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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSchool Council Update 2016/10/14 - #6School Council Newsletter October 14, 2016 WHAT'S NEW... Parents play such an important role in supporting learning - both at home and at school. Parent engagement is a priority of the school district. Last spring we invited parents to participate in the OCDSB Our Schools Parent Survey so that parents could share their thoughts about school climate. One of our goals in undertaking the survey was to increase the rate of parental participation - we know that the more parents we hear from, the better. We had a 73% increase in participation rates - 8843 responses, compared to 5112 responses in 2014. Your feedback is important for schools and the district. Schools use this information to develop their school learning plans and their well-being plans. At the district level, your feedback helps us to allocate resources and set priorities. Over the course of a school year, there are many ways that parents and educators can work together. You may want to read our booklet, Your Child's Education - Be a Part of It! for some helpful hints. Did you know this booklet is available in many languages? This is a great resource for parents and guardians whose first language is not English. Here are a few other important notes about parent engagement opportunities. Parent Conference 2016 and School Council Training Day November 19th 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Mark your calendar for Saturday, November 19, 2016 from 8:30 am to 12:30 am and plan to attend our OCDSB Parent Conference and School Council Training Day. The conference theme this year is "Bridging Home and School - What we want for our Learners". The conference is an amazing opportunity for parents and educators to learn together about issues related to learning, well-being, special education and school council best practices. The conference is held in partnership with the Parent Involvement Committee (PIC) and the Ottawa-Carleton Assembly of School Councils (OCASC). Everyone is welcome and the session is free - limited childcare spaces will be available. This year's conference will be held at Longfields-Davidson Heights School. Registration details will be launched next week! We're Looking for Parent Volunteers for the Parent Involvement Committee Are you a parent of an OCDSB student? Are you interested in public education, student achievement and well-being? Do you want to volunteer your time to make a difference in public education? We'd like to work with you. Apply to be a member of the OCDSB's Parent Involvement Committee. The Committee meets approximately 6 times per year. Persons interested in serving in this volunteer position on the PIC are invited to submit an online application by 23 November 2016. School Bus Safety Week - October 17-21st Next week is School Bus Safety Week in Ontario. School bus safety is another issue that parents and school staff have to work on together. The Ottawa Student Transportation Authority recently released a safety message in partnership with CAA, is reaching out to OCDSB schools to help send out an important message for students, parents and guardians, about how to get to school safely, no matter which mode of transportation they choose. Transportation safety is everyone's responsibility. You can find their brochure here. The Ministry of Transportation has some great diagrams and information about school bus safety zones on their website that you might want to look at. Getting ready for Post Secondary? Parents of grade 12 students - it is time to start exploring pathways beyond secondary school. There are some great resources available to help you and your child research future pathways. Think about attending one of the college or university fairs that are happening in town between October 24 and October 27. Check out the schedule for the Ottawa Region Ontario Universities Fair or visit the website. You might also want to explore eINFO - a comprehensive web resource that provides information about university programs, admission requirements, scholarships, residence and more for all 20 Ontario universities. For information on college programs, www.ontariocolleges.ca is a comprehensive web resource that provides information about college programs, admission requirements and more. Secondary Parents - Scholarship/Bursaries Did you know that there are many free resources available to assist you in your search for scholarships, bursaries and awards? Check out our website for more information or talk to your child's guidance counsellor for more information. Several deadlines are coming up. A few are listed below: The Horatio Alger Scholarship Program ($5000.00) is accepting applications until October 25th. TD Scholarship for Community Leadership. Apply by November 28th. The Loran Scholarship is accepting applications until October 22nd. Multi-Year Plan for Student Learning and Accommodation Planning Online Community Engagement and Discussion The first phase of our online consultation on the Eastern Secondary and Western Area student learning and pupil accommodation reviews closed on October 9th. Thanks for your input - almost 2,000 people participated and shared close to 8,000 thoughts! The next phase of the consultation begins October 24th - watch for more details. Reminders: Public Meetings There are two public meetings in each of the review areas. You may want to note the dates of the first meetings on your calendar if you plan to attend. Western Area Public Meeting - October 27, 2016 - 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. - Sir Robert Borden Eastern Secondary Review Public Meeting - November 1, 2016 - 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. - Rideau Advisory Committee Meeting Dates for Both Eastern Secondary and Western Area Reviews The Advisory Committees for both review areas will meet on the following dates from 7-9 p.m. October 20, 2016 November 9, 2016 December 6, 2016 Eastern Secondary Review Advisory Committee Meetings will be held at Ottawa Technical Secondary School. Western Area Review Advisory Committee Meetings will be held at Confederation Education Centre. You will find more information on the reviews here. Email If you have questions or concerns regarding the proposed changes for the reviews, you can email easternsecondaryreview@ocdsb.ca or westernareareview@ocdsb.ca Math Facts Homework Help for Students Grade 7 to 10 Homework Help provides free, live one-on-one tutoring from Ontario teachers Sunday to Thursday from 5:30pm - 9:30pm ET. The program is funded by the Ontario government and administered by TVO's Independent Learning Centre. To log in, students will need to register with their Ontario Education Number (OEN), found at the top of their report card near their name. Your child's OEN never changes so any of their Ontario report cards will have it. 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). Parents Reaching Out (PRO) Grants 2016-2017 The 2016-2017 funding to school councils for parent involvement activities and Parents Reaching Out (PRO) grants has been finalized. This year there were more applications and an exciting range of parent involvement activities approved by the Ministry. Congratulations to all school councils who were successful in being approved for a PRO Grant. In addition to the PRO grants, all school councils receive funding in the amount of $500. 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 Ottawa-Carleton Assembly of School Councils (OCASC) OCASC meets monthly on the third Thursday of the month at Fisher Park/Summit Alternative School. The next meeting will be October 20th. Learn more on the newly updated OCASC website. View OCASC's welcome letter here. BOARD AND COMMITTEE MEETINGS Meetings that Matter.... Board and Committee of the Whole Meetings The next Committee of the Whole Meeting will be held October 18th. Please note change in start time. The Public session will begin at 7:00 p.m. For more information about the meeting please read the full agenda. Gifted Program Review Recommendations - parents interested in the Gifted Program will want to read this report which will be discussed at the SEAC meeting on October 17th and at Committee of the Whole on October 18th. There will be consultation on these proposed changes beginning the end of October. Elementary Program Framework - this report outlines the framework for the delivery of our elementary programs. The framework focuses on the importance of 2 school configuration models, K-6 and K-8 elementary schools supported by 7-12 and 9-12 secondary schools. The elementary program framework also establishes the range of elementary programs available in the district. Upcoming Committee Meetings: 10/17/2016 7:00 PM Alternative Schools Advisory Committee 10/17/2016 7:00 PM Special Education Advisory Committee NOTE DATE CHANGE 10/20/2016 7:00 PM Ottawa Carleton Assembly of School Councils 10/20/2016 7:00 PM Western Area Review First Advisory Committee meeting 10/20/2016 7:00 PM Eastern Secondary Area Review First Advisory Committee meeting 10/24/2016 7:00 PM Advisory Committee on the Arts Boardroom Highlights can be found here. EVENTS AND REMINDERS Places to Go...Things to Remember NEW: Le Phare Elementary School presents Promoting Resilience in Young Children - Reaching In Reaching Out - Monday, October 17th - 7:00 p.m. - Guest Speaker - Carolyn Matson As long as we are living and breathing we can expect challenges and frustration in our daily lives. When things get tough, some people continue to move forward and others get stuck in a rut. People who are able to steer through difficult times are more resilient. They "bounce back" from stressful experiences. Research shows that people who are able to bounce back live long and have better health and happier relationships. People with resilience are also more successful in school and jobs. Here's some good news: resilience can be learned. Young children develop resilience by watching adults model resilient thinking and coping strategies in everyday situations. You are invited to a presentation about helping your child bounce back and steer through life's inevitable bumps in the road. More information about Reaching In Reaching out can be found here. REMINDERS: Longfields-Davidson Heights Secondary School Council - Bags2School and E-waste fundraisers - October 15th 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. LDHSS School Council will host a DOUBLE fundraising event on October 15th: Bags2School (a used clothes drive); and Ewaste (used electronics drive) Volunteers are needed, and your help is appreciated as the money raised will help supporting some school activities. You can find more information here. REMINDERS: OCDSB International Certificate Program Information Session - November 16th 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Join us for an information session Wednesday, November 16, 2016 - 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. at the Confederation Education Centre in the Cafetorium - 1645 Woodroffe Avenue. Looking for more information? Contact Kathy Scheepers, International Education Coordinator at 613-239- 0592 or kathy.scheepers@ocdsb.ca. 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