Message from School Trustee Jennifer Story

Toronto-Danforth Accommodation Review Last March 2015, the Board of Trustees approved a Pupil Accommodation Review that will involve ten secondary schools in this area: Danforth Collegiate and Technical Institute, East York Alternative Secondary School, East York Collegiate Institute, Eastdale Collegiate Institute, Eastern Commerce Collegiate Institute, Greenwood Secondary School, Monarch Park Collegiate Institute, Riverdale Collegiate Institute, School of Life Experience (SOLE), and Subway Academy 1. This review will study the group of schools listed above and will seek your feedback as we consider ways to best use school space and ensure that all students have access to viable programs. A more detailed letter explaining the process can be found here. All of the public meetings will take place from 7 to 9 pm and will be held at Danforth CTI (800 Greenwood Avenue). If you require an interpreter or childcare at a meeting, please call 416-394-7275 one week prior to the meeting you are attending. The public meeting dates are as follows: Monday, November 23, 2015 Thursday, November 26, 2015 Monday, December 7, 2015* Wednesday, March 9, 2016 * This meeting will include deputations to allow community members to make a presentation (up to five minutes per person). In order to make a deputation, requests must be made in writing to Audrey Amo ataccommodationreviews@tdsb.on.ca by Monday, November 30, 2015 at 4 p.m. Requests must include: the name, address, email, and phone number of the speaker; the topic that will be addressed; and the name of the organization represented (if applicable). Those who cannot attend the meeting can submit a written deputation by email toaccommodationreviews@tdsb.on.ca. If you have any questions about the selection of the PARC members or about the Pupil Accommodation Review process, please do not hesitate to contact your Principal or your local Superintendent of Education, Mike Gallagher, or myself. High School Information Nights To help you make an informed decision when choosing a high school, TDSB schools host information nights for parents and Grade 8 students each year between October and January. Learn everything you need to know about the TDSB’s incredible variety of schools, programs and courses. The dates and times for all High School Information Nights are available online at www.tdsb.on.ca/highschool. French Program Application Deadlines For families interested in the TDSB’s French Immersion or Extended French programs, we offer an online process for applying to: Early French Immersion which begins in Senior Kindergarten Junior Extended French which begins in Grade 4 Middle Immersion which begins in Grade 4 (available in a limited number of schools) We guarantee an offer of placement in the program (not a specific school) to all on-time applicants. Transportation is provided as per the Board’s Transportation policy. Please note the timelines for applying for these programs for September 2016: Applications for Early French Immersion (for a Junior Kindergarten aged child), must be completed online between November 2 and December 3, 2015. Applications for Junior Extended French or Middle French Immersion (for a child currently in Grade 3), must be completed online between January 4 and January 28, 2016. Offers of placement within your chosen program will be made to all on-time applicants in the weeks following the close of the application window. Please note: families with an older sibling currently in a French program are still required to complete an online application for the new student. Further information on French as a Second Language programs and the application process is available online at www.tdsb.on.ca/french. For those interested in the TDSB’s Early French Immersion program, the TDSB is hosting a live web chat on Wednesday November 18 from 8-9pm. You’ll hear from staff experts and have the chance to get your own questions answered. Click here for the TDSB Talks Web Chat page. Continuing Education Programs Learn more about the wide variety of programs offered by the TDSB’s Continuing Education Department: Night School Night school credit programs such as math, science, Japanese and Spanish are offered by the TDSB in locations across the city. Reach ahead, make up a credit or work towards your high school diploma. Registration for the fall semester is now open. Classes begin the week of October 5, 2015. Visit www.creditprograms.ca for more information. International Languages Elementary and African Heritage Programs As the world continues to move towards connectivity, learning languages becomes critically important. Encourage your child’s natural curiosity and enroll them in our JK to Grade 8 International Languages and African Heritage program. Registration is now open. Visit www.ILEprograms.ca for more information. Adult High School Find a career path and to meet your academic goals every year. Tuition is free. Earn credits faster and gain Canadian work experience. Explore programs in business and technology, social science, mathematics and specialty programs such as accounting, office administration, personal support worker, and more. Visit www.adultschoolstoronto.ca for more information. Learn English with Us Adults can build literacy and English language skills. Learn about your community and the services available. We offer a wide range of classes from beginner to advanced to help you improve your conversation skills, further your education, and prepare for citizenship and language proficiency tests. Registration is now open. For more information, visit www.ESLtoronto.ca or call 416-338-4300. Community Programs Take up a new hobby, learn a language, and meet people in your community. Put your hands to work and decorate and glaze your own pottery or sculpture. Stay active with co-ed basketball, volleyball, tennis and golf. Gain knowledge on how to invest in the stock market or prepare your taxes. Register today at www.learn4life.ca. Registration for winter Learn4Life will begin November 19, 2015. International K – 12 Students Over the coming year, the TDSB will welcome 1,700 international students into schools across the city. The majority of international students continue to come from China, followed by South Korea, Vietnam and Japan. This year, students are also coming to the TDSB from Turkey, Western Africa, Latin America and India. We expect our numbers to grow as we increase our recruitment programs. For more information, visit www.studytoronto.ca. International Adult Students For the first time in Ontario, TDSB has opened up Adult Day Schools and ESL programs to welcome 30 adult international fee-paying students. We are proud to announce that seamless entry agreements have been signed with two post-secondary institutions and we expect to finalize three more in the coming months. For more information, visit www.tdsbinternational.ca. Seeking French as a Second Language Advisory Committee Rep (Alternate) Are you interested in how we deliver French language learning in the TDSB? Know someone who is? Ward 15 Toronto-Danforth needs an alternate rep on the French as a Second Language Advisory Committee. Our current rep is doing a great job but needs some back-up support.  There is approximately one meeting per month at the 5050 Yonge TDSB office. Reps and alternates decide who will go to which meetings. Generally the rep or alternate also makes a brief report via email or in person for the monthly Ward Council meeting. It is a two-year term. Click here for more details about the position, committee, and meeting dates. If you are interested or have questions, please send me an email atJennifer.Story@tdsb.on.ca.

Upcoming Ward Council Meeting Save the date: Thurs December 3, 7-9 pm, Westwood Middle School The meeting will include aroundtable discussion on school-based communications: what’s working, what’s not, and what parents, school councils, principals, and the Board are doing to improve home-school communications.  I have created a survey to help engage parents in discussion on Dec 3, and I will be sharing the results in an upcoming newsletter. Click here to take the survey. Meeting Poster JPG  and PDF Agenda November Ward Council Meeting Tuesday November 3, 7-9 pm at Blake Street Junior Public School / East Alternative School of Toronto (E.A.S.T.) In addition to regular meeting business we had special presentations on Caring and Safe Schools. Presentation: Keeping Our Schools Safe Presentation: Creating Community and Connections through Restorative Practices Handout: Caring and Safe Schools Info Sheet Minutes You’re invited to the Pape Avenue P.S. Silent Auction Fundraiser   The School Council at Pape has asked me to share this event with you:   Bring a Friend and stop by the Pape Avenue P.S. Silent Auction on Friday, November, 20th at Pape Avenue Public School (220 Langley Avenue). Doors open at 7pm | No Cover Charge | Live Music This is an adults-only fundraising event (19+) to support Pape Avenue Public School. Event Poster Annual Parent Conference Join us for the 9th Annual Parent Conference: Parent Involvement Makes a Difference, presented by the Parent Involvement Advisory Committee (PIAC) and the TDSB Parent and Community Engagement Office. This year’s theme is Unlocking Your Child’s Potential and registration is now open! Days of Significance November 2015  Aboriginal Education Month    9‐13 DeepavaliII (Hinduism) 11 Diwali** (Hinduism, Jain, Sikhism) 11 Remembrance Day (Canada) 12 Birth of Baha’u’llah (Baha’i) 12 New Year** (Jain) 14 World Diabetes Day (WHO) 15‐21 Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week    16 Louis Riel Day* (First Nations, Métis, Inuit) 20 Universal Children’s Day (UN) 20 International Transgender Day of Remembrance 25 International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (UN) 25 Birthday of Guru Nanak Dev Shahib (Sikhism) 27 National Holodomor Awareness (Ukrainian)   Click here for the full list of TDSB Days of Significance Save the Date! Special Education Family Information Fair Presentations Question & Answer Sessions  Open Discussion Ask an Expert Speakers: COMING SOON!   Thursday January 14th, 2016, 6 pm to 9 pm, location to be confirmed.   Childcare will be provided.