February 2020 Newsletter

Labour Update: ETFO Strike Action on February 6 & 7

ETFO has announced strikes on the following dates that will impact all TDSB elementary schools (JK-8):

Thursday, February 6, 2020 – province-wide strike
Friday, February 7, 2020 – rotating strike impacting the TDSB

Should the strikes take place, the TDSB would, once again, have no other option but to close all elementary schools to students on Thursday, February 6 and Friday, February 7 as there would not be sufficient supervision to ensure their safety. Parents/guardians should start making alternate arrangements for their children on these dates.

For more information, please read the letter from the Chair of the Board and Director of Education. For all on-going labour updates, for both ETFO and OSSTF, please visit www.tdsb.on.ca/labour.

Information on Coronavirus

The health and safety of all students, staff and school communities is our top priority. In partnership with public health officials, Toronto District School Board is closely monitoring the current situation with regard to the novel coronavirus.

We understand that many of our families have questions and concerns. Public health officials continue to advise that the risk to the public remains low. As a result, the Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health and Toronto Public Health are not advising schools to take any additional precautions, including the wearing of medical masks or denying entry to students, at this time.

The TDSB will continue to keep school communities updated and will promptly advise should any additional precautions become necessary.

If you have concerns about your or your child’s health, please contact a medical practitioner or Toronto Public Health.

For more information, including questions and answers, and updates from Toronto Public Health, please visit the TDSB webpage Information on Coronavirus.

Pupil Accommodation Review - George Harvey CI and York Memorial CI

A proposal to start a pupil accommodation review was presented to the Board of Trustees

and approved on November 27, 2019.

This proposal was sent to the Ministry of Education requesting permission to conduct a

pupil accommodation review as there is currently a moratorium (a hold) placed on school

closures across the province. The Ministry approved the request to proceed with the

review on January 7, 2020.

The review starts with TDSB staff preparing an Initial Staff Report that provides the

reasons for the review and outlines the scenarios to be discussed in the public

consultation process. This report was submitted to the Committee of the Whole on

January 29, 2020 for initial debate and then will go to the Board of Trustees on February 5, 2020, where a decision will be made. If the Board of Trustees approves the start of the pupil accommodation review, the consultations will take place between February and June 2020 and end with a Final Staff Report being submitted to the Board of Trustees in June 2020.

The Final Staff Report will contain the feedback received in the consultations and

recommendations prepared by TDSB staff.

The Initial Staff Report can be found on the TDSB’s public website in the Agenda section:

https://www.tdsb.on.ca/Leadership/Boardroom/Agenda-Minutes. From the Agenda dropdown menu, please select Committee of the Whole - Jan 29, 2020 and then open the document named Pupil Accommodation Review for George Harvey CI and York

Memorial CI – Initial Staff Report.

Pupil Accomodation Review - Question and Answers

Winter Walk Day

Bundle up, walk and roll to school, and enjoy the winter season! On February 5, join schools across the country in celebrating Winter Walk Day. Visit the Ontario Active School Travel website for resources including posters and event ideas.

Share your Winter Walk Day event by tweeting @EcoSchoolsTDSB using the hashtag #WinterWalkDay.

To learn more about road safety, please visit https://www.tdsb.on.ca/Road-Safety.

Joint Ward Forum

Please join Trustee Dan MacLean, Trustee Patrick Nunziata, and Trustee Chris Tonks for a Joint Ward Forum to discuss Parent Engagement Policy P023.

Date: Thursday, February 27, 2020
Location: Norseman Junior Public School, 105 Norseman Street, Etobicoke
Time: 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Light refreshments will be provided and child care will be available.
To request accomodations, such as interpretations services, please contact:
Trustee Shared Services | Phone: (416) 395-8787 | Email: irene.rinaldo@tdsb.on.ca

Download the Flyer - PDF Version
Download the Flyer - JPG Version

Kindergarten Registration is Now Open!

Registration for all TDSB Kindergarten programs begins in February. We look forward to welcoming you and your child at our school in September!

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.

To attend Junior Kindergarten in September, children must turn four-years-old by December 31. To register for Senior Kindergarten, children must be five-years-old by December 31. You may choose to register in person at the school or begin the process online.

Learn more about Kindergarten at the TDSB.

Heritage and History Months

February is African Heritage Month at the Toronto District School Board. It is an occasion to recognize and celebrate the many achievements and contributions of Peoples of African Descent to Canada and the world. The chosen theme for 2019-2020 is "UBUNTU: I am because we are” which is derived from the Nguni Bantu term in Southern Africa. UBUNTU is a South African term used by the Zulu community that represents an ethic of African traditional life. The philosophy of UBUNTU realizes that everything is interconnected; “everything that I do has an effect on you and your well-being and everything that you do has an effect on me and my well-being.”

February is African Heritage Month at the TDSB

Toronto District School Board is proud to recognize Chinese Heritage Month (CHM) during the month of February and the theme of TDSB’s Chinese Heritage Month is Year of the Rat: Intelligent, Wise, Charming, Social, & Ambitious .

Lunar New year is celebrated on Saturday, January 25. 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.

During this month, we celebrate the energetic culture and traditions of the Chinese community with students, staff and community members of the Toronto District School Board and the City of Toronto.

February is Chinese Heritage Month at the TDSB

PA Day and Family Day – February 2020

There will be no classes on Monday, February 17 to reflect the province-wide statutory holiday called Family Day. The holiday occurs on the third Monday in February of each year for the purpose of emphasizing and celebrating the importance of families taking time to be together.

Students will also not attend school on February 14 as this is a board-wide PA day. This means all TDSB students will not be at school on Friday, February 14 or Monday, February 17.

The Parents as Partners Conference 2020 – Saturday, March 28

The Parents as Partners Conference 2020 is on Saturday, March 28 and all parents are welcome!

This free conference – planned by parents, for parents – includes a variety of workshops and resources that will help any parent support their child in their achievement and well-being at school and at home.

This year’s keynote speaker is Kim Katrin, an internationally acclaimed award winning educator, writer, artist & consultant. With a focus on student life, Kim explores how intersections of race, sexual orientation, and gender impact mental wellness. Emphasizing these connections allows for an inclusive discussion and a holistic focus on mental wellness and community engagement.

Technology micro-sessions are also being offered to help parents develop their computer literacy as well as bring them up to speed on many applications used by TDSB students.

Transportation, food and interpreters are all provided, as well as free day camp for children ages 4-12 to support participants attending the conference. Registration opens mid-February at https://www.parentsaspartners.ca/

TDSB Update

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Board Meeting – Wednesday, February 5

The Toronto District School Board is committed to developing opportunities for our wider school community to connect and engage in conversations about education issues. The Board will be webcasting the public session of the regular monthly Board meeting at 7 p.m. so that parents, community members and staff can follow trustee deliberations online.

The next scheduled Regular Board Meeting is on Wednesday, February 5, at 7 p.m.

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