September 27 2024 • Issue #58
Learning opportunities and initiatives demonstrating commitment to Thames Valley's Multi-Year Strategic Plan.
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National Day for Truth and Reconciliation | |
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Monday, September 30 is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, as well as Orange Shirt Day.
Thames Valley is taking important steps on this day and throughout the year to honour residential school survivors and remember those who did not make it home.
On Monday, a number of London-area grade seven and eight students will participate in a day of learning in collaboration with Chippewas of the Thames First Nation and the Wampum Learning Lodge at Western University, which includes a solo performance by JUNO award-winning artist William Prince.
The TVDSB Indigenous Education Portfolio has developed age-appropriate resources and lesson plans to support learning about the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
TVDSB schools are also encouraged to provide programming for students of all ages to learn, reflect and recognize this important day.
On September 30, all Thames Valley schools will lower their flags to half-mast and change their school signs to recognize the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
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My name is Bill Tucker, and I am pleased to officially introduce myself as the Interim Director of Education for the Thames Valley District School Board. It is a privilege to join such a passionate and dedicated community of students, staff and families who are all committed to supporting safe and inclusive learning and working environments at Thames Valley.
With more than 40 years of experience in public education, I have worked alongside so many extraordinary people with a common goal: supporting student achievement and well being. Transparency, open communication and this shared vision will be essential as we embark on this new chapter together.
I am committed to collaborating with you: students, staff, parents and caregivers, and communities across the district. Together we can build upon our strong foundation and support the diverse needs of Thames Valley students.
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New Multi-Year Strategic Plan | |
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We are excited to share with you the new Thames Valley Multi-Year Strategic Plan which sets the direction of the Board for the coming years 2024-2028.
Click here to read the new Thames Valley Multi-Year Strategic Plan: 2024-2028
The new strategic plan includes vision, mission, values, and Strategic Directions, which will guide our work over the next four years. These Strategic Directions are:
- Support Student Achievement: LEARNING
- Create Safe Spaces for All: BELONGING
- Become the Best Place to Learn, Work, and Grow: LEADING
- Work Together with Communities: COLLABORATING
Next steps include working with Thames Valley staff to create measurable Strategic Goals for each of the Strategic Directions, and then implement and monitor those goals beginning in September 2024.
We want to sincerely thank everyone who gave their feedback and participated in the engagement and creation process.
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In alignment with our new Multi-Year Strategic Plan, Thames Valley has introduced a new logo for the board. The logo was designed in-house at no additional cost to the board in order to meet accessibility standards and improve usability on digital platforms. Thank you to the staff, students, families and community members who voted for this new design! | |
The Ministry of Education has currently committed approximately $200.7 million in funding for Thames Valley construction projects, many of which are new elementary schools with attached child care centres. | |
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8 projects that encompass London, Woodstock, Belmont and Lucan are currently in various stages of completion and will add 4,980 pupil and 528 child care spaces
We recently submitted five unfunded business cases to the Ministry of Education – including four new schools with child care centres and one school addition.
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We were so excited to welcome students, staff and families back for the 2024-2025 year. By focusing on supporting student achievement, we are looking forward to another incredible year at Thames Valley.
On the first day of school at Northbrae Public School, two brothers wanted to share their excitement for the new school year with the district in a short video.
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Parents and caregivers are key partners in a student’s education journey. As part of PPM 170, the Ontario Ministry of Education has created Your Child’s Education: A Parent Guide to our School System to help you actively participate in your child’s education journey. You can also join your School Council to make an impact in your school community. | |
Reducing Distractions in Class | |
The Ontario Ministry of Education has introduced new measures to reduce distractions in the classroom. This includes new restrictions on cell phone use at school and restricted access to social media platforms, with some exceptions. Learn more about these new provincial rules in the attached Ministry guide or by visiting ontario.ca/SchoolRules. | |
Supporting Your Child: Mental Health Resources for Parents and Caregivers | |
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The beginning of a new school year can be both an exciting and challenging time for many children and youth and will impact their well-being in different ways. Thames Valley has many resources available for parents and caregivers as it relates to supporting their child's mental health and wellbeing. Take a look at our Family Well-being Community Workshop Series website, where you can find pre-recorded webinars presented by local community service providers on a wide variety of topics related to supporting the mental health of children and youth.
Here are a few highlights:
- Social and Emotional Well-Being in the Early Years
- Supporting Our Children Through School Anxieties and Back to School Worries
- Understanding and Exploring Restorative Practices for Families and Caregivers
Check out the Family Well-Being Community Workshop Series website to view these webinars and much more!
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Pollinator Garden at Knollwood Public School | |
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On Friday August 30, The London Environmental Network’s (LEN) Thriving Communities Program, with the support of community partners and volunteers, planted a native pollinator garden at Knollwood Park Public School. This area, which used to be concrete, is now a lush garden with over 100 native pollinator flowers and shrubs.
The goal of the Thriving Communities program is to help build climate resilience throughout London by planning and designing green infrastructure projects with the community’s leadership and support. This pollinator garden will bring many benefits to the community including increasing biodiversity, helping to reduce the urban heat island effect felt at this local school, managing stormwater better, decreasing flood risks, improving local air quality, and supporting the overall well-being of the students, staff, and community.
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Special Education Resources | |
Thames Valley offers helpful resources and videos to support families of student with Special Education needs, including topics like Individual Education Plans (IEPs), Identification Placement Review Committees (IPRCs) and Program Development Team (PDT) meetings. | |
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The Routine Use and Disclosure of Student Personal Information guideline is provided on the Thames Valley District School Board website. The guideline outlines how your child’s personal information is routinely used for an educational or consistent purpose in accordance with the Education Act and the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
In addition to the practices outlined in the guideline, we often share good news stories both within schools and across the district. Social Media Guidelines have been created to support the use of social media by staff as an alternative communication vehicle for informing families and communities.
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Thames Valley District School Board was pleased to offer a wide range of summer program offerings during Summer 2024.
In addition to Summer School courses, Thames Valley offered summer English as a Second Language programs, a Cooperative Education Program, In-Person Summer Programming for First Nation, Métis or Inuit Identifying Students, Jump Start! Grade 9 prep, and a variety of non-credit programs such as High School Here I Come!, a Grade 7/8 Literacy and Numeracy Program and a Grade 7/8 ESL Summer Camp.
Thames Valley’s Summer Learning Programs enable students to gain and improve credits, experience new learning opportunities, reduce learning loss through the summer and continue social skills development.
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Education Day at London Airshow | |
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The Thames Valley District School Board in partnership with Airshow London offered a once in a lifetime opportunity for hundreds of grade six students to participate in a series of interactive and educational activities, with a focus on aviation and science.
Students were exposed to many different career pathways and were given an up close and personal look at the various careers in aviation.
Let’s find out what the students thought about the day!
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Thames Valley Education Foundation | |
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The Thames Valley Education Foundation, Salvation Army and United Way Elgin Middlesex distributed over 4000 backpacks filled with essential school supplies to students as part of our ‘Best First Day’ backpack drive.
We are incredibly grateful for the community support and proud to say we distributed more backpacks to students this year than any year before.
To further support the essential needs of the communities we serve, TVEF launched a new Food Security Program this month to support students' well-being and attendance by ensuring they have access to nutritious breakfasts.
This fund will provide financial assistance to schools, enabling them to enhance or establish breakfast programs that offer all students essential nourishment, regardless of socio-economic background.
Our goal is to ensure every child starts their day equally energized and focused for learning.
We believe this initiative will significantly improve students' academic and personal success.
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The 2024-2025 school year promises to be a busy one for Trustees, with plenty of important dates and decisions coming up soon.
At a Special Board meeting on September 10, trustees voted to submit five construction projects to the Ministry of Education for funding. All five projects, which include four new schools and one school addition, were submitted to the province’s Capital Priorities Program.
As part of their decision, trustees ranked the submitted projects:
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Southwest London: New elementary school with child care centre. Note: This is a second new school for this area. Construction on a $28.8 million, 804-student school with child care centre at Pack Road and Regiment Road is currently underway.
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Thamesford: New elementary school with child care centre. This new Thamesford school will be submitted as a co-build project with the Township of Zorra.
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Ingersoll: New elementary school with child care centre.
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Thorndale: Addition to West Nissouri PS.
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North Central London: New elementary school with child care centre.
Trustees held the first regular Board of Trustees meeting of the 2024-2025 school year at the Oxford County Council chambers in Woodstock on September 24. The meeting featured a performance by students from Algonquin Public School. As a strategy to engage the communities of Elgin, Middlesex and Oxford Counties, the board of trustees will hold at least one meeting per year in an offsite location. Next year, the Board will meet in Middlesex County.
At its first board meeting, the Board of Trustees appointed Gina McGahey as Thames Valley’s First Nations trustee. McGahey was named by Chippewa of the Thames First Nation, Oneida Nation of the Thames and Munsee Delaware Nation. She replaces Carol Antone, who recently stepped down from her role as First Nations trustee.
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Meet our new Student Trustees for 2024-2025 | |
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Shivani Vimal: Student trustee for Elgin, Middlesex and Oxford counties
Grade 11 student at Lord Dorchester Secondary School
Inspired by her work as student senator on Thames Valley’s Student Advisory Council, and as a team lead of the Mental Health and Equity Working Group, Shivani became a student trustee to help raise student voices and change schools for the better. She will also serve as Vice-Chair Associate of the Public Education Cabinet at OSTA-AECO, where Shivani will have a chance to advocate for students at the provincial level.
Shivani is also:
- Student voice representative for Lord Dorchester’s Student Parliament.
- Captain for the FRC robotics team #8789: the Lost Sockets.
- Reach for the Top competition team member.
- A flute player in the school's band.
- A volunteer for organizations such as Playroom Experiment and Period Ontario.
Lorissa Westlake: Indigenous Student Trustee
Grade 12 student at North Middlesex District High School
Lorissa became a student trustee to help diversify and expand education and resources for all Thames Valley students, with a particular focus on Indigenous education. Lorissa wants to expand education about Indigenous culture and people in two key ways:
- To help all Thames Valley students realize how connected Indigenous people and culture are to the land, and why it matters.
- To give students a chance to learn about Indigenous culture and history in a way that’s more than just learning about negative things that have happened.
- Lorissa’s overall goal is to host a healing walk for all of Thames Valley; to remember what happened to the Indigenous people, so the Board can continue to work toward reconciliation.
Emma Park: Student trustee for the City of London
Grade 12 student at London Central Secondary School
Emma wanted to become a student trustee after she was inspired by the real, positive changes made by student trustees who came before her. Emma hopes to make a similar impact and be a positive force for the Thames Valley District School Board.
As a student trustee, Emma will focus on three main goals:
- Expanding mental health support and education.
- Breaking the stigma around menstruation.
- Boosting student-led philanthropy.
Emma is also:
- A grade representative in London Central’s student parliament – where she focuses on marketing school events and gathering feedback on improvement.
- Captain of the swim team.
- Co-president of Central’s music council.
- Active member of the debate team.
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