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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSchool Council Update 2016/10/28 - #8School Council Newsletter October 28, 2016 WHAT'S NEW... Thanks to all the parents who attended the Western Area Accommodation Review Public Meeting on October 28th. It was great to see so many parents, guardians and community members in attendance. Your input is really important to this process. We have updated the frequently asked questions section of our website with more information. I am not sure we have had a chance to answer all of your questions, but you can read more here. It was a surprise to leave the meeting and discover the snow had arrived! With colder temperatures and snow on the ground, it seems this is a good opportunity for a reminder about ensuring children come to school dressed for the weather and outdoor play! As adults, we need to think about the changing road conditions, especially around school buses and children walking to school. Register for 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 on November 19th from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Longfields-Davidson Heights School. A limited number of childcare spaces will be available for children between the ages of 4 and 10. You can apply for a childcare space with your registration. Register Now! Elementary Report Cards Parents of elementary students can expect progress reports on or around November 10th. The fall progress report card is good indicator for parents about how well their child is progressing and can identify where a student may need additional help. For each subject, teachers will check whether the students are: (1) Progressing With Difficulty, (2) Progressing Well, or (3) Progressing Very Well. Elementary schools will have a P.A. Day on November 18th and parent/teacher interviews will be scheduled then. Check your school newsletter/website for details about how to schedule your interviews. Before the interview, it's a good idea to prepare for the conversation - here are some tips. For more information on Assessment, Evaluation and Reporting, check out of parent guide. Remembrance Day 2016 Ottawa-Carleton District School Board students and staff will come together on Friday, November 11th, Remembrance Day, to honour past and present members of the Canadian armed forces (soldiers, sailors and airmen). Ceremonies will include assemblies, choir and glee club presentations, reading of poems and dramatic productions. Students have spent many weeks researching the importance of celebrating the day that marks the date and time when armies stopped fighting in World War I. Parents and community members are welcome to join school assemblies or the ceremony at the District Administration Building at 133 Greenbank Road which begins at 10:30 a.m. Consultation on New Draft Complaints Resolution Policy The Board is in the process of developing a policy to provide information and guidance for the parent/public community who are seeking resolutions of their complaints or concerns. As part of the consultation plan, we want to provide all school councils and parents/guardians with an opportunity to provide input and feedback on the new draft policy. The draft policy may be viewed on the District's website. Please forward comments on the proposed new policy to susan.baker@ocdsb.ca no later than 22 November 2016. Planning Post-Secondary Pathways? If you have a grade 12 student and are trying to sort your way through the planning process for post secondary, here are some helpful resources: eINFO - A guide to Ontario's universities for secondary school students. Use eINFO to: · Search for programs, prerequisites and grade requirements using the Program Finder, · Browse university scholarships and awards, · Research details about each university's residences and meal plans, · Gather information about campus visits and language requirements, · Find answers to frequently asked questions, and · Pinpoint university locations. Common University Data Ontario (CUDO) is a source of detailed information about each Ontario university. More information about applying to university in Ontario may be found on the Ontario University Application Centre website: at: www.ouac.on.ca. Students applying to universities outside Ontario must apply directly to out-of-province universities using application information available on the university's website. Programs, fees and prerequisites vary by university. In the next couple of weeks, OCDSB students in grade 12 should receive a letter with registration information for the Ontario Universities Application Centre (OUAC) and/or Ontario College Application System (OCAS). Watch for this information as it is required in order to start the post secondary application process. If you do not receive it, or have questions, the school guidance office will be happy to help you. 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. 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 A reminder that the first Eastern Area public meeting is coming up. Eastern Secondary Review Public Meeting - November 1, 2016 - 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. - Rideau Please note that there is an Open House from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. on both dates which will include displays and exhibits and staff will be available for questions. The formal part of the meeting begins at 7:00 p.m. 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. 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. Translations Our website now translates webpages into just over 100 languages. OCENET - Making Global Connections Great global education initiatives happening in the OCDSB. Check out OCENET's Global Connections Newsletter. Math Facts Math - How to Help our Children - Workshop - Merivale High School - Tuesday November 8th 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. Merivale High School is proud to host this workshop on, Tuesday, November 8th from 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. Everyone is welcome to join us in the school library. Child care is available in the cafeteria (main doors). Our guest speaker, Anne Teutsch, will guide us in attaining information and a better understanding of the variety of resources available to families in assisting our students with a focus on mathematics and numeracy. Please feel free to contact MHS school council at lorrievidalin@gmail.com or mbmcfaul@gmail.com. SCHOOL COUNCIL BUSINESS School Council Reminders If you have not already done so, please send your school council contact information to Susan Baker at susan.baker@ocdsb.ca - School name, chair/co-chair name(s), phone number(s), and email address(es). School Councils are also required to submit to the District an annual report on its activities, including fundraising activities 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 Movie Nights This fall, many of you asked questions about school movie nights and what restrictions apply. The OCDSB has a license agreement (license option B) which allows all schools and/or school councils to screen legally obtained commercially available feature length films. This means that you can host a movie night in your school outside of regular school hours, as a school related fundraiser, and for audiences including students, parents, siblings and family members. The license is with Audio Cine Films and you can learn more on their website. School Council Communication Ideas School councils are often looking for ideas about how to improve communication with the parent community. You may be interested in taking a look at some of the resources available on the People for Education website. There are Tips for Parents sheets on a range of topics, including parent involvement in school, homework, special education, EQAO, making high school choices and much more. The great thing is that these tip sheets are available in a wide range of languages in addition to English and French, there are Arabic, Chinese, Spanish, Hindi, Korean, Punjabi, Somali, Urdu, Tagalog and Tamil translations. School Council Finances By now, most of you will have your new school councils in place. A challenge for every council is the continuity of operations as old members leave and new ones join. This is particularly true for school council treasurers who need to get financial records from the previous treasurer. The treasurer performs a key role on school council. The upcoming Conference for Parents and School Councils will offer workshops on school council finances. All school councils should ensure that the list of authorized signing officers for school council transactions is updated, all cheques are signed by two authorized signing officers, a monthly financial report is presented at school council meetings, and a year-end report is completed each year and filed with the Council and the District. BOARD AND COMMITTEE MEETINGS Meetings that Matter.... Board and Committee of the Whole Meetings The next Committee of the Whole Meeting will be held November 8th. The Public session will begin at 7:30 p.m. For more information about the meeting please read the full agenda. Upcoming Committee Meetings: 11/1/2016 7:00 PM Eastern Secondary Area Review First Public Meeting 11/2/2016 6:00 PM Parent Involvement Committee 11/3/2016 6:00 PM Advisory Committee on Equity 11/3/2016 6:30 PM Student Senate 11/9/2016 7:00 PM Western Area Review Second Advisory Committee meeting 11/9/2016 7:00 PM Eastern Secondary Area Review Secondary Advisory Committee meeting 11/10/2016 7:00 PM OCASC Secondary School Committee Boardroom Highlights can be found here. EVENTS AND REMINDERS Places to Go...Things to Remember NEW: New Findlay Creek School We're celebrating the construction of a new elementary school in Ottawa South. A ground breaking ceremony will be held on Friday, November 4th at 11:00 a.m. The school at 4180 Kelly Farm Drive is expected to open in September 2017. Rainbow Youth Forum - Thursday November 3rd All OCDSB high school students are invited to attend the 12th Annual Rainbow Youth Forum which is put on in collaboration with the Rainbow Youth Service Providers Network. The forum is a celebration of our diversity and a day to learn together. Educators and students will interact with dynamic speakers, listen to inspiring stories, and receive valuable information to help embed character education and cultural proficiency into our daily practice, and encourage safer, more inclusive school environments. For more information about the Rainbow Youth Forum please contact the student services office at your child's school or email rainbowyouthforum@ocdsb.ca.When: Thursday, November 3, 2016 - 8:20 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Where: Confederation Education Centre REMINDERS: 11th Annual Pleasant Park /Hawthorn Used Book Sale - October 29th 9:00 a.m. The popular Pleasant Park/Hawthorne Used Book Sale is on Saturday, October 29th at 9 a.m.. This important fundraiser features thousands of gently used books. It also helps to enhance the student experience at both schools in a variety of ways. Funds collected go toward a number of initiatives including new gym equipment, electronic supplies and library books. The sale takes place at Pleasant Park Public School, 564, Pleasant Park Road, (at Lynda Lane). In addition to books there will be a bake sale, chili lunch and free coffee courtesy of Starbucks. There is ample free parking. People who wish to donate books for the event can drop off books between October 24th - 27th at Pleasant Park Public School (8 a.m. - 4 p.m. through the front doors or 6:30 - 8:30 p. m. through the gym door). Churchill Alternative School presents - Beyond Measure - November 9th 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Churchill Alternative School invites you to a special screening of Beyond Measure, an inspiring documentary that challenges the assumptions of our current education story. Imagine an education system that values personal growth over test scores. Inquiry over mimicry. Passion over rankings. What if we decide that the purpose of school is not the transmission of facts or formulas, but the transformation of every student? Meet the public schools that are daring to reimagine education. And making it happen. Location: Nepean High School - 574 Broadview Ave Click here to view the trailer: https://vimeo.com/141805506 Click here for tickets: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/beyond-measure-presented-by-churchill- alternative-school-tickets-28695203125 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