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Save the Date - Ward Forum on February 29th Welcoming New Director of Education John Malloy and Budget Presentation
The TDSB is pleased to welcome John Malloy as the Board’s new Director of Education and I am very pleased to let you know John has confirmed his availability to atend our Ward Forum. As Director, he is focussed on increasing student engagement, ensuring learning environments are supportive, and providing equitable access to opportunities for all students. John also believes very strongly in the importance of collaboration, especially with parents and the community. Please mark the date in your calendars now - details as to time and location will follow shortly. In order to make good use of your time, a presentation on our 2016-17 Budget by Craig Snider, Comptroller, Budget, Revenue & Financial Reporting will also be on the agenda.
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TDSB Parent Conference 2016: Parents as Partners
The Parent Involvement Advisory Committee (PIAC), Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC), Mental Health and Well-Being Parent Partnership Committee and Model Schools for Inner Cities’ Parent Academies are partnering to bring one INCLUSIVE conference on Saturday, April 16, 2016. Please save this date in your calendar. The expected outcome of the conference will be to reinforce the commitment of leaders and practitioners in schools and communities, to continue to build on existing exemplary school board and school practices and to establish new networks in order to close achievement and opportunity gaps,to ensure higher levels of success for all students.
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Refugee Resettlement and Support Strategy
For the past three years, the TDSB has been part of City of Toronto’s Newcomer Leadership Table. On October 2, 2015, in response to the Syrian refugee crisis, City Council approved the establishment of the Inter-Agency Task Force of which the TDSB is a member. As a board, we have extensive experience in welcoming and integrating newcomers, immigrants, visitors and refugees into our classrooms and schools and have systems, processes and resources in place that help make entry into our board as seamless as possible. In 2015 alone, the TDSB admitted 5,676 new-to-Canada students. A total of 26,855 TDSB students are newly arrived in the country over the past five years. To date, we know of fewer than 20 Syrian refugee students who have enrolled in our schools. Once more details are known about the number of refugee students entering our system as well as their locations throughout the city, we will be working to finalize more specific plans to meet their needs at the local school levels.
Thanks to the generosity of students, staff and school communities, and donation matching by the Government of Canada, the Toronto District School Board has helped raise approximately $116,000 as part of tdsbCARES: Refugee Crisis Appeal. And so many of our schools participating in fundraising efforts to support refuges with their transition and settlement in Canada. Thank you! For those that still wish to donate —both here at home and overseas — visit the Canadian Red Cross website for more information.
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Mental Health and Well-Being Belongs to Us – November & December Newsletters
The November and December editions of the "Mental Health and Well-Being Belongs To Us" newsletter are now on-line. The November publication features “Our Students…Living, Learning and Leading Mental Health and Well-Being” and the December edition features “Ready…Set…Go! Staying Physically Active Leads to Better Mental Health”. Please click the following link. Or, If you wish, you can access other valuable TDSB Mental Health and Well-Being information at www.tdsb.on.ca/mentalhealth.
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Expanded Community Hours for Hodgson Rink!
We are happy to report that the on-going partnership between the City and the TDSB has resulted in an amendment which will increase the community hours at Hodgson ice rink. The original agreement between the City and the TDSB gave the school and TDSB access to the rink during school hours (7:30 am to 4:30 pm) and gave the City access from 4:30 pm to 10:00pm. The City and the TDSB, who have been working together since October to work on a solution that would provide more access for the community, have agreed to amend the original agreement. The amendment will see the rink open for community access from 11:30 am on weekdays for the 2015-2016 season. Under the agreement, community access will be determined on a yearly basis, depending on the programming needs of Hodgson Sr. PS and the TDSB. More information will be coming soon from City staff about when the amended hours will be implemented.
The original City-TDSB agreement and the recent amendment which I was pleased to support are the result of the tremendous commitment and dedication of many TDSB staff, Councillor Matlow and many City of Toronto staff. On behalf of the community, thank you to all.
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Immunizations
As this was in the news last week here is a friencly reminder. The Immunization of School Pupils Act states that all students in Ontario must be vaccinated against the following diseases: diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), polio, measles, mumps, rubella, meningococcal and varicella (for students born on or after January 1, 2010). This helps to keep all students healthy and safe. Students will be suspended from school if their immunization record is incomplete. Toronto Public Health (TPH) keeps a record of the immunization information for all students who attend school in Toronto. Please note that it is the parent's responsibility to update their child's immunization record or provide a valid exemption form to TPH. Currently, exemptions may apply to prior immunity, medical, religious or philosophical reasons. For further information, please visit toronto.ca/immunization or call at 416-392-1250.
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Premier's Awards for Accepting Schools
Nominations are now open for the 2015-16 Premier's Award for Accepting Schools. This award recognizes “exceptional and innovative work being done in schools to create a safe and accepting school environment.” Application Information is available online. The application deadline is Friday, February 19, 2016 at 5 p.m. EST.
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Worth Repeating...
Public Consultations Being Held for Feedback on Two Policy Revisions - Earlier this year, the Ministry of Education released new guidelines for Pupil Accommodation Reviews and for Community Planning and Partnerships. To adhere to the new guidelines, we must update our policies. As part of the consultation process, we are seeking feedback from staff, parents/guardians, and community members. We would like to invite you to provide your feedback by:
Learn More
Optional Attendance - Within the City of Toronto students have the right to attend a school which is designated to serve their residential address. The "Find Your School" section of the website identifies the designated schools for each residential address. Students also have the opportunity to access schools outside of the school that is designated to serve their residential address by applying on optional attendance. Acceptance at these schools is subject to space availability and program suitability. The procedures, conditions and timelines relating to optional attendance are described in the Optional Attendance Policy and the Optional Attendance Operational Procedure. Please note that the optional attendance status is updated every January for admission in September.
High School Information Nights - To help you make an informed decision when choosing a high school, TDSB schools host information nights for parents and Grade 8 students each year between October and January. The dates and times for all High School Information Nights are available online at www.tdsb.on.ca/highschool.
New Invitation from Oriole Park - January 14, 2016
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