School Council Update #12 - November 23rd, 2018
This week, the OCDSB addressed reports of sexual abuse of former students. The Director of Education has written an Open Letter to the Community, apologizing to anyone who has experienced harm, and providing some information about the practices in place to protect students. Included in the letter is a link to a program called Kids in the Know. This program has some excellent resources that parents might find helpful. The district will be looking at the Kids in the Know program as well as the companion Commit to Kids program to continue to develop practices which ensure the safety of all students.
Important Information
OCDSB Strategic Planning -
Building Brighter Futures Together @OCDSB

The OCDSB is setting priorities for the next four years and is looking for your input. All parents, students in grades 7-12, staff and community partners should have received an email this week with an invitation to participate in a community conversation called “Building Brighter Futures Together”. Using  Thoughtexchange , an online learning tool, p articipants will be asked three open ended questions - what we do well; where we can improve; and what priorities are important to learning and well-being. Participants can also review thoughts that are shared by others and star the ideas that they like best. Thoughts are shared anonymously - no names are attached to the thoughts shared. The online conversation is moderated to ensure it is respectful to everyone.

The Thought Exchange link should have been sent to your inbox on November 21st. Please take the time to participate between now and December 12th.   Visit our website  for more information on the consultation.
Provincial Consultations: Education in Ontario

The Ministry of Education''s consultation on reform includes a series of 90 minute telephone town halls across Ontario. An additional town hall has been scheduled in Ottawa on November 27th from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m . This consultation is very important to the future of public education policy. Both the Board of Trustees and the Parent Involvement Committee encourage you to participate - either in the Town Hall, completing the survey, or making a submission.


Participation details:
  • Participants are to provide their telephone number and email address to register for each session. This must be done by 4 p.m. the day before the town hall.
  • Participants will receive an email reminder about the telephone town hall the day before the call, or if the consultation session is cancelled.
  • Participants that don’t register can try calling directly into the toll-free number: 1-800-385-0829.

Additional details can be found  here . We encourage all interested parents and/or school councils to provide input into this consultation. Please complete the Ministr y  online submission form  and/or participate in the telephone town hall meetings.
High School Information Nights

To help you make an informed decision when choosing a high school, OCDSB schools host information nights for parents and grade 8 students each year between November and February. Learn everything you need to know about our incredible variety of schools, programs and courses.

Upcoming sessions:
  • Canterbury High School - December 5th
  • Glebe Collegiate Institute - December 6th
  • Sir Guy Carleton Secondary School - December 6th
  • John McCrae Secondary School - December 6th
  • Sir Wilfrid Laurier Secondary School - December 11th

Visit our website for a complete list of Information Nights by school.
What is the WITS Program?

The WITS Program is an evidence based bullying prevention program that brings schools, families and communities together to create responsive environments that help elementary school children deal with bullying and peer victimization. This program has been implemented in our OCDSB schools.

The WITS program contains two parts: WITS for Primary students (K-Grade3) and WITS LEADS for Junior students (Grades 4-6). The WITS program is literacy based, provides a common language and builds responsive communities.

Click here to learn more and find resources.
Ontario Alert Ready System Test -
November 28th, 2018

On Wednesday, November 28th, at 1:55 p.m., Ontario will be testing emergency alerts on compatible mobile devices, TV and radio, using the Alert Ready system. This will be a test only.

Learn more  here .
School Ground Greening Workshops 2018-2019
Join us for a free series of inspiring workshops designed to help you plan a successful and sustainable school ground greening project. Workshops are run from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Immaculata High School - 140 Main Street.

Upcoming Workshop - Saturday, December 1st, 2018

Getting Started
Discover what Ottawa schools are doing to improve the health of students' outdoor environments. Learn about how to build a greening team and create and sustain a grounds greening project with ongoing school council commitment.

Surveying People and the Grounds
Find out how to gather the information you need about your site and the people who use it and conduct class-by-class brainstorming sessions to design your project. Includes suggestions for involving children.
 Ottawa Public Health (OPH) Immunization
All children attending school between ages 4 to 17 need to be immunized according to  Ontario's Immunization Schedule .

Under the Immunization of School Pupils Act, students attending school in Ontario are required to be vaccinated against nine (9) diseases or have a valid exemption. Parents are required to report all immunizations done at the doctor's office to OPH. Under this Act, OPH has the authority to suspend from attending school students for whom OPH does not have a record of immunization.
 
Parents/guardians of these intermediate and secondary students received written notice from OPH in the mail by  November 21 . Suspension orders are scheduled to be mailed to households on  January 25, 2019  (Grades 7 - 12) and scheduled to be enforced on  February 20, 2019 . 

Parents seeking more information can contact OPH by phoning 613-580-6744 or visit  parentinginottawa.ca/immunization .
 
Learn more  here . 
Reminders
Did you know about the Canada Learning Bond? 
 The Canada Learning Bond offered by the Government of Canada helps parents get a head start in saving for their child's education after high school. This could be as much as $2,000 for your child's  Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP). Learn more  here .
School Council Information
School News
There are a lot of amazing events going on in our district. Check out our new School News section of the website to learn about the great things happening in our schools!


Heritage Public School Toy and Bake Sale -
December 14th
Heritage Public School's Toy and Bake Sale is taking place on Friday, December 14th, 2018. On this day each student will have the opportunity to visit the gym with their class and purchase used toys, games, and books. Parents and staff will also have a chance to purchase tickets for a variety of wonderful prizes. All the money will be going back to the school.

To make this fundraiser a success, the school is looking for donations of gently used toys, books, games, and movies. They are also looking for donations of new items for their prize draws. This is a great opportunity for those looking to do a fall clean-up. Donations can be dropped off at the school - 1375 Colonial Rd - starting on December 3rd. Peanut, nut, and sesame seed free baking donations are also welcome the day of the event. Any questions should be directed to Virginia Lowe at [email protected] .

Want to spread the word about your event? Send us an email at:  [email protected] . We will help publicize your events on our website.
Dates to Remember
School Year Calendars
The 2018-2019 school year  elementary   and  secondary   calendars are available on our website. The highlights include School Holidays, PA Days, and District-wide Secondary Testing. 
Board and Committee of the Whole Meetings
The next Committee of the Whole meeting will be on December 11th, 2018. Read the full agenda here . Watch the meeting live here .

Upcoming Committee Meetings:   
11/26/2018 7:00 PM Advisory Committee on the Arts
11/29/2018 6:00 PM Advisory Committee on Equity
12/11/2018 7:30 PM Committee of the Whole, Public
12/18/2018 7:30 PM Board, Public

Read our Boardroom Highlights here .
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 .

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