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| Shelley Laskin, Trustee
Toronto District School Board
Ward 8: Eglinton-Lawrence & Toronto-St Paul's
416-395-8787
Shelley.Laskin@tdsb.on.ca
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"I was asked by a reporter today why I'm prioritizing the vaccination of teachers. I responded by emailing her this picture. This is not how kids were meant to live. Protect educators, keep schools open, save our children. Vaccine appointments 4 educators."
Twitter@Kyr0Nagib Kyro Maesh - Pharmacist & Owner of #LawlorPharmacy
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In this Issue:- Grateful
- COVID-19 Update
- TDSB Chair's Letter: Safe Return to In-Person Learning
- An Update on Devices
- An Update on the Pandemic Recovery Plan
- Elections 2022 - Are You on the Voters Lists?
- Committee Meetings this Week
- TDSB System Calendar
- New Invitations - Virtual Drop-In Hours Restarting; Ask Surrey Place; Help Close the Digital Divide
- Worth Repeating - Grade 7-11 Students Needed - Student Equity Collective; Global School Play Day - February 2, 2022; Winter Well-Being Guide; Switch Form - Elementary Term 2; Middle French Immersion Program – Grade 4 Entry; School Open Houses and Information Nights; Optional Attendance 2022-2023; Respect the Rules - No Dogs Allowed on School Grounds
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Grateful...
To those teachers and education staff continuing to teach their virtual classes and to all administrators, teachers and education staff now doing emergency remote learning instead of in-person, thank you for continuing to support students and families while juggling your own... and to the staff who are in-schools teaching students with complex medical and special education needs and the admin/office/clerical staff and caretakers that support them, thank you... and to the senior staff continuing to liaise with the province and Toronto Public Health to update operational procedures and guidance and answer questions and concerns so we can be ready to reopen to in-person learning for all, thank you. And to all the parent/caregivers and students doing the best they can - thank you. We all have to understand everyone is doing the best they can.
Please note there is a Professional Activity Day Friday, January 14 where there will be no virtual or emergency remote school for students.
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COVID-19 UpdateVaccines have always been about public health. It’s not about you. It’s about us. Please get vaccinated. Get your children vaccinated.
And please continue to follow all other public health measures - self-monitor, wear a mask, wash your hands frequently, distance where possible and stay home if not feeling well. Sincere appreciation and gratitude to all health care professionals - let's all do what we can to ensure they can continue to support us.
How to Book a Vaccine- Learn more about vaccines for children and youth, including how to book and prepare for your child's vaccination appointment (Ministry of Education)
- Visit the How to Get Vaccinated webpage by Toronto Public Health
- Kids Health First -- developed by the Children's COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Table in Ontario - Although the recommended second dose is 8 weeks after the first dose, my understanding is parents can give informed consent for their child (5-11) to receive their second dose sooner when they book at the provincial booking centre - 1-833-943-3900.
- Please see A Parent's Guide to Vaccination.
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Do you have questions about the COVID-19 vaccine for children and youth? You can book an appointment with the COVID-19 Vaccine Consult Service (VSC) to speak with a Registered Nurse to get answers to your questions. Appointments are available Monday to Friday.
Book a vaccine appointment online at the dark blue “Book a Vaccine” button on toronto.ca/covid-19 or by calling the provincial vaccine booking line at 1-833-943-3900 (TTY 1-866-797-0007).
Vaccine Hunters - Do-it-yourself resource for finding vaccine related info. Find details on eligibility, appointments, walk-ins, pharmacy search tools, vaccine receipts + more!
Vaccine Opportunities for StaffEducation and child care staff can now book appointments at 10 health clinic locations across the GTHA, including clinics in York Region, Halton, Hamilton and Pickering as well as the Toronto Zoo. Clinics will be operational seven days a week. Please note while the Toronto Zoo vaccination centre will operate for the broader community, dedicated timeslots will be held for education and child care staff between 4p.m -10p.m. Monday to Friday, and on weekends throughout the day. Appointments for any of these clinics can be scheduled through the dedicated FH Health booking website.
The TDSB continues to work with Toronto Public Health and other local health partners to provide additional vaccine opportunities for staff. Most recently grateful to the Humber River Hospital for the special clinic Friday and Saturday at the Crossroads Mall.
Update on Screening Procedures
Please note that Toronto Public Health has updated its screening procedures for students as of January 6, 2022 and the screening tool as of January 7, 2022. On the recommendation of the Chief Medical Officer of Health, a more sensitive COVID-19 symptom list is being reinstated for daily active screening of all students and staff in schools and child care. Anyone who has symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 or is a confirmed positive case must self-isolate, regardless of vaccination status. Updated testing and isolation guidelines are also reflected in the new screeners. Review the updated student health screening self-assessment (a pictorial representation can be found here https://twitter.com/ESL_fairy/status/1480248848140353536) and please find the revised screening tool on www.ontario.ca/schoolscreening.
Update on the Implementation of Mandatory ProcedureBased on recent guidance from the Ministry of Health and the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI), Toronto Public Health is now updating its recommendation on the optimal interval between vaccine doses to eight weeks. As a result, the TDSB is also updating its timelines for staff who still need to have their vaccination. The date for employees who attested that they had received their first dose by November 19, is now midnight on January 21, 2022 to attest that they have received their second dose.
Once we go back in-person, the staff who have asked to be exempted are expected to adhere to the procedure by completing Rapid Antigen Testing 3 times per week as required by the Ministry of Education and the TDSB and adhere to all other health and safety protocols including daily screening. Senior staff have informed us that final decisions on these cases will be made in the upcoming weeks.
Mental Health and Well-Being
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TDSB Chair's Letter: Safe Return to In-Person Learning
Dear Premier Ford, Minister Lecce, Dr. Moore and Dr. De Villa,
The Toronto District School Board is committed to doing everything possible to ensure a safe and timely return to in-person learning in January. I am writing to you today first, to underscore our support of the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association’s statement on January 2 that emphasizes the importance of getting students back to in-person learning safely by providing:
- Priority access to vaccinations for students and school staff;
- Continued access to PCR testing;
- N95s to school staff as soon as possible; and
- Adding COVID-19 to the list of vaccines in the Immunization of School Pupils Act.
And, beyond these four actions, we believe there is more that can – and should – be done to ensure a safe return, including:
That principals:
- continue to report cases of communicable diseases and refuse admittance to students showing symptoms of disease, as per the Education Act, and that families and staff continue to be informed of COVID-19 cases in individual classrooms.
That the Province:
- continues its commitment to student and staff access to PCR testing in cases of high risk of high risk of exposure and suspected COVID-19;
- supports and implements a “Test to Return” strategy following COVID-19 illness and exposure;
- provides funding and supplies of medical masks and respirators (such as N95 and KN95 masks) for students in the same way that they are now providing for education staff;
- reimburses all school-board pandemic-related costs and provides enhanced funding for ventilation upgrades, beyond portable HEPA units, to ensure a long-term commitment to student and staff health;
- commits to fully funding the TDSB Covid-19 Pandemic Recovery Plan and provides enhanced funding for additional staff to ensure its full implementation, which is now more important than ever given the ongoing closures and multiple transitions for students.
With the addition of this current two week pause on in-person learning, TDSB students have now spent 33 weeks learning remotely since March 2020. We also acknowledge - and fully agree with - child development experts who have stressed the primary importance of in-person learning for the sake of student mental health, well-being and cognitive development.
Thank you for your consideration and for your efforts to get students back to in-person learning to support not only their academic success, but also their mental health and well-being.
Sincerely,
Alexander Brown
Chair, Toronto District School Board
[Note: It is critical that we do what we can to balance the health and safety of students and staff with the importance of in-person learning. A few of the items we have advocated for have already been announced. Clinics for educators and children have been prioritized; approximately 600,000 non-fit-tested 95 masks have been delivered & distributed for use by staff teaching in-person; and Rapid Antigen Tests to ensure greater health and safety have also been made available to students and staff who are now in-person.]
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An Update on Devices
Over the last two years, the TDSB has purchased more than 140,000 devices. If your student requires one for emergency remote learning, please contact your school to request one. In cases where there are not enough devices at the school level, there are centrally-available devices that can be requested. Between devices that are in schools, centrally-available devices, and those still with families, there are enough for students who need them for remote learning. Central IT staff are working to distribute devices as fast as they can.
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An Update on the Pandemic Recovery Plan
Since the pandemic has extended over the course of the full 2020-21 school year, concerns have been raised over the long-term impacts on student learning for all ages and grade levels as well as the impacts on students’ mental health and well-being.
The Toronto District School Board’s COVID-19 Pandemic Recovery Plan is a three-phase plan that will identify which groups have been most impacted, where interventions will be put in place, and initial outcomes that result from these interventions.
As a result of the initial findings presented to the Board in November, the TDSB, as part of its COVID-19 Pandemic Recovery Plan, is hiring for the following 106 positions to support the mental health and well-being of students amid the ongoing pandemic:
- 35 Child and Youth Workers
- 15 Itinerant Child and Youth Counsellors
- 16 Social Workers (10 to fill in for those on short term medical leave, 6 new positions)
- 40 additional School Based Safety Monitors
While this specific approval is for the 2021-2022 school year, the board is committed to continuing these additional supports for the 2022-2023 school year at which point, the staffing complement would be reassessed.
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Elections 2022 - Are You on the Voter List?
The upcoming year will be a busy one for Ontario voters, with the Ontario Provincial Election and Municipal and School Board Elections happening just a few months apart. Are you on the voter's list?
For the Ontario Election on June 2, 2022. Ontario residents can visit Elections Ontario - Voter Registration to add, update or confirm your information on the voters list for individuals who are 18 years of age or older, Canadian citizens and residents of Ontario; Register of Absentee Voters for voters temporarily living outside Ontario who intend to return to the province; or Ontario Register of Future Voters for eligible 16- and 17-year-olds who will be automatically added to the voters list when they turn 18.
For the 2022 Municipal and School Board Elections on October 24, 2022, Ontario residents can visit Voterlookup.ca at any time to find out whether their information is accurately reflected for inclusion on the Preliminary List of Electors for the 2022 Municipal and School Board Elections. Eligible electors can also update their information, add a name to an address, or change their school support for electoral purposes.
Let's make sure we're ready.
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Committee Meetings This Week
Wednesday, January 12 - Governance and Policy Committee 4:30pm - Agenda- 5.1. Anti-Sex Trafficking Policy: New Policy
- 5.2. P072, Workplace Violence Prevention: Annual Review
- 5.3. P023, Parent and Community Involvement Policy: Review of Community Advisory Committee
- 5.4. P048, Occupational Health and Safety Policy: Annual Review
- 5.5. Policy Review Schedule for 2021-2022 to 2024-2025 School Years: Update
- 6.1. Bylaws Review Ad Hoc Committee, Report No. 08, November 25, 2021
- 7.1. PR563, Anaphylaxis Management and PR714, Asthma Management: Update
- 7.2. PR666, Community Use of Board Facilities: Revised Procedure
Thursday, January 13 - Finance, Budget & Enrolment Committee 4:30pm - Agenda- 5.1. Contract Awards, Operations
- 5.2. Contract Awards, Facilities
- 6. 2021-22 Revised Estimates
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TDSB System Calendar
There are many ways for parents/guardians and school community members to get involved, learn, connect and participate in TDSB activities and events. Visit this page often and see what's coming up!
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Virtual Drop-In Hours
We are here to help you in any way we can. TDSB Professional Support Services team offers weekly virtual drop-in times where you can connect directly with a staff member to help answer questions and provide support to help you and your child. Virtual office hours will resume on January 11, 2022.
Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Thursdays from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Virtual Drop-In Hours for Students with Special/Complex Needs - starting the week of January 10
Wednesdays from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
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Help Close the Digital Divide
In today’s world, access to technology is more important than ever. Digital literacy has been identified as one of the most important 21st century skills for students. The power of digital devices, apps and tools can increase engagement, encourage collaboration, spark innovation and enhance learning. Technology can expand classroom boundaries as students explore the world beyond their community and connect with and learn from people and experts around the globe. It can help open doors to new and exciting career paths.
Not all students have the same access to digital tools and the internet. And, during this unprecedented year of remote learning, the pandemic has highlighted the gaps of technology access among students and the learning gaps that resulted.
The TDSB is taking a lead in solving this problem because in today’s fast-paced world, technology is not just a nice to have, it is a must have. So, we are going above and beyond what the Ministry of Education funds to ensure that our students have the tools, resources and opportunities to develop the 21st century skills necessary for future success.
Help close the digital divide and ensure technology is accessible to all. Your support will give students access to technology -- both inside and outside the classroom -- so they can participate, learn and succeed. Learn more here - https://www.tdsb.on.ca/techaccessall. Donate Here.
100% of all proceeds go to benefit our students. Used equipment cannot be accepted. If you have any questions, please contact the Business Development department at BusinessDevelopment@tdsb.on.ca for more information about your donation.
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Winter Well-Being Guide
Within this guide you will find a variety of culturally responsive resources and accessible activities to help make this winter a little easier and fun for you and your family. Information on where and how to reach out for help is also included. Read the Winter-Well Being Guide.
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Grade 7-11 Students Needed - Student Equity Collective
Racism and hate have no place in our school communities. We are looking for students to hear their voices on how to make positive change in the TDSB and beyond.
We are launching a Student Equity Collective. This is an opportunity to not only sit at the table, but to design what the table looks like, drive the conversation, and bring ideas, solutions and recommendations forward that address what you want to address. Watch the video from the Director and Student Trustees.
If you are a TDSB student in Grade 7 to 11 with an understanding of, and commitment to, addressing racism, hate and all forms of discrimination; if you bring a passion and enthusiasm for collaborative problem-solving, idea generation and change, please apply by January 12, 2022 at 4pm.
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Middle French Immersion Program – Grade 4 Entry
To apply for the Middle French Immersion Program (Grade 4 entry) for September 2022, applications must be completed online between January 3 and January 28, 2022.
An offer of placement in the program (not a specific school) is guaranteed to all on-time applicants and will be made in the weeks following the close of the application window.
Please note: Families with an older sibling currently enrolled in a French program and who will be in attendance next year are still required to complete an online application for the new student. Please select the “sibling option” within the online application.
Families can request interpretation services for this event in advance, by completing this online form before December 17, 2021.
Information about the Middle French Immersion Program is available in multiple languages. For details, please see the information package. For more information about French programs, the application process and important dates, please visit www.tdsb.on.ca/french or click on Application Process.
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School Open Houses and Information Nights
Learn everything you need to know about our incredible variety of schools, programs and courses. Please note that some schools are hosting “live” virtual open houses that families can join in real time, during the specified date and time. Please check this page regularly, as schools will continue to post information about virtual open house dates/times and available pre-recorded information sessions. You can view the prerecorded sessions at any time by clicking the link provided. If you have questions about a specific school or open house, please contact the school directly for more information.
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Optional Attendance 2022-2023
Students who reside within the City of Toronto 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. Most schools in Ward 8 are closed to Optional Attendance.
If you are planning to apply to a TDSB Elementary school through the Optional Attendance process, please visit the TDSB Optional Attendance webpage to get up to date information.
Elementary Optional Attendance – Key Dates:- February 11, 2022 Optional attendance forms due at elementary school
- March 04, 2022 Deadline for parents/guardians to be informed of the status of the application request
- March 25, 2022Parents/guardians must inform the requested school of their acceptance of the offer
Secondary Optional Attendance – Key Dates:- January 28, 2022 Optional attendance forms due at secondary school
- February 11, 2022 Date for parents/guardians of students to be informed of the status of the application request
- February 22, 2022 Parents/guardians must inform the requested school of their acceptance of the offer via email and submit course selections via MyBlueprint
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Global School Play Day - February 2, 2022
Almost 4,000 schools have already registered for Global School Day on February 2, 2022! Register for this free event bringing awareness to the importance of unstructured play! #GSPD2022
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Respect the Rules - No Dogs Allowed on School Grounds
Dogs are not allowed on school property at any time. Many people are surprised to learn that City of Toronto By-Laws and TDSB Policy prohibit dogs (leashed or unleashed) being on school property.
Please respect children’s play spaces. And please do not verbally abuse TDSB caretaking staff - I am hearing that when members of the public and caretakers onsite try and inform dog owners, they are met with threats and intimidation.
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School Year Calendar 2021-2022- 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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