Highlights from the Board Room – September 22

Board Meeting   |  Tuesday, September 22, 2020

Presentations

Director’s Recognition Award

Director of Education Wes Hahn introduced the new Director’s Recognition Award. The award highlights extraordinary contributions made by staff members, students, school volunteers, or community members, and is presented  by the Director at each Trillium Lakelands District School Board (TLDSB) Regular Meeting of the Board. 

The first recipients of this award are Enhanced Resource Teacher Dylan Sontag, Bracebridge General Maintenance Kirk McFarlane, and Lindsay Facilities Carpenter Paul Starling. 

Dylan was recognized for going above and beyond to support teacher learning in the areas of curriculum, assessment, and technology, particularly during the shutdown this past spring.

Kirk and Paul were recognized for taking the lead in each of their respective areas as part of preparing schools for the 2020-2021 return to school, including the design and building of barriers to support physical distancing in buildings.

Introduction of COVID-19 Lead

Superintendent of Learning Dave Golden introduced Kendall Kolne, the Board’s Research and Data Analyst who joined TLDSB in March 2020 and now has taken on the role of COVID-19 Lead during the pandemic. Her new role involves facilitating daily communication between the Ministry of Education, public health, and the Board. 

Summer Learning Report

Superintendent of Learning Paul Goldring provided a report on the success of the Summer Learning program that took place over three weeks in August. This was the first time that the program took place online for primary students who would benefit from reinforcement of academic skills learned during the school year, and an opportunity to maintain these skills for the upcoming school year. This year’s program had 28 schools represented with a focus on phonological awareness, writing, and technology, totalling 220 hours of student learning, engagement, and routine.

This was the first year where TLDSB was able to provide an opportunity for French Immersion students to exercise their ability to communicate in French with their peers and receive explicit instruction. 

An Indigenous Student Social Entrepreneurship Program was also offered to Grade 4 to 12 students to provide participants with the tools and methods to identify opportunities within their Indigenous community they feel passionate about taking initiative in and working to design solutions that have positive impact for others. 22 students from across the Board participated in the learning program over two, one week sessions, and all received a certificate in Design Thinking from Future Design School and TLDSB. The program was co-created in partnership with Wahta Mohawks, TLDSB, and Future Design School. 

Superintendent of Learning Jennifer Johnston spoke about the special education component of the Summer Learning program. Ministry of Education funding enabled the Board to offer specialized programming to support successful transitions for students with special needs. There was also an approved expansion of the After School Skills Development Program into the summer months, allowing for the delivery of a Milo@Home program for students with autism. This program took place over six weeks and focused on developing social skills.

Administrative reports

Program Enhancement Report

Superintendent of Learning Golden presented a report that summarized the 98 projects that were approved last year as part of the Board’s Program Enhancement fund. Due to labour issues and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many projects were left incomplete or partially completed.

Subsequent Ministry Funding Report

Superintendent of Business Ellis shared a report with Trustees about additional funding that the  Ministry of Education has indicated will be provided to support the return to school. The Board has allocated funds in areas such as staffing, PPE, HVAC, mental health, special education, transportation, and more.

Transportation and Summer Construction Project Report

Superintendent of Business Tim Ellis highlighted construction projects that took place over the summer at TLDSB schools and work sites. Facility Services completed a total of 154 projects across TLDSB schools. The department is currently planning for next year’s summer projects, as well as after hours projects during the school year. The department is also undertaking a project across the district which involves converting buildings to LED lighting. 

Superintendent Ellis touched on the work being done by Transportation Services in preparing for the return to school. The department has worked very hard to address over 7,000 transportation scenarios due to in-class learning versus online learning. Initial revisions have all been made, resulting in about 340 daily transportation routes.

2020 Board and Committee of the Whole meeting schedule