Trustee Pamela Gough
Ward 3, Etobicoke - Lakeshore 5050 Yonge Street, 5th Floor Constituency Assistant: |
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Welcome, and thank you for visiting my Ward web page.Whether you are a student, parent or resident, as your elected representative for the TDSB, it is my role to advocate on your behalf. On the TDSB site, and on this page, you can stay informed on what’s happening at the Board, including policies under review, program updates and discussions around new initiatives to improve student success. Please visit my Ward 3 Event Calendar. Trustee Gough's school e-newsletterEvery two weeks, I publish an electronic newsletter on education matters for parents and guardians in Ward 3. You can access the April 26, 2013 edition here |
Ward Forum: Budget Consultation May 16In the coming weeks, Toronto District School Board Trustees will be holding ward forums on the 2013/2014 budget. Each year, Trustees hold ward forums to hear from their communities about the recommendations that are being considered in order for the Board to meet the requirement under the Education Act to pass a balanced budget. Recommendations look at a number of options to find efficiencies, change the way the Board delivers services, and look for areas where spending can be brought closer to Ministry of Education funding levels. For more information on the 2013/2014 budget, please visit: www.tdsb.on.ca/budget. My next Ward Forum will be a community consultation about the TDSB Budget for 2013-14. It will be held on Thursday May 16 at 7pm to 8:45pm at Sir Adam Beck JS (544 Horner Ave. - west of Brown's Line and south of Evans Ave.), Quick Facts “As always we are working toward a budget that not only addresses the financial pressures faced by the Board, but also has as little impact on our students as possible. It’s important that we hear directly from the community as we look to finalize this year’s budget.” “We want our parents, students, and community members to share their priorities with us as we establish our budget for next year. I would encourage our community to make their voices heard by attending their local ward forums.” |
Islington JMS Students Document their 180 year old HistoryIslington JMS students are using technology to archive documents and photos that detail the history of their school which is the second oldest school in Toronto. The archival project created by Islington JMS’s Grade 4/5 class was a six-minute video featuring the images of a series of old photos and documents, voiced over by former student John Tyers, 80, who detailed what Islington JMS was like back when he attended the school in the 1940s. For the article published in the Etobicoke Guardian, please click here. |
Bloorlea Babysitting Course was Snapp'dRead about the Red Cross Babysitting Course held at Bloorlea MS recently: Bloorlea Boosts Babysitters |
Superintendent for a Day ContestDo you want to learn what it takes to be a Superintendent in a School Board? Enter to become one for a day. Students in Grades 10, 11 or 12 are invited to apply for the opportunity to shadow the role of a superintendent and be exposed to the inner workings of the TDSB for a day. You will visit schools, meet the Director and get the opportunity to voice concerns and ideas for the TDSB. |
Information about Itinerant Music Instruction ProgramPlease click here |
Secondary School Completion in 4 years - 34 Credit ThresholdEffective September 2013, school boards will receive funding at the continuing education rate for students enrolled in courses that could earn them more than 34 secondary school credits. The intent of the 34 Credit Threshold policy is to encourage students and schools to plan courses appropriately and more effectively use education resources while still allowing students to seek additional or upgraded credits. At no point will students be charged for courses above the 34 credit threshold. Students with an Individual Education Plan (IEP) or those taking credits in English-as-a-Second Language (and French Equivalent) will be exempt from the policy. For more information, please see the power point presentation here |
Strengthening the Community of Support for Mental Health and Well-being of Children 6 -12Monday May 13th from 5:45 pm - 8:45 pm. Cost is $15. and includes a light dinner. Please see Program Brochure here Click on the links below to register: Registration Deadline May 7th For more information go to www.middlechildhoodmatters.ca |
EcoSchools May 2013 NewsletterPlease click here for the EcoSchools May 2013 newsletter for more information about what you can do to be part of the EcoSchools activities and programs.
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New Framework for French as a Second LanguageThe Ministry of Education has released a new framework for French as a Second Language. Click here |
Parent Engagement WorkshopsThere are Parent Engagement Workshops being held at various locations during April, May and June of 2013. Here are some details of what the workshops will cover: Understanding Middle and Secondary School Program and Options May 21 6:30 pm Richview Collegiate School Council Planning 2013-2013 June 6 6:30 pm Education Office 5050 Yonge St. |
Parent Reaching Out Grants 2013 - 2014The 2013 /2014 Parent Reaching Out Grants (PROG) are now open. All schools/school councils are encouraged to apply. Grant requirements and the application is available on the Ministry of Education website at http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/parents/reaching.html . Please note that applications are required to be submitted electronically ONLY. Please email Debbie.Wagdin@tdsb.on.ca if you have any questions about the PROG applications for Ward 3 schools. |
Healthy Kids ReportThe Ontario government commissioned a panel of experts to look into the burgeoning problem of childhood obesity. If nothing is done, the current generation of children will develop chronic diseases earlier and will be more affected as they age. The report of the panel has now been released and is available here. (1312K 4/11/2013) It is being widely talked about and puts forward a bold, three part strategy to increase healthy lifestyles in children and their communities. I recommend you read it and have school council discussions on ways that schools and parents can support healthy activity in the daily lives of children. |
Awards for Teachers and PrincipalsHere is a list of websites for information about awards for Elementary and Secondary teachers and principals. For the outlines of the awards for Elementary teachers that have been compiled please click here. TDSB Excellence Awards: Secondary Teachers: Principals: |
Rob MacKinnon, ESA Principal is one of The Learning Partnership's Canada's Outstanding PrincipalsOn February 6 The Learning Partnership announced this year’s Canada’s Outstanding Principals. I was thrilled as well to be able to congratulate Rob at the Board meeting on the evening of February 6th. |
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French as a Second Language Advisory Committee (FSLAC)Please click here Please click here Please see the French Immersion page of the website for more information regarding TDSB French programs. |
Annie Kidder, Kate Hammer joined Ward Forum January 29Tuesday, January 29, I teamed up with Trustee Chris Glover of Etobicoke Centre to host a joint Ward Forum in the library of Lambton Kingsway JMS. We were fortunate in obtaining two widely respected guest speakers: Annie Kidder, Executive Director of People for Education (P4E), and Kate Hammer, Education Reporter for the Globe and Mail. There are few people more knowledgeable and articulate about public education in Ontario than Annie and Kate. The evening’s focus was on the continuing impact of the aftermath of Bill 115. After giving their analysis of the situation, Annie and Kate joined a panel of local parents in an interactive session aimed at providing more understanding of the post-Bill 115 era and what the future will hold for our students and their schools. The input from the TDSB Student Trustees, Hirad Zafari and Kourosh Houshmand was very valuable.The minutes from the meeting are available here |
Visit to Twentieth St. JS in celebration of National Literacy DayIn celebration of National Family Literacy Day, I visited the brand-new Parenting and Family Literacy Centre at Twentieth Street JS (3190 Lake Shore Blvd. West.) on Monday January 28th. I met the parents and children who were enjoying the activities of the centre and was very pleased to read the story ‘Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?’ to them. I was very happy to be invited to the centre to help raise awareness of the importance of early literacy and numeracy and to share with the parents the important role they have in encouraging reading. For the link to the Etobicoke Guardian article, click here. |
SuperSAC Chat GroupAs a follow-up to my October Ward Forum meeting, a SuperSAC chat group with School Council Chairs and Co-Chairs has been set up. Any parent of a student at a TDSB school in Ward 3 is welcome to join the group. The goal is to promote communication among the schools about the impact of Bill 115 and to find potential solutions to the difficulties that have arisen. |
Lakeshore Collegiate continues Amazing Inside CampaignHave you taken a look at Lakeshore Collegiate lately? LCI is continuing its campaign called Amazing Inside, which showcases its unsurpassed arts and sports facilities. In addition, LCI is one of only two high schools in the Toronto area to offer a remarkable learning opportunity. The program, in partnership with the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, is called the I-Think Integrative Thinking Model. It is based on the theory that lies at the heart of the Rotman School’s famous Executive MBA program. The program will provide a framework where trained teachers from both LCI and the Rotman School of Management will guide students to think in the way that top business leaders do, enabling them to tackle the most difficult problems and make better decisions. Click here Click here to see how this kind of integrative thinking is being taught to business leaders around the world. Lakeshore has some of the hottest arts and technology programs in the province, including the CyberARTS program, which combines art, graphic design and digital media. A marriage of art and modern design technology, CyberARTS is a multidisciplinary project-driven program offered at only six schools in the TDSB. For students who get involved in CyberARTS, it’s much more than just an art class every day. It means participating in a program that views the entire secondary curriculum through the double lens of art and technology. To find out more about CyberARTS, click here. That’s not all. Lakeshore has a wide range of programs, including a drama partnership with the University of Toronto that give students opportunities to earn early credits at one of the top universities in Canada. There are also opportunities to earn dual credits at several programs at Humber College. For more information, go to the Lakeshore Collegiate website by clicking here. Lakeshore Collegiate also has amazing athletic facilities on a campus that includes a multi-pad hockey arena and the Toronto District School Board’s newest artificial turf football/soccer fields, which is available for all season use by the school and the community through the installation of an inflatable dome. For the article about the dome in the Etobicoke Guardian, click here. . |
Consultation on enrolment and student accommodation at Norseman Jr. Middle SchoolOn Tuesday January 8, 2013, I joined Daryl Sage, Director of Strategy and Planning; Sheila Penny, Chief Architect Toronto Lands Corporation; Chris Spence, Director of Education; Superintendent Jane Phillips-Long and Principal Carolyn Wright at a special community meeting at Norseman JMS to present information on the school’s future enrolment trends and to share options to relieve overcrowding. The power point presentation is available here. Superintendent Phillips-Long and I had previously attended a School Council meeting on Tuesday May 22, 2012 to discuss the issue. The power point presentation from that evening is available here. |
New online resource for Toronto's middle childhood child care programsThe City of Toronto's website has a new online locator to help parents and guardians of children from 6 to 12 years of age find before-school and after-school programs in Toronto. This new resource marks the first phase of the City of Toronto's Middle Childhood Strategy. The locator can be found at http://www.toronto.ca/children/middlechildhood_map.htm. The locator is designed to search for locations for licensed school-age child care programs, full-day kindergarten before and after school programs, and after school recreation care (ARC) programs. The locator will continually be expanded to search for more categories. Information about the strategy can be found at: |
TDSB Takes a Stand Against BullyingOn Friday October 19, at 11am, all 250,000 TDSB students and 40,000 staff members paused for one minute of silence in remembrance of bullying victims who are no longer with us and to support those who are being bullied right now. While a moment of silence won’t stop bullying altogether, it is our hope that it will be a powerful message to those affected by it that we, as students, as teachers, as administrators, as people, will not stand by and let this happen. A lesson for children, teens and adults can be found in the following exercise a teacher in New York used in her classroom. She gave each student a piece of paper and told them to crumple it up, stomp on it and really mess it up, but do not rip it. Then she had them unfold the paper, smooth it out and look at how scarred and dirty it was. She then told them to tell it they’re sorry. Now...even though they said they were sorry and tried to fix the paper, she pointed out all the scars they left behind. And that those scars will never go away no matter how hard they tried to fix it. That is what happens when a child bullies another child, they may say they’re sorry but the scars are there forever. The looks on the faces of the children in the classroom told her the message hit home. |
LCI Championship Field ProjectThe Lakeshore Collegiate Institute Championship Field Project was made possible through an agreement between the Toronto District School Board, Field Recreation Inc. (FRI), and the City of Toronto which provides a year-round, enhanced sports field and seasonal dome for Lakeshore Collegiate Institute (LCI) to use exclusively during school hours from September to June. Regular permits are available to organized sports groups year-round, outside of school hours (with or without the dome). To learn more about securing a regular permit or seasonal community use pass, please contact Field Recreation Inc. at 647.466.3410 or info@lcisportscentre.com . |
Information about School CouncilsAt the TDSB, school councils are an excellent way for parents to get involved in their child’s education. Every TDSB school has an elected school council. Your school council is an important forum for involving all members of the school community in matters that affect the education of students. The school council is made up of an elected committee of parents, staff and student representatives, appointed community members, the principal, and a general membership which includes all parent of children attending the school. The school council advises the principal and the Board on a variety of issues and activities relating to student achievement, curriculum goals and priorities, school budget priorities, school safety, renovation plans, after school activities, and criteria for selection of new principals. More information about School Councils can be found here. |
Here are some useful links to get you started:• TDSB News• Find Your Local School • Register for Kindergarten • Child Care • French Immersion • Secondary School Programs • Board Meetings • Board Policies • Budget • School Safety |
Information about the Parent Involvement Advisory Committee (PIAC)Recognizing the importance of parent involvement in our schools, the Ontario Ministry of Education, in its 2005 Parent Involvement Advisory Policy, mandated the creation of Parent Involvement Committees in each school board across the province "to provide parent advice and to support parent engagement." |
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