April 30, 2021

Hello,

We hope that this blog finds you, your families, and loved ones well. 

Normally at this time of year we begin the process to set classrooms for September. However, all schools have been asked to hold off on the process for now as the board investigates the possibility of  permanent virtual options for families. This will be a family decision. 

Please continue to inform us of any change of address.

To help support student mental health and well-being for all, the Professional Support Services team has developed a wide variety of resources, including culturally responsive and relevant resources in line with this year’s theme of Coping, Caring and Connecting. Please view the link: TDSB Children's Mental Health Week

And, join and follow the conversation online at #copingcaringconnecting and see how schools are supporting mental health and well-being with their students.

Parents/Guardians, Hodgson Transition Information:

Every year Hodgson welcomes over a third of our students transitioning from grade 5 to grade 6 from our 4 feeder schools: Davisville JPS, Eglinton JPS, Maurice Cody JPS and Oriole Park PS.  We would normally host a parent evening and invite our students to attend a transitions event as well.  This year however, public health measures have hindered our normal process and how we welcome our students into Hodgson Middle School.  Our transitions team is in the process of making a film that will be shared with our feeder schools and is scheduled to be posted and released the first week of June.  This way families can watch at a time that is convenient for them and classroom teachers can post on their google classrooms offering students and caregivers more than one opportunity to watch.  Our grade 8 Extended French class has put together a fantastic virtual tour of the inside of the school that will also be included.  We are anticipating that there will be many questions as the transition to middle school is both exciting and can create some anxiousness.  We will be asking our feeder school parents to view our film and direct questions to the administrative team at Hodgson.  We will then formulate answers to those questions and post them on our website and forward a Q and A to our feeder school principals.  Students and caregivers will also receive a welcome package with all the information needed for a successful transition to middle school at the end of June.  As always, we are so excited to welcome our incoming grade 6s to Hodgson Middle school.

Students and Parents

Are invited to login to Discovery Education using their Student TDSB login and password  https://office365.discoveryeducation.ca/

Wednesday May 5, 2021 07:00 PM

Topic: Family Night: Join the Coding- Experience!

Register in advance for this webinar:   https://tdsb-ca.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_9tYol_xcTQawQBEoNhVXNA

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Mindfulness in May DPS School Council invites you to join them and instructor Tina Carlson, an IMTA certified mindfulness teacher with UCLA's Mindful Awareness Research Center for a variety of programming in May. Thursday May 13 - 6:30 - 7:30 pm JK-Grade 2 - Mindful PJ Party  Thursday May 20 - 6:30 - 7:30 pm Grades 3-6 - Mindful Super Heroes Thursday May 27 - 8:00 - 9:30 pm - For Parents and Caregivers - Mindfulness and Equity: Natural Partners  To join, please register here -https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfKEy0hgWHQwH_unQM2D34JM0pfWWKC4ifvW6X9Bj-6NOWZxQ/viewform

 

TDSB Professional Support Services Join us for our Virtual Drop-Ins! Connect directly with staff from TDSB Professional Support Services. Join us to explore ideas regarding your child or youth's mental health and well-being.  §  Tuesdays, 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. §  Thursdays 7 p.m. - 8 p.m.   Join us for Virtual Office Hours for parents/caregivers of students with special/complex needs. §  Wednesdays, 7 p.m. - 8 p.m.  The focus of the office hour will be on supporting mental health and well-being.    Information about virtual drop-ins and other mental health resources are available here: https://www.tdsb.on.ca/In-Person-Learning/Resources-During-Covid-19

And some items from Trustee Laskin's Week of April 26 Update:

Ward 8 PARTS/Community Meetings/Updates

Please also know there will be a community meeting to discuss Hodgson Middle School's Planned Addition on May 3rd from 7-8:30pm. This is your opportunity to hear about the new addition, transition plans and provide feedback. Pease register by clicking this link. in advance. Read the invitation from Superintendent Andrew Howard. Three of the 4 feeder schools to Hodgson are in Ward 8 - Davisville Jr Public School, Eglinton Jr Public School and Oriole Park Jr Public School. Hodgson MS and  Maurice Cody Jr Public School, are part of Ward 11 with Trustee Rachel Chernos Lin. A follow up meeting is scheduled for: Monday, May 17th, 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM. For more information about the new addition at Hodgson Middle School , please visit: http://www.tdsb.on.ca/AccommodationReviews: Click on “Hodgson Middle School New Addition” under “Other Reviews”.

Breaking Barriers by Changing Biases

TDSB’s Parent Involvement Advisory Committee (PIAC)  invites all parents, guardians  and caregivers to take part in our Spring Event “Breaking Barriers by Changing Biases”.

Join us virtually on May 1st and 2nd via Zoom.

 Register here to receive the Zoom Link. 

Important Links

• Learning Centre 1 Virtual Elementary School Contact List
• Virtual Secondary School Contact List
• Supports for Virtual Learning  
• Support for Your Mental Health and Well-Being During COVID-1
  
• In-Person Learning

April 23 DPS and SA Updates

Hello,

As we enter our week back from Spring break, we would like to take this opportunity to inform you of some important reminders:

Daily Student Attendance:
Please use the SafeArrival for reporting your child's absence. Attendance is taken twice daily (a.m. and p.m.). If your child is going to be late or absent, please also inform gunjan.upadhyay@tdsb.on.ca for Davisville and jyothisatyan.hiremaglur@tdsb.on.ca for Spectrum or call 1.833.250.2290 to leave a central message.

Please do not leave a message on the general voice mailbox as staff are also working remotely. Please use email as the best option.

If your child is experiencing difficulty in attending remotely, please outreach directly to your child's educator or the Admin for suggestions as to how we can best support your child. This may include requesting a partial or full exemption. The process for applying for an exemption from the minimum requirements of synchronous (live, interactive) learning remains the same and is outlined at this link.  A separate application is required for each student.  Attendance taking is now a requirement for all exempted students, including those that have been granted a full exemption from the minimum requirements of synchronous learning.  

Partial Exemptions from the Minimum Requirements of Synchronous Learning

Attendance will be taken twice daily at the elementary level and per course at the secondary level, in accordance with TDSB elementary and secondary attendance procedures.   For clarity, if a student that has been granted a partial exemption does not participate in remote learning during a scheduled remote learning day the student should be recorded with an “A” in the pupil’s Attendance Record.

Full Exemptions from the Minimum Requirements of Synchronous Learning

Attendance will be recorded twice weekly on Tuesdays (for Monday and Tuesday) and Fridays (for Wednesday to Friday).  A student absence will be recorded with an “A.”  Moving forward a “G” may no longer be used for recording absences of students with a full exemption.  Students with a full exemption may be marked present if they have been engaged with their teacher in one or more of the following ways:

• submission of work at least once weekly
• phone conferences
• other communications such as Brightspace, Google Classroom, emails, etc.

Timetable:

Please note all classes will continue to follow the Bricks and Mortar timetable while we are in Remote Learning. If you have any questions, please reach out to your child's educator.

TDSB Elementary Summer School:
The focus of the Elementary Summer School Program is to continue student learning and engagement through the month of July. Programs, embedded in Literacy and Numeracy, are developed by the local summer school Principal to reflect the local school focus. Thirty-eight (38) programs are offered to students in Kindergarten to Grade 8, from July 5 to 30, 2021, in-person or online through virtual instruction.
Registration is now open! Click here for a full list of participating schools and registration information.
 
TDSB Grade 8 Summer Reach-Ahead Opportunity
Current TDSB Grade 8 students are eligible to register for either 1) the TDSB Continuing Education, Hybrid or Remote Secondary Full Credit Summer Reach-Ahead course, GLD2O1, or 2) the fully online, e-Summer Full Credit Summer Reach Ahead course, GLD2OE.
Course Description
GLD2O1/E- Exploring My Future – Grade 10 – Open
Students will enhance their literacy and numeracy skills, increase their essential skills and personal development, be supported in their transition to secondary school and develop friendships through positive relationship building.
Program Options:
Option 1: In-Person Hybrid and Remote, Continuing Education, Secondary Credit - GLD2O1
Should an announcement be made that only remote learning can take place, hybrid students need to be prepared to pivot to remote learning.
Session: One session in July through Continuing Education
When: July 5 to 30, 2021 (20 days)
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 3:15 p.m. (Note: Attendance is mandatory daily)
 
Option 2: e-Summer Secondary Credit - GLD2OE
Sessions: July and August
When:   July 5 to July 29, 2021 (19 days)
           August 3 to 27, 2021 (19 days)
Time: This Grade 9 Reach Ahead course, GLD2OE, is being offered through e-Learning in both July and August. The course is delivered daily through a flexible schedule that includes both synchronous and asynchronous learning. The teacher will establish synchronous class times with their students. Students should plan to allocate about six hours daily to this course.
Mandatory Online Credit: Successful completion of GLD2OE through only e-Summer (not through Continuing Education) will count towards the student’s mandatory e-Learning credits.
Please note: Space is limited, and the course may fill up prior to the close of registration.
Continuing Education students are responsible for providing their own learning materials, including laptops/internet access. These are not provided by Continuing Education.
Grade 8 students are not eligible to enrol into any other Secondary Credit or e-Summer courses.
For more information, please click here.

New Build Update:

 Although we can’t see it right now, our new school is coming along wonderfully. The work continues both inside and outside the building. We have finalized selecting all the furniture, including sizes, quantities and colours now and eagerly await their arrival during the summer months. The good work also continues with the Section 37 playground funds. Thank you again to Lynne, Charles and Geordie for their hard work. All the forms are submitted from our end. We look forward to the confirmation from the City around our funding request of $85,000.00. Please hold the evening of May 11^th for a Virtual Community Update meeting. Details to follow.

 Aquatic Center Consultation:

 I was pleased to attend the first of three Aquatic Center Steering Committee meetings. The committee is looking to extend it’s invitation to our larger community as we work to ensure all cultures and communities are represented as decisions are made about what the new Aquatic Center will look like and how it will function. If you are interested in attending the next two meetings, please email me directly. We are specifically looking for voices that haven’t yet been heard.

Online Resources:

These resources outline and explain how families can speak to their children about race and Online racism and how that looks differently for different ages. 

Online Resource Engaging My Child: Parent Tip Tool https://www.apa.org/res/parentresources/engaging-my-child

Online Resource How to Talk to Kids about Race and Racism https://www.parenttoolkit.com/social-andemotional-development/advice/socialawareness/how-to-talk-to-kids-about-raceand-racism 

Resource RESilience: Uplifting Youth Through Healthy Communication About Race https://www.apa.org/res/parentresources/index 

Online Resource Dear Child- When Black Parents Have to Give the Talk https://youtu.be/Mkw1CetjWwI 

Online Resource Muslim Parents Open Letter to their Children https://youtu.be/-TBPsFt7w0k 

Online Resource Teaching Tolerance Magazine https://www.tolerance.org/magazine

Other Information:

Alternative Schools Community Advisory Committee Meeting

Ontario College of Teachers Parent, Learner, Education Invite

Virtual Community Meeting-Hodgson Update

Mindful in May at Davisville:

DPS/SA Lost and Found Items

DPS/SA New Build Images

Student Virtual Learning IT Support

TDSB Virtual Library

TDSB Brightspace

Upcoming Dates: 

May 5 Spectrum Council 

May 11 Community Meeting Save the Date

April 9

Week of April 9, 2021

We would like to take this opportunity to say thank you for the flexibility from all as we unexpectedly pivoted to remote learning once again.

As we come to the end of this week, we wish all our families a wonderful Spring break. 

School will be closed for a holiday from April 12-16^th, reopening on Monday, April 19^th. Please listen to the news and watch for more updates coming about if we are returning to bricks and mortar schools (fingers crossed) or remaining in virtual for a short time longer. We know how difficult the changes are students, parents and staff. We thank you for your ongoing flexibility and patience.

 Staff have worked through the new staffing models for next year. Davisville will have 32 teachers next year (down 1 from this year) and will have a much heavier English stream presence (15 English stream classrooms and 9 French Immersion stream classrooms) as many students in the French Immersion stream have left the program. Davisville is projected to have 526 students. Spectrum will have 3 teachers next year (up a 0.5 teacher from this year). The additional allocation is a Special Education allocation. Students attending Spectrum will now have much greater access to support.

We had our first meeting with the Manager of the moving company this week. We reviewed items to be moved, getting boxes and tape and tape machines. We also did a walk of the school so they could see the scope of work. We will be meeting with TDSB staff on April 19^th to begin discussing timing of the move and support. We will keep you updated. It’s so exciting!!!!

Upcoming dates:

Spectrum Council Wednesday April 28

We are available if you have any questions/concerns/ideas. Please send either Shona.Farrelly@tdsb.on.ca or Wanda.bozzo@tdsb.on.ca an email. 

DPS/SA Weekly Photos

DPS/SA Lost and Found Items

DPS/SA New Build Images

DPS/SA Student Attendance for Remote Learning:

Students are encouraged and expected to attend virtual school while we are not in bricks and mortar schools. If your child is ill or cannot attend virtual school, please email Gunjan.Upadhyay@tdsb.on.ca (Davisville) and  JyothiSatyan.Hiremaglur@tdsb.on.ca (Spectrum) directly. This will stop an “absence call”. If your child is experiencing difficulty in attending, please outreach directly to your child’s educator for suggestions as to how we can best support them.

TDSB Elementary Summer School

Programs are offered to students in K-Grade 8, from July 5-30, 2021. Visit our website for more information and to register: http://bit.ly/3fg60D4

Flemington P.S. K-8 Summer School

Student Virtual Learning IT Support

TDSB Virtual Library

TDSB Brightspace

TDSB Message to Parents, Guardians and Caregivers,

Next week, all students, both virtual and in-person learners, will be on April Break. I hope you have an opportunity to relax, rest and take a break from what has been a complicated and challenging school year.

I want to thank you for continuing to follow the health and safety measures while schools were open. Our collective efforts made a difference in the health and safety of our school communities. As you know, the province has implemented a province-wide shutdown for four weeks in response to the worsening trends of COVID-19 across Ontario and in Toronto. We must all continue to follow the public health measures to help prevent and limit the spread of COVID-19, including:

• Socializing only with your own household
• Staying home if you feel ill and getting tested
• Participating in the targeted testing offered by the TDSB and its health partners
• Screening, every day, for COVID-19 symptoms before attending child care
• Practicing good hand hygiene, masking and physical distancing

For the week of April 12-18, there are additional asymptomatic testing options available to students, including pharmacies that currently offer testing and assessment centres across the province. Read the full list of available options here. Some TDSB schools may also be offering school-based clinics in partnership with the Ministry of Education. Parents are encouraged to take advantage of this testing capacity to have their children tested to support a safe return to school.

As of now, schools are closed to in-person learning until Sunday, April 18. We expect to hear at the end of next week what the plans are for a return to in-person learning and when it may be and will email you again as soon as we know more.

Should you be interested, the Ministry of Education has provided the following learning resources to allow students to keep up with their learning and interests during the break:

• Students in Grades 1-8 can continue to engage in their own learning through supplemental, curriculum-linked activities available at TVO Learn and TFO IDÉLLO, apprendre à la maison.
• Secondary students can continue to access TVO's Independent Learning Centre (ILC) Open House and Portes ouvertes pour les cours TVO ILC in French-language. Mathify (English) and Eureka! (French) are also available to provide one-on-one online tutoring services for elementary and secondary students.
• Mathify covers online math tutoring in English for Grades 6 to 10 and Eureka! supports all subjects for French-language students in Grades 1 to 12.

By following public health advice, we can all enjoy a safe spring break and continue to support in-person learning in our schools.

Have a safe, fun and restful break.

Sincerely,

Karen Falconer                                Andrew Gold                           Curtis Ennis                                      
Interim Director of Education     Interim Associate Director          Interim Associate  Director        

Craig Snider

Interim Associate Director