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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSchool Council Update 2016/09/16 - #2 School Council Newsletter September 16, 2016 Revised Sept 19th WHAT'S NEW... This revised newsletter contains the correct links to the consultation process for the Western and Eastern Secondary accommodation reviews. My apologies for any confusion. I hope you had a good week and that things are starting to settle into a routine. After the excitement of the first few days, it can be a challenge to get answers to that question "how was your day at school?" Try mixing it up a little bit, consider asking questions like "What was the best thing/funniest thing that happened at school today?", "Tell me one interesting thing you learned today". "How did you help somebody today?" If you can get the conversation started on a smaller scale, you will find it opens up. Here is an article from Parent Magazine on this topic. Multi-Year Plan for Student Learning and Accommodation Planning This week, the Board of Trustees formally approved the start of the Western Area and Eastern Secondary accommodation reviews. Now, we begin the consultation process - a critical element of the review process. We are seeking feedback from parents, staff, students, community partners, and the general public. There are a number of ways to get involved. Online Community Engagement and Discussion The district is using the online insight Platform Thoughtexchange for this consultation. This gives participants the opportunity to provide input about what is important to them, anytime of day, from any location. Yesterday, an email was sent to all parents and guardians in the schools involved in the review area inviting them to share their thoughts. (If you are a parent in a school involved in the Western or Eastern Secondary review and you did not receive an email, please check your spam filter for a message from shareyourthoughts@ocdsb.ca and/or check that the school has your current email address). Interested parents/guardians who did not receive an email or who want to share their thoughts on the proposed plans for change are welcome to do so. If you want to participate, you can click on one of the links below, input your email address and the feedback form will be sent to you directly.  Bell High School Family of Schools - Public Consultation Forum  Merivale High School Family of Schools - Public Consultation Forum  Sir Robert Borden High School Family of Schools - Public Consultation Forum  Woodroffe High School Family of Schools - Public Consultation Forum  Eastern Secondary Review (Gloucester, Rideau, Colonel By) - Public Consultation Forum A few things to note about the online consultation process - to keep the conversation focused on the issues directly relevant to each review area/family of schools; there are separate forums for each area. You are welcome to participate in any or all of the forums that interest you. Public Meetings There will be two public meetings in each of the review areas. You may want to note the dates on your calendar if you plan to attend. Western Area Public Meetings October 27, 2016 - 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Sir Robert Borden High School January 10, 2017 - 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Woodroffe High School Eastern Secondary Review Public Meetings November 1 , 2016 - 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Rideau High School January 11, 2017 - 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Gloucester High School Ottawa Public Health (OPH) Immunization As a parent, keeping your kids safe and healthy is your number one priority. All children attending school between ages 4 to 17 need to be immunized according to Ontario's Immunization Schedule. Immunization protects children from many serious diseases that are easily spread in schools. Learn more here. School Start Times and School Bus Transportation There have been some changes to school start times and school bus routes. It takes a week or two for everyone to get used to new bus routes and schedules. If you have experienced delays, please be patient. Information about school bus transportation, including stop locations and pick up and drop off times is available from the Ottawa Student Transportation Authority (OSTA). Please visit their website. Do You Know An Innovative And Outstanding School Principal? Every year The Learning Partnership honours principals across the country who exemplify excellence in public education. Nominations for the 2016 Canada's Outstanding Principals awards are now open and may be submitted by school boards, colleagues, parents, teachers, students and all community members. Nominate an Outstanding Principal today! School Year Calendar The 2016-2017 school year calendar is available on our website and a hard copy was distributed to students and staff this week. The highlights include School Holidays, PA Days, and District-wide Secondary Testing. School Fees All students are entitled to participate in school activities and access resources regardless of personal financial barriers. As such, school supplies, school fees, and class fees are voluntary. There are some fees for non-essential supplies/services. For additional information please review our procedure. If you require assistance with respect to fees, please contact your principal. Student Accident Insurance Creating a caring and safe environment for our students is our top priority. Unfortunately, despite all reasonable precautions being taken, accidents can still happen. Some injuries may result in medical, dental or other expenses that are not covered by provincial health care or employer group plans. As a parent/guardian, you become responsible for these expenses. After School Literacy and Numeracy Support Program for Students Grades 7 - 12 The Continuing Education Department is conducting after school Literacy & Numeracy Support Programs for students in Grades 7 - 12. The Literacy & Numeracy Programs provide assistance to students who need help in all subjects with a specific focus on English, Math, Science, and the Social Sciences. These programs are staffed by qualified Instructors. Students can drop in when it fits their schedule and the program is free. Students are required to bring their Ontario Education Number (OEN) for each session. OENs can be found at the top of the student's report card. The programs begin the week of Tuesday, September 13th. For information regarding the 10 locations, dates, and times, please visit homeworkhelpinottawa.com. For more information, call Continuing Education at (613) 239-2620. Continuing Education Newsletter Check our the new Continuing Education Newsletter for September/October 2016 here. Have a look at what is coming up this Fall. The newsletter is interactive, so please click anywhere to be linked to our website for more information on all our programs. Math Facts Doing Mathematics with Your Child (Kindergarten to Grade 6) Today, critical thinking, problem solving, reasoning ability and ability to communicate mathematically are essential skills. These processes are the foundation of mathematics instruction in Ontario schools. "Doing Mathematics with Your Child" is a guide available for parents of students in Kindergarten to Grade 6. This guide offers ways to engage their child in thinking and talking about mathematics around the four strands: number sense and numeration, measurement, patterning and algebra, and data management and probability. Check out this Parent Guide created by the Ontario Ministry of Education. All tips are based on Ontario's curriculum and are connected with what your child is learning in school. SCHOOL COUNCIL BUSINESS School Council Contact Information Each year, school council chairs and co-chairs are asked to provide their contact information (name, phone number, email address). This information is shared with trustees and superintendents and is also used to keep you up to date on school council information. Please send the following information to Susan Baker at susan.baker@ocdsb.ca - School name, chair/co-chair name(s), phone number(s), and email address(es). School Council Annual Report - Due 30 October 2016 School Councils are also required to submit to the District an annual report on its activities, including fundraising activities. The School Council Annual Report is one of many requirements included in the "School Opening Documentation" process conducted by the principal. On or before October 30, 2016, please ensure to submit your school council annual report to school principals and forward a copy to Susan Baker, 133 Greenbank Road, Ottawa, ON K2H 6L3 or by email at susan.baker@ocdsb.ca School Council Elections The election of school council members must be held within 30 days of the start of the school year. The details about the election process are outlined in the School Council policy and in the school council elections procedure. The election of officers (Chair, Co-chair, Secretary, Treasurer) happens after the members of council have been duly elected. Don't forget to review your school council constitution for specific provisions with respect to your school. Please send us an updated list of school council contact information after your elections. Year-end reporting of School Generated Funds - Due 21 September 2016 The provincial government requires that school council financial activities be included in the school board's year-end financial statements. A letter will be sent to each School Council Chair through the School Principal explaining the reporting process and the form to be completed. Please ensure that the form is completed and returned by email lynn.mccarville@ocdsb.ca no later than 21 September 2016. In cases where your school council's banking arrangements are administered by the school, the school council is not required to provide this information because the school's annual report would cover these requirements; however, please advise Lynn McCarville at lynn.mccarville@ocdsb.ca if your school council is in this category. Ottawa-Carleton Assembly of School Councils (OCASC) OCASC is s an umbrella organisation for school councils and parents in the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) to share information and facilitate communication within the OCDSB communities to enhance the education of all its students. OCASC meets monthly on the third Thursday of the month at Fisher Park Summit School. The first meeting of this school year is September 29th. The second meeting will be October 20th. OCASC also has a meeting for secondary school councils. The Secondary Schools Committee (SSC) is an OCASC standing committee meets monthly on the 2nd Thursday at Fisher Park School Library. The SSC recognizes the needs and challenges at the secondary level are much different from those at the elementary level. BOARD AND COMMITTEE MEETINGS Meetings that Matter.... Board and Committee of the Whole Meetings The next Committee of the Whole will be held September 20th. The Public session begins at 7:30 p.m. There are two big reports on the agenda next week - a report on our work on Stewardship and a report on the Gifted Program Review. For more information about the meeting please read the full agenda. Upcoming Committee Meetings: 9/26/2016 7:00 PM Alternative Schools Advisory Committee 9/26/2016 7:00 PM Advisory Committee on the Arts 9/28/2016 7:30 PM Audit Committee NOTE TIME CHANGE 9/29/2016 6:00 PM Advisory Committee on Equity 9/29/2016 6:30 PM Student Senate 9/29/2016 7:00 PM Ottawa Carleton Assembly of School Councils Boardroom Highlights can be found here. EVENTS AND REMINDERS Places to Go...Things to Remember Parent Conference 2016 and School Council Training Day We're very excited to announce that we will again be hosting the OCDSB Parent Conference. This year we will be incorporating the School Council Training Day into the Parent Conference. The conference is held in partnership with the Parent Involvement Committee (PIC) and the Ottawa-Carleton Assembly of School Councils (OCASC). Mark your calendar for Saturday, November 19, 2016 from 8:30 am to 12:30 am. There will be workshops on a wide range of topics including school council finances, well-being, learning and more. A full agenda will be released in October. Everyone is welcome and the session is free. We will be asking for all to register in advance to help us with our planning. Speaker Series 2015/2016 We will be holding our Speaker Series again this year. Stay tuned for a list of speakers, dates and times! The presentations begin at 7:00 p.m. Stay Connected OCDSB staff, students and community members can view the District's website. Keep in touch by following us on Twitter, visiting our Facebook and LinkedIn pages, and watching our videos on YouTube. About the Newsletter We get a lot of feedback about the newsletter and we are always happy to hear from you. Anyone can receive the newsletter. If you are not on our distribution list and would like to be please clickhere or email Communications@ocdsb.ca. At this time of year there are many changes on school council, please be sure to notify us about any change of email address. Many people forward the newsletter to others in their community. If you forward this message, please delete all of the text from the "forward e-mail" link at the bottom left of the newsletter (just outside of the purple border). Otherwise, anyone who receives the message can click the opt-out button at the bottom of the newsletter and will actually unsubscribe your name from our distribution list. This may explain why some regular users are being dropped from our distribution list. Have a wonderful weekend. Michele Michele Giroux Executive Officer, Corporate Services Ottawa-Carleton District School Board 613-596-8211 ext. 8607 michele.giroux@ocdsb.ca Public Education Doing it W.E.L.L. STAY CONNECTED