HomeMy WebLinkAboutSchool Council Update 2016/11/25 - #12School Council Newsletter
November 25, 2016
WHAT'S NEW...
Bridging Home and School: Conference for Parents and
School Councils
Our thanks to the parents/ guardians, school councils and educators who joined us at the
Bridging Home and School: Conference for Parents and School Councils. For those of you
who joined us, we hope you found the day to be a positive and engaging day of learning. If you
missed it or you attended and want a copy of a presentation, please visit our website to learn
more and find copies of the presentations.
Speaker series
Importance of Sleep in Children and
Adolescents
Sleep is so important to learning, well-being, and self-
regulation. We have collaborated with the Children's Hospital of
Eastern Ontario (CHEO), the OCDSB is pleased to present a free
information session for parents with tips from experts about the
importance of sleep and how to develop good sleeping habits in
children and youth. Free Admission and Parking.
December 12th - 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Longfields-Davidson Heights Secondary School
Register here.
Do you have a fantastic and creative idea on how to engage your
students in any of the four official arts disciplines - Dance,
Drama, Music or Visual Arts?
Would $2,000 help make this happen for your school? The Marjorie Loughrey Artists in the
Schools Program bursary application is now open. The grant application and description forms
are both attached for your information. This grant is available to all Elementary schools in the
OCDSB. Marjorie Loughrey was a dedicated trustee and former Chair at the Ottawa Board of
Education. She was often called the Guardian Angel for the Arts, both at the local educational
level, as well as at the municipal level. She believed that an education in the arts was
fundamental to the emotional, intellectual and social development of every child.
The completed application must reach the Education Foundation of Ottawa by Friday May 5,
2017. The Selection Committee will make their decision in June to allow time for planning for
the Fall. Please email any questions and completed package
to chris.mcgarvey@ocdsb.ca or benjamin.gardiner@ocdsb.ca.
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
Immunization Schedule. Immunization protects children from many serious diseases that are
easily spread in schools. Learn more here.
Parents are required to report all immunizations done at the doctor's office to OPH. Under
this Act, OPH has the authority to suspend students from school. Due to the size of our
District, OPH is dividing its surveillance campaign into two phases. The first phase of
notification letters to parents alerting them of missing documentation was sent out on
November 15, 2016 and the second on November 22, 2016. Suspensions for the first group
will commence on February 8, 2017 and for the second group on February 22, 2017 so it is
very important to ensure your child's immunizations are up to date.
Snow Days and Inclement Weather
The Ottawa Student Transportation Authority (OSTA) makes this decision between 4:00 and
5:30 a.m. when there is inclement weather. OSTA staff monitor the forecast every four hours,
even in the middle of the night and take into consideration the type of precipitation, how long it
is forecasted to last, the amount of expected precipitation and the air temperature. OSTA
services a large geographical area, and they have to consider weather and road conditions
across the entire jurisdiction. Once OSTA makes the decision, they contact the school district
and we start communicating with parents through the media, social media, websites, etcetera.
You can monitor the OSTA or OCDSB websites. When there is a snow day, yellow bus service
is cancelled, but OC Transpo high school routes continue to operate. All schools remain open
for students.
Whether it is a snow day or not, with ice and snow on the roads, all drivers and pedestrians in
and around schools need to use caution and to proceed safely. Please use extra caution and
slow down in school parking lots or pick up and drop off areas. Also, a reminder to parents to
ensure that students are dressed appropriately for outdoor play. The OCDSB has a procedure
regarding extreme weather conditions and we monitor the forecast issued by Environment
Canada.
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.
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.
Western Area Review Advisory Committee Meetings will be held at Confederation Education
Centre. You will find more information on the reviews here.
Eastern Secondary Review Advisory Committee Meetings will be held at Ottawa Technical
Secondary School.
An additional committee meeting has been added for the Eastern Secondary Review
on November 30th at 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. at Gloucester High School.
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
Check out our presentation on Supporting Your Child in Math from this year's Parent
Conference. This session explored ways to increase parent engagement in your child's
mathematics learning.
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 Council Training
Missed the Bridging Home and School: Conference for Parents and School Councils? Check
out the School Council presentations online on our website: Best Practices for School
Councils, PRO Grants - From Application to Reporting, School Council Insurance and Risk
Management, School Council Finance.
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
On Thursday, December 1st at 7:00 p.m. we will be holding the Board Organizational
Meeting (Public). This is the annual meeting wherein trustees elect a Chair and Vice-Chair
along with the appointment of the Boards and Committees.
Upcoming Committee Meetings:
11/28/2016
7:00 PM Advisory Committee on the Arts
11/28/2016
7:00 PM Alternative Schools Advisory Committee
11/29/2016
6:00 PM Trustee Pre-Budget, PD Session
11/29/2016
7:30 PM Special Board Meeting
11/29/2016
8:00 PM Committee of the Whole, Budget
11/30/2016
7:00 PM Eastern Secondary Area Review Third Advisory Committee Meeting
12/1/2016
6:30 PM Student Senate
Boardroom Highlights can be found here.
EVENTS AND REMINDERS
Places to Go...Things to Remember
NEW:
Goulbourn Middle School Craft and Vendor Sale- December
3rd
We are excited to share that we are hosting a Holiday Craft and Vendor Fair as a school-
based fundraiser this year. This event takes place on Saturday, December 3rd from 9:00 a.m.
to 3:00 p.m. We have 36 crafters and other vendors who will be selling their wares in our gym.
There will also be a used book sale, a bake sale, and a canteen. We hope to see you there.
REMINDERS:
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.
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
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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