We would like to share with our community information about various upcoming presentations for parents and guardians.

Fostering Your Child’s Emotional Resilience will be offered in both Cantonese (on February 27th) and Mandarin (on March 6th), focusing on key strategies of how parents can encourage their child to express their feelings. Virtual meeting links will be provided upon registration. For more information, see the linked flyer.

A Three-Part Parenting Program will be offered in Farsi and Dari focusing on fostering positive relationships with children, regulating emotions, and social media and parenting concerns. Virtual meeting links will be provided upon registration. For more information, see the linked flyer.

Next Wednesday –February 22nd, 2023—is Pink Shirt Day. The origins of this day trace back to 2007, when Nova Scotia secondary students David Shepherd and Travis Price saw a grade nine student being bullied for wearing a pink shirt on the first day of school. In an effort to stand up for the student, they purchased 50 pink shirts and distributed them to other students, who wore them in solidarity. Since David and Travis’ act of kindness in 2007, the spirit of their effort has grown each year. Over the past number of years, people in almost 180 countries shared their support of Pink Shirt Day through social media posts and donations. (For more information, visit the official website for Pink Shirt Day.)

Pink Shirt Day emphasizes the importance of lifting each other up. “Today our diversity is becoming more visible than ever as people continue to embrace their cultures, identities, and true selves in more open and direct ways; making the need to Lift Each Other Up and have greater acceptance, respect, and inclusion for everyone so important.”

Please encourage your child to wear a Pink Shirt to school on February 22, 2023. Let’s us engage in kindness and stand up to bullying next Wednesday, and every day.

Tired of making lunches?  Our School Council is excited to share that Kid’s Kitchen school lunch program will be launching starting Monday, February 27^th, with hot lunches available to order for Mondays and Tuesdays.

Kid’s Kitchen is a family owned and operated business that serves nutritious meals to elementary school children throughout York Region and the Toronto area.  They take care of everything, from preparing customized menus and taking orders, to making the meals and delivering them directly to the school.

Program details:

• A la carte menu with a variety of entrees, side items, & snacks
• Everything from wraps to pasta to chicken teriyaki
• Secure & flexible ordering
• Allergy management
• New combos offered every month
• Menu developed in consultation with a Registered Dietician & compiles with the Ontario Government Food & Beverage policy

Ordering is easy!  Online orders can be placed up until 10:00 a.m. the previous business day.  For more details on setting up your Kid’s Kitchen account, see the flyer and visit the Kid’s Kitchen website.

Please note: If the school buses are cancelled due to inclement weather and the schools are open Kid’s Kitchen lunches will still be delivered, unless cancelled by the family.  See Kid’s Kitchen’s Inclement Weather Information for more details.

We hope you and your children enjoy this convenient service for families.

The Rosedale Heights P.S. Eco Team is preparing for Sweater and Winter Walk Day.

This Wednesday, February 8th is Sweater and Winter Walk Day at Rosedale Heights P.S. During this eco-initiative, the school heating will be temporarily lowered by 2°C, and students, visitors, and staff are encouraged to bring an extra sweater or warm layer to school. Please ensure that your child comes to school prepared for a slightly cooler classroom temperature and to go for a walk that day in the period before lunch.

According to the Government of Canada, the “global temperature continues to rise; each of the last three decades has been successively warmer than any preceding decade since the 1850s. Global average sea level has risen about 20 cm since 1900 due to expansion of warming ocean waters and the addition of water to the ocean from melting land ice.”

Importantly, “the top thing you can do to help fight Climate Change is to reduce your energy use.” Ways to reduce this include lowering your thermostat by 1 or 2°C, turning off lights and appliances when not in use, and using energy efficient light bulbs and appliances where possible.

For more information on ways to reduce your energy use visit the Government of Canada webpage at https://www.canada.ca/en/services/environment/weather/climatechange.html.

Also visit the David Suzuki Foundation’s Top 10 Ways you can stop climate change at https://davidsuzuki.org/what-you-can-do/top-10-ways-can-stop-climate-change/.

We thank you for your support and we continue to learn about reducing our carbon footprint.

I hope everyone has had a wonderful start to 2023, and enjoyed their winter break. 

One of the most important roles of school board trustees is communicating with the public. I hope to use this newsletter as one way to keep you updated on Board news, to communicate my role as trustee and how I can support you, and to answer some of the questions I am often asked as a trustee. 

Communicating with the public includes both sharing information and attending events to build relationships with families, but also ensuring I am available to you. If you have questions about Board policies or budget, concerns about your community, ideas and suggestions, or have a question and don’t know who to call, please feel free to reach out. I am happy to assist you. 

Our Board of Trustees is made up of 12 trustees elected during the municipal election process, and one Indigenous trustee appointed through a separate process. Eight of the 12 elected trustees are new this term, and we are all looking forward to connecting with families and fulfilling our roles to support student achievement and well-being. 

What do Trustees Do?

In addition to communicating with the public, we are also responsible for:

Establishing a Multi-Year Strategic Plan. This plan sets out our priorities as a school board and guides our direction and decision making as a system.

Setting policy. Policies govern the operation of our schools and organization, including field trips, school transportation, homework, caring and safe schools and much more. You can find out which policies are up for review in our meeting agendas, or which policies are out for comment on the website. Your participation in this process is important to ensuring our policies are serving our communities and align with our priorities. 

Setting an annual budget. I look forward to sharing more information about this process with you in the coming months as we engage in budget consultations. 

Participating on Board and Advisory Committees. You can find the dates and agendas for these meetings on the Board website. You are welcome to attend and observe any public Board, Advisory and Board Committee meetings. 

Hiring the Director of Education. This process is governed by the Director of Education Selection Policy, and we will keep you updated as this process progresses. In the meantime, I am deeply grateful to Interim Director of Education Scott Yake for his commitment and service.

Advocating for quality public education. I became a school board trustee because I believe in public education. I believe in the potential of each and every one of our students and our responsibility to nurture their learning, growth and achievement. Our decisions as a board are centred on our commitment to deliver the best for our students. 

What’s Happening in YRDSB

Kindergarten registration opened January 20 for families with children who will start Kindergarten in September 2023. 

French Immersion registration is open from January 20-February 6 for students entering Grade 1 in September 2023. 

Student trustee elections are currently underway. All students in Grades 5-12 will have an opportunity to vote for the student trustees who will represent them next school year. 

In February, we recognize Black History Month, celebrating the contributions of Black people to the fabric of our society. I encourage you to visit the Board’s Centre for Black Student Excellence webpage and newsletter to learn more about upcoming events during Black History Month and what’s happening in the Board to celebrate Black excellence. 

Family Day and the March Break are also approaching and we hope everyone enjoys the break.

There are a number of other events for families coming up and I encourage you to check the Board calendar.

New Schools

One of the other questions I am asked, particularly in growing communities is about new schools or capital projects. I can let you know that in our municipality the following capital projects have received approval:

• Blue Willow Public Sch​​ool Kindergarten Addition, proposed to open January 2025. 
• Kleinburg/Nashville Elementary Sch​​ool, proposed to open September 2024. 
• E.J. Sand Public Sch​​ool replacement, proposed to open September 2023.

There are many ways you can stay up-to-date with what’s happening in our school board. Visit the newsroom or website homepage at www.yrdsb.ca. Listen to our podcast. Follow the Board on Twitter, Instagram or YouTube. Read your school newsletters and emails. I look forward to staying connected with you. 

Best regards,

Estelle Cohen, Trustee, Vaughan Wards 4 and 5