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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSchool Council Update 2021/11/08 - # 3School Council Update #3 November 8, 2021 School Council Information You Asked... Volunteering and Breakfast Programs Do you have questions about school council activities or how to be involved in your school this year? We're here to help answer them. Submit your questions through our online form. Here are some answers to questions we've heard from school councils: Can I volunteer in-person at my child's school? As a preventative health and safety measure, in-person school access by visitors, including volunteers, is currently restricted. At this time, in -person access is restricted to only those staff and visitors required for school operations or meeting student achievement and well-being goals. We appreciate the work of parents and volunteers within our District, and we are grateful for your ongoing commitment and support. Please speak with your school principal if you have questions about ways to get involved virtually and/or through School Council. How do police checks and other screenings work for volunteers? The use of volunteers in schools is covered by the Procedure PR.555.SCO. The process of screening for volunteers begins at the very moment a person applies or is recruited to the time he/she terminates this commitment. The degree of screening is dependent upon the volunteer activity, the extent of interaction with, and responsibility for, students, and the degree of direct supervision of the volunteer. Initial screening tools include but are not limited to:  a) volunteer intake interview;  b) reference checks;  c) police record check;  d) TB tests Please refer to sections 4.20 and 4.21 of the procedure for more detailed information about levels of risk and screening processes. When can breakfast programs begin at schools? Every school that wishes to have a breakfast program will have access to one. At this time, breakfast programs have commenced at ap proximately 89 schools. Google Accounts for School Councils All School Councils have an OCDSB Google Account, which includes an OCDSB email address (e.g. sc-schoolname@ocdsb.ca). Council chairs should be using the OCDSB Google account when creating the Google Meet events for your virtual school council meetings. If you don't have access to this account, please ask the school’s Principal. If needed, they can request the login credentials from the Client Service Centre (CSC). Further School Council information and resources can be found on our website. Reminders Trustee Electoral Zone Boundary Review The OCDSB has 12 elected trustees and each trustee represents one electoral zone. These zones must be based on the City’s ward boundaries. The City of Ottawa has adopted a new ward structure that will be used for the next three municipal elections. The OCDSB must adjust its trustee zone boundaries to align with these new wards. Visit our consultation page to learn more, review our preliminary electoral zone models, and share your feedback. Watch a recording of the virtual town hall to learn more about the process. It is important to note a review of electoral zone boundaries does not impact on the school attendance boundary - where students go to school is not affected by electoral zone boundary changes. Coming Soon! A New Look for the School Council Newsletter We're pleased to announce that we will be launching a new format for the school council newsletter in December. Our redesigned newsletter and webpage will make it easier than ever for school councils to access and share important updates and resources. As we work on this refresh, we want to hear from you. Does your council have an innovative initiative or success story that you would like to share with us? Tell us about it at schoolnewslettersinfo@ocdsb.ca. Have a question about a topic you'd like to see covered in a future newsletter? Submit it through our online form. Board and Committee Meetings The next public Committee of the Whole meeting will be held on November 9th, from 7:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Watch the meeting live here. Upcoming Board and Committee Meetings:  November 8: Advisory Committee on the Arts  November 17: Parent Involvement Committee  November 18: Indigenous Education Advisory Council  November 18: Student Senate  November 18: OCASC  November 22: Audit Committee, Public  November 23: Board, Public  November 25: Advisory Committee on Equity  November 29: Alternative Schools Advisory Committee  December 1: Board Organizational Meeting For a summary of our board meetings, read our Boardroom Newsbriefs here. Connect with Us Visit our website About the Newsletter 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 border). Otherwise, anyone who receives the message can click the opt- out button at the bottom of the newsletter and unsubscribe your name from our distribution list. If you are not on our distribution list feel free to subscribe or email communications@ocdsb.ca.