Orange Shirt Day - Monday September 30

Orange Shirt Day is an annual event that started in 2013 to recognize the legacy of the Residential Schools system for First Nations, Métis and Inuit families and communities. It is a show of support and understanding of the history of Canadian school system, which impacts many First Nations, Métis and Inuit families today. The phrase “Every Child Matters” reminds everyone that children are such an important and integral part of our communities, and that they are our future generations of change makers. By wearing orange, we have an opportunity to bring awareness to the history of Residential Schools and to stand up against other injustices that may impact our children/students.
This year, Orange Shirt Day falls on Monday, September 30. Visit orangshirtday.org to learn more about this year's commemorative events.

Students Lead the Way...
Inspired by Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg, young people from around the world have joined the Fridays for Future movement and are showing their support by participating in climate strikes and demonstrations. Currently, there is a student demonstration planned for Friday, September 27 at Queen’s Park.

A rally has been organized at Queen's Park - On September 27th, Toronto will see its biggest strike and march for climate justice. It is hosted by Fridays For Future Toronto, who invites adults to join youth strikers in solidarity... for more information, click here. I hope to see you there!

As always, students under the age of 18 require parental permission to leave class. We have also asked our schools to avoid scheduling tests and other assessments on that day.

Labour Negotiations News

School boards and unions share a commitment to public education and work together towards positive labour relations. The collective bargaining framework for the education sector features a two-tier bargaining process, involving both central and local bargaining. Learn more about the process here.

Currently, teacher federations and unions representing education workers are negotiating for a new employment contract with the Ontario government and Ontario school boards.

At this time, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) has announced that its members will begin a job action (work-to-rule) on Monday, September 30. The job action will affect all Ontario school boards and schools, as well as administrative offices.

CUPE represents school support staff, such as caretakers, lunchroom supervisors, office/clerical staff and Designated Early Childhood Educators.

The job action (work-to-rule) involves the partial withdrawal of service, which includes (but is not limited to):

o   Not sweeping hallways, office areas and gymnasiums

o   Not doing school compost or recycling programs

o   Not cutting grass, shovelling or completing other ground maintenance duties

o   Not collecting or accepting money for school-related initiatives and fundraising

For the full list of CUPE job classifications and services that will be impacted, please visit the TDSB webpage for Labour Negotiations.

Schools will remain open during this work-to-rule and instructional programs will continue to run.

During this time, principals and vice-principals will work with staff to maintain a caring and positive school environment for students.

The TDSB is currently bargaining locally with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). We anticipate local bargaining with the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO), the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) in the near future.

OPSBA Federal Election Resource Guide
On September 11, the writ was dropped for the upcoming Federal Election, which takes place on October 21, 2019. During federal elections, the Ontario Public School Boards Association (OPSBA) advocates for non-partisan strategies to engage politicians on issues that affect public education and our children and youth.

Federal Issues for the School Board Sector (read about these in the Guide)
Children and Youth Mental Health

Autism Spectrum Disorder
Student Nutrition
Cannabis Legalization – Introduction of Edibles
Indigenous Education
Settlement Services for Immigrant Children and Youth
Technology & E-Learning
The Role of Local Democratically Elected Trustees
Private School Funding
Capital-Related Issues

The Guide has been developed with input from OPSBA senior staff, the Policy Development Work Team, and from the Canadian School Boards Association (CSBA), which will be distributing a modified version of our Guide to other CSBA members across the country.

The guide includes background information on several education-related topics and questions to ask both candidates and parties. Download the guide here

And please remember schools can also participate in Student Vote. To see if your school has signed up, look here. Schools can sign up at here until September 30.

Register for Walk to School Day

October is International Walk to School Month... Register here. Share your IWALK/IWHEEL event with us by tweeting @EcoSchoolsTDSB and @TDSB using the hashtag #walktoschool or #biketoschool.