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School Council Update - September 8, 2017
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Welcome Back!
I hope that you had a wonderful summer and that your first few days back in routine went smoothly. Building routines is such an important part of getting settled back into school and can really help student learning. Here is a great
article for high school students that has good information for everyone.
You may have noticed the signs in front of our schools about our Exit Outcomes. Click on the light bulb image on the left to learn more about the characteristics and skills we want to develop in all students. Check our
website for more information and updates.
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A Welcoming Start!
On Tuesday morning our staff was very excited to open the doors in all of our 146 schools across the City. All of our schools were filled with energy and excitement, and many had new building features and updated learning spaces. This summer, our Facilities Department managed $51M of renovations, upgrades, and building maintenance in our schools. That is an incredible amount of work and our learning spaces look great. In a number of communities, students were transitioning to new schools. Our staff and student leaders did a great job creating a welcoming environment. Here are a few clips that highlight some of our new spaces.
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We've Updated our Website!
Our
new website is fully mobile and accessible.
Online content can be translated into over 100 languages and is more accessible for everyone. Check out the new Browse Alound feature which reads text aloud in multiple languages . In addition, urgent notifications -- such as bus cancellations -- will pop up on our homepage. There is a helpful new “How Do I”
section on our home page to assist parents in navigating the new site. We are also very excited to have launched a new parent portal, student portal and staff portal. The launch of the portals is one year earlier than planned - we have lots of enhancements planned over the next year, but it's a very promising start!
We hope our new website will help you stay connected with our district. If you have any questions or feedback about the new website, please email us at communications@ocdsb.ca.
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School Bus Transportation
With school back in session, we all need to be extra careful on the roads watching for students walking or cycling to school or waiting at bus stops. For those using school buses, it takes a week or two for everyone to get used to new bus routes and schedules. If you have experienced delays, please be patient. Inquiries about busing should be directed to OSTA.
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School Fees
All students are entitled to participate in school activities and access resources regardless of personal financial barriers. As such,
school supplies
, school fees, and class fees are voluntary. If you require assistance with respect to fees, please contact your principal.
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Updated Curriculum and New Report Cards - Public Consultations
All parents will be interested in the announcement this week by Premier Kathleen Wynne and Mitzie Hunter, Minister of Education about the opening of
public consultations regarding updates to the Ontario curriculum and new report cards, which will be introduced in schools for the 2018-19 academic year.
"
Ontario's updated school curriculum will be developed through the public consultations with the goal of improving student achievement in core skills such as math and increasing emphasis on transferable life skills that can help students of all ages meet the changing demands of today and tomorrow. Communication, problem-solving, critical thinking, creativity and global citizenship are skills that will help Ontario students thrive as they grow up in a changing, interconnected world. Beginning next school year, new report cards will better track a young person's development of these essential and transferable life skills."
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Call for Members - Parent Involvement Committee
Are you interested in public education, student achievement and well-being? The OCDSB is looking for parent members and interested community members on its Parent Involvement Committee (PIC). The committee meets seven times this year.
Applications
will be accepted until Thursday, October 12, 2017. For more details about PIC and the responsibility of members, please visit the
PIC web page
.
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Continuing Education Newsletter
Check our the new Continuing Education Newsletter for September/October 2017. Have a look at what is coming up this Fall. The
newsletter is interactive, so please click anywhere to be linked to our website for more information on all our programs.
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School Year Calendar
The 2017-2018 school year
elementary
and
secondary
calendars are available on our
website and a hard copy was distributed to students and staff this week. The highlights include School Holidays, PA Days, and District-wide Secondary Testing.
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Parent Conference
& School
Council Training Day
2017-2018
November 18, 2017
We're very excited to announce that we will again be hosting the OCDSB Parent Conference.
The conference is held in partnership with the Parent Involvement Committee (PIC) and the Ottawa-Carleton Assembly of School Councils (OCASC).
Mark your calendar for Saturday, November 18, 2017. We are very excited to announce that our keynote speaker for this year's conference will be
Dr. Karyn Gordon.
Dr. Gordon is one of North America’s leading relationship/parenting experts, a best-selling author, media personality and motivational speaker. Her mission is to inspire people to dream their best life, learn the tools and do it!
There will also be workshops on a wide range of topics including school council finances, well-being, learning and more.
A full agenda will be released in October. Everyone is welcome and the session is free.
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Speaker Series Fall 2017
Enjoy these
free information sessions
highlighting leading ideas in education that will allow us to work collaboratively to better support student learning.
Join us this fall at:
Sir Robert Borden High School, Auditorium
131 Greenbank Road
7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Free parking. No registration required.
October 5, 2017 — Paul Davis on Social Networking & Online Safety
Topics include social media (Snapchat/Instagram/Facebook), Digital trails, Smartphones, Cyberbullying, Sexting & Child pornography, Image sharing, Online security and more.
November 30, 2017 — Dr. Susan Hopkins of The MEHRIT Centre
Parents will be introduced to Self-Regulation, a powerful method for understanding and responding to their children's (and their own) stress, energy, and tension.
The series is sponsored by the District's Parent Involvement Committee (PIC) and supported through grant funding from the Ministry of Education.
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School Council Information
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Contact Information
Each year, school
council chairs and co-chairs are asked to provide their contact information (name, phone number, email address). This information is shared with trustees and superintendents and is also used to keep you up to date on school
council information.
Please send the following information to Engy Abdel Masieh at
engy.abdel.masieh@cdsb.ca
- School name, chair/co-chair name(s), phone number(s), and email address(es).
Annual Report - Due 30 October 2017
School
Councils are also required to submit to the District an annual report on its activities, including fundraising activities. The School
Council Annual Report is one of many requirements included in the "School Opening Documentation" process conducted by the principal.
On or before October 30, 2017, please ensure to submit your school
council annual report to school principals and forward a copy to Susan Baker, 133 Greenbank Road, Ottawa, ON K2H 6L3 or by email at
engy.abdel.masieh@cdsb.ca.
Elections
The election of school
council members must be held within 30 days of the start of the school year. 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 council have been duly elected. Don't forget to review your school
council constitution for specific provisions with respect to your school. Please send us an updated list of school
council contact information after your elections.
Year-end reporting of School Generated Funds - Due 22 September 2017
The provincial government requires that school
council financial activities be included in the school board's year-end financial statements. A letter will be sent to each School
Council Chair through the School Principal explaining the reporting process and the form to be completed. Please ensure that the form is completed and returned by email to
yearendfinancials@ocdsb.ca
no later than 22 September 2017.
In cases where your school
council's banking arrangements are administered by the school, the school
council is not required to provide this information because the school's annual report would cover these requirements; however, please advise Lynn McCarville at
michelle.klein@ocdsb.ca
if your school
council is in this category.
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Ottawa-Carleton Assembly of School
Councils (OCASC)
OCASC is an umbrella organization for school councils and parents in the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) to share information and facilitate communication within the OCDSB communities to enhance the education of all its students.
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Board and Committee of the Whole Meetings
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Upcoming Committee Meetings:
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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
.
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
.
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