January 27, 2023 • Issue #42

Learning opportunities and initiatives demonstrating commitment to Thames Valley's Strategic Priorities and Operational Goals

It’s time to register your child for Kindergarten, French Immersion and Grade 9 at a TVDSB school!

This year, TVDSB will be taking a unique approach to promoting Kindergarten registration with families in many communities across the district.

Early Years team members will be visiting EarlyON Centres, Family Centres, libraries and Indigenous Child Care Centres to assist and inform families of the registration process. Information about how to register for school has also been provided to municipal partners and licensed child care providers across Thames Valley.

Families can get a glimpse of the Kindergarten experience at the second annual Kindergarten Information Night on February 6, 2023. This event will be live streamed from East Carling PS and hosted by a team of Early Years educators who will familiarize families with Kindergarten programming and answer any questions they may have. Later this spring, TVDSB elementary schools will be hosting in-person open houses to welcome incoming Kindergarten families to their new school community. Registration for this event is available on the Kindergarten website.

To prepare to welcome incoming Grade 9 students, TVDSB secondary schools have been hosting Grade 8 Information Nights throughout the months of December and January. Information nights are important orientation events where prospective students can tour schools, discover programming that interests them and have their questions answered by TVDSB staff. Many high schools have also created a virtual open house website for families who were unable to attend the in-person event. View the Grade 8 Information Night website for more information.

Whether your child is starting their education journey in Kindergarten, experiencing the benefits of French Immersion education or discovering their own path in high school, we are excited to welcome them to Thames Valley.

Register for school today at www.tvdsb.ca/Register.

As we near the start of Black History Month in February, Thames Valley invites students and staff to answer the question: “What does Black excellence mean to you?” Share your photos, artwork, videos, quotes or a short statement with the Thames Valley community to inspire and celebrate Black excellence: tvdsb.ca/bhm

Don’t forget to share the ways your school is celebrating Black History Month on social media using #BlackExcellenceTVDSB!

Thames Valley knows that mental health and well-being are essential to student achievement. That’s why we connect families with a number of mental health and well-being tips, resources, coping strategies, support lines and regional community services year-round to help you through stressful or emotionally challenging times. Remember that these resources are always available to you, whenever you’re feeling overwhelmed or in need of support.

Follow @TVDSBcares on Twitter and visit tvdsb.ca/MentalHealth for these mental health and well-being resources and more.

(Image by Mike Hensen/The London Free Press)

A new program at Thames Valley is giving students with intellectual disabilities the chance to build skills that will help them find meaningful employment when they graduate high school.

Project SEARCH is a unique partnership with St. Joseph’s Healthcare London and Hutton House that provides students with internships in various programs and services at Parkwood Institute.

Students participating in the new project will find themselves working in areas such as food and nutrition services, mail and environmental services, hospital materials management and library services. Each intern is paired with a coach to develop valuable employment skills while on the job and explore career options that suit their needs and interests.

Thames Valley is proud to participate in this valuable partnership with St. Joseph’s Healthcare London and Hutton House to provide experiential learning opportunities to students with intellectual disabilities. Families interested in Project SEARCH are encouraged to contact their child’s school for more information.

Happy New Year, Thames Valley! I hope you enjoyed a well-deserved rest over the holidays and feel motivated as we head into 2023. I have two exciting updates to share this month: the 2022-23 Director’s Annual Report and an excellent peer mentorship program at Rick Hansen Public School.

The Director’s Annual Report highlights some of Thames Valley’s most notable accomplishments from the previous school year and is a powerful reminder of the impact our work has on the students and families we serve. The 2022-23 report covers our three Strategic Priorities, with a special focus on our progress in the area of Equity and Diversity. Read it now on our website.

For our first school spotlight of 2023, I would like to highlight the amazing Helping Hawks Program at Rick Hansen Public School. This peer mentorship program provides intermediate students with meaningful leadership opportunities in their school community. Watch the video above to learn more!

On behalf of the Board, I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year!

One of the most important things that happens each new year is the election of next year’s Student Trustees. I want to use this month’s Chair’s Corner to highlight this exciting opportunity.

Each February, the school board holds elections for the roles of Indigenous Student Trustee, a county Student Trustee and a City of London Student Trustee. Students must be registered full-time in Grade 11 or 12 next year to be eligible.

These individuals are responsible for representing the student voice at Board meetings. They also keep student governments informed about what’s happening at Board and engage in conversations to get feedback from the student senators.

Eligible students – this is your chance to gain leadership experience while shaping the future of Thames Valley!

If you want inspiration, look no further than our current Student Trustees, Lyzee Ninham, Ayesha Hassan and Savrup Saran.

On behalf of the Board, I want to say thank you to these remarkable students. Their hard work and contributions are much appreciated.

For more details about how to become a Student Trustee for the August 1, 2023, to July 31, 2024 term, students should check their GOTVDSB e-mail, or speak with their Principal. They can also visit www.tvdsb.ca/studenttrustees.

Principals will accept Student Trustee applications until Friday, February 3 at 4:00 p.m.

If schools need more time to submit their packages extensions will be considered. If an extension is required, please contact Superintendent of Education Tracy Langelaan. Please note that parent/guardian permission is required to run for the position of Student Trustee.

As always, please feel free to email me at [email protected] if you have any questions.

Lori-Ann Pizzolato

Chair 

The goal of the St. Thomas Elementary Panel Attendance Area Review review is to balance enrolment within the school system, lessen reliance on portables and shorten travel times for students. The review also aims to strengthen TVDSB’s business case for a much-needed new school in northwest St. Thomas.

Extensive public consultation is planned as part of this review and Trustees will consider school community feedback prior to making decisions regarding potential boundary changes. 

An Attendance Area Review Committee (AARC) including parents and caregivers will meet on Thursday, February 2, 2023, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. A live stream of this meeting will be available on the STAAR website as well as on the board’s YouTube channel. A recording will be available following the live stream.

Attendance Area Review committee members will then begin the process of facilitating school subcommittee meetings, where school communities will have the opportunity to give feedback about the review. More details about school-level meetings will be communicated through the STAAR website and the school board’s family communication system when available.

The final STAAR report with recommendations will be presented at a Board meeting later this school year for Trustees to consider. If approved by the Board, attendance area changes will take effect no earlier than September 2024.

For details about the review and to submit questions, please visit https://www.tvdsb.ca/staar. You may also find the above white board video helpful to understand the review process.

(Image by Derek Ruttan/The London Free Press)

Students with a taste for the outdoors are taking part in unforgettable adventures thanks to TVDSB’s Environmental Leaders’ Project. This innovative program, also known as H³-ELP, takes a “head, heart and hands” approach to learning about the environment and has students taking on projects that will impact their local communities.

The Environmental Leaders’ Project aims to raise a new generation of environmentalists by keeping students engaged with collaborative experiential learning opportunities that develop essential skills and putting them in touch with nature.

This January, Grade 12 students enrolled in the program are skiing and snowshoeing their way through Algonquin Provincial Park on a winter camping trip while working towards earning four credits towards graduation: two co-op credits with Catfish Creek Conservation Authority, a senior forestry management credit and a senior horticulture credit. -ELP students completed a long bike trip through Haliburton Forest that also required them to hike, rock climb and learn about orienteering.

This year, they also learned how to safely operate chainsaws and visited local hatcheries to release raised fish into the water system.

A second course for Grade 10 students operates out of Westminster Pond and makes regular trips to Fanshawe Conservation Authority. Recently, this group travelled to Hawk Cliff near Port Stanley to collect and store seeds for the winter so that local community partners can plant them in a new location this coming spring.

Each year, students from both H³-ELP courses work with students from across Thames Valley on other environmental projects as well. They provide valuable assistance during events like Marsh Quest and the Carolinian Forest Festival, where elementary students learn about the wetlands and the unique woodlands found in southern Ontario.

To learn more, visit the Environmental Leaders’ Project website.

Each day, members of Thames Valley school communities make outstanding contributions to public education and perform incredible acts of dedication that positively impact student achievement and well-being.

These valuable, generous acts are essential to achieving the Board’s Operational Goals, and they have not gone unnoticed. 

The TVDSB Board of Trustees are proud to introduce the YOU HAVE IMPACT certificate. 

This certificate is given in recognition of the many significant contributions to public education made by Thames Valley students, staff, families, volunteers and community partners which serve to promote TVDSB’s Operational Plan.

How it works:

• Each Principal, Vice-Principal, Manager and Supervisor can make two submissions per school year.
• Nominations can include TVDSB students, staff, family members, volunteers and community members.
• Recognition must relate to supporting the Board’s Operational Plan.
• Each award submission is to be emailed to the Chair of the Board ([email protected]), who will verify each nomination and distribute the YOU HAVE IMPACT certificates.

The Board of Trustees would like to thank you for your continued commitment to excellence in education and sincerely appreciate your help in recognizing the ongoing efforts of the Thames Valley community.