Dear :

Well, we've been waiting for spring for a couple of weeks, but it's finally warming up! At last it's time to start getting out and active with the kids!

There's been a lot in the news lately about the record high numbers of students being driven to school, but there are also many hopeful signs of change. The highly congested and dangerous drop-off and pick-up times at schools have spurred school councils to discuss how they can change their communities to be safer for active children, and city council is starting to listen. City Hall staff are preparing a report which will clarify the criteria and policies for school crossing guards, to "address the increased number of requests made to City Councillors for the implementation of crossing guards within their wards." Locally, a study of community support for speed bumps on the road in front of Park Lawn Jr. Middle School is going ahead thanks to a request from the community and a supportive group of local councillors who overruled a "no report" from city staff recommending that speed bumps not be installed.

Have you thought of inviting your councillor to your local school council meeting to impress him/her with your school's interest in more traffic calming around the school? According to insiders, the key is to ask for a report from staff on the feasibility of, say, speed bumps or lower speed limits, and also ask to be informed when the report is coming to Etobicoke York Community Council. Make sure you have some parents delegating to Community Council on the day of the report, stating the need and asking the councillor to listen to the community request even if there is the routine "no report" from staff. It's very hard for a councillor to look parents in the eye and not support their requests for safer streets for children.

Toronto is a famously safe city, and children are safer on foot than in cars. There is nothing more important than child safety, and research is showing the most dangerous time for elementary students is at the start of the school day, largely due to poor parental driving habits. This needs to change.
More discussion of these strategies and other big ideas will take place at my ward council meeting on May 10th at Karen Kain School of the Arts, 7pm (see below). Hope to see you there!

In this issue:

Local Education News and Updates

Clean Toronto together April 22 2016
Association for Bright Children conference May 7 2016
Ward Council: Spring into Action: Ecoschools! May 10 2016
Parent conference on STEM education May 14 2016
Parents Reaching Out grant applications deadline May 29 2016
Bike to School Week May 30- June 3 2016
Summer school e-learning now open
TDSB summer music camps
Karen Kain School of the Arts offering arts-based summer courses
TDSB Ecoschools Newsletter
Canada Walks website

News and Updates from TDSB's Education Centre

Gifted program screening: new process
Aboriginal Education update
Black Student Achievement Advisory Committee
Remembering Trustee Howard Kaplan
Graduation rates increase to 85%
TDSB re-organizes to increase supports to schools

News and Updates from Ministry of Education

Ministry releases new Kindergarten report card forms and assessment templates
Minister announces students to get one hour of math daily

In our Community

Mimico Waterfront Clean-Up Day April 23

Local Education News and Updates

Clean Toronto Together April 22 2016
On Friday, April 22 at 2 p.m. students from across Toronto are going to help rejuvenate our city’s green spaces by picking up litter in their school yard or neighbourhood park. I'm very proud to say that our local family of schools was the first in the city to achieve 100% participation. An amazing total of over 367,000 students are registered to date in TDSB. For more, visit the EcoSchools website.

Association for Bright Children conference May 7 2016
ABC, an advocacy group for bright and gifted children, is having their annual conference in Toronto this year. Speakers include a number of noted researchers on topics such as twice-exceptional children, the problems of perfectionism, fulfilling the potential of bright children, and understanding giftedness. More information and registration here.

Ward Council: Spring into Action: Ecoschools! May 10 2016
Join me at Karen Kain School of the Arts (KKSA) to hear the latest on how schools and communities can promote environmental sustainability. KKSA is a Platinum Ecoschool where the entire curriculum is taught through an arts-based lens. There are many innovative approaches to environmental sciences learning going on at KKSA and we will learn about them. Our special guest is "Mr. Ecoschools" aka Richard Christie, Senior Manager of Sustainability at TDSB. For those bringing children 4-10 years of age, Chef Sarah will be running a fun and free pizza-making workshop. Please register in advance by emailing Elizabeth Betowski at elizabeth@terradom.ca.
Where: Karen Kain School of the Arts, 60 Berl Ave. (Queensway and Royal York area)
When: Tuesday May 10, 7-8:30 pm.

Parent conference on STEM education May 14 2016
STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathmatics) is the theme of this free parent conference happening at Richview Collegiate (Islington and Eglinton) in Etobicoke. The focus is broadening understanding of STEM education. The day will feature keynote speakers, hands-on workshops, a Kidzone, panel discussions and more. RSVP by May 1. Register here.

Parents Reaching Out grant applications deadline May 29 2016
Each year, the Ontario Ministry of Education offers school councils the opportunity to apply for up to $1000 in order to support them in overcoming barriers to parent engagement, recognizing that parents are important partners in education. Find out more here and apply by May 29 to ensure your school doesn't miss out on this opportunity to increase funds for parent involvement.

Bike to School week May 30- June 3 2016
The TDSB has officially declared May 30 - June 3 2016 to be Bike to School Week. Bike to School Week is part of the Bike Month celebration that is supported across the GTHA by Metrolinx. Last year, over 11,000 TDSB students in 65 TDSB schools participated. Schools can sign up here to register and those who do so early can receive free education kits including helmets and bells as well as sticker, trip tracking tools, and posters.

TDSB summer school e-learning now open
TDSB secondary level e-summer school is available to all Ontario residents aged 14-20. Dozens of free high school credit courses are offered during July and August. Registration is now open. More information here.

TDSB summer music camps
TDSB summer music camps offer students in Gr. 5-9 instrumental music opportunities in a residential camp located in a beautiful outdoor education centre near Orangeville. Three camp sessions are held each summer, each offering students a complete orchestral experience, exploring all the genres from classics to pop. Students also receive master class and small ensemble instruction. The instructors are outstanding TDSB music teachers The Associate Camp Director is our own Mr. Samotowka, known to many schools in Etobicoke-Lakeshore for his inspired music teaching. More information is here.

Karen Kain School of the Arts offering arts-based summer courses
KKSA is hosting summer school for Gr. 7 and 8 for the first time this year, offering literacy-based program with arts integrated throughout. Drama, dance, media and visual arts workshops are part of the learning experience. More information is here.

Ecoschools newsletter
The April TDSB Ecoschools newsletter is out! Find out the latest eco-news for schools here.

Canada Walks website
Canada Walks is a non-profit organization that promotes the value of walking and walkability. It offers programs such as Safe Routes to School and the WALK Friendly Communities designation program. Check out the Canada Walks website for a wealth of information on active school travel to foster happy, healthy children and safe, livable communities.

News and Updates from TDSB's Education Centre

Gifted program screening: new process
The TDSB will soon be using a multi-step process to screen all children in Gr. 3 for potential giftedness. Currently children can be put forward for gifted level IQ testing at the request of a parent or teacher, but there is no universal screener. Starting this fall, all Gr. 3 children will be given the Canadian Cognitive Abilities Test (CCAT). Students meeting criteria on the CCAT will be considered by the school team for the next steps in the process, which include the Gifted Rating Scale and, if they are suitable candidates, the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-5). If all criteria are met (and there are special categories for English Language Learners and children with learning disabilities) and parents are in agreement, a child can be put forward to a IPRC committee for a potential gifted designation and the opportunity to learn in a congregated program adapted to giftedness. More information is here.

Aboriginal Education update
Aboriginal Education is a priority in the TDSB, and each year in March the system reviews progress in meeting the needs of Indigenous learners through a report to TDSB's Programs and School Services Committee. There are an estimated 6000-7000 Indigenous students in the TDSB, making it the largest provider of urban Aboriginal education in Ontario. The board is committed to closing the achievement gap for Aboriginal students and on raising awareness of Indigenous culture and history for all students. The Aboriginal Education Centre is working on a curriculum from K-12 that will enable all students to graduate with a knowledge of the devastating effects of residential schools on Aboriginal peoples. This year's Aboriginal Education Report can be found here.

Black Student Achievement Advisory Committee
On 9 December 2015, trustees considered a motion calling on the Board to establish a Black Student Achievement Advisory Committee (BSAAC): “...to examine and make recommendations on strategies to create more equitable outcomes, raise achievement levels and create safe spaces for Black students.” That motion came to Programs and School Services Committee (PSSC) on March 31 2016 with a recommendation from the Equity Policy Advisory Committee that a committee be formed to specifically focus on and address the needs of Black students. The recommendation was accepted by PSSC and will move on to the full board for a final decision at the April board meeting.

Remembering Trustee Howard Kaplan
Very sadly, trustees heard last Monday, April 11, that Trustee Howard Kaplan has died at age 72 after battling a complicated auto-immune disease that had aggressively targeted his liver for many months. Trustee Kaplan was first elected in 2010 as the school trustee for Ward 5, York Centre. He was a very kind man and cared deeply about the well-being of students and staff. He will be much missed.

Graduation rates increase to 85%
The TDSB's most important goal is to support all students to achieve academic success. That success is demonstrated by the Board's most recent graduation rate, which is at an all-time high of 85%.This marks a 1% increase over last year and an overall increase of 16% since 2000 when graduation rates began to be tracked.

TDSB re-organizes to increase supports to schools
The TDSB is in the midst of a re-organization to bring resource personnel into closer alignment with schools, as reported recently. This will involve the creation of four virtual learning centres, each with about seven superintendents, led by an executive superintendent. Each superintendent of schools will have fewer schools to supervise, giving them more time to spend in schools working with principal and teachers. Each centre will also have highly experienced teacher-coaches who will support effective instruction in classrooms. The re-organization will be done while keeping the budget balanced and will not require more funding from the Ministry of Education. More details are on my website.

News and Updates from Ministry of Education

Ministry releases new kindergarten report card forms and assessment templates
On March 31, the Ministry of Education released the long-awaited Kindergarten "Communication of Learning" templates (in other words, the form that teachers will use to report progress) as well as parts of the revised KIndergarten program document. The full document will be released in September. Implementation of the templates and program will occur in September. More information is here.

Minister announces students to get one hour of math daily
On April 4, the Ontario government announced it is taking steps to improve math education for elementary school students, a move that includes a new mandatory minimum of one hour of math class each day. Other elements of the new provincial math strategy include having up to three lead math teachers at all elementary schools, math support for students in Grade 6 to Grade 9 outside of school hours, and more opportunities for teachers to improve their math skills by having a dedicated professional development day. More details will follow.

In our Community

Mimico Waterfront Clean-Up Day April 23
Spring is a great time to show your child the importance of community environmental stewardship by participating in a community clean-up. Mimico is having a Waterfront Clean-Up Day Saturday April 23, 10 am to 12:30 pm. Garbage bags and gloves are provided. Meet at Amos Waites Park, 2445 Lake Shore Blvd. West. [poster]