A Message from the NTCI Parents Mailing List: _______________________________________________
Upcoming Events at North Toronto Mar.27-31: Mental Health Awareness Week April 3-7: Charity Week featuring The Maddie Project April 12: Report card distribution via Home Form classes April 14 / 17: Good Friday / Easter Monday (no classes) Welcome to Sandra Miniace who will be replacing Crystal Seepersad for the remainder of the school year in the Business Department. Congratulations to Kehkashan Basu (Grade 11) who was invited to speak at the United Nations in NYC at the CSW61 Youth Forum on Gender Equality organised by UN Women. On March 11, Kehkashan spoke to 1500 young people at the General Assembly Hall in the UN headquarters about her Green Hope project. She also conducted a workshop and spoke to the journalism students at the Canadian University of Dubai on March 15th. Congratulations on your ambassadorship of NT! Music news! The NT symphony orchestra received the Kiwanis Club of North York Award and they were promoted to the finals of the Provincial Music Festival which takes place as a recorded submission. The orchestra will be recording the 3rd movement of Lalo's Symphonie Espagnole, with soloist Patricio Flores on April 13th after school in the auditorium. >From Trustee Shelley Laskin: Enhancing Equity Task Force Ward Forum Meeting Thursday, April 27 6:30-8:30 Lawrence Park Collegiate, 125 Chatsworth Drive The TDSB is kicking-off a two-part public consultation process where we will be sharing information and seeking advice from parents, students, staff, and the broader community that will help the Board improve equity in Toronto's public school system. The Ward Forums are the first part of the consultation. They will focus on understanding people's experience today (both good and bad) with equity in TDSB schools. The second part of consultation will take place this fall to share and seek feedback on the draft recommendations developed to address the feedback received. I will be joining with Trustees Jennifer Arp and Trustee Gerri Gershon for a joint ward forum. WHAT DO WE WANT TO KNOW? We want to know: What is working? What are the things we need to protect, expand or spread for greater impact? What is not working? Where do barriers and systemic discrimination remain despite our best efforts? What bold and courageous actions must we now take to achieve greater equity for all? WHAT'S THE BIG PICTURE? The TDSB is always striving to treat students fairly and that all students achieve their full potential. At the same time we know we must continue to identify and remove barriers and bias in the school system that can hurt students' ability to succeed. We know some things are going well - like many of the Model Schools that are now celebrating 10 years in 150 communities across the city - however we know many challenges persist. To make sure we continue our efforts to improve, TDSB Trustees have created an Enhancing Equity Task Force that will be providing advice to the Board in the Fall of 2017. The Task Force will be working closely with Trustees, teachers, staff, parents, students, and the broader community to do its work. WHAT WILL CHANGE BECAUSE OF THIS? The public consultation advice will directly inform the recommendations that the Enhancing Equity Task Force will make to the Board in the fall of 2017. The recommendations will lead to changes in how the Board directs its efforts in classrooms, in hallways, during and after school hours to improve equity. It will also likely lead to changes in how the Board allocates resources. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? A summary of all public consultation feedback from the Ward Forums will be posted online in early July. Draft recommendations from the Enhancing Equity Task Force (based on this feedback) will be shared publicly in the early fall, with the second round of public consultations immediately following, WHAT'S EQUITY? It is the provision of opportunities for equality for all by responding to the needs of individuals. This means removing biases that exist depending on a person's race, colour, creed, culture, ethnicity, linguistic origin, disability, socio-economic class, age, ancestry, nationality, place of origin, religion, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, family status, and marital status. Similar biases have also impacted on Canada's First Nation's and Metis and Inuit population. One advisor to the Task Force put it this way: Equality means every child has a pair of shoes. Equity means every child has a pair of shoes that fits. >From Geri Berholz, Co-Chair, Republic Residents' Association All Residents of Republic 1 and 2 and local community stakeholders: We live in a high-demand community and the Republic Residents' Association (RRA) is working hard to keep it that way. Although Yonge-Eglinton is a provincially-designated "growth node" - making local development inevitable - there is much we can do to preserve the desirability and safety of our community provided we stand together! The Republic Residents Association-the RRA-is now officially incorporated and mandated to represent the best interests of local community residents. Attend the upcoming RRA meeting to lend your voice to mounting concerns about development proposals on Broadway and Roehampton Avenues. Date: Thursday, April 6 Time: 7:30-9:30 pm Location: 70 Roehampton Party Room. Come early; we expect the room to be crowded. Key Presenters: Josh Matlow, local City Councillor; Shelley Laskin, local Toronto District School Board Trustee; a senior city representative from City of Toronto Transportation Services. Who can attend? All concerned residents of Republic 1 and 2 PLUS all local community stakeholders who share our association's view that the safety and quality of life of our community members are severely impacted by rampant local development. Please note: You do not need to be an owner nor a current member of the RRA to attend this meeting. Purpose of the meeting: To educate the audience about what steps are being taken and to explore additional options for constructive action. Come and add your voice on April 6th! William Mack Principal North Toronto Collegiate Institute _______________________________________________ Please do not reply to this e-mail. If you do not wish to receive e-mail from North Toronto, please unsubscribe at http://ntci.on.ca/ntparents-unsub/ To contact the school, 393-9180 or e-mail: [email protected] ________________________________________________ North Toronto Collegiate Institute 17 Broadway Avenue Toronto, Ontario, M4P 1T7 ________________________________________________ NTparents mailing list: [email protected] http://ntci.on.ca/mailman/listinfo/ntparents_ntci.on.ca _______________________________________________
