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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSchool Council Update 2018/9/28 - # 4School Council Update #4 - September 28, 2018 I hope you and your families are well. It has been a difficult week as we've worked to recover from last Friday's storm. The work of recovery and rebuilding after a natural disaster of this magnitude is long-term. We will continue to offer support and encouragement to those impacted, and our thoughts are with all families still recuperating. Knoxdale Public School re-opened their doors to staff and students today, and it has been great to see everyone come together. I would like to thank the first responders, our staff, and the community members for all of their hard work. Also a huge thank you to everyone at West Carleton for their assistance in providing residents with food, shelter, and most of all, support. Important Information Concussion Management Speakers Series In honour of the first Rowan’s Law Day, we were extremely privileged to have Gordon & Kathleen Stringer and Dr. Vassilyadi; Pediatric Neurosurgeon, CHEO; Founder, CHEO Concussion Clinic; Ottawa Chapter Director for ThinkFirst/ Parachute; join us for our first Speakers Series of the school year. Attendees had the opportunity to hear from Rowan’s parents, who have driven Ontario to take the lead in concussion awareness and prevention, and to learn about concussion management, causes, symptoms, and recovery from Dr. Vassilyadi. We'd like to thank everyone who came out and made our first session of the year successful. For those interested, Dr. Vassilyadi's presentation is available on our website. Orange Shirt Day Orange Shirt Day is held each year on September 30. It is an opportunity for First Nations and non-First Nations to raise awareness about the legacy of Residential Schools in Canada, and to participate in a visual representation of solidarity and reconciliation. This year, September 30 falls on a Sunday - so OCDSB schools are commemorating Orange Shirt Day throughout this week, and into the first week of October. Events are taking place at schools in every zone in the District. Contact your school or visit our website for more information. Parent Conference & School Council Training Day The 2018 Parent Conference will be taking place on November 3rd, 2018. It's held in partnership with the Parent Involvement Committee (PIC) and the Ottawa- Carleton Assembly of School Councils (OCASC). We're very excited to announce Dr. Peg Dawson Ed. D, Co-author of Smart but Scattered, as our Featured Keynote Speaker. Thank you to everyone who participated in our ThoughtExchange survey and letting us know what you would like to see in terms of workshops at this year's conference. We will be announcing further details on the event shortly. Call for Community Representatives: Special Education Advisory Committee The OCDSB is seeking to appoint up to three community representatives, who have an interest in issues related to exceptional children, to sit on the Board’s Special Education Advisory Committee. The appointment will be effective from December 1, 2018 until November 14, 2022. The Committee meets monthly to consider and make recommendations to the Board regarding special education programs and services to exceptional children. If you are interested in serving on the Committee, please complete the online application form. Applications must be received by 4:00 p.m. Friday, October 26, 2018. To be eligible for nomination you must be a public school supporter living within the city of Ottawa. Employees of the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board are not eligible to apply. Reminders Municipal Elections - October 22nd The 2018 Municipal and School Board election is Monday, October 22nd. School board trustees are elected for a four year term. Check out these election resources prepared in English and French by the Ontario Education Services Corporation or check our website for more information. Continuing Education - Fall Newsletter Check out the Continuing Education Newsletter for September/October 2018, and have a look at what is coming up this Fall. Revised Health and Physical Education Curriculum, Grades 1 -8 You may have heard of some changes to the Health and Physical Education curriculum that were announced by the Minister of Education over the summer. Learn more about the changes here. School News There are a lot of amazing events going on in our district. Check out our new School News section of the website to learn about the great things happening in our schools! Earl of March Students and Staff Reaching Out to Victims of the Tornado Earl of March Secondary School's mission statement is “to provide a caring, challenging, and safe environment, which will encourage and motivate students to pursue excellence in all their endeavours.” The sentiment behind the statement is on display at the Kanata area secondary school on any given day. So it's not surprising to find students and staff have already started collecting non-perishable items, toiletries and gently-used clothing for the families affected by the tornado. Donations are also being accepted at the Ottawa Branch of the Red Cross. Want to spread the word about your event? Send us an email at: schoolnewslettersinfo@ocdsb.ca. We will help publicize your events on our website. School Council Information School Council Elections The election of school council members must be held within 30 days of the start of the school year. The school community should have 14 days notice of election. Any parent in the school is eligible to sit on school council. The details about the election process are outlined in the School Council Policy and in the School Council Elections Procedure. The election of officers (Chair, Co-chair, Secretary, Treasurer) happens after the members of the new council have been duly elected. Don't forget to review your school council constitution for specific provisions with respect to your school. New School Council - Contact Information Please send us an updated list of school council contact information after your elections. We are looking for names of school council chairs, vice-chairs and/or co-chairs. Send the information to Policy Analyst Engy Abdel Masieh at engy.abdel.masieh@ocdsb.ca. As soon as the new school council members are elected, please e-mail us the following:  Names  Phone numbers  Email addresses This information is shared with trustees and superintendents and is also used to keep you up to date on school council information. Annual Report - Due October 30, 2018 School Councils are required to submit an annual report to the District on its activities, including fundraising. The school council annual report is a requirement included in the "School Opening Documentation" process conducted by the principal. On or before October 30, 2018, please submit your school council annual report to your school principal and forward a copy to Policy Analyst Engy Abdel Masieh either by e-mail at engy.abdel.masieh@ocdsb.ca, or by mail to 133 Greenbank Road, Ottawa, ON K2H 6L3. Important Information for School Councils School Council Resource Guide School Council Funds Management Guide School Council Insurance Dates to Remember School Year Calendar The 2018-2019 school year elementary and secondary calendars are available on our website, and a hard copy was distributed to students and staff. The highlights include School Holidays, PA Days, and District-wide Secondary Testing. Board and Committee of the Whole Meetings The next Committee of the Whole meeting will be on October 2, 2018. Read the full agenda here. Watch the meeting live here. Upcoming Committee Meetings: 10/02/2018 7:30 PM Committee of the Whole 10/10/2018 7:00 PM Special Education Advisory Committee 10/15/2018 7:00 PM Alternative Schools Advisory Committee 10/16/2018 7:30 PM Committee of the Whole 10/17/2018 6:00 PM Parent Involvement Committee 10/18/2018 7:00 PM Indigenous Education Advisory Council Read our Boardroom Highlights here. 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.