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Happy Puthandu. Happy Vaisakhi. April 14.Happy Vaisakhi and Puthandu (Tamil New Year) to members of our Sikh and Hindu communities... may this joyous day bring you peace and happiness.
And Happy 5th night of Passover and Easter Sunday to those observing...
Stay healthy everyone.
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Stay Home. Stay Safe. Save Lives.Please stay home. Please save safe. Please wash your hands.
Stay well. Stay healthy.
We are all in this together.
"The power to change the story is entirely in our hands. So thank you, thank you to the residents of our city, thank you to business owners, thank you all for doing this, but we can still do better, we must do better, and we need your help to get there." Dr. Eileen de Villa, Toronto's Medical Officer of Health
Other Important Links:
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Community Supports and Resources Now Available
- Multi-lingual COVID-19 Resources
- Income Support
- Food Access
- Housing
- Legal Supports
- Job Security
- Free Tax Clinics
- Refuge from Family Violence
- Family/Caregiver Parenting Supports
If you have questions related to the specific supports and resources below, please contact the organization directly. For more information on COVID-19, such as remote learning resources, mental health and well-being supports and on-going updates on the impact to our schools, please visit www.tdsb.on.ca/coronavirus.
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Entering Week 2 of Remote Learning
Remote learning began on April 6 for the majority of 240,000 TDSB students. In a system of our size and diversity, this is no small task. Staff worked tirelessly behind the scenes to plan and implement remote learning. Thank you to all involved. And to classroom teachers and those supporting them in efforts to reconnect with students and families, thanks for all your efforts.
As Director John Malloy has said, as we do every day, we are relying on the expertise of our educators to use the strategies that best meet the interests and needs of their students and learning remotely under these circumstances. But we know nothing replaces the classroom...
Please remember many families have different circumstances and live different realities than others - educators may be connecting with students and their families in different ways - some may use a software platform like Google Classroom or Brightspace, while others may use email, phone or even direct mail. As a result, we recognize that the remote learning strategy for each class may look different. It is our expectation; however, that teachers will have a method of regular engagement with their students to ensure students are able to access learning tasks and resources, and checking in on students’ well-being. And please also remember educators themselves are dealing with a variety of home situations as well...
We are all doing the best we can... and that is enough.
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Parent Concern Protocol
Please know that even in this unprecedented time of remote learning, the Parent Concern Protocol still stands. If a parent/caregiver has a school-related problem or issue affecting a child/children, families or the community, which is perceived to require the attention of the school or the Board, please contact your child's teacher first. In any situation, your child’s classroom teacher is the first point of contact, followed by the school’s principal, the school superintendent and finally your Trustee - https://www.tdsb.on.ca/Contact-Us/Steps-to-Address-Questions-Concerns.
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Budget 2020-21
The Ministry of Education announces revisions to education funding and the amounts that school boards will receive in the spring of each year. Funding for education is determined through a set of provincial benchmark costs for the major components of education operations, as well as the number of students. By law, school boards are required to balance their budgets by June 30.
At this point it is our understanding that the Grants for Students Needs (GSNs) have been delayed. The TDSB’s annual operating budget is approximately $3.4 billion and we are committed to using these resources as responsibly and effectively as possible. However, until we understand the funding, we cannot confirm our budget. What we do know, however, is the funding provided by the government does not fully meet the needs of students in Toronto. Read about the TDSB’s key funding priorities and concerns here - https://www.tdsb.on.ca/About-Us/Business-Services/Budgets-and-Financial-Statements/2020-21-Budget.
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Delegation Process - Addressing a CommitteeDelegation requests will still be accepted during the closure of all schools and administrative sites at the Toronto District School Board; 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 here https://www.tdsb.on.ca/Leadership/Boardroom/Delegations and email delegates@tdsb.on.ca. If your request is approved, further details will be provided to you via email.
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Upcoming Committee & Board Meetings
Please note that these are public electronic meetings conducted through WebEx.
- April 20 (Monday) Finance, Budget and Enrolment Committee (Special Meeting) (Electronic Meeting) 4:30 p.m.
- April 22 (Wednesday) Regular Meeting (Electronic Meeting) 4:30 p.m.
- April 29 (Wednesday) Governance and Policy Committee (Electronic Meeting) 4:30 p.m.
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Update - Secondary Program Review; Optional Attendance Policy and Specialized Schools Policy
Please note that because of the system closures, staff is recommending the Final Report recommendations that were to come to the Board in June for approval, will now come in the Fall. Instead, an interim report will be presented to Trustees in June. The report will include a series of maps that identify the primary issues and challenges within each grouping to be addressed through the Secondary Program Review. A final report will be presented to Trustees after this report and corresponding maps have been shared with the public.
The ninety day consultation period for the revised draft Optional Attendance policy concluded on 3 February, 2020, including the online survey. A summary of the key findings from the consultation process is included in Appendix B of the Report presented to the next Committee of the Whole. The Draft Policy on revisions to the Optional Attendance Policy is coming to the April 29 Governance and Policy Committee Meeting. As part of our Secondary Program Review, we are also making updates to current policies and procedures, including the addition of a new policy – the Specialized Schools and Programs policy – which will allow us to be clearer when it comes to admission procedures, practices and timelines, which differ from those in regular schools. Together, this new policy and review will help more students have access to these programs. Although the consultation for this policy has begun online, staff will recommend the Specialized Schools Policy also pushed to the fall to ensure meaningful consultation. For more information, click here https://www.tdsb.on.ca/High-School/Secondary-Program-Review/Specialized-Schools-and-Programs-Policy
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TDSB e-Summer School
TDSB e-Summer School is a FREE high school credit program for secondary school students who wish to pursue secondary school courses online! TDSB e-Summer School offers dozens of online courses available in the July and August sessions. The e-Summer School program is open ONLY to Ontario students aged 14-20.
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Call 3-1-1... Violations of Physical Distancing By-law at TDSB Schools/SitesThe Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMCPA) enacted on March 31, 2020 to close off outdoor facilities does apply to private property. As a result, we need your help. If you see anyone on school property who should not be there, please report it to 3-1-1, who will fill out an incident report and follow City of Toronto regulations to deal with the concern. You can also contact the TDSB call centre at call.centre@tdsb.on.ca or 416 395-4620 to report the violation and they will dispatch security, bearing in mind that we have limited resources on the road and emergency response will receive priority.
Thank you as we work together to maintain the health and safety of our communities. #StayHomeSaveLives #WashYourHands
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Food for Kids Program – Phase Three RolloutPhase Three of the Food for Kids Program was rolled out to 26 new schools. The Toronto Foundation for Student Success (TFSS) was able to secure additional funds so approximately 10,300 TDSB students will be provided with $50 grocery store food cards per student for this phase of the program.
As you know, our goal is to provide grocery food cards to students in the top 150 schools on the Learning Opportunities Index (LOI) if funding permits. However, if additional funding becomes available, we will continue to go down the list in order.
Can you help? Donations are welcome at https://tfss.ca/. Please select“COVID-19 Response Fund” from the drop down box when making a donation.
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