UPDATED February 26, 2021 - COVID-19 School and Child-Care Screening Tool

 

Secondary School Renaming Virtual Town Hall

Participation as a speaker at the town hall register here

Please note that the opportunity to submit a request to speak at the Town Hall concludes on Thursday February 11 at 4:00 p.m.   

To connect from a PC or smartphone/tablet, public attendees would register using the link below. After registering, you will receive an email with further instructions for joining the Virtual Town Hall on February 17. https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3025305555952444176

 

Understanding Gaming

Understanding Gaming - Parent Workshop Delivered in Tamil, English, Mandarin and Cantonese, parents engage in a conversation to understand gaming behaviours and how they may support their children's wellbeing. Please see attached for event details and registration link.

 

Celebrating Black Excellence

In honour of Black History Month, York Region District School Board will be celebrating Black excellence throughout the month of February and beyond by sharing stories of our students, alumni, staff, community members, community partners and our region as a whole.

Stories may be shared by YRDSB in the following ways:

· Written feature stories/profiles

· Social media profiles

· Videos

If you would like to see samples of how stories will be shared, please visit the Celebrating Black Excellence page on the Board website, the Board YouTube channel and on Instagram and Twitter.

Do you have a story of Black Excellence about yourself or someone you know? If so, please consider nominating a student, alumni, staff member, community member or York Region resident through our Celebrating Black Excellence form. Nominations will be accepted from February 1, 2021 - February 15, 2021.

Message from Our Trustee

 

Message from Our Trustee

 

Dear families,

 

I hope that you and your families are healthy and doing well. I want to thank all of our students, families and staff members for their flexibility, patience and perseverance during the school closures. We understand that the pandemic is creating challenges and hardships, and we will continue to prioritize and do our very best to support the well-being, learning and achievement of our students during these difficult times. 

 

There are resources on the Board website that students and families may find helpful, including tips for speaking with your child about COVID-19, support using technology, community and mental health resources and more at www.yrdsb.ca/school-reopening. 

 

One of our priorities as a Board of Trustees is to Champion Equity and Inclusivity: we aim to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes to remove barriers in support of all learners. 

 

Anti-Black Racism

 

We want each and every one of our students to know that they are valued, welcome, safe and respected in our schools. We know that sadly that is not the reality for some students and that incidents of anti-Black racism continue to occur in our community and our schools. These incidents cause pain, make our students feel unsafe and affect their well-being and achievement. This is not acceptable.

 

In the coming weeks, we will be sharing information and inviting you to participate in the Dismantling Anti-Black Racism Strategy: Creating anti-racist and Black affirming learning and working environments virtual event. During this event we will be unveiling our Anti-Black Racism Strategy, which was developed in coordination with families, students, community partners, educators and members of our senior leadership team.  The strategy was developed in response to continued evidence of anti-Black racism, and it will be a critical tool to support positive change in the system and to improve the experiences of Black students and staff.  

 

A series of training sessions, webinars and opportunities for learning will also be made available. Future communication will provide registration options.

 

I want to thank the members of the Anti-Black Racism Committee for generously giving their time, sharing their difficult experiences and their voice. We are committed to ensuring that this strategy is more than a piece of paper and are committed to doing the work to create more equitable learning environments. 

 

I also want to acknowledge that February is Black History Month, and while we take this opportunity to highlight and celebrate the incredible contributions made by Black Canadians, we will also be looking forward to launching our Dismantling Anti-Black Racism Strategy. We will also be continuing our celebration of Black excellence in our community and I encourage you to take the time to read the stories of some of the inspiring individuals learning and working here in York Region. 

 

We all have a role to play in creating a community that enables everyone in it to thrive, and in doing this work, we will create a more inclusive and positive environment for all of our students and families. 

Thoughtexchange on Learning Environments

 

Dear Families, 

 

Thank you for your ongoing support this school year as we continue to adjust to changing circumstances associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The York Region District School Board is committed to ensuring our students continue to have effective teaching and learning through access to technology, resources and engaging learning experiences and environments.  

To further support students and families, the Board will continue to gather parent/guardian and student feedback on learning environments. We want to hear from elementary families and students to better understand best practices and suggestions for student learning and well-being support.  

We are using an online tool called Thoughtexchange to invite meaningful feedback from our students and families. Parents and guardians of elementary students are encouraged to support their children in responding to the Thoughtexchange. The current Thoughtexchange asks: 

FAMILIES / STUDENTS 

 

What successes have you/your child experienced this school year?

What supports do you feel will increase your/your child's learning and engagement experiences?

Please provide any comments or suggestions you feel may help us when considering the improvement of your/your child's learning experiences

 

To participate and learn more, please visit the YRDSB website. 

This opportunity closes on February 8 at 11:59 p.m. 

Thank you again for your ongoing support.

Please visit www.yrdsb.ca/covid19 for school board information and www.york.ca/coronavirus for public health information. 

FREE Great Parents Do Great Parenting Programs

 Dear friends,

Now more than ever, we all need help with parenting.

Join us for this 3-part series to learn why children behave in certain ways and the practical strategies to promote good behaviours and manage the misbehaviours.

 

It is normal to have parenting challenges and help is available for free.

To learn more about Triple P click here: https://www.triplep-parenting.ca/ont-en/about-triple-p/faqs/

 

To register use the link below

Part 1 – January 25th 2021 starting at 6:30 pm.  Join via Zoom from anywhere in Ontario (yes from your couch or bedroom or garage)

Register:  https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/triple-p-causes-of-child-behaviour-and-parent-traps-tickets-136372366419?aff=ebdssbonlinesearch

 

**This is a 3-part seminar. Participation in all 3 dates is strongly recommended.**

Part 2:  February 1st, 2021- Strategies to Promote Good Behaviour 6:30pm-8:30pm

Part 3:  February 8th, 2021- Managing Misbehaviour 6:30pm-8:30pm