Returning to School
The Return to School webpage (see pictures above) has been updated with new information on wearing masks/face coverings, including advice and videos on proper use, care and storage of masks. There is also more information to help you prepare for the first day of school, including check lists for elementary and secondary, updated resources, supports for mental health, a detailed plan on return to school and information on response plans for Covid-19.
Please click on the links below that will bring you right to the information -
As we prepare to open our schools in September and welcome back students and staff, we are doing everything possible to ensure the health and safety of all school community members, while also providing the best academic experience possible for students, supporting mental health and well-being and considering the needs of families and staff. Thank you for your continued patience as we all work through the challenges.
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Update on COVID-19 - Dr. Eileen de Villa, Medical Officer of Health (Sep 2, 2020)
"As we approach back to school, it often feels like a natural fresh start for many of us. So for today's update I'll share my advice for a safer return to school and safer socializing.
Back to school is a time of year typically filled with excitement. This year, many are feeling uneasy about this. Some may be worried about their child's ability to follow directions for physical distancing and wearing a mask. Others may be concerned about bringing the virus home to grandparents or other vulnerable relatives.
I've been asked if I'm sending my kids back to school this fall. The answer is yes, however, my youngest is in high school so the decision is a little simpler for my family. I know that everyone needs to make decisions that are best for their children and unique family circumstances.
For some who live with elderly family members or have health conditions, these decisions aren't necessarily straightforward.
If you are sending your kids back to school there are ways to help them prepare:
- Help them practice wearing a mask at home, so they can get comfortable with this before going into the classroom;
- Teach them how to put their mask on properly, how to wear it and how to take it off;
- Make sure your child's mask fits comfortably and covers their nose, mouth and chin;
- Send at least two clean masks with your child to school each day and explain to them when they should change their mask;
- Send two bags to store clean and dirty masks separately; and
- Remind your child not to share or trade their masks with their friends.
You can also help prepare your kids by explaining how school will be different this year:
- Teach them how to wash their hands, practice physical distancing and wear their mask;
- Remind them you can sense a smile in someone's eyes even under a mask. So they should greet their friends with a big smile, a wave from a safe distance and not share their food or other personal items; and
- Create a routine to screen your child for symptoms of COVID-19 before school each day.
It's also important to watch for signs of stress or anxiety in your child. They may have a lot on their mind and they may or may not talk about it. Remind them that it's important to think about COVID-19 and their actions when they're at school, but let them know that it won't be this way forever.
Let them know that it might be a little bit like looking both ways before crossing the street, or wearing your seatbelt, because it's all about their safety and good habits to protect them. Ask them about their day so they can share their feelings. For example they may be worried that a friend got too close, or that someone wasn't wearing their mask the right way.
More than ever it's especially important to keep your children at home if they're sick. It's also very important for everyone to get the flu vaccine this fall.
While many of us are preparing to send our kids back to school, many of us are also looking forward to squeezing in that last little bit of summer fun this weekend. While you are doing this, I ask that you please be careful while you are socializing. The choices we make this Labour Day weekend have the potential to affect us all in the weeks and months ahead...
The truth is that the only safe way forward is to keep following our public health measures: wash your hands, watch your distance and wear your mask. Everyone doing their part is what has kept Toronto from experiencing outbreaks like we're seeing in other cities. I cannot emphasize enough just how critical our behaviour today is in determining what happens next...
So please, as you are outside and enjoying these last days of summer, I ask that you all take my advice seriously:
- Stick to one bubble of up to 10 people;
- Avoid crowds, closed spaces and close contact with people outside your bubble because the risk of infection is high;
- Wash your hands;
- Watch your distance; and
- Wear your mask.
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Elementary Schools
Elementary schools will have a staggered start for students over the first three days (September 15, 16 and 17).
The start dates for each elementary grade level are based on school configuration. Once a student starts school on the first day for their grade, they continue to attend school every day. In cases where unique circumstances require a school to adjust its opening schedule, the school will contact families directly to provide more information.
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Secondary Schools For secondary schools, given the complexities of the staffing and timetable process, we have adjusted the start dates of most secondary schools as follows:
Tuesday, September 15: Students attending Special Education Congregated Sites (York Humber HS, Central Etobicoke HS, Frank Oke SS, Maplewood HS, Drewry SS and Sir William Olser HS) and students attending Developmental Disability (DD) Intensive Support Programs in secondary schools. These students will follow a semester schedule.
Thursday, September 17: All remaining secondary schools, including students attending Intensive Support Programs (Autism, PD, MID, LD, and Gifted). Students will follow a quadmester schedule.
While most, if not all, secondary schools will be open on one of these two days, if there are unique circumstances that require additional time, those schools will contact families directly.
Virtual School
Due to the large number of families who have selected Virtual School (more than 66,000 students), we require additional time to staff and timetable to ensure a more consistent opening for all staff and students. As a result, all students, including those in Special Education classes, attending Virtual School (elementary and secondary) will begin on Thursday, September 17. Our top priority is to ensure students experience success in both our in-person schools and virtual schools.
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High Risk Schools in Ward 19
Following Schools In ward 19 are identified as High risk by Toronto Public health.
-Ben Heppner Vocal Music Academy
-George B Little Public School -Heather Heights Jr Public school -Miliatry Trail Public School Class sizes for above school will be (15 for kindergarten, and 20 for grades 1 - 8)
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Registration Results Parents/guardians for 247,583 students (173,220 elementary and 74,363 secondary) were contacted by email and/or phone to register. In total, parents/guardians for 89% (218,025) of elementary and secondary students responded. Schools are now in the process of reaching out directly to parents/guardians who did not respond to the registration emails or phone calls.
Elementary (K-8)
- 71% (121,467) indicated an in person option
- 29% (50,514) indicated a virtual school option
Secondary (9-12)
- 79% (60,510) indicated an in person option
- 21% (16,091) indicated the virtual school option
Please see the school-by-school breakdown of the registration results as of September 4, 2020:
Note: The percentages listed in these reports include parents/guardians who did not participate in the registration process in order to help us in reaching out to those who have yet to indicate a choice for fall. For example, where 72% of parents who participated in the registration process indicated that their children would return to school, this percentage decreases to 64% when including those who have not responded.
It is my understanding TDSB research will be analyzing the results. The Globe & Mail wrote an initial story on this Friday. “This issue of advocating for a safe and equitable return to school, it’s not about advocating for one’s own community or one’s own child... This only works if we’re advocating for something that’s going to support everyone.” These are real concerns that must be addressed.
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Elementary Staffing To serve 47,462 students in the Elementary Virtual School will require in excess of 2000 classroom teachers. (Please note that these registration numbers are based on 90% of elementary parents/guardians completing the registration but also include projections that are required to facilitate the staffing process).
Staffing allocations for in-school have been completed and were sent out to principals Friday. Based on the responses from families we were able to achieve the following caps in the elementary panel for staff allocation:
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TDSB Identified High Priority Schools (based on TPH and other criteria)
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* Original projection for JK/SK was 27
Since the teacher allocation is based on caps, should one or two additional students register at a school in September and all classes are at the cap for their grades, they would be
placed in one of these classes — thereby exceeding the cap. Should a large number of students register at a school, staff would look to see if additional teachers could be allocated.
Schools are now in the process of adjusting their staffing models (i.e. class configurations and teaching assignments) for students who will be attending in-person learning. We appreciate that the timelines to do this are quite short and want to thank our Elementary Principals and Vice-Principals for the heavy lifting that is needed over the upcoming days in order to welcome students and staff back to school. And we thank teachers for their patience. This is not the same process as previous years with reorganization happening at the beginning of the year. It is my understanding staff will not be "surplus" based on usual processes, but reallocated to either another school or the Virtual School - and they would return to their home school.
Staff confirm as we finalize the registration numbers in Virtual School, we continue to work on the Special Education staffing that is dependent on student placement by program and level of support. Also, as previously indicated, wherever possible, staff at the Virtual School will try to keep students from the school and same specialized programs together.
Finally, staff are working over the long weekend to try to figure out teaching for the virtual school and getting classes set up. They don't know exactly when information can be shared with families, but it will also be as soon as possible.
We expect to understand more on timelines at our meeting Wednesday - I will live tweet as I can.
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Useful information and reminders from IT Services
Welcome back and best wishes for the 2020-2021 school year. Below you will find some useful information and reminders from IT Services.
School-based Staff
Password Resets – SAMS/Password Manager
Password resets for students can be performed by themselves with Password Manager or by their teacher using SAMS. Please review this article for details.
Student Device Requests
Every student in the Virtual School as well as those participating in synchronous learning will be required to have the necessary technology. For those without access to a device, requests must be made through the student’s home school Principal.
TDSB Connects Mobile App
The new TDSB Connects app is now available to secondary schools. The app provides the ability to quickly share announcements, calendar events and more through an easy-to-use interface to help communicate effectively and reduce reliance on email. Additional features will be added throughout the year to make it even more valuable to students.
Markbook Web
MarkBook Web (also known as MarkBook Cloud) has been licensed for secondary teachers for the 2020-2021 school year. Access to TWebCE will continue this school year. Both the Brightspace & Google Classroom Grades tools are also acceptable & supported. The MarkBook Web platform provides the most flexibility for teachers, whether they work from home on a personal device or at school on a TDSB device. It also enables TDSB to pivot quickly as the pandemic evolves.
This fall, the application will be upgraded to a version that will work on other non-Flash browsers and platforms, such as iPads and ChromeBooks. At present, MarkBook Web can be run on Windows/Mac with browsers capable of using Adobe Flash, or by downloading the MarkBook Cloud application.
Device and Tech Support for Parents and Students
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Director of Education Search
The Toronto District School Board is in the process of recruiting its next Director of Education. This process is being led by a Trustee Director Search Committee, in partnership with Mandrake, an executive search firm.
The Trustee Director Search Committee is made up of 11 elected trustees. This committee was selected to represent the four different Learning Centres; provide oversight, guidance and direction in the selection of the new Director of Education; and represent the TDSB and all of its stakeholders. This committee will also interview and select candidates for final approval for hire.
Mandrake has been retained as an external executive search firm to run and manage the recruitment process. Their role is to provide advice to and represent the interests of the Trustee Director Search Committee. They will also play a role in interviewing and assessing interested and qualified candidates.
Below you will find more information about the process, including key dates, consultations, how to apply and contact information.
Timeline (Please note that dates are subject to change)
September
- Stakeholder Consultations
- Recruitment Commences
- Target: September 24 – Job Posted
October
November
- Candidate Interviews and Assessment
- Candidate Selection
Consultations / Information Sessions
Stakeholder Consultations
Various TDSB stakeholders will have the opportunity to participate in an electronic survey that will inform the specific job criteria, accomplishments, experience and background that will be used to create the candidate profile for recruitment. Stakeholders include: leadership staff, trustees, union and federated leaders, Community Advisory Committees, the Special Education Advisory Committee and the Parent Involvement Advisory Committee. Trustees will also be reaching out to community members in each of the four Learning Centres. This information will also inform the candidate profile for the next Director of Education.
Informational Webinar
- Monday, September 14, 2020. (Save the Date)
- Please check back soon for more details.
Public Delegations
- Wednesday, September 16, 2020. (Save the Date)
- Please check back soon for more details. Delegation Process
How to Apply
The Director of Education position is expected to be posted on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2020. This date is tentative and subject to change. Please check back soon for more information.
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Career Opportunities
Available Positions
Interpretation/Translation Services
At this time, the Toronto District School Board is actively recruiting accredited interpreters for the following languages:
- Bengali,Cambodian,Cantonese,Cantonese/Mandarin (accredited in both)Hungarian,Mandarin,Tagalog,Turkish
Crossing Guard Information Around high-traffic areas and near our school communities, you may notice crossing guards helping our students and community members safely cross a street.
As of August 1, 2019, the City's Transportation Services Division will be taking over the School Crossing Guard program. For more details on this transition, please visit the City's School Crossing Guard Program webpage.
Emergency Replacement Persons (ERPs) – Secondary Teaching
The TDSB is accepting applications for Emergency Replacement Persons (ERP) through the ERP online application process. The application can be found at the bottom of this page.
Emergency Replacement Persons (ERPs) are not qualified teachers but individuals who, typically, have expressed an interest in working with students in a high school setting and present with an educational and/or work background that reasonably supports their use for coverage purposes in emergency situations.
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