Week of May 10, 2021 - Revised
| |
This Week's Update- COVID-19 Update
- 2021-2022 Grant for Student Needs and Priorities and Partnership Fund
- September 2021 - Preliminary Plans
- Committee Meetings this Week
- Secondary Alternative Schools Program: Staffing Concerns
- Ward 8 PARTS/Community Meetings
- The Importance of Genocide Education
- School Year Calendar 2021-2022 - Pending Ministry Approval
New Invitations - Understanding Challenges of the Opiod Crisis
- Tamil Civil Action
Worth Repeating - Our Kids are Grieving May 10, 2021
- During May - TDSB's Asian and Jewish Heritage Committees Present: Chicken Soup, Chicken Soup
- Boss-Up! Black Students in Business Collective
- 2021 Summer Programs
- Mindfulness in May
- Hold the Date - Ward Forum - May 31, 2021
- Policy Consultations
- Download the COVID-19 App
- School Year Calendar
- Happy Mother's Day
| |
COVID-19 UpdateThe provincial COVID-19 school-related case information webpage is not currently being updated due to the province-wide closure of schools to nearly all in-person learning.
Nearly 140 pharmacies started offering COVID-19 vaccines to all adults in some Ontario virus hot spots this weekend - there are 78 pharmacy locations in Toronto and Peel Region that now offer the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to people aged 18 and older. Vaccine-seekers can search by postal code to find local pharmacies administering shots and are advised to book online or contact pharmacy sites directly - https://covid-19.ontario.ca/vaccine-locations.
The Ministry of Education has not yet shared any information regarding a re-opening plan for in-person learning in schools, although Minister Lecce was asked about this by multiple reporters earlier this week. Nor has any information been shared on vaccinations for children. However, on May 6 the ministry announced that all education staff or student transportation partners who typically work in-person in elementary and secondary schools not only in hotspots but across the district are eligible to book their vaccination appointments using the provincial booking system to book online or can call the provincial call centre at 1-833-943- 3900 to book their appointment. Examples include: educators, custodial staff, administrative staff, and school bus drivers. Visit How to book a COVID-19 vaccine appointment for more information.
Please know that senior staff at the TDSB continue to advocate to Toronto Public Health to ensure all education staff receive their first and second shots before the start of the new school year and that a plan for children to be double vaccinated prior to the start of the new school year is also implemented. We continue to offer our schools as safe places within the community for pop-up clinics. More information will be forthcoming.
Below are two maps shared at our special meeting Friday - the first shows the COVID-19 cases since the April Break - the darker the blue, the more cases. The inequities of who is directly affected continue and this should be concerning to all of us. The second map shows the resolved cases in school prior to when the school buildings were closed - the larger the circle, the more cases. Here you can see the cases in schools were spread throughout the Board.
| |
2021-2022 Grant for Student Needs and Priorities and Partnership Fund
Information from the Ontario Public School Boards Association (OPSBA)
Earlier this week, the Ministry of Education released information about the 2021-22 Grants for Student Needs Funding (GSN) and the Priorities and Partnership Fund. Supporting these announcements were additional memos regarding Planning for the 2021-2022 School Year, Special Education Grant and Mental Health Funding, as well as Student Transportation Funding. OPSBA has prepared a preliminary overview of this information which can be found on our website at: OPSBA-Review-of-the-Grants-for-Student-Needs-21-22.pdf
Click here for OPSBA’s media release with an initial response to the GSN and PPF. We will continue to work with our member boards concerning the impacts of the provincial funding. In late January, OPSBA sent in a submission in response to the Ministry of Education’s 2021-22 Education Funding Guide, as well as to share key areas that we know are of importance to student well-being and achievement.
At last week's Special Planning & Priorities Committee staff presented their preliminary analysis. More detail will be discussed at the Finance and Enrolment Committee (FBEC) Wednesday. Over the coming weeks, staff will work to prepare a detailed financial projection for the 2021-22 school year, outlining changes in revenues and expenses. The report will also outline the impact of COVID-19 on TDSB operations in 2021-22. These reports will track to the Special FBEC meeting on June 1, 2021.
It is important to note, however, that the Ministry of Education has instructed school boards only to budget half of the following allocations and will inform school boards in the fall if the balance of the allocation is to be planned for based on the status of the pandemic - staffing, school operations, special education support, transportation and mental health and well-being supports.
The other important change is based on Ministry direction that students starting Grade 9 in 2020-21 will be required to earn two credits online as part of the graduation requirements, beginning in 2021-22 funding will assume 8% of secondary students will take online courses which will grow to 16% in 2022-23 and 26% in 2023-24.The impact of this is a funding reduction of approximately $2.9M or 26 teachers for 2021-22.
Also included in the Ministry announcement, was information about the 2021-2022 school year in regard to remote learning. School boards are still required to provide the option of remote learning for the upcoming school year. However, there is no new information stating if schools could reopen during the course of this school year.
| |
September 2021 - Preliminary Plans
At a Special Planning and Priorities Meeting held Friday, staff presented their preliminary analysis of September Guidance and Funding Announcements received from the Ministry of Education on Tuesday, May 3.
Highlights include the following -
- Commitment to support equity initiatives, focused on Black, Indigenous, racialized students and underserved communities and a continued focus on ensuring equitable distribution of staff and financial resources to support our most marginalized learners and communities.
-
Committed to re-engagement as we transition to 2021-22 - to develop and strengthen relationships, connections and community a whole school approach to student engagement and student well-being and mental health will be prioritized
-
Continue to offer remote learning options consistent with PPM 164 (Requirements for Remote Learning)
- School boards to delay deadline for parents to indicate either in-person or remote to June 1, 2021 at the earliest - the TDSB is planning to ask parents to select In-Person Learning or Virtual Learning for the 2021-22 school year on June 1 in order to plan for September 2021
- All students will be registered in a TDSB home school for 2021-22. In-Person Learning and Virtual Learning will be offered through home schools and/or groups of schools.
- Students will continue to be supplied devices to access remote learning
- Local school board public health guidance to be followed
- Full health and safety guidance will be released this summer, including: Masking, Cohorting for clubs and other extracurriculars, Daily Health Screening and the Timeline for returning to full classes in secondary
Elementary - Staffing for all student learning, including virtual learning, has been allocated directly to schools. This supports the transition of students back to the local home school area where there are direct connections that will be a foundation to support learning options for next year. At this point, we are not sure of what remote learning will look like but we know that it will be attached to local schools rather than in the form of a stand-alone Elementary Virtual School which currently exists. There will be one opportunity to switch between In Person Learning and Virtual learning after the Family Day weekend in February.
Secondary - Ministry is directing that cohorting of students is to continue to limit number of student to student interactions. As such there will be a limit of two classes per day when possible and the planning for pivoting to fully remote must be planned. Our staffing process has already begun for next school year. There will be one opportunity to switch between In Person Learning and Virtual learning for Semester 2.
IT Devices - 75,000+ devices were loaned to TDSB students for remote learning during Spring 2020 and over the course of the 2020-2021 school year. These loaned devices need to be retrieved & returned to schools to support 2021-2022 school year programming and student needs. The replacement costs for these devices would be $27.5M. Students attending summer school will not have to return and re-request a device. All other devices must be returned by the first week of July for cleaning, technical inspection, necessary repairs and data wiping. They will then be re-distributed to the schools initially borrowed from.
For the complete deck presented at Friday's meeting, please click here.
| |
Committee Meetings This Week
Delegation requests will still be accepted during the closure of all schools and administrative sites at the TDSB; however, oral delegations to address a committee of the Board will be presented by phone. To submit a delegation request (written or oral), please refer to the information found here https://www.tdsb.on.ca/Leadership/Boardroom/Delegations, email delegates@tdsb.on.ca. If your request is approved, further details will be provided to you via email.
Finance, Budget and Enrolment Committee, Wednesday, May 12, 2021, 4:30 p.m. Electronic Meeting
| |
Secondary Alternative Schools Program: Staffing Concerns
I and others are concerned with the ability to run alternative school programming for secondary students as per our Board commitment. I see secondary alternative schools in two ways – as destination schools for elementary students who have had success in either elementary regular schools or elementary alternative schools and are looking to alternative school programs beginning at grade 9 – and then I see secondary alternative schools as alternatives for students who have not experienced success in regular secondary school programs – if, as a system, we advertise these options, then is it not our obligation to staff them appropriately? I do not see these small by design alternative schools being subject to the same staffing reduction as regular schools – in fact, I think that completely goes against our system goal of providing resources so all students can succeed. That is the genesis of the motion that will be discussed at the Finance & Enrolment Committee Wednesday.
One of the alternative secondary school principals provided me the link below of Parkview students which gives an example of the challenges our students continue to face. Many of these challenges have been magnified by the new challenges related to COVID19. It is important to listen to the voices of our students - https://youtu.be/Exf7D4Rv3Zg.
He describes the fact that the TDSB has to prepare to assist our students coming out of the experiences they have faced, and many times alone, over the last year. To be prepared we need schools equipped with the essential staff to assist students regain their footing and alternative schools are what is in place to assist these students. Until someone comes up with a better plan we have to maintain our “emergency department” (secondary alternative schools) at full staff and equipped to help these students who are in crisis.
The motion seeks to have the board ensure these schools continue to be viable and serve the important role they play across our system.
| |
Ward 8 PARTS/Community Meetings
- Yonge-Eglinton PART - The first public meeting for the PART was held on May 4. Please click here for the presentation deck. The second feedback survey regarding the Yonge-Eglinton Phase 2 Program Area Review seeks your input on the current recommendations as modified by the Program Area Review Team and is open until Tuesday, May 11th, 2021. The survey can be found here https://forms.office.com/r/eRmi8dwNMb. Results from this survey will once again be shared with the Program Area Review Team at their final working meeting on Thursday, May 13th. At this meeting, the Program Area Review Team will come up with their final recommendations. These recommendations, alongside Staff’s recommendations, will be shared with the Board of Trustees at their June 2021 meeting. Please also see 'Frequently Asked Questions' which will be updated periodically throughout this process to address feedback received. For more information about the review, please visit: https://www.tdsb.on.ca/About-Us/Strategy-Planning/Search-All-Reviews?id=166.
| |
The Importance of Genocide Education
The Toronto District School Board is committed to creating a school system and workplace that is free of discrimination and harassment.
This past week, Ontario has passed Bill 104, the Tamil Genocide Education Week Act, becoming the first jurisdiction in the world to recognise the genocide against Tamils in Sri Lanka. The act establishes May 11 to 18 as a week in which Ontarians “are encouraged to educate themselves about, and to maintain their awareness of, the Tamil genocide and other genocides that have occurred in world history.”
In a statement the National Council of Canadian Tamil (NCCT) responded to the bill by stating: “This acknowledgement not only seeks to honour the lives that were lost with the Tamil Genocide, but also gives a sense of hope to those who have suffered life-long intergenerational trauma and represents the first step to healing and reconciliation. By recognizing the Tamil Genocide, we affirm our collective desire to maintain awareness of this genocide and other genocides to prevent such crimes against humanity from happening again”.
Also this week I was able to take vacation days from my day job this week to attend many of the sessions offered through Liberation75 – Global Gathering of Holocaust Survivors, Descendants, Educators & Friends – you may remember this was to take place in person last year but due to COVID-19 was postponed and offered virtually. A number of the programs from the conference are available for free on their website - https://www.liberation75.org/library.
Genocide Education is known to help students better understand their rights as humans, both individually and as a society, and also provide them with the critical thinking skills needed to better understand racism and intolerance. In return, this prepares students to recognize, report and combat various forms of hate in their own surroundings. One day it is my hope the province will actually make genocide curriculum compulsory a per our request from last year - https://www.tdsb.on.ca/Media/News/ArtMID/2750/ArticleID/1487/Incorporating-Genocide-Education-as-Compulsory-Learning. In the meantime, I will continue to work with my colleagues to do what we can to education our students against hate.
| |
School Year Calendar 2021-2022 - Pending Ministry ApprovalIn developing the TDSB’s 2021-22 calendar, a key goal of the School Year Calendar committee was to ensure that all members of the TDSB community are able to start school on the same day, and that staff can participate in group professional development before the first day of school. This goal was particularly important in terms of next year’s calendar as our staff and students will be coming off a very challenging and disruptive school year due to the pandemic. Ensuring that staff feel supported before the start of school, and that all students and staff can start the 2021-22 school year together, is our top priority.
Please note that the TDSB’s 2021-22 School Year Calendar was approved by Board on May 4, 2021. The calendar has now been submitted to the Ministry of Education for final approval. The calendar remains in draft form until approved by the Ministry.
The official school year calendar for the Toronto District School Board runs from September 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022, inclusive.
- First day of classes for students is September 9, 2021
- First day back from Winter Break is January 3, 2022
- The last day of class for elementary students is June 30, 2022
- The last day of class for secondary students is June 29, 2022
PA Days & Holidays
Board-wide PA Day
|
September 2, 2021* Note CUPE 10-month employees take September 7, 2021 instead
|
Board-wide PA Day
|
September 3, 2021
|
Labour Day
|
September 6, 2021
|
Board-wide PA Day
|
September 8, 2021
|
Thanksgiving
|
October 11, 2021
|
Board-wide PA Day
|
November 19, 2021
|
Winter Break
|
December 20, 2021- December 31, 2021
|
Elementary PA Day
|
January 14, 2022
|
Secondary PA Day
|
February 2, 2022
|
Board-wide PA Day
|
February 18, 2022
|
Family Day
|
February 22, 2022
|
March Break
|
March 14-18, 2022
|
Good Friday
|
April 15, 2022
|
Easter Monday
|
April 18, 2022
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Our Kids are Grieving May 10, 2021Humewood's SAC invite you to join them on May 10th - Our kids are grieving, how to help. With multiple losses in our kids' lives over the last year, grief has arrived in our homes with bags packed to stay awhile.
To register, please click here.
Humewood SAC has also developed Mindful Breathing resources - click here.
And for community mental health resources, please click here.
| |
During May - TDSB's Asian and Jewish Heritage Committees Present: Chicken Soup, Chicken Soup
This year the Asian and Jewish Heritage Committees have collaborated to present Chicken Soup, Chicken Soup for the month of May, Asian and Jewish Heritage months. This program targeted at students in Kindergarten-grade 3, has been described as a “very sweet book and a perfect early lesson on diversity.” As Sophie the main character in the story says about her grandmothers’ soups - “a little different; a lot the same”.
| |
2021 Summer ProgramsElementary Summer School Thirty-eight (38) programs are offered to students in Kindergarten to Grade 8, from July 5 to 30, 2021, in-person or online through virtual instruction. Registration is now open! Click here for a full list of participating schools and registration information - https://www.tdsb.on.ca/About-Us/Innovation/Elementary-Summer-School.
To learn the difference between the e-Learning Summer Program and the Continuing Education Hybrid & Remote Summer Program, please click here
| |
Mindfulness in May
Davisville Jr PS invites you to join them and instructor Tina Carlson, an IMTA certified mindfulness teacher with UCLA's Mindful Awareness Research Center for a variety of programming in May.
- Thursday May 13 - 6:30 - 7:30 pm JK-Grade 2 - Mindful PJ Party
- Thursday May 20 - 6:30 - 7:30 pm Grades 3-6 - Mindful Super Heroes
- Thursday May 27 - 8:00 - 9:30 pm - For Parents and Caregivers - Mindfulness and Equity: Natural Partners
| |
Hold the Date - Ward Forum - May 31, 2021
| |
Policy Consultations
The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) is committed to open and inclusive policy decision-making and values community input and participation through consultation. Consultation is a two-way communication process between the Board and external participants, including students and their parents/guardians, school councils, advisory committees, community members, different levels of government, service agencies, professional organizations and union partners. The objective of consultation is to gather public input regarding options, alternative courses of action, as well as to identify unintended effects for various participants and to find solutions. Please see revised the Policy Review Schedule.
| |
Download the COVID ALERT APPTogether, let's limit the spread of COVID-19. COVID Alert is an additional tool to protect yourself and your loved ones. COVID Alert helps us break the cycle of infection. The app can let other app users know of possible exposures before any symptoms appear. That way, we can take care of ourselves and protect our communities. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/coronavirus-disease-covid-19/covid-alert.html. Please note, unfortunately, the app is only available on certain phones/operating systems.
| |
School Year Calendar 2020-2021- The last day of class for elementary students is June 29
- The last day of class for secondary students is June 28
| |
|
|
|
|