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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSchool Council Update 2016/11/11 - #10School Council Newsletter November 11, 2016 WHAT'S NEW... STRONGER TOGETHER ...that's the theme of the OCDSB 2016 United Way Campaign. The campaign runs until December 2nd. This year, we reached out to an incredible community partner, someone who embodies the spirit of being "Stronger Together" - that someone was Stuntman Stu. He shared a message with our staff about the importance of giving and that message was so powerful, I thought I would share it with you. STRONGER TOGETHER Did you know that when you make a donation to the United Way, you have the ability to direct it to the Education Foundation of Ottawa, which provides direct support to students in need at the OCDSB. At the OCDSB, we know that when we give to the United Way we are helping our community partners generate the resources needed to eliminate poverty, create breakfast programs, run after school homework clubs, support drug counselling for students, provide mental health services, and so much more. When we give, we are creating a community that is "stronger together". Dr. Jennifer Adams, Director of Education Parent Conference and School Council Training Day - November 19 Our parent conference and school council training day are only one week away! Have you registered yet? Take a look at the conference workshop descriptions - there are so many great options to choose from. 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! P.A. DAY - November 18th A reminder to all parents that Friday, November 18th will be a professional activity day in both elementary and secondary schools. Students do not attend school on that day. The extended day program will be operating on that day. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PROGRAM FRAMEWORK CONSULTATION The district has just released a draft Elementary School Program Framework (ESPF). The Framework explains that the district's model for elementary school program delivery is the designated community school model. The framework outlines our elementary program offerings, school configuration models, school size, and addresses single and dual track schools. Consultation on the ESPF is underway and we are interested in your feedback. There are a number of ways to get involved:   Discuss this issue at school council;  complete the survey; and/or  Send an e-mail. Consultation is planned between November 3 to December 21st. The survey deadline is December 13, 2016. The final staff report, including feedback gathered through consultation will be presented for discussion at the OCDSB Committee of the Whole meeting on January 17, 2017. For more information, visit our website to read the ESPF and/or our Frequently Asked Questions. If you have questions, please email us at ElementaryProgramFrameworkConsultation@ocdsb.ca. Continuing Education Newsletter - November/December 2016 Take a look at the latest edition of the Continuing Education Newsletter and what is coming up in our department. It is interactive, so please click anywhere to be linked to our website for more information on all of our programs. 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 January 10, 2017 - Woodroffe High School 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. January 11, 2017 - Gloucester High School 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. 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 December 6th from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. 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. Math Facts The Ontario Mathematics Curriculum is based on the belief that students learn mathematics most effectively when they are given opportunities to investigate ideas and concepts through problem solving and are then guided carefully into an understanding of the mathematical principles involved. At the same time, it of operational skills remains an important focus of the curriculum. Learn more about Balanced Mathematics Instruction here. Looking for resources and publications to help your child in math? Check out the Ministry of Education's website. 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 license agreements which allow 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 licenses are with Audio Cine Films Inc. and Criterion Pictures and you can learn more about reporting requirements on their websites http://www.acf-film.com and www.criterionondemand.com. 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. Translations Our district website and all school websites now translate into just over 100 languages. Use the translation button in the upper right hand corner of the website. 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 15th. The Public session will begin at 7:30 p.m. For more information about the meeting please read the full agenda. Matters for Discussion:  Report 16-114, Measuring Progress on Engagement  Report 16-132, Employee Well-being and Engagement - Absenteeism  Report 16-135, Supporting First Nations, Métis and Inuit Learners at the OCDSB Upcoming Committee Meetings: 11/16/2016 7:00 PM Special Education Advisory Committee 11/17/2016 7:00 PM Ottawa Carleton Assembly of School Councils 11/19/2016 8:30 AM Conference for Parents & School Councils 11/23/2016 7:00 PM Audit Committee 11/24/2016 6:00 PM Advisory Committee on Equity Boardroom Highlights can be found here. EVENTS AND REMINDERS Places to Go...Things to Remember NEW: Crystal Bay - Chapter's FUNraiser - Pinecrest Chapters/Indigo Please mention Crystal Bay when making your purchase.15% of the purchase will be donated to the school towards the construction of our Safety Zone to teach community safety skills to our students. W.E. Gowling Public School Holiday Craft Show See the arts and crafts of 60 local artisans and small business owners at W.E. Gowling's 3rd annual Holiday Craft Show. It takes place on Saturday, November 19th, 10:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. at 250 Anna Avenue. Proceeds from the craft show will go toward the long-term goal of a revitalized schoolyard, new play equipment, general supplies and technological tools. A list of vendors can be found here. Arts Cantebury - Open House - December 6th 7:00 p.m. Arts Canterbury will be hosting their annual Arts Open House on Tuesday, December 6th, at 7pm. This event is geared towards all students currently in grades 8-11 who are interested in auditioning for a spot in our district's Arts Program for September 2017. Arts Canterbury allows students an enriched arts program while fulfilling their Ontario Secondary School Diploma. The presentation will begin at 7pm in the school's auditorium addressing the audition process and requirements. Guests will then be invited to visit the arts area in which they are interested: Dance, Drama, Music (Instrumental, Orchestral Strings, or Vocal), Literary Arts, and Visual Arts. Please visit our website for more details. REMINDERS: International Baccalaureate Diploma Program - Information Sessions - November 23rd and 24th - 7:00 p.m. Colonel By Secondary School offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, a rigorous pre-university curriculum that students complete concurrently with their OSSD requirements. We are pleased to offer information sessions for students who would start grade 9 in September 2017. Join us for one of our information sessions on November 23 or 24, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. to learn more. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. We ask that parents/guardians sign up for one of the sessions by visiting our school website. The sessions are identical in content, and families need only attend one. Along with an explanation of what an IB education offers, the school staff will review the application process, and frequently asked questions will be posted to the website as well. 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