Schools Remain Closed until at least May 31
TORONTO — Today, Education Minister Stephen Lecce announced that all publicly-funded schools will remain closed until at least May 31, 2020, as part of an effort to keep students, staff and families safe from COVID-19.
The extension was based on expert advice from the Chief Medical Officer of Health and health officials on the COVID-19 Command Table and is part of the government’s ongoing effort to stop the spread of the virus. The advice was to extend school closures for an additional period of time to permit updated modelling and data to inform next steps, given the government’s absolute commitment to safety.
“We will do whatever it takes to keep our students safe,” said Minister Lecce. “The government is taking a careful approach which provides our medical experts the time to review the modelling and make the best decision for the safety of our students and the future of learning.”
The government took immediate action to close schools in Ontario, the first in Canada to do so. The ministry continues to monitor the evolving situation and if necessary, the closure may be extended further to protect the health and safety of Ontario’s school communities.
At the same time the Ontario government is taking steps to ensure learning can continue. In March the province unveiled its Learn at Home portal. It offers all students high-quality resources, featuring made-in-Ontario math and literacy resources, created by Ontario-certified educators, in both English and French. Elementary resources are designed to help young students learn at home with interactive activities that encourage participation through entertaining and stimulating digital content. High school content was designed with a focus on STEM courses and ensures core competencies and skills are reinforced.
At the end of March the Ministry of Education unveiled the second phase of Learn at Home to ensure the continuity of learning for students. This included providing clarity for parents, enhancing education supports and creating opportunities for educators to connect with students.
The government has also partnered with Rogers Communications and Apple to help meet the educational needs of students and families during the COVID-19 outbreak. iPads are being purchased and distributed by Ontario school boards, pre-equipped with free Rogers LTE wireless data. Apple is providing on-going support in French and English to teachers, parents and students, with a collection of resources to support learning and working from home. To date, over 20,000 iPads have been sent to targeted families in need. The free Rogers wireless data will be available until the end of June.
“Regardless of what transpires over the coming weeks, Ontario’s students will be able to complete their school year with confidence,” added Minister Lecce. “In particular, for students in their final year, we are removing all impediments to ensure students graduate and pursue post-secondary education.”
QUICK FACTS
- Should schools be permitted to reopen, school employees will have access as of May 29, 2020.
- The Ministry of Education will move forward to replace the remainder of Professional Activity (PA) days and examination days with instructional time, as well as the introduction of an expanded summer learning program that will focus on credit recovery, supports for vulnerable students, and course upgrading. Boards are to find solutions at the local level in keeping with this direction while upholding collective agreement obligations.
- Private schools, First Nation schools, licensed child care centres and EarlyON programs will remain closed until May 6, 2020, with certain exceptions for licenced care, under an emergency order made under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, which only allows closures to be extended for 14 days at a time.
- Through the Ontario Together web site, the province received more than 300 proposals from businesses, organizations and everyday Ontarians to provide solutions to remote learning while schools are closed during the COVID-19 global pandemic. Next steps will be shared soon.
From the News Conference, the following was shared
- The extension allows time to review the data - there may be additional extensions as health and safety is the paramount consideration.
- Government is now planning for contingencies for September - building a plan for every circumstance.
- There is not a need to extend the school year - but there will be enhanced summer learning opportunities and additional measures taken for next year.
- Private Schools and Childcare managed under different orders - Emergency Orders - decision of Cabinet will renew that order.
- Learn at Home Portal is being updated. Enhancing Professional Development. Enhancing Parent Guides.
- Minister says next announcement will provide the final update on what the year will look like. Commitment is that safety will guide the decisions reopening schools.
- Post-Secondary Sector understands the reality of secondary school - impediments are being removed so students will graduate from Grade 12.
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Director Malloy's Letter to Parents re Minister's Latest Announcement
Dear Parents/Guardians,
I hope this message finds you and your families well. I want to provide you with an update on the extension of the school closure period across Ontario.
This afternoon, Minister of Education Stephen Lecce announced that all publicly-funded schools in Ontario, including those at the TDSB, will remain closed until at least May 31, 2020 as part of ongoing efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19. He also announced that the government will replace all remaining Professional Activity (PA) days and exam days with instructional time. While not unexpected, I know this extension of the closure will be challenging news for many as we continue social distancing for additional weeks. Please know that we remain focused on the health and well-being of our students, staff and their families, while continuing to support students learning at home in a variety of ways. During these uncertain times, that continues to be our first priority.
For those still awaiting the delivery of their device for remote learning, we anticipate that most of the roughly 50,000 devices requested by TDSB families will be delivered by the end of this week with a limited number of remaining devices being delivered the week of May 4. We want to thank you for your patience during this very significant undertaking.
In the days ahead, we will be communicating with you again to ask for your thoughts and ideas as we continue in this remote learning environment. In the meantime, I hope you and your families stay safe and healthy.
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TDSB Summer Learning Opportunities - Details SoonHybrid Elementary Summer School Remote Learning - Currently plans are underway to allow for remote elementary summer school as a result of Covid-19. The intent is to address student learning gaps and continue student engagement by extending the day school model through the month of July. In the coming week, we will be providing details on how this will be implemented and the website will be updated accordingly. Note: This program is called “Hybrid” as it may include both online and in-class learning environments in accordance with the ongoing guidance of the Ministry of Education.
Hybrid Remote Summer Credit Program (Secondary) - Through the Toronto District School Board’s Continuing Education Department, we will continue to offer summer courses for TDSB secondary school students. Remote Summer Learning Credit Program at the secondary school level in July will be offered. This program replaces face-to-face summer school for 2020. Potential course offerings for the Remote Summer Learning Program include courses in all subject areas from Grade 9 to 12, with a focus on compulsory courses. Note: This program is called “Hybrid” as it may include both online and in-class learning environments in accordance with the ongoing guidance of the Ministry of Education.
e-Summer Program - The e-Summer program will continue as it has in previous years. Registration for courses began in early April. Full information about the courses available in July and August and the registration process is outlined on the e-Learning website. The focus of the e-Summer program is on Grade 11 and 12 courses as well as Civics and Career Studies.
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Changes to School Year Calendar 2019-20
TDSB had 2 elementary PA Days remaining which now, according to the Ministry will be converted to regular school days - they were June 5 and 26. In Secondary, there were 3 for non-semestered schools - June 24, 25 and 26. For semestered schools June 25 and 26. There is no planned extension to the school year.
The Ministry also announced Exam Days are also cancelled which makes sense since o nly demonstrated improvements in learning will be taken into consideration when assigning a final mark. Final marks will be entered in June, and will be based on work done until March 13, 2020, as well as after April 6, 2020. Summative and culminating tasks can be used for these final marks. All subjects a student is taking will be reported on in a June report card. 9From the Qs and As posted here - https://www.tdsb.on.ca/Remote-Learning/Questions-and-Answers.
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Some Good News - OSSTF Tentative Agreement Reached
Last week began with some welcome news - The Ontario Public School Boards' Association (OPSBA) and the government of Ontario have reached a tentative agreement with the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF) at both the teacher/occasional teacher and education worker central bargaining tables. OSSTF has indicated that the new contract will be subject to a ratification vote in May.
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Stay Home. Stay Safe. Save Lives.Please stay home. Please stay safe. Please wash your hands.
Stay healthy.
We are all in this together.
"The power to change the story is entirely in our hands. So thank you, thank you to the residents of our city, thank you to business owners, thank you all for doing this, but we can still do better, we must do better, and we need your help to get there." Dr. Eileen de Villa, Toronto's Medical Officer of Health
Other Important Links:
Together, let’s demonstrate our appreciation and let the helpers know how much we value their service and commitment. #Helpers
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Remote Learning and Well Being in the TDSB...
Information is posted under the following topics -
Some recent Updates -
Under Mental Health and Well-being - Every Wednesday we will be sharing a different wellness theme with a tip and activity. The theme for last week was Relationships. This coming week will be Self-Care - please click here for activities associated with Self-Care. https://www.tdsb.on.ca/Remote-Learning/Resources-During-Covid-19
Under the general Qs & As - Food Gardens Are food gardens operated by educational partners located on TDSB property still accessible during the school closure period? We have been approached by several TDSB educational partners that operate large scale food gardens to determine if they will be allowed to use the gardens this year. These partners support communities and address the growing issue of food insecurity. Agriculture and food production are currently exempt from closure requirements. Based on those factors, we have decided that as food production from these gardens is essential for many of our communities, we would allow the gardens to continue to operate, with the following conditions: use the minimum number of staff required, ensuring physical distancing and only attend the sites when necessary.
Worth Repeating -
Emergency Remote Learning does not replace classroom learning - Every classroom in the TDSB approaches learning differently and is designed in a way to meet the varied needs of the students in a particular classroom. Remote learning will be no different as every educator approaches their classroom in a way that is thoughtful and unique to their own students’ learning needs, abilities and experiences.
We are in unprecedented times. There is no one way to define emergency remote learning as it evolves across the province. The approach that individual teachers take, the tools that they choose to use (I.e. google classroom, D2L, phone, paper curriculum packages, video conferencing), can vary across schools across the board.
Please know the Parent-Concern Protocol still applies and if you do not believe that the remote learning approach your child’s teacher has taken with the class is working for your child, please contact the classroom teacher directly and share those concerns. If communicating with the teacher is a concern, please contact your Principal for follow-up.
Again - this is emergency remote learning - difficult for educators - difficult for students... and difficult for parents. And yet I am so impressed by the collaboration and professionalism of teachers and supporting staff despite their personal situations - by the creativity in the work students are accomplishing - by the principals who are posting that work and supporting both staff and parents and by the parents who in spite of their own personal situations are finding ways to support learning at home - thank you to all... and please remember, your health and well-being must come first.
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Update - Student Devices and Paper PackagesOverall, we anticipate approximately 50,000 devices will be required by our students. Approximately 7100 students require both a “device + internet”.
To support those who require both, the TDSB secured approximately 6500 LTE-enabled iPads from Apple and Rogers is covering data costs until the end of June. Please note that the announcement by the Minister on IT was highlighting, from a provincial level, what school boards are already doing with regard to distribution of devices at the local level. At this point in time, there are no additional iPads (or additional money for iPads) being provided by the Province.
When it was announced that school closures would extend past the initial date of April 6, the TDSB surveyed parents via email and phone to determine what technology was needed. The approximately 50,000 devices (iPads and Chromebooks), a larger majority of which were collected from TDSB schools, are being loaned to students. We made the decision to have the devices delivered directly to the homes of our students to ensure that families can remain safely at home. This option will take more time, but the safety of our communities is our top priority. Given the size of this device distribution effort, we anticipate that most devices will be delivered by the end of April, with a very limited number being delivered in the first days of May.
TDSB remains committed to ensuring equity of access to learning for all students. During this time of COVID-19, although online learning has been identified as a vehicle for continued student engagement, we are cognizant that there are K-8 students who face barriers to accessing remote instruction. Learning packages are being prepared and distributed. In total, approximately 12,000 students in 384 elementary schools requested to receive printed packages. Packages are being couriered to students including those currently residing in shelters. Students in Kindergarten will receive the K-3 learning package. Students in Grades 1 to 8 will receive the K-8 learning package including French resources.
By Monday April 27th, teachers who submitted students’ names will receive a link to the learning package so that they can respond to any questions from students how to modify lessons to meet special education needs. Plans are being developed to meet specific needs of students in Grades 9 to 12.
A contingency plan has been developed to provide printed learning resources for May and June if the closure period is extended by The Ministry of Education.
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Delegation Process - Addressing a CommitteeDelegation requests will still be accepted during the closure of all schools and administrative sites at the Toronto District School Board; 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 here https://www.tdsb.on.ca/Leadership/Boardroom/Delegations and email delegates@tdsb.on.ca. If your request is approved, further details will be provided to you via email.
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Upcoming Committee Meetings
The Toronto District School Board is committed to developing opportunities for our wider school community to connect and engage in conversations about education issues. Due to the closure of all schools and administration sites at the Toronto District School Board, all standing committee and regular board meetings will be held virtually and broadcasted live to the public. Click here at the start time to view - https://www.tdsb.on.ca/Leadership/Boardroom/Live-Webcast-of-Meetings
April 29 (Wednesday) Governance and Policy Committee (Electronic Meeting) 4:30 p.m.
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NEW: Show Your Support for our LTC HomesFrom Councillor Josh Matlow...
Many of you have asked how you can offer your support from a physical distance. I’ve created this page to allow residents to leave a comment and show their support for our seniors and frontline staff at the following homes below. You can click on the home you want to leave a message of encouragement, love and gratitude. Once we collect your responses, I’ll share the page with that specific home so that the staff and residents can see how much support they have from all of us. Please read the whole message and show your support by clicking here https://joshmatlow.ca/covid-support-messages/.
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NEW: Environmental Education Webinars
Climate change education continues at the TDSB during the global pandemic. The EcoSchools team, in collaboration with colleagues at OISE’s Environmental and Sustainability Education Initiative, have created a series of weekly webinars to help shift environmental learning to the virtual world during this time of school closures.
A wide range of topics will be explored that include: Eco-Teaching and E-Learning, Integrating Learning through Nature Journaling, Taking Math Online and Outside, Climate Change and Outdoor Education, Gardening Online with Children, Gardening and Reconciliation and more to come.
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Priority Construction Projects
As I noted in a previous update, construction projects such as schools are removed from the essential services list effective the end of day on April 4, 2020. This change to essential services for our construction projects, will have further negative impacts on project timelines.
In Ward 8, major construction projects such as the new school for Davisville/Spectrum and renovations to the former Sir Sandford Fleming Building (new home for Baycrest Public School) have stopped. Letters went to these affected communities and are posted here - https://www.tdsb.on.ca/ward8/Ward-8/Community-Updates. As soon as we get on the other side of Covid-19 where our health and safety is no longer threatened, staff will provide an update to the timelines and scheduling for the affected schools.
In addition, there are a number of critical Capital Renewal Projects that need to be completed this summer in order to not impact the 2020-21 school year. We are advocating for the ban to school construction to be lifted, if it can be done safely. Among the 65 critical projects are the following in our schools -
Priority 1 Projects in Ward 8
- Cottingham Junior Public School - Replace Air handling unit
- Cottingham Junior Public School - Replace Heating Plant
- Forest Hill Collegiate Institute - Elevator/Chairlift Upgrade
- Forest Hill Collegiate Institute - Replace steam to hotwater
- Humewood Community School - Replace Aerco boilers
- John Ross Robertson Junior Public School - Replace steam heating to hotwater
- Winona Drive Senior Public School - Replace steam heating to hotwater
Priority 2 Projects in Ward 8
- Brown Junior Public School & City Community Centre Upgrade - Site Improvement
- Brown Junior Public School & City Community Centre Upgrade - Garage Roof Slab
- Joyce Public School Phase 1 - Site Improvement
- 529 Vaughan Road - Replace Boiler
- Yorkdale Secondary School - Replace Windows
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Food for Kids Program – Phase Five RolloutOn Wednesday of this week, the TDSB launched Phase 5 of the Food for Kids program in partnership with the Toronto Foundation for Student Success (TFSS) to an additional 26 schools. This program, which provides $50 grocery store food cards to students (one per student) during the COVID-19 pandemic, has now been rolled out to 150 schools across the TDSB. The program has been rolled out to:
- 104 elementary schools based on LOI or direct donation
- 46 secondary schools (including some alternative schools) based on LOI or direct donation
Since the launch of the program, approximately 7,000 $50 grocery store food cards have been issued to TDSB families, totalling $350,000.
Can you help? Donations are welcome at https://tfss.ca/. Please select“COVID-19 Response Fund” from the drop down box when making a donation.
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