Trustee Shelley Laskin Weekly Updates

Wednesday, 21 April 2021

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 11th 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
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:

Student Virtual Learning IT Support

TDSB Virtual Library

TDSB Brightspace

Upcoming Dates: 

May 5 Spectrum Council 

May 11 Community Meeting Save the Date


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