Trustee Shelley Laskin Weekly Updates

Monday, 19 September 2022

DPS/SA BLOG WEEK OF SEPT 19/22

Hello,
Welcome back to our blog. Below you will find some information and also links which may be helpful to your families.

DPS and SPECTRUM HYPERLINKS DOCUMENT: Please make reference to the following document for frequently visited and up-to-date weblinks for Davisville and TDSB. Included is the Safe Arrivals phone number when your child is sick/absent and also the Early Pick-up/
Sign out GForm to be completed by 12:00 the day of for your child/children's pickup for appointments. 

TDSB Parent Concern Protocol: Please review the following chart which outlines the Parent Concern Protocol  If you have specific questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Davisville and Spectrum Alternative Principal David Finkelstein, david.finkelstein@tdsb.on.ca

School Reorganization:

In late spring of every year, the TDSB plans for the number of students expected to attend school the following September. We then allocate the number of teachers required for each school and class, based on projected enrolment. The number of teachers required in each school and class is primarily determined by class size limits as per Regulations in the Education Act or through Collective Agreements. The Ministry of Education (EDU) class size regulations involve caps from JK- grade 3 and a board-wide average of 24.5 in grades 4 to 8 and 28.0 in grades 9 to 12. 

It is challenging to project staffing allocation needs for our schools six months in advance and before students are in schools for the year. For this reason, the annual administrative holdback for 2022-23 school year is 3.0% for each of the following school-based staff: Elementary Teachers, Secondary Teachers, and Designated Early Child Educator. The holdback will not be released until enrolment projections are realized in September and students are in the learning mode of their choice.

At the beginning of each new school year, schools review the actual number of students attending schools and in each class, and the number of teachers who were allocated to each school. This year, the count date is on Monday, September 19 - after this date schools will be provided with an understanding of system reorganization and will inform affected classes as soon as possible. In cases where a school has more teachers than required by its enrolment, teachers are reassigned to different schools. This is a very important process because there are significant financial implications for the TDSB when classes are not organized efficiently and there are more teachers than required in our schools. For example, every 100 extra teachers would cost the TDSB approximately $10.5 million above and beyond the funding from the Ministry of Education. 

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work through reorganization.

COVID-19 Reporting:
The Ministry of Education no longer requires COVID-19 cases or absences to be reported to them or shared publicly by school boards. Guidance from Ontario’s Chief Medical  Officer of Health is that students and staff are to stay home with any symptoms, regardless of whether they take a COVID-19 rapid antigen test, or not. Public health officials also advise that COVID-19 cases, which are no longer required to be reported to schools, are not an accurate indicator of the presence or prevalence of COVID-19 in a particular class or school. 
As with all illnesses, Principals will continue to monitor their school and, together with the Superintendent of Education and Occupational Health and Safety, will share any concerns with Toronto Public Health, who can advise on next steps, if any.” 

It is also recommended that students, staff and visitors continue to complete a daily self-screening questionnaire. The TPH has updated their screener as of September 6, 2022.

Key message remains - stay home if you are sick. Stay home until you have no fever and your symptoms are improving for at least 24 hours (or 48 hours if nausea/vomiting/diarrhea). Anyone who is feeling sick or has any new or worsening symptoms of illness, including those not listed in their screening tool, should stay home until their symptoms are improving and seek assessment from their health care provider if needed.

In addition TPH recommends following extra measures including wearing a well-fitted mask in all public settings (including schools/child care, unless <2 years of age).for 10 days after the start of symptoms OR a positive COVID-19 test (whichever came first) OR for 10 days after your last close contact with a person who has symptoms or a positive COVID-19 test.

Toronto Public Health Screening Tool Graphic

Please visit the  TDSB HEALTH AND SAFETY website to find up-to-date information.


Mental Health and Well Being Supports:

The TDSB continues to prioritize mental health and well-being and, especially supporting the transition back to school. Resources and tools are available for parents/guardians and students on TDSB’s public website. The website includes a system calendar which highlights upcoming events to support our community including webinars, virtual drop-in hours and more. Culturally responsive and relevant resources, mental health toolkits, grief and loss resources and virtual heritage and culturally responsive lounges are also available.

School Bus Delays/Cancellations: 
TDSB website reporting delays or bus cancellations: TSTG
Davisville Spiritwear:

Please Call School Messenger directly 1-833-250-2290, between (7:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.) to report child(ren’s)absence for the current day or future date. If you do not report your child(ren’s) absence(s) prior to the start of school day you will be contacted by School Messenger and you must indicate the reason for the absence. Please respond to safe arrival calls. The telephone number 833-250-2290 will display on the caller ID.

To order Davisville spiritwear check school cashonline, visit  davisvillepublicschool.entripyshops.com

School Trustee's Weekly Newsletter - Ward 8:

  • For updates regarding topics affecting the TDSB, please subscribe to Shelley Laskin's weekly newsletter.

 

No comments:

Post a Comment