Thank-you for your patience and feedback,
Over the past weeks there have been multiple changes and new directions from the province, which have resulted in changes to the TDSB plans for back-to-school. We understand that the frequent changes have been frustrating. Return to school plans have now been finalized, registration is almost complete, and schools are finalizing the classroom organization. Please watch for communications from your school administration for important school-specific updates on classrooms, schedules, and protocols. If you are not receiving updates please reach out to the school office to confirm your contact information.
This year's return to school will not be like any we've experienced before. Please find below information to help prepare families for the return to school:
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Special Committee of the Whole - Return to School Updates
Please join us on September 9th at 4:30pm for a special Committee meeting where staff will present updates on school reopening. Please follow the links below:
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Return to School Resources for Families
Returning to school after so many months away may be a challenging experience. We are maintaining a daily updated website where you can find resources and information on health & safety, wellbeing, learning & instruction, and operations. Please find below helpful links to plans, checklists, and family resources:
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All Secondary school students will return to school or start remote learning on September 15th.
Elementary students will have a staggered start between Sept 15th and Sept 17th (see example schedule below). Individual schools may tweak which grades start on which days depending on registration results. Please watch for communications from your school on their specific schedule.
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Response Plan for Covid-19 Cases
Ensuring the health and safety of students and staff is a priority. The Toronto District School Board follows the directions of the Government of Ontario and Toronto Public Health with respect to suspected or confirmed cases or outbreaks. The government has developed operational guidelines in the event of a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 in a school. Toronto Public Health will be responsible for determining if an outbreak exists, declaring an outbreak, and providing direction on outbreak control measures to be implemented, as well as supporting contact tracing efforts.
The TDSB Response Plan includes information on self-assessments, protocols for when students or staff become sick at school, how cases will be managed if someone tests positive for COVID-19, and what happens in the event of an outbreak.
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Registration Results, Class Sizes, Space in schools
Online and phone registration results have now been tabulated and delivered to school administration. School staff are now following up with families who have not responded and 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 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.
- Based on the system-wide registration information staff have been able to confirm that our current funding, and our plan to redeploy resource teachers (librarians, teacher coaches, some guidance) to classrooms, will be sufficient to place hard caps on elementary classes across the system and direct additional staffing to Priority schools that Toronto Public Health has deemed "high risk for Covid-19" . Staff also project that system-wide class size averages will be below caps.
- In school class average projections:
- JK/SK - cap 24, TPH Priority Schools average 12.4, all other schools average 18.5;
- Gr 1-3 - cap 20, TPH Priority Schools 17, all other schools average 17.7;
- Gr 4-8 - cap 27, TPH Priority schools average 17, all other schools average 23.
- Based on registration information staff confirm that 700 secondary teachers and 2000 elementary teachers will need to be moved to remote instruction. Teachers who have been declared "surplus" to their school will be redeployed to remote teaching.
- Based on registration results all but 5 schools in the TDSB have sufficient space to accommodate smaller classrooms. TDSB staff have been working over the summer to secure alternative spaces for learning with the City and other public agencies.
- Staff will be looking further into registration results to determine all possible causes of differential in-school registrations between high risk communities compared to other TDSB communities.
- TDSB-wide Registration Results
- Ward 16 Elementary Registrations
- Ward 16 Secondary Registrations
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Ward 16 News
Celebrating our Students
14-year-old Malvern Collegiate student Syeda Mahdia talks to CBC Metro Morning about the inspiration behind her new collection of short stories, Centrality - Key to the Cosmos & Other Stories. Congratulations Syeda!
DECA Discussions
The Danforth East Community Association (DECA) is hosting an online discussion series, on the last Monday of each month, that addresses Anti-Black racism in our community. Recordings of these engaging sessions can be found here: https://deca.to/deca-discussions/
- Episode 1: Anti-Racism in Danforth East (July 27, 2020)
- Episode 2: Confronting Anti-Black Racism in our Classrooms (August 31, 2020)
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Many of you have been asking questions of staff and Trustees through phone, email, and forums. To make it easier to find answers staff have generated a Q&A website with the most commonly asked questions. In addition Trustees forward questions to staff who develop a weekly 'trustee Q&A' document. See below for the newest 'trustee Q&A's:
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TDSB Director of Education Search Update
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.
Stakeholder Consultations
Various TDSB stakeholders have had the opportunity to inform the criteria 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. Opportunities for public information and feedback on the candidate profile can be found below:
- Informational Webinar and Townhall
Monday, September 14, 2020. (Save the Date)
- Public Delegations to Trustees
Tuesday Sept 15th and Wednesday, Sept 16, 2020. (Save the Date). Information on the Oral and Written Delegation process. All interested parties are strongly encouraged to submit a written delegation (delegates@tdsb.on.ca), even if planning to present an oral delegation to committee.
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Water Bottle Filling Stations and ventilation
In response to COVID-19 and requests from Trustees earlier this summer, staff will be accelerating the TDSB’s water bottle filling station program to ensure every school in the system is equipped with at least one station. Installations will be prioritized by need, starting with the schools without filling stations in the highest-risk neighborhoods for COVID-19 (identified by Toronto Public Health). Once these installations are complete, the Leaning Opportunity Index will be used to prioritize installations at remaining schools, based on the greatest level of external challenges. Schools awaiting installation will develop local solutions, including stocking bottled water, use of designated taps. Please look for communications from your child's school regarding local protocols.
The TDSB has been working over the summer to review building ventilation and filtration systems and is implementing a number of strategies to improve ventilation in our schools and increase the volume of fresh air to the maximum extent possible. These strategies include:
- Schedule HVAC systems to start 2 hours prior to the school day, to flush the school with fresh air.
- Ensure that exhaust fans are running and keep them running for additional time at the end of the school day.
- Ensure clean filters are installed prior to the start of the school year and inspect regularly to ensure they don’t become clogged, or hinder airflow.
- Increase frequency of filter changes from 4 times per year to 6 times per year to maintain performance.
- Ensure that HVAC exhaust grills are clean and that air supply grills are not blocked or closed off.
- Follow recommended maintenance measures for air handling systems including inspection and replacement of filters.
- If mechanical ventilation is not available, open windows to provide outdoor air and consider portable air exchangers on a school by school basis.
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School Council Operations
As planning commences for school re-opening, school councils are eager to resume their activities. In order to respond effectively to the varying needs during COVID-19 and a hybrid face-to-face and virtual school reopening, staff are consulting with the Parent Involvement Advisory Committee (PIAC), school council members, and Principals on a school council operations plan for the 2020-2021school year. Certainly there are schools and school councils that have resumed activities. Hence, interim operations protocols are being developed in consultation with PIAC to support different school needs.
Many School Councils and Schools have asked for clarification on fundraising for return to school and covid-based needs. Staff are developing more detailed guidelines for schools but please keep in mind that the Ministry does not allow fundraising dollars to be spent on infrastructure or "items that the Province pays for". Please check with your Principal before purchasing items for the school, especially supplies that need to meet specific criteria (reusable masks, cleaning supplies) or can be sourced more efficiently through TDSB central purchasing. Please watch for further council specific communications and resources.
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