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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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"Education is not teacher centered or even student centered, but it is relationship centered. Teachers thrive w/ positive admin relationships & students thrive w/ positive teacher relationships. Relationships drive education." - @DrBradJohnson
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In this Issue:
- TDSBcares: Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Appeal
- Happy Orthodox Easter
- Yom HaShoah
- Please Wear a Mask
- COVID-19 Reminders
- Advocacy re: TDSB's 2022-23 Budget
- Committee Meetings This Week
- TDSB System Calendar
- Policy Consultations
- School Building in Toronto: Where Are We Now? Ward 8 & 9 Virtual Ward Forum - Thursday, May 12, 2022, 6:30-8:00 pm.
- New Invitations - TDSB Interpreter Training Program - Hiring; Periphery Curriculum Workshop - Ethnic Diversity in the Jewish Community; Be Part of the National Action Plan on Combatting Hate; COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics co-hosted by Councillor Matlow
- Worth Repeating - From Councillor Matlow - Combatting Antisemitism Together: Public Meeting on April 27 at 7pm; FHCI Speaker Series; Summer School Updates: Elections 2022 - Are You on the Voters Lists?; Backpack and School Supplies Drive; Respect the Rules - No Dogs Allowed on School Grounds
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TDSBcares: Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Appeal
As the war in Ukraine continues and the resulting humanitarian crisis worsens each day, the TDSB is launching the TDSBcares: Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Appeal to support the Canadian Red Cross and UNICEF in their ongoing efforts to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance to those impacted.
Since the start of the conflict, a number of schools across the TDSB have been holding fundraisers and collecting donations in support of the ongoing relief efforts in Ukraine. The launch of TDSBcares: Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Appeal complements these school initiatives and streamlines the process for schools and central departments to make new or additional donations.
An estimated four million people have fled Ukraine since the start of the conflict, while an estimated 18 million people inside Ukraine are affected.
Donations to the Canadian Red Cross will enable the organization to respond to the humanitarian needs in Ukraine and surrounding countries, which includes immediate and ongoing relief efforts.
UNICEF is working with partners to reach vulnerable children and families with essential services – including health, education, protection, water and sanitation – as well as life-saving supplies.
The TDSBcares: Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Appeal will run until May 31, 2022. Tax receipts will be issued by the Canadian Red Cross (for all donations of $1 or more) and UNICEF (for all donations of $10 or more).
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Happy Orthodox Easter
For millions of Orthodox Christians around the world, Easter falls on Sunday 24 April 2022. Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter later than most in the western world because they use a different calendar - Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon of the spring equinox (always between March 22 and April 25), while Orthodox Easter is celebrated on the Sunday after the first full moon after Passover (between April 4th and May 8th). Happy Orthodox Easter to those observing.
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Yom HaShoah
Yom HaShoah falls on the 27th of the Jewish month of Nissan, a date chosen because it is the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising. Yom HaShoah ceremonies include the lighting of candles for Holocaust victims, and listening to the stories of survivors.
To honour Yom HaShoah within the TDSB, the Jewish Heritage Committee is supporting Holocaust Remembrance Assemblies at North Toronto Collegiate Institute and Northern Secondary School. Both schools will host Michelle Glied-Goldstein, founder of Carrying Testimony. Ms.Glied-Goldstein will share her father Bill Glied’s remarkable story of his survival during the Holocaust. This initiative was developed to enable descendants of survivors to share their family member’s survivor testimony and ensure that important historic evidence is passed from generation to generation. Michelle and the other volunteers she works with have presented to hundreds of students in TDSB schools this year and we have received incredible feedback from educators as to its positive impact. I also hope to attend the virtual assembly at FHCI.
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Please Wear a Mask
Staff at the Toronto District School Board has developed a new “masking” webpage with more information, including a Questions and Answers section, that will help answer a number of the questions about masking. Please see below.
"Since the beginning of the pandemic, the TDSB has prioritized the health and safety of both staff and students. While the TDSB takes its direction from the province, which does not require masks, given the increase in COVID-19 cases and the high number of absences, we as a system, are asking that all staff and students wear a well fitting mask when indoors in TDSB schools and buildings to limit the spread of COVID-19 and help minimize disruption from COVID-related absences. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and should Ministry or public health direction change, the TDSB will of course implement as required.
Why is the TDSB not mandating masks like other boards?
The TDSB has always taken its health and safety direction from the Ministry of Education and public health officials, which have made clear that school boards cannot continue the COVID-19 measures that the Province lifted in March. The Minister of Education has clearly stated that “Every student in every school board in Ontario retains the choice to wear a mask.” We also believe that any possible school-board specific mandate would not be able to be enforced at the school level, putting our school communities at odds with each other when they’ve just started to heal and resume normal activities (e.g. assemblies, field trips, clubs). Without a provincial mask mandate, many individuals will not comply consistently with wearing masks. Provincial and/or public health direction to the general public is a powerful motivator for children and adults to consistently wear masks both in and out of schools as an added layer of protection.
What do public health officials recommend?
Dr. Kieran Moore, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health has said he “strongly recommends” wearing a mask in indoor public spaces. Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam is also advising Canadians to continue wearing a mask, while Dr. Eileen de Villa, Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health, said she still recommends the use of masks indoors, especially amid an increase in COVID-19 cases. In line with provincial direction, Toronto Public Health currently states that: “Schools and boards can continue to encourage mask use especially indoors and/or in crowded settings and/or in areas with poor ventilation, while respecting individual choices regarding masks based on one’s own risk assessment.”
Why have other school boards been able to require their students and staff to wear masks?
We have closely reviewed the mask policies from the school boards that have chosen to mandate masks. Under those policies, those who do not wish to wear a mask can self-exempt themselves without providing any documentation or reasoning to support their decision. In other words, those who do not wish to wear a mask can choose not to do so. This is a very similar approach at TDSB, except we do not require a formal request.
What’s your legal obligation?
The issue is not about legal authority to protect staff and student safety, but instead, the medical and public health basis for taking such steps to impose a “mandatory” masking requirement. At present, the advice from local and provincial public health authorities is not to make masking mandatory, but rather, to strongly encourage masking indoors. We are following this advice."
We have asked all students and staff at its schools to go back to wearing masks inside to help limit the disruption caused by a sixth wave of COVID-19.
Please wear a mask.
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COVID-19 RemindersUpdated Information from TPH
Please get VaccinatedDaily Screening
Mental Health and Well-Being
COVID-19 Case Reporting - Adding TDSB-wide Totals
While the Ministry no longer requires school boards to report on COVID-19 cases in schools, the TDSB continues to notify the school community when a positive case of COVID-19 (confirmed by either Rapid Antigen Test or PCR test) is self-reported to the school.
Starting next week, a TDSB-wide weekly total of COVID-19 numbers will be reported on the COVID-19 Reporting webpage. This, in tandem with the daily COVID-19 notification letters from schools, will further provide our community a comprehensive picture of what is happening locally and system-wide, while preventing stigmatization of particular schools or areas.
Weekly totals will be updated every Tuesday for the preceding week, starting next week for the week of April 18-22.
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Advocacy re 2022-23 Budget
Trustees across the system are reaching out to MPPs on behalf of the Toronto District School Board to request that the Government of Ontario provide school boards with adequate and stable funding that fully supports all pandemic costs and post-pandemic recovery plans. Stability is urgently needed in our schools - now more than ever - to support student learning, mental health and well-being.
The TDSB is currently projecting a deficit of $44.7M for the 2022-23 school year. The deficit is primarily attributed to revenue decreases due to the pandemic and declining enrolment that cannot be fully offset by cost reductions. In addition, the TDSB’s structural deficit also contributes to the financial position. For many years, the TDSB budget has provided for additional financial support to meet the needs of Toronto students, above what the Ministry funds. These additional costs are typically financed by in-year budget savings, efficiencies and Board reserves. In some years, however, the savings have not been sufficient to cover all funding gaps. This has resulted in the TDSB’s annual structural deficit.
Also contributing to the Board’s structural deficit are cost pressures resulting from escalating long-term disability, CPP, EI costs, utilities and other inflationary cost increases that are not funded by the Ministry.
Over the past two years of the pandemic, the TDSB has made use of all available resources to keep students and staff safe. One of our key areas of focus - particularly during the 2020-2021 school year - has been on maintaining physical distance in classrooms through class size reductions and additional supports for learning. In many cases, the TDSB went above and beyond Ministry funding to keep class sizes as low as possible. To make this happen in the absence of Ministry funding, the TDSB used its reserves. All available funds were put towards keeping students and staff safe - and as a result, the Board’s structural deficit was not addressed.
As you know, school boards are required to pass a balanced budget every year. Looking ahead to what we all hope is a return to more normal school board operations next year, we ask that the Ministry recognize the challenges that the TDSB has faced during the course of the pandemic.
Should the Ministry not provide additional funding to address the impacts of the pandemic, savings will need to be found and cuts will need to be made. While we always try to minimize the impacts of cuts, there is no doubt that they would be felt in the classroom at a critical time. As you can certainly appreciate, TDSB Trustees and staff do not want to make these reductions, especially now when the students of Toronto, and the students of this province, desperately need stability and support.
The TDSB has developed a thorough and actionable Pandemic Recovery Plan to address concerns that 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. We are prepared to fully implement this plan; however, in order to do so, it is imperative that Ministry funding recognize the needs identified by the TDSB in this plan.
To ensure that students and families are fully supported next year, we ask that the Ministry commit to the following funding changes ahead of the 2022-23 school year:
- The reinstatement of enrolment stabilisation funding.
- Reimbursement of all pandemic-related expenses incurred by school boards over the past two years.
- A commitment to fully fund the TDSB’s Pandemic Recovery Plan.
- Additional funding to cover cost increases related to employee benefits (LTD, CPP, EI costs), utilities and other inflationary costs increases that are not currently funded by the Ministry.
Over the past two years, TDSB Chair Alexander Brown has sent numerous letters to Minister of Education Stephen Lecce outlining these concerns and requesting sufficient Ministry funding to support the students of Toronto. We ask for your support in this continued advocacy so that all TDSB students are provided with the learning, well-being and mental health supports they need next year and in the years ahead.
On May 16, 2022, there will be a special FBEC where staff will present recommendations to balance the 2022-23 budget and a deficit recovery plan.
In May there will be two scheduled virtual townhall meetings (Tentative dates: May 17 and/or May 19 during the day and evening) to present the planned operating budget and answer questions from the public and also consultations with CACs, SEAC and PIAC. A summary of the feedback received from the budget consultation will be presented on June 8 along with the 2022-23 draft capital budget and operating budget for approval.
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Committee Meetings This Week
Tuesday, April 26 - Finance, Budget and Enrolment Committee (Special Meeting) 4:00pm - AgendaWednesday, April 27 - Governance and Policy Committee 4:30pm - Agenda
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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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Policy Consultations
You are welcome to read the draft policies, provide your comments, including suggestions on the wording and provisions of the draft policies, questions or recommendations using the contact information below.
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Next Ward Forum - May 12, 2022School Building in Toronto: Where Are We Now?
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TDSB Interpreter Training Program - Hiring
TDSB will be offering 75 TDSB parents/caregivers the opportunity to receive online interpreter training in TDSB’s most requested languages! Please join us on April 26, 2022, to learn more - TDSB is hiring 75 interpreters. We are offering a 12:30 p.m. session or 6:30 p.m. session. See the flyer for more details. Share widely with your TDSB school community.
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Periphery Curriculum Workshop - Ethnic Diversity in the Jewish Community
Register for Periphery, an online Curriculum Workshop launching on Tuesday, April 26 at 6:30 p.m. Periphery is a photographic and film project that educates, celebrates and recognizes the ethnic diversity in the Jewish community. This event is brought to you by No Silence on Race, The Ontario Jewish Archives and Facing History and Ourselves.
The event engages Jewish and non-Jewish educators of Grade 8 to 12 students, adult educators and community members about the history and identities of multiracial and multiethnic Jews in Canada. The event will also explore how to connect Periphery learning and engagement in the classroom on issues related to intersectional identity, Jewish identity, race, antisemitism, multiculturalism in Canada and social justice. Click here to learn more and to register for the event.
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Be Part of the National Action Plan on Combatting Hate
In Canada, diversity is a fact, but inclusion is our national responsibility choice. We know that hatred targeting people based on their race, faith, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or any other personal characteristic, is destructive.
The Government of Canada is taking necessary actions to address the troubling rise of hate crimes and hate groups, not just because of the devastating consequences they have on the victims and their families, but also because they can divide our country and increase insecurity nationwide.
That’s why, the government is launching consultations for the first ever National Action Plan on Combatting Hate. We want to ensure that people across Canada, particularly those with lived experience of hate, have their say in defining how this action plan will deliver tangible change.
Every person in Canada is encouraged to participate. This questionnaire will recognize the voices of those with lived experiences. Including First Nations, Inuit, Métis, Black, Asian, Latinx, Arab, Muslim, Jewish, and racialized and faith-based communities, alongside newcomers, women, persons with disabilities, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ persons.
Participation is voluntary and confidential.
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COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics co-hosted by Councillor Matlow
Every Tuesday 12-4pm until May 10th, Councillor Matlow is co-hosting a COVID-19 vaccination clinic at Fairbank Memorial Community Centre with some remarkable partners. To learn about eligibility & details, check out the flyer or contact York-Fairbank Centre for Seniors 416 - 651- 8300 / yorkfairbank@on.aibn.com
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From Councillor Matlow - Combatting Antisemitism Together: Public Meeting on April 27 at 7pm
Since May 2021, Toronto has seen an alarming rise in antisemitic harassment and targeted hate crimes. These attacks on the Jewish community are entirely unacceptable and have absolutely no place in Toronto-St. Paul's or anywhere in the city. I was proud to have sat on the Mayor's antisemitism round table along with members of the Toronto Police Services Hate Crime Unit, my colleagues on Council, and representatives from the United Jewish Appeal, Centre for Israel Jewish Affairs, and Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre.
These discussions, as fruitful as they were, required the voices of local leaders within our community to comment on how the events of the last year have impacted all of us.
That is why I am honoured to be hosting a roundtable discussion on Wednesday, April 27th at 7:00 PM about Antisemitism in our community, what we are currently doing at the city and what more we could be doing. I will be joined by Detective Lauren Pogue from TPS hate crimes unit, Shelley Laskin, TDSB School Trustee, Rabbi Steve Wernick from Beth Tzedec Synagogue, and Jamie Kirzner-Roberts from Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre.
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FHCI's Speaker Series
Please join us on April 28th @8pm for the second event in our 2022 SPEAKER SERIES. CTV's Dana Levenson will sit down with Katie Dudtschak, who revealed her journey to embrace her true self to friends, family and thousands of RBC colleagues in 2019. While facing her true gender was the hardest experience of her life, it provided her with a unique and powerful view on society and the role and practices of business leadership moving forward. Please click the link to register https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/fhci-speaker-series-embracing-change-with-katie-dudtschak-tickets-311333154847
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Summer School Program Updates
Continuing Education Secondary Credit Summer Programs - Please note that space is limited and courses may fill up prior to the close of registration.
In Person & Remote Incoming TDSB Grade 8 Summer Reach Ahead Opportunity
TDSB Grade 8 students are eligible to register for the TDSB Continuing Education, In Person or Remote Secondary Full Credit Summer Reach Ahead course, GLD2O1. In-Person & Remote Full Credit High School Program: Students can enroll in one full-credit course that is offered in July, either remotely or in person at multiple locations. Should an announcement be made that only remote learning can take place, in person students need to be prepared to pivot to remote learning.
In Person & Remote Summer Full Credit Adult 18+ Program
Adults can enroll in one full credit course that is offered in July in-person at Yorkdale Adult Learning Centre or remotely. Should an announcement be made that only remote learning can take place, in person students need to be prepared to pivot to remote learning.
Remote Credit Recovery - For TDSB Students ONLY
Current TDSB students have the opportunity to recover one or two credits for the month of July. Remote summer credit recovery courses are open to current TDSB high school students who have taken the course in the past two years but have not earned the credit.
Summer Dual Credit, SWAC and Coop
These programs will be offered during the month of July. Students can register through their day school guidance counsellors. For more information, including registration dates, please visit our secondary summer page.
e-Summer School
The e-Summer program provides full credit courses for secondary school students in Ontario, aged 13-20 years old. e-Summer courses count toward the mandatory graduation requirement for students who entered Grade 9 in the 2020-2021 school year or later. Courses are fully online. Most of the class time is asynchronous with about one hour/day of synchronous, live lessons delivered by the teacher. e-Summer offers two full sessions, one in July and one in August. Mandatory program orientation for students takes place online for one hour in the week before the course begins. e-Summer course count toward the new graduation requirement of two e-Learning credits.
Elementary Summer SchoolThe focus of the Elementary Summer School Program is to continue student learning and engagement through the month of July. Programs, embedded in Literacy and Numeracy, are developed by the local summer school principal to reflect the local school focus. Programs are offered in-person to students in K to Grade 8, from July 4 to July 29, 2022.
Registration Information - Program Dates: July 4-29, 2022 - Registration is online. Program delivery method is in-person this year. One remote (online) program is available. Please see full list of programs.
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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 be ready.
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Backpack and School Supplies Drive
This year’s Backpacks & School Supplies Drive will run from March 1, 2022 to the end of September 2022. Individual donors and companies can help our students by making a monetary donation and/or a donation of new backpacks and school supplies. Please contact the Business Development department at BusinessDevelopment@tdsb.on.ca for more information about how to donate new items. Tax receipts are available for these donations. Donate now.
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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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Community Safety & Support
If you should you ever see any suspicious activity around school buildings after school hours, please contact 311, Toronto Police Services Dispatch at 416-808-2222, or the TDSB’s 24-hour Call Centre at 416-395-4620.
If you or a family member is in crisis, please contact Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868 or get support right now by texting CONNECT to 686868.
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