Mid April Update

TDSB News Release - Tragedy in Sri Lanka
The thoughts of the Toronto District School Board are with the victims of this weekend's targeted attacks on innocent people around Sri Lanka that sadly took the lives of more than 200 people and injured hundreds more. Our hearts go out to the victims’ families and loved ones, the people of Sri Lanka and those in the Sri Lankan community here in Toronto.
We stand with the larger global community in condemning these senseless acts of terror and stand against hate in all its forms. Media coverage at times like this can also be very challenging for some students. Our Professional Support Services staff have assembled tips for parents that may help with discussions with children.

** Please note, I have cancelled the April 25th Ward 16 Meeting due to an emergency Board Meeting now scheduled for April 25th at 7pm. The next Ward 16 meeting will be May 30th at 6:30pm at Adam Beck Jr. P.S. with a focus on "Inclusive Design for Education".

Earth Day, Monday April 22

This year's theme for Earth Day is to Protect our Species. As many of you know, EcoSchools is a school greening program with a very broad scope covering not only what is taught, but also how we run our schools and how we design and use our schools grounds. Its central focus is supporting students and staff in learning about, caring for, and protecting the environment starting right in their own school - on Earth Day and every day. Congratulations to all our schools that work hard to meet the Eco Schools challenge!

Honouring Victims of the Yonge Street Attack

Tuesday, April 23, 2019 marks the one year anniversary of the tragic van attack on Yonge Street. Going forward April 23rd of each year, or the nearest school day, will be memorialized as a day of remembrance for the victims of this tragic incident. On April 23, from 10:00 – 11:00 am, staff will gather at 5050 Yonge St, in Committee Room B, to share and connect in an effort to continue the healing process. We will be flying all flags at half-staff and observing a moment of silence in all schools and administrative buildings. It is important to remember that on anniversaries of traumatic events, many will be impacted again by the memories and emotional distress felt following the tragedy.
The City of Toronto is also organizing a ceremony to honour the victims of the Yonge Street van attack. Please click on the link below for the schedule of events taking place on April 23. https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/awards-tributes/tributes/commemoration-of-the-yonge-street-tragedy/.

Unstoppable Tracy at Leaside High School! Tue. April 23

Leaside High School Council is excited to welcome Tracy Schmitt. Having traveled the world as a past aspiring Paralympian and humanitarian, Unstoppable Tracy (www.unstoppabletracy.com) brings an award-winning perspective and life experiences into each of her talks. Come, be inspired, and learn from her about resilience, determination, goal setting, and achieving in the face of adversity!
Please join other parents & caregivers at 6:30pm for light refreshments, followed by the Presentation at 7pm.
You can help out the organization’s planning by RSVP’ing at unstoppable-you.eventbrite.com (walk-ins of course welcome).

Clean Toronto Together

On Friday, April 26th at 2:00 p.m. students, staff, and parents from across Toronto are encouraged to help rejuvenate our city’s green spaces by picking up litter in their schoolyard, neighbourhood park, or local community. You'll be amazed at what we can accomplish in as little as 20 minutes! (Note: Schools may opt to do their clean-up event at any time). Parents are always welcome to participate with the school. Families can also join Toronto’s annual spring cleanup events on Saturday, April 27th and Sunday, April 28th.

Youth Week Toronto

May 1st - 7th, 2019
Each May, Youth Week Toronto celebrates youth engagement and showcases the abilities and talents of youth in the areas of civic engagement, recreation, arts and sports in diverse communities across Toronto.
Youth Recreation Programmer Steve Menezes is co-hosting the Volleyball event at Ellesmere Community Centre on Friday May 3rd and is still looking to register teams for the event. Contact Steven Menezes, Youth Recreation Programmer, Parkway Forest Community Centre. Tel: 416-392-6384. Steven.menezes@toronto.ca
Various programs run throughout the City. For more information visit: https://www.toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/festivals-events/youth-week-toronto/

Ward 16 News and Updates:

This month our local Superintendents, Lucy Giannotta and Mary Jane McNamara, and I began visits to our local schools. It has been a great pleasure to be hosted recently by Earl Beatty P.S., O'Connor P.S., Crescent Town Elementary, and Glen Ames Sr. P.S. In addition to reviewing the progressive programs and acheivement goals of each school we were able to enjoy the beautiful art at Earl Beatty, an Ancient Civilizations fair at O'Connor, to review traffic safety and community programs with Councillor Bradford at Crescent Town, and a full robotics demonstration from the award winning team at Glen Ames. Anyone who questions the critical thinking, community engagement, and advocacy skills of our students or the dedication of our TDSB Teachers and Staff should spend a morning in one of our local schools. I look forward to visiting our other Ward 16 schools over the next month.

Changes to Bowmore Rd P.S. School Age Childcare:

Provincial Legislation requires that School Boards provide before and after school care in all schools and ensure that childcare operators are eligible to offer Municipal Fee Subsidy placements. In February of this year the City of Toronto cancelled its Fee Subsidy Service Agreement with Bowmore Rd. Community Daycare Centre. This decision by the City unfortunately means that Bowmore Rd. CDC can no longer provide before and after school care at Bowmore and will cease operations in the school at the end of June. We thank Bowmore Rd. CDC for their nearly 40 years of partnership with Bowmore's Community.
In order to ensure continuity of care for Bowmore's families TDSB staff are working diligently to establish a Summer Camp Program (July 2 - Aug 16) and a before and after-school Extended Day Program (EDP) for September 2019. More information can be found at https://www.tdsb.on.ca/EarlyYears/Child-Care/Extended-Day-Programs or by contacting Early Years Staff at edp@tdsb.on.ca or 416-394-2072. Briefly:

The EDP fee is $32.50/day for before and after school care (or $55 per day for full day care on PA days)
Once Early Years Staff finalize registration numbers they will send out letters about a program being developed (e.g. how many classrooms, staff, and program specifics) via the school office, Friday April 26th. The overall goal is to accommodate all interested families currently enrolled at Bowmore Daycare and clear any wait lists.
The Summer Camp Program will be offered at $275 per week and provides families with the flexibility to register only for the weeks during which they need care for their children. Child care subsidies will be accepted. Summer camps are open to all Toronto families.
The Early Years team will review EDP applications based on the following priorities:
1. Students currently in the Bowmore Community Child Care. To ease transitions for current Bowmore Childcare families parents are encouraged to email our edp@tdsb.on.ca, to identify the current status of their child at the Daycare or indicate any payment arrangement made with Bowmore Community Day Care for September.
2. Students transitioning from Bowmore Enrichment Program.
3. Siblings of children prioritized above
4. Other Bowmore students

Parkside P.S. Extended Day Program:

The City of Toronto has decided to cease operation of its childcare facility at Parkside P.S. This decision reflects a recent shift by the City to focus its resources on infant to preschool childcare facilities. To replace the City's program and accommodate Parkside's families TDSB Early Years Staff are estabilishing an Extended Day Program for before and after school care. Families can register for the Parkside P.S. EDP program online: https://www.tdsb.on.ca/EarlyYears/Child-Care/Extended-Day-Programs/Registration-Information-and-Locations. A similar process for placement will be followed at Parkside as outlined above for Bowmore.
Parents can contact Early Years staff for more information at contacting Early Years Staff at edp@tdsb.on.ca or 416-394-2072.

East End Parents 4 Public Education Kickoff Meeting. Wednesday April 24th at 7pm at the Workaround (2080 Danforth Ave at Woodbine). Register here: https://www.facebook.com/events/265752467661668/

The Parent Involvement Advisory Committee (PIAC) produces a monthly 2-page newsletter called the PIAC POST. It's monthly topics provide timely education and engagement information for parents and school councils. Click on the image below to download the April issue or follow this link for an accessible version: http://www.torontopiac.com/uploads/3/4/8/1/34816230/piac_post_april_2019_accessible.pdf.pdf

Click on image to access the April issue of PIAC Post

Consultation on Service Animals in Schools
Parents, staff, students and community members are invited to participate in a provincial government public consultation on service animals in schools. The online survey is now open and closes on May 4, 2019. The draft policy under consultation – School Board Policies on Service Animals – is intended to provide direction to school boards when developing policies on service animals in schools. The goal is to have a fair, consistent and transparent process for families when making requests for service animals to accompany their children to school.

Upcoming Events:

April 23rd - Day of Rememberance for the 2018 Yonge Street tragedy.
April 23rd - Unstoppable Tracy at Leaside Highschool - a free community event.
April 24th - East End Parents 4 Public Education Kickoff Meeting, 7pm at the Workaround (2080 Danforth Avenue).
April 25th - Danforth Community Outreach for Public Education, 3:30pm at Coxwell Subway Station: https://www.facebook.com/events/791352354582157/
April 27th and 28th - City of Toronto Community Cleanup (citywide)
April 28th -91st Scouts Electronics Drive, 10am - 2pm at Real Storage Group (1 Woodfield Rd). https://www.facebook.com/events/2298157033759806/
April 28th - Khalsa Day Parade to Celebrate Sikh Heritage Month - 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. Location: Better Living Centre, 195 Princes' Blvd. (TDSB Sikh Heritage Booth)
May 1st - 7th - Youth Week Toronto. https://www.toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/festivals-events/youth-week-toronto/
May 6th - Asian Heritage Month Launch, 9 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. Location: Corvette Public School
May 15th - Registration begins for TDSB Summer Programs: https://www.tdsb.on.ca/About-Us/Innovation/Summer-Programs
May 30th - Ward 16 Meeting, 6:30pm at Adam Beck J.P.S. - "The French Review"

2019-2020 TDSB Budget Process

At the April 17th Board Meeting Trustees approved the 2019-2020 Budget Strategic Drivers that staff will now use to prepare the 2019-20 operating budget for consideration by Trustees on May 13 (assuming we get the GSNs the end of April). More than 15,000 public consulations were received from the TDSB community and we offer heartfelt gratitude for this engagement in the education process. The Strategi Drivers were realigned based on priorities expressed through public feedback. We applaud the efforts of staff who quickly analyzed and reported on the consultations.
Director John Malloy spoke to the current budget challenges: "This year’s budget decisions are going to be far more challenging than any in the last several years. For one thing, we have a structural deficit that affects us every year. Its cause, primarily, is that we fund programs and services that respond to the unique and at times extraordinary demands of urban education. Some of the services we provide are outside of the Ministry funding envelope and most school boards don’t offer these programs and services. In the past, we have made up the shortfall by finding savings and efficiencies during the course of the year in other areas of the budget – cuts that have not affected classrooms and students. But now we are running out of options. Our hope is to keep our programs and services but we may have to deliver them differently."
In short, the TDSB is currently projecting a $54 million revenue shortfall. Half that shortfall is due to recent grant reductions by the Ministry of Education. We will know the full details of our government grants at the end of April, 2019. We hope that further Ministry cuts will not deepen this shortfall.
Other recent changes from the Ministry of Education will affect our service levels. Among those changes, the Ministry is reducing secondary school funding from 1 teacher per 22 student to 1:28 over the next four years. The magnitude of this change means the TDSB will have 800 fewer high school teachers by the 2022-23 school year. This reduction in high school teachers is unprecedented and will have significant and far-reaching challenges including fewer course offerings, managing larger class sizes, and fewer caring adults in schools.
Working with our teachers and principals we are going to do our very best to manage these challenges. The TDSB has great schools and talented and committed teachers and support staff in our schools. All of us are dedicated to ensuring the education and well-being of each and every student.

Remaining Finance, Budget and Enrolment Committee Meetings (FBEC) re Budget

April 23, 2019 Tuesday 4:30pm Approval of School Based Staffing Allocation - Non-Classroom and Support Staff
April 25, 2019 Thursday 7:00 p.m. Board Meeting: Approval of School Based Staffing Allocation - Non-Classroom and Support Staff
April 29, 2019 Monday 4:30 p.m. Tentative GSN Funding Analysis Presentation on Capital Budget Process
May 13, 2019 Monday 4:30 p.m. Presentation of Draft 2019-20 Capital Budget and Presentation of Draft 2019-20 Operating Budget
May 15, 2019 Wednesday 6:00 p.m. Hold for Delegations and Additional Budget Discussions
May 27, 2019 Monday 4:30 p.m. Hold for Delegations and Additional Budget Discussions
June 11, 2019 Tuesday 6:00 p.m. Approval of 2019-20 Budget for Operating and Capital

You are welcomed to make a presentation in person to FBEC or send us your written comments. Meetings have been scheduled for May 15 and 27 after the Operating Budget is public specifically to hear from you. Both meetings begin at 4:30 p.m. in the TDSB Boardroom. Additional meetings may be scheduled. For information, please click https://www.tdsb.on.ca/leadership/boardroom/delegations.

For more understanding of the Budget issues, please visit https://www.tdsb.on.ca/About-Us/Business-Services/Budgets-and-Financial-Statements/2019-20-Budget/Reductions-to-Funding-for-Public-Education