Dear TCDSB Families,
We look forward to welcoming students back to school on Wednesday, September 7! To assist in preparing you and your child(ren) for the upcoming school year, we ask that you review the following detailed information about what to expect at your child’s TCDSB school.
Health and Safety
The Provincial Government, in partnership with local health units, continues to provide schools with direction regarding health and safety measures for the 2022-2023 school year, including:
- Masks and eye protection are no longer required for students and staff. However, staff and students can continue to wear masks and eye protection if they wish. We ask that you respect the decisions of all students and staff who may decide to wear or not wear masks. We will continue to support those decisions as well.
- Medical masks for students and staff and eye protection for staff will be provided at school and board sites, for those that choose to use them.
- Appropriate hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette will continue to be promoted and integrated throughout the school day, and hand sanitizer will continue to be available.
- Schools will continue to have access to rapid antigen tests to be used in accordance with provincial testing guidance.
Self-Screening and Isolation
We continue to take direction from the Province and local public health officials, and staff, students and visitors are encouraged to self-screen every day before attending school using either the Ontario COVID-19 school and child care screening tool, or the Toronto Public Health screening tool. Daily screening tools will not be required to be signed for students.
Anyone who is feeling sick or has any new or worsening symptoms of illness, including those not listed in this screening tool, should stay home until their symptoms are improving for at least 24 hours (or 48 hours for nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea) and they do not have a fever, and seek assessment from their health care provider if needed. After isolating at home, wear a mask in public for 10 days since the onset of your symptoms, as directed by Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer.
Ventilation
Significant improvements have been made to ventilation and filtration through the implementation of various measures across all schools, including the installation of more than 7,826 portable HEPA purifiers. To learn more, visit Ventilation in TCDSB Schools.
School Communications
Please take a few minutes to review and register for the following important school-related information:
- New TCDSB Website: We appreciate all the feedback we received from the TCDSB community about how to make our website better. We heard your concerns with the old website and are pleased to launch our new website. We look forward to hearing what you think by completing the feedback survey.
- TSTG Bus Transportation Portal (bus students only): The Toronto Student Transportation Group (TSTG) portal provides online access to your child’s transportation information and up to the minute email notifications regarding school bus cancellations or delays.
- SchoolMessenger/Safe Arrival: Easily report your child’s absences and receive school communications throughout the year including cancellations, closures and other critical issues.
- SchoolCash Online: A safe and convenient payment option that eliminates the need to send cash or cheques to school for expenses like pizza lunches, civvies days, and field trips.
TCDSB General Information
- School Year Calendar for 2022-2023: A list of all school holidays, Professional Activity (PA) days, and other key dates for the 2022-23 school calendar year.
- Resources webpage: The latest updates and communications for TCDSB families.
- Parents webpage: Including info about the Catholic Parent Involvement Committee and the Ontario Association for Parents in Catholic Education.
- Mental Health Resources: Access resources including tips for families, videos, websites and agency information for students and families about child and youth mental health and available supports.
- Disconnecting from Work Policy: As part of our strategy to support and encourage greater work-life balance, TCDSB has implemented this policy to promote employees’ ability to disconnect from work outside of regular work hours. For instance, in ordinary circumstances an individual sending a communication to an employee outside of an employee’s working hours should not expect a response until the following workday.
- Board and Committee meetings: Any member of the public is welcome to attend or watch our public Board and Committee meetings.
- Ontario’s Plan for students to catch up: Outlining the government’s plan to address student learning gaps.
I look forward to sharing this school year with each of you and would like to personally welcome you back (video below).
Thank you for your continued partnership in the education, health, and safety of our school communities, and we’ll see you next week!
Sincerely,
Dr. Brendan Browne
Director of Education