- Black Scientists Task Force on Vaccine Equity
Worth Repeating - Policy Consultations
- Secondary Alternative Schools
- Celebrate PRIDE Every Day
- School Year Calendar
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COVID-19 UpdateFrom OPSBA
On Wednesday, Premier Doug Ford and Ministers Stephen Lecce and Christine Elliott announced that students across the province would not be returning to in-person learning this school year. Included in the announcement was a surprise request from Premier Ford that school boards invite graduating students in elementary schools (by class) and secondary schools (by homeroom/quadmestered class) to return to school in June for a short, outdoor celebration, where physical distancing is possible. [OPSBA] President Abraham’s statement spoke to this as well, saying “school boards are concerned about the apparent contradiction between the decision to close schools and the directive from the Premier to hold in-person graduations. Our members have already been doing all they can to ensure that we are able to recognize the many students who will be graduating this year and will continue to do their best to support our students and staff through these challenging times.”
A day earlier, on Tuesday, it was announced that all public health and workplace measures would remain in place provincewide until Ontario enters Step One of the Roadmap to Reopen, at which point some restrictions will ease. Ontario’s Stay-at-Home order expired on Wednesday. For more information on current restrictions, a summary is available on the Reopening Ontario webpage.
Note - On Friday, TDSB staff announced consistent with guidance from Toronto Public Health about the importance of “virtual” events, all TDSB schools will continue with their previously planned virtual graduation ceremonies. We haven’t even moved to Phase 1 – where outdoor gatherings are capped at 10. Even if the province moved to Phase 2 before the end of the school year, it caps outdoor gatherings at 25. Unfortunately, the government did not check either with health officials or with school boards before making this announcement. I am sorry that students and parents may be disappointed, but there is simply no way this could have been accomplished. Please know staff and parent volunteers have been working on virtual ceremonies and will do their best to ensure they are as meaningful as possible for graduating students. And we will continue to do all we can to ensure schools can safely reopen for September.
Senior staff have also communicated that recognizing that many students in all grades will want an opportunity to see friends and staff prior to the end of the school year, they are currently exploring what may be possible for limited end-of-year, in-person activities such as students picking up belongings, dropping off devices/materials, saying goodbyes, etc. These visits will depend on guidance from Toronto Public Health and the Ministry of Education. For the latest on school organization for next year, please check my May 17, 2021 update. We hope to know more in the next week or so and are expecting an update at a Special Planning & Priorities Meeting next week.
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June is Italian Heritage Month
Italian Heritage Month is recognized proudly during the month of June at the Toronto District School Board. This year the theme of Italian Heritage Month is Made in Italy. In keeping with our theme, we are pleased to share a calendar with you that includes two chef-led online cooking classes. Let's learn how to make a delicious Italian meal with Chefs Vanessa Gianfrancesco on June 11, 2021 from 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm and Antonietta Ferretti on Tuesday, June 15, 2021, at 4:30 pm - 5:30 pm. (Please note the calendar has registration details). The calendar also provides daily quotes and provides information regarding an interview with former Toronto District School Board student and celebrity actor Frank Crudele. As an accomplished actor Frank Crudele has worked with several exceptional Directors including Martin Scorsese and held many countless roles including those for feature film (cinema), film (TV series) and film (TV film). His characters are those of leads, supporting actor/leads amongst other proficient contributions. Please follow us on Twitter TDSB_ItalianHeritage. Enjoy this powerpoint on Italian Heritage Month that highlights an overall understanding of Italian customs and traditions!
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June is Portuguese-Speaking Heritage Month
Portuguese-Speaking Heritage Month is proudly recognized during the month of June at the Toronto District School Board for the past 10 years since 2011. The Province of Ontario passed the Celebration of Portuguese Heritage Act in 2001 and this year marks the 20th anniversary of this Act. This year our theme is Esperança! / Hope! The contributions of the Portuguese-Speaking Heritage Community to Canada are significant as they include the arts, sports, music, culinary arts, and many professional contributions to educational and medical service areas. Canadians, along with all TDSB students, staff, and its communities and beyond all enjoy the energetic and vibrant traditions that are shared through the customs of this heritage. Over 1,400 TDSB students speak Portuguese as their mother tongue or as a primary language. Internationally, there are 250 million Portuguese-speaking people worldwide, making it the fifth-most spoken language. We are inviting all TDSB community, students, and staff to join our Portuguese-Speaking Heritage Month virtual launch to celebrate the culture and tradition that this heritage brings. Join us for an extraordinary hour filled with prominent guests, information and celebration on Thursday, June 10 at 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm live stream.
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Vaccine Hunters
TDSB is excited to be working with Vaccine Hunters (began on Twitter @VaxHuntersCan to highlight different vaccination opportunities). We are all so proud of TDSB teacher Jonathan Clodman for initiating this incredible public service. All youth aged 12 and older, are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine and we will be sharing their tweets specific to our communities. Learn more about vaccines here https://www.tdsb.on.ca/In-Person-Learning/Health-and-Safety/COVID-19-Vaccines.
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The Human Library
TDSB Human Library: Conversations around Equitable, Anti-Racist, and Anti-Oppressive Practice is a podcast series comprising a collection of audio episodes on topics related to Equity, Anti-Racism, and Anti-Oppression in education. This podcast invites listeners to critically reflect on their pedagogy, reimagine engagement, and partner with community to improve student well-being and achievement.
- Episode 1: NATASHA HENRY - African Canadian Experiences and the Curriculum
- Episode 2: GEN LING CHANG - Understanding and Addressing Anti-Asian Racism
- Episode 3: TANITIÃ MUNROE - Centering Black LGBTQ+ Students in the Classroom
- Episode 4: RANDELL ADJEI - Partnering with Community Through the Arts
- Episode 5: JENNIFER WATT - Inquiry-Based Learning in Secondary
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Committee Meetings This Week
Delegation requests will still be accepted during the closure of all schools and administrative sites at the TDSB; however, oral delegations to address a committee of the Board will be presented by phone. To submit a delegation request (written or oral), please refer to the information found here https://www.tdsb.on.ca/Leadership/Boardroom/Delegations, email delegates@tdsb.on.ca. If your request is approved, further details will be provided to you via email.
Program & School Services Committee, Wednesday, June 9, 2021, 4:30 p.m. Electronic Meeting
- 6. Interim Expectations for Parent/Family Engagement in the School Improvement Process - The 2021-2022 proposed interim expectations for school teams will focus on explaining the school improvement process and the value of family involvement in it. Principals will seek input on the initial thinking regarding SIP goals with the school council (as required under Regulation 613) and from all parents and caregivers, particularly those, under-represented and under-served. Share School Data with parents/caregiver on (Wellbeing, Equity, and Achievement).
- 7. Review of Secondary Alternative Schools Feasibility Report - In response to a recommendation from the Alternative Schools Community Advisory Committee passed by the Board on May 26, 2021, staff undertook to determine the feasibility and potential timeline of a review of all Secondary Alternative Schools in TDSB to begin in fall 2021. A subsequent report will be presented in October 2021 to PSSC providing a detailed timeline related to this review. As each phase of the review is completed, reports will be presented to the Governance and Policy Committee and/or the Program and School Services Committee as applicable.
- 8. Annual Enrolment in Early French Immersion/Middle French Immersion Programs 2021-2022 and Core French Program 2020-2021
- 9. Technology Modernization: 1:1 Device Program - The student laptop program will be implemented over a four-year period balancing the financial and human resource demands of the program. Staff from IT Services and eadership and Learning will be required to support a student laptop program.
- 10. Update on the Implementation of Multi-Year Strategic Action Plan: Academic Pathways -We have worked over the course of three years to support schools to prepare the majority of students to study at the Academic level in Grades 9 and 10. Starting in September 2021, almost all Grade 9 students will be studying at the Academic level (The Ministry of Education has also introduced a destreamed Grade 9 mathematics course, MTH1W, for September 2021). Effective September 2022, almost all Grade 10 students will be studying at the academic level.
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Ward Forum Presentation - LTPAS
Last Monday, I held a joint Ward Forum with Trustee Stephanie Donaldson (Ward 9). Andrew Gowdy, System Planning Officer and Daniel Castaldo, Senior Manager, Planning presented on updated enrolment and demographic information and the impact of residential intensification on our local schools. The presentation included:
For Ward 8, projections suggest elementary enrolment will continue to increase through to 2025 (+12.2%) There are many residential developments currently in the pipeline that are expected to become occupied within the next 5 years. Projections suggest that secondary enrolment will remain relatively stable through to 2030. Over 40,000 new residential units are proposed, approved or under construction within Ward 8. Over 11,000 new residential units fall within the attendance area of Eglinton Jr. PS. Many have been redirected to schools outside of the area. Large redevelopment projects fall within the attendance areas of Flemington PS and Baycrest PS. Many new developments are situated within Urban Growth Centres, and along the ‘Avenues’.
How does the TDSB accommodate new residential development and build new schools? The Toronto District School Board’s City Growth and Intensification Strategy was approved by the Board of Trustees on June 20, 2018. The strategy aims to strengthen the role of the Board in the land-use planning process to ensure the TDSB is able to provide adequate long-term accommodation for students.
School boards can apply for funding for construction projects from the Ministry of Education through the Capital Priorities program. This program provides school boards with an opportunity to identify their most urgent student accommodation needs and submit business cases for priority projects. All school boards, regardless of size can only submit 10 projects and not all are funded. Historically, the TDSB has received approval for three to six capital projects in as a result of the Capital Priorities process. Business cases were prepared for the ten projects we were able to submit for 2021-22 and were submitted to the Ministry of Education for capital funding consideration under the Capital Priorities grant program in May 2021. The next opportunity to submit Capital Priority projects for funding approval will be during the 2022 calendar year. We do not have the autonomy necessary for effective long-term planning.
We also have no ability to collect Education Development Charges (EDCs). An EDC by-law would allow the TDSB to levy charge against all new residential (per unit) and non-residential development (per GFA) across the City. Without the restrictions found in Section 10 of Ontario Reg. 20/98, the TDSB would qualify for EDCs and generate revenue of approximately $500 million over the next 15 years, which will help us meet growth-related infrastructure needs (estimate based upon the rates charged by the Toronto Catholic District School Board in their EDC by-law as of December 2018). However, access to EDCs won’t replace the need for a new provincial funding strategy to reduce our Renewal Needs Backlog and maintain and operate our schools.
The TDSB has taken a strong position that this regulation should be amended to allow the Board to plan effectively– Growth should pay for growth.
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Renewal, School Conditions Improvement (SCI) Funding & CVRIS Funding 2021-22
It is no secret, that the TDSB has an aging portfolio of buildings – our deferred maintenance backlog or Renewal Needs Backlog (RNB) is $3.7B. The province is responsible for providing us with funding to support our buildings. This years School Condition Improvements (SCI) grant was $226.8M. It is important to note that this amount is less than our 2020-21 amount of $264M. Regulations require that 70% of SCI program funding be designated for critical improvements of major building components that ensure student safety and improve energy efficiency. Examples are improvements relating to roofing, windows, HVAC, electrical and plumbing systems. The remaining 30% can be used for locally identified capital priorities. Staff reviews the backlog of components, consult with Facility Services staff to identify priority needs and designate funding to capital work to improve the student learning environment.
The other portion of funding we receive is called Renewal Funding. The $47.6M received for 2021-22 is the same as last year. Renewal funding is program-based expenditures supporting schools, such as health and safety, preventative maintenance, and school high priority projects.
Recognizing that the COVID-19 pandemic has created new demands for infrastructure investments, the federal government announced the new, time limited COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream (CVRIS) funding in October 2020. The funding was requested through an application approval process, and the TDSB was allocated $81.6M across 1,016 projects. These projects are required to be substantially complete by December 31, 2021 to qualify for the funding. At this time, school boards are encouraged to complete the projects by the 2021-22 school year so that the school communities can benefit from the health and safety improvements. The tables below provide the funding details which will be part of the Budget Report to the Board on June 16.
What does this mean for ventilation in the schools? 451 schools (91%) of all TDSB schools that have full or partial mechanical systems have had systems recommissioned or recalibrated to maximize air flow, improve air flow and ventilation – this work happened in August 2020, and continued into the fall. Where possible, we try to maximize the amount of fresh air that each system is capable of supplying. This includes starting air handling equipment two hours before school starts and keeping systems running for several hours after students have left for the day.
Because we are dependent on the province for funding, our current backlog for HVAC upgrades is approximately $170M for ventilation related work like exhaust fans, air handling units, unit ventilators, fan coil units. The board undertakes mechanical system upgrades every year as part of our school renewal program - in 2019-2020 we did 92 projects (Cooling Centres, Air Handling Unit Replacement, etc.) – totalling approximately $30M from School Condition Improvement (SCI) funding. Most are complete or nearing completion. In 2020-2021, there were approximately 20 projects totalling $10.5M funded from SCI. These are underway. And in addition, in February 2021, the Board received federal funding through the Covid-19 Resilience Infrastructure funding for Building Automation Upgrades ($14.48M, for 104 projects) and $24.75M for HVAC upgrades (55 projects). This work is underway with a target completion date of December 31, 2021.
The board was also funded through the province to undertake additional filter changes and purchase stand-alone, institutional-grade HEPA filters. The Board has provided 11,191 HEPA units for every occupied classroom, in both elementary and secondary schools. In preparation for September, we are also undertaking HVAC upgrades in portables for a total of $627,000. We continue to advocate for appropriate funding.
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Virtual Budget Town Halls
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, two virtual Budget Town Halls will be held to ensure that the community has an opportunity to hear directly from staff about the TDSB’s 2021-22 budget, and also ask questions and provide feedback.
Two virtual Budget Town Halls have been scheduled for Thursday, June 10, 2021 to accommodate as many community members as possible. You can access them by clicking on the links below.
The meetings will begin with a live presentation by staff on the TDSB’s 2021-22 budget. Participants will then be able to ask questions or leave comments via ScribbleLive (text only, not on video). These questions will be answered by staff live, on video. All questions and comments will be posted to the ScribbleLive feed beside the screen. For those who cannot attend the meetings, recordings of the presentations and the ScribbleLive feed will be posted online.
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A Continued Conversation on Residential Schools
Art Gallery of Ontario - Visit AGO.ca to view the event on June 8, 2021 at 1pm.
We want to honour and remember the 215 children of the Kamloops Residential School (Tk’emlups te Secwepemc First Nations community) who now peacefully rest in the spirit world. We acknowledge the resilience of Residential School Survivors, their families and all those who are still missing and have never made it home. Join Audrey Hudson, Richard & Elizabeth Currie Chief of Education & Programming, in conversation with Robert Durocher (Vice-Principal), Jenny Kay Dupuis (Author), and Eekwol (Hip-hop Artist). The talk will be centred on a continued conversation about residential schools and available resources within the AGO's collection. This discussion is for students, teachers, parents and anyone who wants to begin having these culturally safe conversations. For more info https://ago.ca/events/continued-conversation-residential-schools.
June is National Indigenous Peoples History Month. We celebrate by recognizing the rights, histories and extraordinary achievements of Indigenous Peoples in the country we call Canada today. June 21st is National Indigenous Peoples Day, which is held during the summer solstice. For TDSB Indigenous resources by the UIEC please click here https://www.tdsb.on.ca/Community/Indigenous-Education/Resources.
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Centre of Excellence for Black Student Achievement - Focus Group
The Centre of Excellence for Black Student Achievement hosted a virtual event on June 1 to celebrate the launch of the Centre. The new Centre of Excellence for Black Student Achievement is the first of its kind in public education in Canada. The Centre was established, with the explicit mandate, to dismantle anti-Black racism within the Toronto District School Board and to improve the experiences and academic outcomes for self-identifying African, Afro-Caribbean and Black students (ACB) while actively engaging with their families and the wider community.
Registration for Parent/Caregivers Focus Group - Parents/care-givers of African, Afro-Caribbean, and Black Canadians (ACB) students are invited to participate in a focus group. The purpose of the focus group sessions is to engage ACB families in grounding the mandates of the Centre. These conversations will also serve as the starting point to discuss how ACB parents and caregivers, and Non-Black families raising Black children can have opportunities to contribute and participate in meaningful ways.The focus group sessions will begin the week on Monday, June 14, 2021 at 4pm. Please respond on or before Monday, June 7, 2021. To register, please click https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1rreBcMb3DzLQ64kWrEQePd7-HtzQD6UG2u_0pr8ZKSo/viewform?edit_requested=true
To learn more follow @tdsb_cebsa on Twitter and please sign-up for the mailing list.
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Inspired to Excel
In this program, grounded in Culturally Relevant Teaching, children will:
- Participate in a rich and inclusive program that is responsive to students’ diverse backgrounds
- Explore play-based learning
- Build skills in literacy, numeracy and science
- Focus on developing a positive self-image
- Develop self-identity, self-confidence and self-awareness
- Receive academic instruction infused in literature through the use of Culturally Relevant resources
This unique and exciting program is tailored to support pre-school children to build self-confidence and develop a foundation for academic success in preparation to enter school...Inspired to Excel!
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Black Scientists Task Force on Vaccine Equity
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Worth Repeating
Policy Consultations
The objective of consultation is to gather public input regarding options, alternative courses of action, as well as to identify unintended effects for various participants and to find solutions. Please see revised the Policy Review Schedule.
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Secondary Alternative Schools
The TDSB has more than 20 secondary alternative schools, each serving their own niche. Safe spaces, support for mental health issues, alternative and self-directed learning - they're all here! Please see https://altschools.ca/our-schools.
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Celebrate PRIDE Every Day
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School Year Calendar 2020-2021- The last day of class for elementary students is June 29, 2021
- The last offical day for secondary students is June 28, 2021 - Note: the last day of class for secondary students is June 23. June 24, 25, and 28 are Credit Rescue days.
School Year Calendar 2021-2022- First day of classes for students is September 9, 2021
- First day back from Winter Break is January 3, 2022
- The last day of class for elementary students is June 30, 2022
- The last day of class for secondary students is June 29, 2022
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