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Thank You David & MArg!
Thank You David & MArg!
A HUGE thanks to Principal David Williams & Vice Principal Margaret Kerr for their support at Burrows Hall JPS & Maplewood HS this school year. They have persistently shown compassion and constant advocacy on behalf of students and staff. We know that you will join us in wishing them both all the very best as they resume retirement.
Damaged Device Return
Damaged Device Return
~From the Device Distribution Team
All damaged devices should be returned to our team for further processing. The schools will have to fill the following form to notify our staff to pick them up: https://tdsb.service-now.com/sp?id=sc_cat_item&sys_id=b08a91971b4f9410ebb6ea0dad4bcb3c
ACTION: Take Home Testing Kits
ACTION: Take Home Testing Kits
Testing hospitals have provided some schools they are supporting with take home testing kits to be used when TPH identifies the need for testing. These take home kits are saliva tests or oral-nasal swab tests (not nasopharyngeal swabs), but they are all categorized as PCR tests, not rapid tests. This is happening at the local level between the testing hospital and their assigned schools.
Some schools may have received take home testing kits. If your school has received take home testing kits, please let us know HERE.
African Heritage Month
African Heritage Month
Black people in Canada have diverse backgrounds and experiences – while some can trace their roots in Canada for many generations, others have immigrated in recent decades.
Black Canadians are connected by a common African history and ancestry. The African-Canadian population is made up of individuals from a range of places across the globe including, but not limited to, the United States, South America, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, and Canada.
There were almost 1.2 million Black people living in Canada in 2016. The Black population is diverse and has a long and rich history in Canada.
Among the Black population born outside of Canada, the source countries of immigration have changed over time. More than half of this population who immigrated before 1981 were born in Jamaica and Haiti. Black newcomers now come from about 125 different countries, mainly from Africa.
The African Heritage Month Volunteer Planning Committee continues to name, notice, and disrupt anti-Black racism through their organized initiatives shared throughout the TDSB and commitment to hold space for Black students, staff, parents, families, and elders to heal, to celebrate and to thrive. We are excited to share more information about African Heritage Month.
Calendar of Events:
African Heritage Month Celebration Launch
Monday, February 1, 1 p.m.
Black Student Alliance Webinar: How to Start a Black Student Alliance
Wednesday, February 10, 5 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Stronger than Hate (link to come)
Thursday, February 25, 1 p.m. – 2 p.m.
Saturday, February 27, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Know Your Worth Conference for Educators
Saturday, May 29, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Chinese Heritage Month
Chinese Heritage Month
Toronto District School Board is proud to recognize Chinese Heritage Month (CHM) during the month of February 2021. This year is the Year of the Ox: Loyal, Honest, Responsible, Hard-Working and Logical. Many Chinese Canadians will celebrate Lunar New Year on Friday, February 12. Lunar New Year is also known as the spring festival and begins with the first moon of the lunar calendar and ends on the first full moon of the lunar calendar 15 days later. Though celebrations will be altered this year because of the pandemic, the spirit and joyfulness will remain the same through virtual events and in-home family-based festivities.
Copies of the winning posters from our poster challenge with students from all grade levels across the Toronto District School Board will be posted soon.
Thank you Superintendent Sheryl Robinson Petrazzini for sharing the information and links below on:
Being Black in Canada - A Mentorship and Creation Program.
Being Black in Canada - A Mentorship and Creation Program.
The film #BLACK was made possible by Fabienne Colas Foundation's Being Black in Canada, a mentorship and creation program entirely dedicated to Black filmmakers. “Through the program, the filmmakers received mentorship and production support from OYA Media Group and the films premiered at the Montreal Black Film Festival before heading to the Toronto Black Film Festival and Halifax Black Film Festival.”
Addressing Anti-Asian Racism
Addressing Anti-Asian Racism
Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario and Toronto District School Board have partnered to develop Addressing Anti-Asian Racism: A Resource for Educators, a resource to empower educators to take action against anti-Asian racism.
Happening This Week!
Happening This Week!
Stronger Than Hate
Stronger Than Hate
Live, Virtual Program
A presentation by the Toronto District School Board’s African Heritage Committee, Jewish Heritage Committee, Liberation75, USC Shoah Foundation, and Peel District School Board.
February 25th, 2021, 1-2 pm
Surprise Guest Host/Student Panel
Moderator
Dr. Stephen D. Smith
Executive Director Chair, USC Shoah Foundation
Special Guest
Max Eisen
Toronto-based Holocaust Survivor, author of the award-winning “By Chance Alone”
Special Guest
Joe Wilson Jr
Author of “The 761st “Black Panther” Tank Battalion in World War II, Son of Joe Wilson Sr, a member of the 761st Tank Battalion
Special Guest
John L. Withers II
Author of “Balm in Gilead”, former UN Ambassador to Albania and
Son of Lieutenant John L. Withers, a WWII soldier who befriended and saved two Jewish Holocaust Survivors
Student participants in this program (Grades 6-12) will explore how stories create the possibility to learn about ourselves and others, and how we can affect change right now.
The 761st Tank Battalion was the first all African-American Tank Battalion in World War II. They were instrumental in helping defeat the Nazis as well as liberating several concentration camps. Holocaust survivor Max Eisen was in one of the camps they liberated.
Our world has seen an increase in Anti-Black racism and Antisemitism. This conversation will help us consider what we have learned from history and witnesses to genocide, and reflect on how that knowledge can help us take action to counteract hate.
For teacher resources:
https://sites.google.com/tdsb.on.ca/the761stbattalion/the-black-messiah
For more information – shari.schwartz-maltz@tdsb.on.ca; 416-518-5551
Equity Committee Meeting & Next steps
Equity Committee Meeting & Next steps
Our Next Equity Committee Meeting is this Wednesday, February 24th @ 1:15PM (LN 14 - this meeting follows the LN14 Meeting) Our case scenario, guiding questions, links and article for review are below:
Case Scenario:
An intruder interrupts an online class. The student says “later (n-word)” and logs off after only a few seconds. One student in the class writes “lol” in the chat.
The case scenario guiding questions:
Name the issue(s) presented in the case scenario.
What are the operational considerations? (PPMs, Policy, Safe and Caring, etc.)
What is the impact and how would it be addressed with student(s), school, staff, community?
Article/resource links:
Racist Language /The use of the N word
TDSB Anti-Discrimination Brochure ( Accessible Version)
Critical Consciousness—Key to student achievement
Policy Consultations
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.
New Consultations
New Consultations
Human Rights Policy (P031) - Deadline: April 5, 2021 - Draft Revised Policy - Email: Anu.Sharma2@tdsb.on.ca Objective: To protect, promote and advance the human rights of all TDSB members to learn, function and work in an equitable, accessible, respectful and inclusive environment free of discrimination and harassment on the basis of the prohibited grounds of discrimination specified in this Policy and protected under the Ontario Human Rights Code. To enhance the capacity of the TDSB to meet its positive human rights obligations, including to proactively identify, address, and prevent all forms of discrimination, including individual and systemic discrimination.
Workplace Harassment Prevention for Non-Human-Rights-Code Harassment (P034) - Deadline: April 5, 2021 Draft Revised Policy - Email: Ros.Salvador@tdsb.on.ca Objective: This Policy is designed to promote a healthy, respectful and supportive work environment. It highlights conduct that may amount to non-Code workplace harassment (i.e., harassment that is not covered by the Board’s Human Rights Policy or the Human Rights Code) and outlines the system’s shared responsibility for fostering a harassment-free workplace. The goal is to prevent non-Code workplace harassment from taking place and, where necessary, to investigate and respond to instances, potential instances, and complaints of such behaviour in a fair, timely and effective manner.
On-going Consultations
On-going Consultations
Parent and Community Involvement Policy - Objective: To establish a framework for building and supporting parent and community involvement in the Toronto District School Board. We are currently reviewing P023 – Parent and Community Involvement Policy and are inviting feedback from our community as we develop the first draft of the policy. Learn more, and share your voice, at www.tdsbengage.ca
Specialized Schools and Programs Policy - Draft New Policy - Objective: Video: Improving Access for all Students: Overview of the Secondary Program Review - To affirm the Board’s commitment to providing focused specialized programming in both local schools and in district-wide specialized schools or programs, and to improving access for all students to these programs. Learn more: https://www.tdsb.on.ca/High-School/Secondary-Program-Review and Email: secondaryreview@tdsb.on.ca
Introducing the New Student Senate (2020-21)
Introducing the New Student Senate (2020-21)
The Toronto District School Board is pleased to announce the newly elected members of Student Senate for the 2020-21 school year. For a full list of Student Senate members, including Student Trustees, please visit www.tdsb.on.ca/high-school/tdsb-student-senate.
Congratulations to LN16's Sir Wilfrid Laurier students Zain Khurram and Tahir Syed
representing LC3 in the Student Senate
Update to Asymptomatic Testing
Update to Asymptomatic Testing
There have been recent changes to the process for asymptomatic testing in TDSB schools. With the return of in-person learning, testing is being expanded to include the asymptomatic testing of staff and students in schools and in high priority neighborhoods. This testing will help with early case identification to inform public health measures and ultimately prevent the spread of COVID-19 within our schools.
Asymptomatic testing will be made available at pop-up testing centres in schools. These school pop-ups will function as hubs that will serve the host school as well as other nearby schools. They are meant to augment the existing testing locations that are available across the city, including COVID-19 Assessment Centres, community pop-ups and pharmacies (https://covid-19.ontario.ca/assessment-centre-locations).
Selection of the school pop-up hubs will be done based on indicators in the COVID-19 Neighborhoods Composite Index (the Quintiles) which helps to identify areas requiring testing. ANY student/staff who is attending in-person school is encouraged to visit a pop-up school site for testing and does not need to be a student/staff at that location. As part of the model that has been developed, both TDSB and TCDSB schools will serve as hubs, with students from either board’s neighbouring schools invited to attend for testing at the hub.
Please see the list of schools that have been identified as hubs this week, as well as the schools that have been invited to attend for asymptomatic testing at one of the identified hubs. Please note: this information, including the site locations and dates, is subject to change. Once confirmed, school principals (of both hub schools and nearby schools) will receive a letter from the testing partner to share with students and parents/guardians to communicate this information.
Upcoming Committee Meetings
Upcoming Committee Meetings
The Toronto District School Board is committed to developing opportunities for our wider school community to connect and engage in conversations about education issues. Meetings will be broadcasted live to the public. Click HERE at the start time to view.
Audit Committee
Audit Committee
Monday, February 22, 2021
4:00 PM
Special Planning and Priorities Committee
Special Planning and Priorities Committee
Tuesday, February 23, 2021
4:30 PM
Finance, Budget and Enrolment Committee
Finance, Budget and Enrolment Committee
Wednesday, February 24, 2021
4:30 PM
Worth Repeating
Worth Repeating
Virtual Schools Staff Directories
Virtual Schools Staff Directories
Please note that Virtual School administrative team directories are available online and are updated on an ongoing basis. A number of new staff have been welcomed to the teams this week. Please continue to refer to the links shared below for the latest directories:
Learning Centre 1 Virtual Elementary School
Learning Centre 2 Virtual Elementary School
Learning Centre 3 Virtual Elementary School
February is Kindergarten Registration Month
February is Kindergarten Registration Month
Registration for all TDSB Kindergarten programs begins in February.
To attend Junior Kindergarten in September, children must turn four years old by December 31.
To register for Senior Kindergarten, children must be five years old by December 31.
For more information about the Kindergarten program, registration requirements, and to complete an online registration, please visit: www.tdsb.on.ca/kindergarten
Ongoing - Call Out!
Real Equity Case Scenarios
Real Equity Case Scenarios
The equity committee is looking for submissions of real equity case scenarios. These will be (anonymously) shared during our LN meetings together. If you have an experience from your school that would be valuable for our collective learning, we welcome the submission. Please email it to my attention violet.mari@tdsb.on.ca
Submissions can be ongoing,as our committee work with happen monthly.
Thank you
Request Support
Request Support
As we work together to further serve students and families, the Equity, Anti-Racism, Anti-Oppression Team continues to offer central supports to school communities. To connect with the Equity, Anti-Racism, Anti-Oppression Team, please complete the referral form.
Referral Forms are analyzed to identify areas of need that are tied to SIP goals, collaborative teams, actions and next steps.
The school will be contacted after the request has been reviewed.
The Equity, Anti-Racism, Anti-Oppression Team will make arrangement for initial conversation with the school administrator and school team for planning. The school team might consist of the Administrator(s), Lead teacher(s), Wrap-Around Support (if applicable), and Central Team (if applicable).
Podcast: TDSB Human Library
Podcast: TDSB Human Library
Podcast: TDSB Human Library
Conversations around Equitable, Anti-Racist, and Anti-Oppressive Practice
Episode 1: NATASHA HENRY - African Canadian Experiences and the Curriculum
Ward 19 Trustee Update
Ward 19 Trustee Update
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