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Week of February 10, 2020
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Information About Coronavirus
The health and safety of all students, staff and school communities is our top priority. In partnership with public health officials, the Toronto District School Board is closely monitoring the current situation with regards to the novel coronavirus.
As always, it is important to remember to cough into your sleeve, wash your hands as washing your hands properly can help prevent the spread of the germs and if you feel sick, stay home and/or seek medical advice.
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Labour Update
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.Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) - Update: February 5, 2020
TDSB elementary schools (JK-8) will re-open to students on Monday, February 10. ETFO has also recently announced strikes for the next week on the following dates:
- Tuesday, February 11, 2020 – province-wide strike
- Wednesday, February 12, 2020 – rotating strike impacting the TDSB
Should the walkouts take place, the TDSB would have no other option but to close all elementary schools to students on Tuesday, February 11 and Wednesday, February 12 as there would not be sufficient supervision to ensure their safety. Parents/guardians should start making alternate arrangements for their children on these dates.
Child care centres located in elementary schools will be permitted to stay open. Please contact the child care provider directly for more information. TDSB Extended Day Programs will also be open to currently enrolled students for a full day of programs. EarlyON Child and Family Centres will operate during their regular hours.
Should the ETFO walkout take place, all International Languages Elementary and African Heritage classes would also be cancelled. However, all adult non-credit programs, such as Adult ESL and Learn4Life, will continue to run.
Read the letter sent to parent/guardians regarding the announcement of further strikes.
Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) - Update: February 7, 2020
On Thursday, February 13, education workers and teachers represented by the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF/FEESO) in certain school boards will take part in another one-day, full withdrawal of services in selected locations across Ontario. The TDSB is not affected Thursday.
As a reminder, please note that Friday, February 14, 2020 is a PA Day for parent-teacher interviews and Monday, February 17, 2020 is a provincial holiday – Family Day.
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Committees This Week
Governance and Policy Committee Agenda Monday, February 10, 2020 4:30 p.m.
Committee Room A, 5050 Yonge Street
- 5. PR696, Kindergarten Registration: Revised Procedure - The Kindergarten Procedure initially developed in 2006, has been revised and is aligned with and supports the implementation of The Early Learning and Care Policy (P022) which was recently revised on February 7, 2018. The Policy and Procedure are consistent with The Kindergarten Program, 2016. The Kindergarten Registration Procedure is provided to the Committee for information.
- 6. PR597, French Immersion/Extended French: Revised Procedure - Given the November 2019 Board meeting decision that French and Gifted bussing reductions in the amount of $1.9M in 2020-21 be delayed until the Learning Opportunities Index (LOI) review and French redistribution of program sites are completed, staff undertook a minor review of the French Immersion/Extended French Procedure (PR597) that would apply only to the transportation aspect of the procedure.
- 7. PR582(a), Employee Expenditure Guidelines: Revisions to Procedure - In an effort to clarify the existing protocols which outline employee expenditure processes, staff undertook a review of the Employee Expenditure Procedure (Appendix A and Appendix B). The Procedure is aligned with the Employee and Trustee Expenses Policy (P016).
- 8. PR582(b), Trustee Expense: Revised Procedure - In an effort to clarify the existing protocols which outline trustee expenditure processes, staff undertook a review of the Trustee Expense Procedure (Appendix A and Appendix B). The Trustee Expense Procedure is aligned with the Employee and Trustee Expenses Policy (P016), the Board Member Code of Conduct (P075), the Broader Public Sector Accountability Act and the Broader Public Sector (BPS) Expenses Directive, and the Travel, Meal and Hospitality Expenses Directive.
- 9. Written Notices of Motion for Consideration
- 9.1 Board Self-Assessment (Trustees Pilkey and Doyle)
- 10. Written Notice of Motion
- 10.1 Board Bylaws Amendments (Trustee Li, on behalf of Trustee Story and Trustee Doyle)
- 10.2 Membership on the Director's Performance Appraisal Committee (Trustees Pilkey and Doyle)
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Worth Repeating -
Additional Ward Forum on P023 ConsultationMy colleagues Trustee Alexandra Lulka and Trustee Alexander Brown, will host a consultation on the Parent and Community Involvement Policy (P023) Review. on March 5. Join in person in the Boardroom at 5050 Yonge St or join virtually! For those who would like to be part of the conversation just go to www.tdsb.on.ca/Laskin to stream the ward forum live (beginning at 7:00pm) and for instructions to send in your comments. We will be joined by Michelle Munroe, Central Co-ordinator, Parent and Community Engagement - Families are invited to join a conversation about how we can effectively support family and community engagement in the TDSB. Share your voice about our Parent and Community Engagement Policy.
Please hold the following Ward Forum dates to engage with other parents/caregivers -
- March 5, 2020
- April 28, 2020
- June 2, 2020
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Come Learn With Us!Starting school is an exciting time for your child. Our schools provide a rich learning environment for all children to learn and grow. Registration for those born in 2016 begins in February.
In the Kindergarten program, your child will develop their skills and abilities through inquiry and intentional play-based learning that includes math, science and literacy. Teachers and early childhood educators plan learning experiences where children are actively engaged in learning and thinking creatively.
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Secondary Program ReviewThe Toronto District School Board (TDSB) is undertaking a review of secondary schools to ensure all students have equitable access to programs and opportunities, as close to home as possible.
The vision of the Secondary Program Review, which will address both under and over-utilized schools, includes fewer schools with strong programming and increased access to courses that support all pathways. In order to achieve that, the Board will consider potential consolidation and/or relocation of schools, re-purposing secondary school buildings to address other system needs, and different models of school organization (e.g. full-year programming).
Key Facts
•The secondary panel has declined from a high of 140,433 students in 1976 to approximately 72,600 students today.
•As of October 2019, the average utilization rate at the 111 secondary schools in the system was 78 percent; 25 of them were operating below 50 percent of their capacity.
•The average age of our secondary school buildings is 64.
•Just over 50 percent of secondary students attend their home school by address (compared to 76 percent of elementary students).
•Secondary students are choosing programs and schools in higher income areas and fleeing from those in lower income areas.
•Secondary schools are competing for a shrinking secondary school-aged population.
•The existing structure of secondary schools across the Board is not in sync with the TDSB’s Multi-Year Strategic Plan.
Policies and Procedures
As part of this review, modifications and updates to current policies and procedures will be required. This includes the Optional Attendance policy (P013) and its procedures (PR545 and PR612).
We are looking for your input and suggestions on how to re-imagine the current secondary school experience for all TDSB students. We want to hear what is working, what could work better, and your innovative ideas for addressing challenges described in the Secondary Review Report.
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2019 - 2020 School Council Learning OpportunitiesEach of your offices has a binder of resources for School Councils that you are welcome to borrow - and hopefully by the end of the week a USB key with the same information to make it easier to search and print from. Learning opportunities have been organized for School Council 101, ByLaws and Effectiveness. Please find below the dates, times, locations and share broadly.
Date LC Location Time Room Topic
Feb 13 1 John Polanyi 6:00 – 9:00 120 School Council Effectiveness
Feb 20 2 Drewry SS 6:00 – 9:00 102 School Council Effectiveness
Feb 26 3 Woburn CI 6:00 – 9:00 105 School Council Effectiveness
Mar 5 4 Central Tech 6:00 – 9:00 102 School Council Effectiveness
And the presentations from PIAC's Ready. Set. Engage. Event from November 16 are now posted online.Save the date! Join us for the Parents as Partners Conference on Saturday, March 28, 2020! This all-inclusive conference is organized by TDSB parents for TDSB parents, guardians and caregivers. Participate in workshops, network with parents and community agencies and learn new strategies to support your child’s success. Registration opens soon.
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2020-2021 Optional Attendance
Secondary Schools (applications have closed)
Note: It is the parent/guardian’s responsibility to deliver this application (no faxed or scanned copies) to the school or schools of choice.
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School Year Calendar 2019-2020
The 2019-2020 school year at the TDSB begins on Tuesday, September 3, 2019 following the Labour Day long weekend. For more information about important dates and holidays for the upcoming school year, please refer to the 2019-20 School Year Calendar.
The official school year calendar for the Toronto District School Board runs from September 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020, inclusive.- The last day of class for elementary students is June 25, 2020
- The last day of class for secondary (full year) students is June 23, 2020
- The last day of class for secondary (semestered) students is June 23, 2020
PA Days & Statutory Holidays
- Board-wide PA Day February 14, 2020
- Family Day February 17, 2020
- March Break March 16 to 20, 2020
- Good Friday April 10, 2020
- Easter Monday April 13, 2020
- Victoria Day May 18, 2020
- Elementary School PA Day June 5, 2020
- Secondary School PA Day (Full Year Schools only) June 24, 2020
- Secondary School PA Day June 25, 2020
- Board-wide PA Day June 26, 2020
Also please note -
- Passover begins sunset of Wednesday, April 8, 2020 and ends nightfall of Thursday, April 16, 2020
- Ramadan 2020 will begin in the evening of Thursday, April 23, 2020 and ends in the evening of Saturday, May 23, 2020 (dates may vary)
- Eid al-Fitr 2020 will begin in the evening of Saturday, May 23, 2020
EQAO
Gr. 9 Math: 2nd Semester: June 2-15, 2020
OSSLT: March 31, 2020
Primary/Junior EQAO: May 19-June 1, 2020
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