Virtual Parent Engagement Night
Thursday, February 4, 2021, 7:00pm to 8:00pm
Ward 19 Scarborough-Guildwood School Council Chairs, Parents/Guardians, Community Members, Superintendents and School Staff are invited to join Trustee Zakir Patel for upcoming Virtual Parent Engagement Night. Meet your Principals, Vice Principals and Superintendents from Secondary/Elementary/remote and virtual school.
The video conference platform will be Zoom. Registration is required.
Registrants will be sent a meeting invite with a link and call in details for the session.
We regret that we will be unable to answer your live questions during the meeting. Please submit your questions in advance to Zakir.Patel@tdsb.on.ca. We will attempt to answer as many questions as possible on Thursday.
We sincerely look forward to seeing everyone!
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IMPORTANT UPDATE ON SCHOOL RE-OPENING
PHUs that will be permitted to reopen elementary and secondary schools on Monday, February 8, 2021:
- Brant County Health Un
- Chatham-Kent Public Health
- Durham Region Health Department
- Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit
- Halton Region Public Health
- City of Hamilton Public Health Services
- Huron Perth Public Health
- Lambton Public Health
- Niagara Region Public Health
- Simcoe-Muskoka District Health Unit
- Region of Waterloo Public Health and Emergency Services
- Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health
- Windsor-Essex County Health Unit
PHUs that will be permitted to reopen elementary and secondary schools on Tuesday, February 16, 2021:
- Peel Public Health
- Toronto Public Health
- York Region Public Health
The pandemic has been difficult in so many ways for so many people. Access free mental health supports or call or text 211 to be connected to mental health or other social services, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Please also check Mental Health and Well-Being Resources During Covid-19 on the TDSB Website.
I appreciate the difficult position that all of our families are in right now and the challenges with being out of school. While some families prefer learning virtually, we know others do not. In the end, we take our lead from the Ministry of Education and Toronto Public Health. Thank you to families for your support and thank you to teachers and education workers, administrators and senior team for doing everything possible to make remote learning work.
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TDSB Recognizes African Heritage Monthin February
The TDSB is the largest and one of the most diverse school boards in Canada. Nearly one-quarter of our students were born outside of Canada, and collectively, we speak more than 120 languages. Understanding all cultures is essential to the success of our young students today as they transform and transition to be our future leaders of tomorrow.
During the month of February, we are proud to recognize and celebrate African Heritage Month. It is an occasion to celebrate the many achievements and contributions of peoples of African descent to Canada and the world. The chosen theme for 2020-2021 is Kujichagulia: Self Determination.
We are thrilled to be sharing this poster with our updated theme. The artwork for the poster was created by students from Downsview Secondary School in 2020 under the leadership of their teacher, Matthew Chapman. Five principles of Kwanzaa are presented in this painting including the theme for 2021, Kujichagulia (Self Determination), which can be found in the fabric of one of the shirts. The other four principles present in this image are:
- Umoja (unity) the tattoo
- Nia (purpose) the logo on the shoe
- Kuumba (creativity) the logo on the shirt
- Imani (faith) the brand tag on the hijab
Black people in Canada have diverse grounds and experiences – while some can trace their roots in Canada for many generations, others have immigrated in recent decades.
Black Canadians are connected by a common African history and ancestry. The African-Canadian population is made up of individuals from a range of places across the globe including, but not limited to, the United States, South America, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, and Canada.
There were almost 1.2 million Black people living in Canada in 2016. The Black population is diverse and has a long and rich history in Canada. Among the Black population born outside of Canada, the source countries of immigration have changed over time. More than half of this population who immigrated before 1981 were born in Jamaica and Haiti. Black newcomers now come from about 125 different countries, mainly from Africa.
The African Heritage Month Volunteer Planning Committee continues to name, notice, and disrupt anti-Black racism through their organized initiatives shared throughout the TDSB and commitment to hold space for Black students, staff, parents, families, and elders to heal, to celebrate and to thrive.
During the month of February, several activities are being planned and they include; a launch to kick-off African Heritage Month, Know Your Worth Conference: Black Resistance in collaboration with Black Law Students Association of Osgoode Hall Law School (York University) for secondary students; and the expansion of the Black Student Alliance. We are especially proud of the establishment of the Know Your Worth Scholarship fund and Black Leadership Council at the Toronto District School Board.
Black Student Alliance Webinar: How to Start a Black Student Alliance on Wednesday, February 10, 5 p.m. – 6 p.m. BSAs are student groups that increase student voice, build capacity in student leadership and are supported by a TDSB staff member. Through ongoing meetings and discussions, school assemblies, guest speakers, presentations, and other initiatives students support each other, challenge anti-Black racism and contribute to ensuring the TDSB meets its commitments to equity, inclusion, and Black student success. Virtual Link: https://www.tdsb.on.ca/stream/LiveWebcast-African-Heritage-Month.html
More events will be advertised as the month continues.
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February is Chinese Heritage Month in the TDSB
Toronto District School Board is proud to recognize Chinese Heritage Month (CHM) during the month of February 2021. This year is the Year of the Ox: Loyal, Honest, Responsible, Hard-Working and Logical. Many Chinese Canadians will celebrate Lunar New Year on Friday, February 12. Lunar New Year is also known as the spring festival and begins with the first moon of the lunar calendar and ends on the first full moon of the lunar calendar 15 days later. Though celebrations will be altered this year because of the pandemic, the spirit and joyfulness will remain the same through virtual events and in-home family-based festivities.
Copies of the winning posters from our poster challenge with students from all grade levels across the Toronto District School Board will be posted soon. We are also pleased to share a brief slide deck on Chinese Heritage Month.
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Switching Schools - In-Person and Virtual
Secondary Switching from In-Person to Virtual Learning - Students who are registered at in-person schools who would like to switch to a virtual model for Quadmester 3 will be accommodated with a virtual option at their current in-person school for the remainder of the school year. Students and families will receive additional information directly from their school, including specific directions regarding how to request a switch.
Secondary Switching from Virtual to In-Person Learning - Students who are currently registered in the Virtual Secondary School for Quad 3 and would like to return to in-person learning must contact the guidance counsellor at the in-person school by March 23, 2021 at 4pm, to see if a timetable can be created for the specific courses they have requested for Quadmester 4. If a timetable can be created, a transfer to the in-person school will be facilitated. Please note that space may be limited, and a transfer may not be possible.
Elementary Switching - Prior to the Winter Break, we asked all elementary school families to indicate if they wanted their child(ren) to be considered for a switch from in-person (in-school) to virtual learning (at home) or from virtual learning (at home) to in-person (in-school) learning. With the help of this survey information, the lessons learned from previous switching experiences and following Toronto Public Health (TPH) guidelines, we have decided to proceed with a final switching opportunity, where space is available, in February 2021 for those families who indicated interest in the December switching survey.
During the COVID update at the Special Planning and Priorities Committee meeting on Tuesday, January 26, staff spoke to the number of elementary students who have applied to switch schools by the neighbourhood quintiles where they live. The neighbourhood quintiles is based on a composite index created by Toronto Public Health that ranks the neighbourhoods from high risk to low risk for COVID transmission. Please see below that presents the number of students by the five quintiles and shows the distribution of the students on maps.
We are committed to completing as many requests as possible, with priority given to students who live in neighbourhoods which are at higher risk for COVID-19 based on recent data from TPH. Schools will be working to find appropriate classroom spaces for students who requested a switch, however it is important for families to understand that it will not be possible to accommodate all requests. Additionally, we know that families need stability and we want to ensure as little disruption to learning as possible, including for those students who have not requested a switch. Please visit the Switching Webpage for more information.
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Community Advisory Committees and Statutory Advisory Committees:
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February is Kindergarten Registration Month
Come Learn With Us!
Registration for all TDSB Kindergarten
programs begins on Monday, February 1, 2021.
Children who will be four by December 31, 2021, can start Junior Kindergarten in September 2021.
Please note: Only parents or legal guardians can register a child for TDSB programs. Families are asked to complete the registration online using the Online Registration System. If you have questions or are unable to complete the online registration independently, please contact your child’s home school to make a virtual face-to-face appointment (via Zoom or Google Meet) to complete the online registration process.If you know a parent whose child will be coming to JK in September, please forward this information to them.
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Revisions to Optional Attendance Process
If you have any additional questions related to the Optional Attendance process, please reach out to your current home school principal.
All current timelines are still in effect. Forms for secondary schools were due by January 29, 2021, and for elementary schools by February 12, 2021.
Elementary Optional Attendance – Key Dates:
- February 12, 2021 - Optional attendance forms due at elementary school
- March 05, 2021 - Deadline for parents/guardians to be informed of the status of the application request
- March 26, 2021 - Parents/guardians must inform the requested school of their acceptance of the offer
Secondary Optional Attendance – Key Dates:
- January 29, 2021 - Optional attendance forms due at secondary school
- February 12, 2021 - Deadline for parents/guardians of students to be informed of the status of the application request
- February 26, 2021 - Course selection sheets due at secondary schools
- March 1, 2021: Course selection sheets due at secondary schools via myBlueprint
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School Year Calendar 2020-2021
The official school year calendar for the Toronto District School Board runs from September 1 to June 30, inclusive and has now been approved by the Ministry.
The last day of class for elementary students is June 29
Secondary Quadmester Calendar
- Quad 2: Nov. 23 - Feb 4
- Quad 3: Feb 8 - April 20 + exams April 21 & 22
- Quad 4: April 23 - June 23 + exams June 24, 25 & 28
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