Connect with us

Youth Development

Work to Rule Comes to an End

Published

on

BY KATHY MCDONALD

The Principals and Vice Principals were about the only group that were not on strike when the school year started. By the end of September OSSTF had settled. ETFO teachers and occasional teachers have now ratified the terms of the agreement by the November 13th deadline. CUPE members, have until December 4th to do the same. Elementary schools can begin transitioning to their regular routines. During this period of transition parents must remember to be patient and understanding as it’s not business as usual just yet. There are relationships that need to heal; backlogs that need to be cleared; eager students waiting for their extra-curricular activities to resume and parents wanting report cards.  As a mother of four, I understand the frustrations of parents but please pack your patience.

It is my belief that most teachers will be consummate professionals that diligently work to create resilient lifelong learners. Parents will still have a role to play throughout this transition period. If you feel the need to speak to your child’s teacher remember that parent /teacher interviews will be granted at the teacher’s discretion. They are not bound to conduct interviews this time. Teachers will only do interviews where they have a specific concern and so they can refuse a request for an interview.  So if a teacher does not request to meet with you to discuss your child’s progress and you feel the need to you will have to politely request a meeting.

Parents need to remember, last June, some boards did not issue report cards (Boards selected by ETFO to be part of the Teachers work to rule). Only a letter of completion was issued at the PDSB. If principals provided marks in writing these marks did not go into the student’s Ontario Student Record (OSR). These marks will not be officially kept by the Board. Considering that no formal record exists I would advise parents that want these marks to ask for them before December.

Here are some of the highlights of the ETFO deal. Class sizes were capped. So is this a net zero deal after all?  Well the money used to provide an increase in salaries to cover the cost of capping class sizes was generated from a reduction of elementary professional learning cutting one day of class time and by allowing teachers to cash in on banked sick days at today’s rate rather than the projected rate of retirement. ETFO will still retain the right to challenge Bill 115 (back to work legislation that was imposed on teachers in 2012). ETFO remains committed to reducing split classes and School Boards will implement the 2012 Health and Safety Task Force recommendations.

Is the debate about whether or not the $600,000 in the ETFO deal is a secret payout a matter of semantics? You decide. $600,000 was not directly deposited into the ETFO coffers slated for bargaining costs. They walked away with an extra $600,000 for professional development for supply teachers. Secondary teachers as well as elementary teachers will receive a 1% lump sum payment this year, 1% next year and 0.5% raise payment through the next school year.

ETFO also represents Education Support Personnel (ESP), Professional Support Personnel (PSP) and Designated Early Childhood Educators (DECE). ETFO is still negotiating for these members centrally. I remain optimistic that the worst is over. So parents, they are all coming: Progress Reports, IEPs (Individual Educational Plan), school council elections and meetings, pizza days,  fundraising…those chocolates and Christmas delights, extra-curricular activities and so much more…including the training for the new HPE (Health and Physical Education Curriculum) . Ahh the New SexEd. Ohh… I am out of space. So in the meantime enjoy the ride. We will Labrish in two weeks.

Walk Good – Belle Marche!!

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Youth Development

Understanding the multiple layers involved in navigating education spaces Parents of Black Children launch Navigating the Education System

Published

on

BY PAUL JUNOR

The work of the advocacy group Parents of Black Children (PoBC) has made a significant and revolutionary difference by bringing issues to the forefront that help Black families at all levels.

For over two years now, it has organized events, workshops and initiatives that have provided important information to the Black community to bring empowerment, knowledge and deep understanding of the multiple layers of the complex dynamics involved in navigating education spaces.

There are five core principles that underlie PoBC understanding of racism:

  1. Racialization
  2. Racism is about power
  3. Critical racial theory
  4. Our stories matter
  5. Racism is founded on White supremacy

On Tuesday, November 23rd, 2021, they launched the document Navigating the Education System,” which was a very empowering, enriching and inspiring tool for diverse Black families. Kearie Daniels, one of the cofounders of PoBC and author of the document, moderated the launch. Furthermore, Claudette Rutherford, one of the cofounders of PoBC and author gave an extensive presentation of the details of the document, sharing useful insights, practical knowledge and interesting information.

PoBC shared a pdf document subsequent to the launch, which provided additional details in a fifty-three-page package. It contained relevant, contextual and vital resources. PoBC’s Advocacy Team supported the document, which includes Charline Grant and Xavier McLaughin.

In the introduction to the document the mission of PoBC is to “Provide support to parents of Black children across Canada and the United States. We advocate and work towards change and concrete action in our education system and adjacent systems such child welfare and the justice system.”

The launch of this vital document is a culmination of all the advocacy and activist work that PoBC has been extensively involved in. It serves to remind members of the Black community that there are resources, tools and supports available to ensure that Black children are able to thrive academically, excel mentally and flourish intellectually in spaces that may not be welcoming to their presence.

The document states that the navigate guide is “Geared towards families in Ontario, but the information can be applied to any jurisdiction where there are Black children and families.”

The document “Table of Contents” is useful and helpful. There is vital information on:

  • School board terms you need to know
  • Education organization you need to know in Ontario
  • Black families and the Child Welfare System
  • Black families and the education system
  • Black students and Individual Education Plans (IEPs)
  • Black students in High School.
  • Developmental delays in learning exceptionalities
  • Supporting students with learning exceptionalities
  • Selecting a school system
  • System abuse

PoBC presented a webinar on “System Abuse”. The document states,

“The system is not neutral. These systems were designed as part of a colonial framework that must be dismantled.” Furthermore, the document “Serves as a means to demystify the pitfalls within the education system and light a path towards a decolonized education system.”

Continue Reading

Youth Development

Toronto prepares families for COVID-19 vaccination of children

Published

on

Photo by Charles Deluvio Library on Unsplash

BY PAUL JUNOR

There have been concerns, fears and anxieties as parents, caregivers and guardians anticipate the possibility of having their children under twelve vaccinated.

The Boston Globe reported on Friday, October 29th, 2021, that the FDA approved the administration of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to children between the ages of five to eleven. These children will receive one-third of the dose administered to teens and adults.

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention met on Tuesday, November 2nd, 2021, in order to finalize details with respect to which children should be vaccinated first. In anticipation of these developments, Team Toronto has initiated a series of outreach and education sessions, as well as town halls in order to inform the Toronto community.

Parents of children between the ages of five to eleven who attend public schools will be receiving an email and an invitation to respond to a survey to “Support vaccine planning.”  This invitation will also be extended to parents whose children attend private independent schools as well. The survey will be administered by Toronto Public Health (TPH) and the City of Toronto VaxTO in order to “Better understand parents’ intent to vaccinate their children, how they would prefer to have their children receive their COVID-19 vaccine, and to obtain critical information on socio-demographic factors such as race and income.”

John Tory, Mayor of Toronto, is optimistic and positive about this development. He states in the press release, “While our work to get 90% of eligible residents vaccinated is continuing, we are also readying for when the vaccine will be available to protect kids five to eleven. We want to hear from parents, so we made sure we designed a vaccination program that works for kids and their families. This is just one more example of the outreach we are doing to prepare for this effort. This work is so important and will help us get kids vaccinated so they have the best protection against COVID-19 and so our schools can be as safe and as open as possible.”

Councillor Joe Cressy, Chair of Toronto’s Board of Health who has been at the forefront of advocating for the vaccination of margnizalied and at-risk communities is supportive of this campaign. He states, “At every stage of our immunization campaign, connecting with people on the ground has been critical to our success. Now, as we prepare for the rollout of vaccines to children aged five to eleven, we’re committed to engaging directly with parents, families, and community leaders to have active conversations about vaccinations for kids.”

In addition, Dr Eileen De Villa, Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health is a strong proponent of this campaign. She states,” When vaccines are approved for use and when we have supply we will ensure that we bring every resource to bear on this critical component of the vaccination campaign.”

The survey will be available as of Sunday, November 7th, 2021. It consists of fifteen questions that will be available online at s.tphsurvey.chkmkt.com in multiple languages. Parents and guardians will receive them from their children’s public school boards. In addition, there will be town halls for specified multilingual communities as well as neighbourhood-based telephone halls to ensure that the public has access to timely, necessary and relevant information for informed decision-making.

Continue Reading

Youth Development

Act as if what you do makes a difference. IT DOES

Published

on

BY SABRINA S. – 12 YEARS OLD

The school year is coming to an end, I’m sure that this year was hectic for everyone. Last year, we had a pandemic strike in the middle of the year and the world was sent into lockdown.

We didn’t get to go to school for the rest of the year.

Many students got to choose if they wanted to do school in-person or online, I chose online since I didn’t feel safe.

First day of school was very weird, most people don’t turn their cameras on, don’t even get me started on the wifi issues. I would lag out of the google meet many times and miss most of the instructions on the assignment. That is when friends come in handy, though I don’t get to see my friends that often, we still connect with some online games and phone calls through snap chat.

I don’t know where the time went, it just flew by. Last month was September and suddenly, I feel like we skipped eight months. I only have a week of school left! Because it is the last week of school, I have a lot of homework and final assignments to do but I know I’ll get through them and finish the school year.

I haven’t had time to go outside as well, I’ve been too busy with my assignments.

If my school year was this hectic, imagine the teacher’s year. I’m very grateful for everything my teachers have done for me and my classmates this year, they definitely deserve the three-month summer break. I’m sure my teachers doubted teaching online, but everything went okay and I learned lots.

“No matter how hard it is, or how hard it gets. I’m going to make it!”

Continue Reading

Trending