HomeMy WebLinkAboutSchool Council Update 2017/01/13 - #16School Council Newsletter
January 13, 2017
WHAT'S NEW...
Happy New Year! I hope that you had a wonderful holiday break and that your first
week back to school routine ran smoothly. January is a busy month - full of promise for the
new calendar year and lots of planning activity in preparation for the next school year. There
are a number of key dates and activities relating to exams, registration, information nights and
other events that you might want to mark on your calendar.
High School Exams
Students in secondary school, grades 9-12, exams run from Tuesday, January 23 through to
Friday January 27, 2017. Check your school website for a copy of the exam schedule. In the
event that an individual secondary school must be closed on a day during the examination
schedule, examinations scheduled to be written at that school on that day, will be written on
the next day that the school is open. Semester 2 begins Tuesday, January 31,
2017. KidsHelpPhone has a great tip sheet on studying that you might want to share with your
child. Parents can't do the studying, but they can help to remind students about the
importance of having a study plan with enough time for proper meals, sleep and some physical
activity.
High School Information Nights
All of our secondary schools host Grade 8 Parent Information Nights. These sessions are an
important opportunity for parents and students to learn more about high school and the
programs and pathways best suited to your child's needs.
Adult High School
If you or someone you know is thinking of going back to school - Registration for semester 2
takes place in January and classes begin on Friday, February 3, 2017. Adult High School is
open to residents of the City of Ottawa who are 18 years old or older. It is a full-time high
school. Classes are held Monday to Friday from 8:30 am - 2:30 pm. All of the courses are
credit courses that can be used towards an Ontario Secondary School Diploma. Call 613-239-
2707 - to register for second semester early in the new year.
Kindergarten Information Nights
If your child will be age four or five by December 31, 2017, they are ready for junior or senior
kindergarten starting September 2017. Students already in junior kindergarten do not have to
re-register for senior kindergarten. Visit your local school to register. Information on our
Kindergarten program can be found here.
2017-2018 Student Transfer Application Period: February 6-17th,
2017
If your child wishes to submit a student transfer request, the application period is between
February 6 and the 17th for next school year. Making a transfer request does not mean that
your request will be approved but following the process is essential for consideration.
Check here for the 4 basic steps to the process.
Middle French Immersion Registration Period - February 17th-23rd
Middle French Immersion starts in grade 4. If your child has completed the grade 3
English/Core French Program, together you can choose to enter your child in the Middle
French Immersion Program.
Ministry of Education's Renewed Early Years and Child Care Policy
Framework and Expansion Strategy
The Ministry of Education is developing a Renewed Early Years and Child Care Policy
Framework and Expansion Strategy to support an integrated system of child care and early
years programs focused on quality, affordability, access and responsiveness. The Framework
builds on important achievements to date and will include an expansion strategy to deliver on
the government's recently announced commitment to create 100,000 new child care spaces for
infants, toddlers and preschoolers over the next five years.
To help guide the consultation, the Ministry has developed a discussion paper, Building a
Better Future: A Discussion Paper for Transforming Early Years and Child Care in Ontario .
The paper outlines the current early years and child care system, provides an overview on the
proposed approach and includes some key discussion questions. Parents, families, early years
and child care partners, as well as the general public are invited to provide written feedback to
the Ministry by January 31, 2017 by accessing the online survey or attend one of the Town
Hall Sessions (one session in English and the other in French occurring simultaneously):
Location: Shaw Centre, 55 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON K1N 9J2
Date: January 17, 2017
Time: 7:00 - 9:00 pm (light refreshments will be provided)
Although these sessions aim to specifically to engage parents and families with children under 12
for their feedback, the sessions are open to everyone. Registration is not required.
Minister's Student Advisory Council (MSAC) applications are open
Students in grades 7-12 can apply to advise Ontario's Education Minister. Apply online today.
Deadline: February 9, 2017.
Ottawa Public Health (OPH) Immunization
A reminder that 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. Immunization protects
children from many serious diseases that are easily spread in schools. Learn more here.
Updating your child's immunization record
Any time your child gets a vaccination or booster shot you need to update their record with
Ottawa Public Health by:
Completing the Online Immunization Reporting to Ottawa Public Health
Fax: 613-580-9660
Mail: Immunization Program, 100 Constellation Dr., Ottawa, ON, K2G 6J8, 7th floor,
mail code 26-44
Phone 613-580-6744 Monday to Friday, 9 am to 4 pm
ImmunizeCA App: appottawa.immunize.ca
Ottawa Public Health Extreme Cold Weather Tips To Keep You and
Your Children Warm
When Ottawa Public Health issues a cold weather alert to the OCDSB, this information is
forwarded to schools. On days where schools receive the Ottawa Public Health Frostbite
Alert/Advisory (Wind chill of -25 or colder) or Frostbite Warning (Wind chill of -35 or colder),
principals are encouraged to keep students indoors for recess, lunch or class -based activities.
Check here for tips on dealing with the cold weather.
Flu Clinics
Ottawa Public Health will continue to offer free appointment-based clinics for children 6 months
to under 5 years old and their families until mid January, 2017. To register your child under 5,
call the Ottawa Public Health Information Line at 613-580-6744 (TTY: 613-580-
9656). Residents can also get their flu vaccine at their health care providers office, family
doctor, or at participating pharmacies.
Accommodation Planning
Online Community Engagement and Discussion
The third and final stage of our online consultation session was launched. You can DISCOVER the
results of our Thoughtexchange conversations here. All Public consultations have been
completed. If you have questions or concerns regarding the proposed changes for the reviews,
you can email easternsecondaryreview@ocdsb.ca or westernareareview@ocdsb.ca. The
Board of Trustees will consider all input and make a final decision in February/March 2017.
Math Facts
Take a look at our website about the math curriculum. It includes a description about
balanced math instruction as well as links to man y resources you may find helpful. For
secondary parents helping to navigate exams, you may be interested in the curriculum links.
SCHOOL COUNCIL BUSINESS
School Council Training
Missed the Bridging Home and School: Conference for Parents and Schoo l 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.
Funding for Play Structures and Playgrounds
Funding is available to assist school communities in developing their school grounds and
installing or replacing some of their play structures. Please submit your application using Form
700, as soon as possible. Approval will take into account equity, special circumstances and
other funding already in place. Project applications that did not receive funding in previous
years will be carried over; however, it is important to update the application to reflect the
current status. If you have any questions, please contact Dan Fournier at 613-596-8211 ext.
8690 or at daniel.fournier@ocdsb.ca.
BOARD AND COMMITTEE MEETINGS
Meetings that Matter....
Board and Committee of the Whole Meetings
The next Committee of the Whole Meeting will be January 24th. (Please note the meeting
scheduled for January 17th was cancelled). There are several items of interest on this agenda
including a report on the Elementary School Program Framework (report to be posted on
Monday, January 16th), the Complaints Resolution Policy and reports from the parent
Involvement Committee and the Special Education Advisory Committee. For more information
about the meeting please read the full agenda here.
Upcoming Meetings:
1/16/2017
7:00 PM Alternative Schools Advisory Committee
1/18/2017
7:00 PM Special Education Advisory Committee
1/19/2017
7:00 PM OCASC Secondary School Committee
1/19/2017
7:00 PM Ottawa Carleton Assembly of School Councils
1/23/2017
6:00 PM Parent Involvement Committee
Boardroom Highlights can be found here.
EVENTS AND REMINDERS
Places to Go...Things to Remember
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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Stay warm this weekend.
Michele
Michele Giroux
Executive Officer, Corporate Services
Ottawa-Carleton District School Board
613-596-8211 ext. 8607
michele.giroux@ocdsb.ca