News & Information

YRDSB Black History Month Events 2024 

Happy Black History Month. We are pleased to share with you several Community events events that are taking place within York Region District School Board and our broader community to recognize Black History Month and beyond. 

This school year, we are continuing to grow and expand some of our Centre for Black Student Excellence programs, including Ascending Sisters+, RISE Brothers and the Black Excellence Program. 

We also want to invite and welcome you to visit our Centre for Black Student Excellence on the website where you can find information about our programs, Dismantling Anti-Black Racism Strategy, Black History Month resources for students and families, and links to community partners.

Lunarfest at the Varley

Free Family Activities at Varley Art Gallery

February 10-11, 2024 and February, 17-18, 2024

Saturdays and Sundays, February 10 to 11, and 17 to 18 | 10 AM to 5 PM | Free

Celebrate the Lunar New Year at Varley Art Gallery! Drop-in on February 10 and 11 for free family activities, and continue the celebration on February 17 and 18 with LunarFest, a community festival in partnership with the ACSEA. Don't miss the Lunar Lanterns in the courtyard from January to March, created in partnership with Indigenous artists. Experience a 2024 Lunar New Year celebration only at Varley!

https://www.markham.ca/wps/portal/home/arts/varley-art-gallery/public-programs 

Message from Our Trustee

February 2024

 As we start the second semester and second half of the school year, I want to take this opportunity to share some updates about upcoming dates, events and initiatives taking place across our system with you. I also want to thank everyone who contributes to building a strong educational community in York Region District School Board - the students, families, staff members and community partners who come together in support of student learning, achievement and well-being. 

February is Black History Month. In addition to a number of events taking place within the school board and local community, the school board is once again Celebrating Black Excellence through its Black Voices campaign. Black Voices aims to centre and celebrate the Black members of our YRDSB community and share their voices. For families looking to learn more about school board and community events and programs for Black students and families, you can subscribe to the Centre for Black Student Excellence mailing list to receive regular updates. 

Later this month, we will also recognize the Lunar New Year and wish all students, staff and community celebrating Lunar New Year a happy and joyful celebration.

While we have seen milder winter weather this year, I also want to remind families that we have protocols in place for severe weather and school transportation cancellation in the case of inclement weather, and want to ensure families are aware. You can find more information on the Board website. We also continue to encourage families to use active school travel all year round, including during the winter months. Early in February, we will be celebrating Winter Walk Day, and be sharing tips as well as the benefits and joys of winter walking. 

This month, students in Grades 5-12 will have an opportunity to vote in the Student Trustee Elections. I want to congratulate and thank all of the students in Grade 10 and 11 who applied for this position. Student Trustees play an important role representing student voice at the Board meetings, and we greatly value their voice and contributions. Students who are eligible to vote will receive information in their GAPPS accounts about how to vote. This is a great opportunity to participate in the democratic process and to have their say about who will represent their voice in the next school year. 

Kindergarten and French Immersion registration opened in January for fall 2024. For students looking at course selection in secondary school, there are lots of great resources available at www.yrdsb.ca/experience-yrdsb that let students learn more about courses, programs and opportunities that relate to their interests. 

You can also stay up-to-date with what’s happening around the Board by visiting our newsroom or by listening to the Board’s award-winning podcast Tune In YRDSB, including recent and upcoming episodes on what to expect in Kindergarten, how Student Trustees represent student voice, Tamil Heritage Month, Hindu Heritage Month and more.

As the governing body of the York Region District School Board, trustees are required to establish an annual Multi-Year Strategic Plan (MYSP) to guide system direction for a four-year period. The MYSP is a reflection of emergent priorities identified by our educational communities. Over the coming months, we will be conducting extensive consultations with YRDSB students, staff, families and community members to collect input and feedback to develop our revised MYSP. We look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you for all that you do to partner with us in building a strong publicly funded education system that delivers a high-quality education for your children. You can learn more about my role as a school trustee and how you can reach me on the Board website www.yrdsb.ca. 

 Ed Law, Markham Wards 3 and 4 

Exploring Secondary School Opportunities by Sector

Our secondary schools offer courses and programs that let you explore your interests, build skills and gain experience in areas that interest you. You can now search from 16 different sectors to learn more about:

• career pathways in the fields that interest you

• courses and programs you can take in secondary school that let you gain sector-specific skills, knowledge and experience

• how you can earn certifications, post-secondary credits and job experience while in high school

Find out what courses and programs are available in the fields that interest you at your school. Visit www2.yrdsb.ca/experience-yrdsb.

BFCN Scholarship Application Workshop

Black Foundation of Community Networks (BFCN), incollaboration with York Region District School Board (YRDSB),is providing a free online workshop to show Black studentsand their families how to search, prepare, and apply forscholarships and bursaries. If you are in high school or Grade 8, this workshop is especially for YOU!

Wednesday, December 13, 2023 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM EST | ONLINE (ZOOM)

Learn more and register at: bit.ly/BFCNWorkshopDecember132023

To participate, Black students and their familiesmust be from YRDSB. For questions contact Cheryl Yarde at info@bfcn.ca

Learn more about our work and how to support at bfcn.ca.

Korean Spirit & Culture Promotion Project (KSCPP)

To foster a greater understanding of Korean history and culture, KSCPP is hosting its 3rd Essay Contest in Canada.  Please visit the following link for more information.

Message from Our Trustee

December 2023

I hope everyone has had a good start to the school year and is looking forward to the winter break ahead.

As I have been visiting schools and attending events, I continue to be impressed by the professionalism and dedication of school staff, the commitment and support of families and the curiosity, creativity and enthusiasm of students. As a Board of Trustees, we continue our commitment to delivering a high-quality education, this also includes striving to create safe, caring, inclusive and respectful school environments where students feel valued and supported.

I want to thank everyone who attended the school council forum held in our area and helped to make the event such a success. It was a wonderful opportunity to bring together school council members for an evening of shared learning and discussion. School councils play such an important role in our schools, and we are grateful for all that they do to support students, family engagement and schools.

While we are not yet at the midway point in the school year, many students and families are already looking to the school year ahead, visiting secondary school open houses and starting to think about course selections for next school year. All our secondary schools offer a variety of courses, programs and opportunities that let students gain skills and experience, explore their interests and begin preparing for the future. Those opportunities are now even easier to explore.

Over the past few years, some of our secondary schools have experienced significant enrollment growth, including Markville S.S. To ensure in-boundary YRDSB students can be accommodated at their home secondary school, we are introducing capped enrollment and new modified proof of residency requirements including this school. More information will be communicated to the Markville S.S. school community in early December.

Students can search from 16 different sectors that interest them, including STEM, Arts, business, manufacturing and many more to discover how they can earn credits, gain experience, skills and certifications in those areas. Visit www2.yrdsb.ca/experience-yrdsb to learn more.

We also offer a variety of programs for Black students through the Board’s Centre for Black Student Excellence. These summer and school-year programs are designed to affirm students’ identities and support student achievement and well-being. You can learn more about the programs and how to sign up for the centre’s mailing list on the website.

Our Board, the City of Markham and community partners have collaborated and created a wonderful exhibit "Standing in the Doorway: Lived Histories & Experiences of the Chinese Community " at the Markham Museum. I invite everyone to explore and celebrate our Chinese residents, to engage and learn from each other as a wider community. The exhibit will continue till February 25, 2024.

One of our roles as a Board of Trustees is to regularly review Board policies to ensure they are relevant, reflect our mission and values as an organization, and meet the needs of our students. An important part of that process is collecting feedback from the community. Learn more on the Board website about how you can share your input and see what policies are currently being reviewed.

I want to take this opportunity to thank families for their patience while we work to restore services following network outages as a result of a cyber incident, and to acknowledge the work of our staff who continue to deliver high quality public education and to restore services. 

As we head into December, I also want to wish you a safe and enjoyable winter break. There are many significant dates for different faiths and cultures during this time of year, and to all those celebrating, I wish you a happy and joyous celebration. I hope everyone has an opportunity to relax, recharge and enjoy time with family and friends. We look forward to welcoming you back in January.

Ed Law

Trustee, Markham Wards 3 and 4 

Dear BCSS Families, 

Please note that as YRDSB works toward restoring the various programs and systems impacted by the recent cyber incident, we are still unable to distribute student midterm report cards. We hope to have a more definitive update for our school shortly. If there are any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact the school office. 

 Sincerely,

 Meshell Lynch-James

Principal 

YRDSB MFM2P + MPM2D Online Tutoring Support 

• Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:30p.m. to 9:30p.m.

• Starts October 12, 2023 and ends on January 23, 2024

• This opportunity should only be offered to students enrolled in  MFM2P and MPM2D who are at-risk of being unsuccessful. Students not presenting as at-risk may be (re)directed to TVO Mathify

• Students access via Google Meet Code: YRDSBTutoring

• Students must log in using their gapps account

• Tutoring sessions will be 30-60 minutes in length

• Students may have to wait for a tutor to be available  

3rd National Essay Contest by Korean Spirit and Culture Promotion Project (“KSCPP”)

Students are inviting to take part in the 3rd National Essay Contest by Korean Spirit and Culture Promotion Project (“KSCPP”), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in the U.S. The essay topic is based on the publication Chung Hyo Ye, Tales of filial devotion, loyalty, respect and benevolence from the history and folklore of Korea. The contest is open to all students from Year 6 upwards, with two separate competitions for students in Years 6-8 and Years 9-12, respectively. Prizes for winners will be awarded as an e-gift card (1st prize: $500). The attached flyer has full details on how to enter, the submission deadline, and the results announcement date. 

Black at Mac Eng Toronto Community Event

On October 14th, 2023, the McMaster Engineering Recruitment and Outreach team will host the Black at MacEng: Toronto Community Event at 180 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON M5S 1T6. 

The event will be open to Black students in grades 1 through 12. In addition, we welcome parents and other community members interested in learning more about our graduate programs.  During the day guests will learn more about all McMaster Engineering has to offer Black students (programming, application support, Black student support, co-op, scholarships and funding, etc.). Families will also be able to participate in STEM workshops, such as our "Create Your Own Hair Oil" workshop. 

This event is free and a great opportunity for students to explore postsecondary options. Additionally, younger students should have the opportunity to interact with STEM education early on. Please note the tickets are complimentary and limited, so register soon! Light breakfast and lunch will be provided. RSVP TODAY

EVENT DETAILS

• Date: Saturday, October 14th, 2023

• Time: 10:30 AM to 4:00 PM (ET)

• Location: 180 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON M5S 1T6