Programs Committee: schools to acknowledge Indigenous traditional lands daily
On June 8, 2016, TDSB's Program and School Services Committee passed the following motion from the board's Aboriginal Education Advisory Committee:
"The committee recommends... that all schools within the TDSB acknowledge the ancestral lands/territories at the beginning of each school day and that each school will be provided with tools and guidelines from the Aboriginal Education Centre to facilitate this protocol in a respectful manner."
This recommendation, if passed by the full board on the June 22, 2016 meeting, will mean that as of September, morning announcements at all TDSB schools will recognize the traditional territories of the first peoples in Toronto.
Trustees unanimously sign petition asking province to Indigenize curriculum
In June, 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada released its final report and call to action. This included a recommendation to implement a K-12 curriculum on "residential schools, Treaties, and Aboriginal peoples' historical and contemporary contributions to Canada." Trustees of the TDSB have unanimously signed a petition calling on the provincial government to implement this recommendation as quickly as possible, and have sent a letter to the Minister of Education to this end.
Update on TDSB Learning Centres
The four new Learning Centres of the TDSB have had their executive staffing announced. Ward 3's two new superintendents of schools in our Learning Centre will be Tracy Hayhurst (schools north of the Gardiner) and Sandra Tondat (schools south of the Gardiner), working under Executive Superintendent Sandy Spyropoulos. I know all these fine individuals and am looking forward to working with them. Many thanks and best wishes to outgoing superintendent Jane Phillips-Long for her committed service to schools. More information on the Learning Centres is here.
Long Term Program and Accommodation Strategy
On Wednesday June 15, TDSB trustees on the Planning and Priorities Committee will discuss the system's Long Term Program and Accommodation Strategy, which is a ten year plan for the TDSB's school buildings that will equalize the distribution of programs across the city and reduce the number of unused classroom spaces. This plan is reviewed annually. Read more here. The committee's recommendations will move forward to the June 22 board meeting, at which the 2016-2017 capital budget will be finalized.
Update on Lyme Disease
On May 31, Dr. Howard Shapiro of Toronto Public Health brought an update on Lyme Disease to TDSB. Lyme Disease, spread by deer ticks, is slowly moving westward in Ontario from the Thousand Islands area/ New York State. It is beginning to be detected in some natural areas of Toronto, but at this point is not in schoolyards. It is not contagious and is treatable if caught early. Children going outdoors in tick-infested areas in summer should dress protectively and be checked for ticks. More information is here.
School active travel and road safety research
Dr. Linda Rothman of the Hospital for Sick Children/York University and her colleagues have been studying safety factors for children walking to school in the TDSB for five years. Her findings represent new information on the paramount importance of pedestrian-friendly street design ("the built environment"), safety-conscious driver behaviour, crossing guards, and traffic calming in order to reduce child-motor vehicle collisions. You can see Dr. Rothman's full presentation to the TDSB Health and Mental Well-Being Committee on May 31, 2016 here.
Upcoming child and youth mental health conference
Canada's largest child and youth mental health conference, organized by Children's Mental Health Ontario, is coming to Toronto November 21 and 22, 2016. Now is the time to save the date. More information is here.
French as a Second Language update and FSLAC newsletter
On June 8th, 2016, Programs and School Services Committee received a report on next fall's student numbers in French Immersion and Extended French programs. These intensive French programs continue to grow in popularity. Locally, next fall will see two new Early Immersion SK classes start at each of Sir Adam Beck JS, John English JMS, and Islington JMS. One Early Immersion class will start at the new site of Second Street JMS. Two new classes of Extended French will start Grade 4 at the new site of Second St. JMS, as the program moves over from now-full John English JMS. Current Extended French students in Grade 5 and up at John English will stay there and move through the grades until graduation, at which point Second Street JMS will be the sole site of Extended French in the local area. More information from the report is here. The latest French as a Second Language Advisory Committee newsletter is here.
Survey of educational services for students with intellectual disabilities from SEAC
Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) has requested the following message be sent out to all families of students with intellectual disabilities:
Community Living Toronto's Education Committee’s goal is to make education-related information available to help families of students with intellectual disabilities (special education needs) navigate the education system and be aware of their educational rights. Please take 5 minutes to complete a survey to help us improve access to available information about education. All individual information is confidential and will only be used to help identify gaps. Please complete the survey even if your child has graduated from school. Your input is valuable. Survey deadline is June 17, 2016. Click here to complete the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DXPKVCM
