School Council Update #24

February 28, 2020

As part of our commitment to student safety at the OCDSB, the District is currently consulting with the community on a draft new policy regarding the prevention of child sexual abuse.
  • Draft policy on the Child Sexual Abuse Prevention - the OCDSB has always had policies to investigate allegations of abuse; the new draft policy is focused on creating a culture of awareness and prevention. Learn more about the draft policy
  • If you have comments on the policy, please send them to [email protected]

If you are looking for an opportunity to be inspired, consider attending our Speaker Series on March 5th with Unstoppable Tracy. Tracy Schmidt is a living example of "Anything is Possible". See details below in this newsletter or watch here. #NobodyLeftBehind
Reminders
The proposed calendar for the 2020-2021 school year is now available on our website . The first day of school will be September 1st, 2020.

Please note that this is subject to Ministry Approval which is received on or before May 1st.
Volunteers make such an important contribution to our schools. The OCDSB Volunteer and Community Member Recognition Awards are a great opportunity to recognize individuals in your school or community who make a difference.

If you know a community member, parent, volunteer, or business partner who has made a lasting impact please consider nominating them through our formal recognition awards program. Online nomination forms must be completed no later than 11:00 p.m. on Friday, March 27th, 2020 .
No matter where you are in life, sometimes you need to be inspired. Join us and “ Unstoppable Tracy ” at our free Speaker Series event as she shares how you can use humour and motivation to crush your obstacles and soar to the top!
Visit our website  for additional details.

Date: Thursday, March 5th, 2020
Time: 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. 
Location: Gloucester High School - 2060 Ogilvie Road
There are no planned walkouts affecting the OCDSB for the week of March 2-6, 2020. We will continue to provide notice of new strike sanctions affecting OCDSB as soon as they are announced by the unions.
Society tends to disconnect us from what we need for mental health and resiliency. One possible factor may be excessive screen time. Join Dr. Michael Cheng, child and family psychiatrist at CHEO, at our free Speaker Series event as he discusses what we can do as families, communities and a society in order to reduce our screen addiction, and reconnect to sleep, nature and one another.

Date: Thursday, March 12th, 2020
Time: 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. 
Location: Henry Larsen Elementary School - 1750 Sunview Dr

Visit our website  for additional details.
There are currently  no confirmed or presumptive cases of novel coronavirus in Ottawa . Every week day at 10:30 a.m.,  the Province of Ontario's novel coronavirus web page   is updated with the most up-to-date information including the status of cases in Ontario. 
Ontario Public Health is undergoing a consultation on the modernization of public health. Their discussion paper can be found on their website , and individuals are asked to provide feedback using the survey at the end of the paper.
Check out the interactive   Continuing Education Newsletter   for February/March 2020, and have a look at what's taking place this Winter.
The OSTA Pitter Patter Grant is a micro-grant of up to $250 available to local schools who wish to implement or support a School Active Transportation initiative. Learn more .
Nominations are open for the 2020 OTIP Teaching Awards. These awards recognize teacher excellence in publicly funded education. Deadline is March 31st, 2020 .  Learn more.
As part of its Right to Read inquiry, the Ontario Human Rights Commission has launched a survey for students with reading disabilities and their parents and guardians.
All 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 Ottawa Public Health . 
School Council Information
Board and Committee of the Whole Meetings
The next public Committee of the Whole meeting will be held on March 3rd, 2020 , in the boardroom at 133 Greenbank Road at 7:30 p.m.

 Watch the meeting  live here .

Upcoming Committee Meetings: 

For a summary of our board meetings, read our Boardroom Newsbriefs here .
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