First photo is of students dressed up in traditional Filipino dress for the Filipino Cultural Heritage Month Mass and Expose. Second photo is of students performing on stage in traditional Filipino dress. Third photo is a of a student reciting a prayer at the podium. Fourth photo is of students, staff and parents picking traditional Filipino food to eat from the buffet spread.

Filipino-Canadian Advisory Committee

Upcoming Meeting Dates

  • March 26, 2024

  • May 14, 2024

  • September 10, 2024

Past Meeting Minutes

Terms of Reference

The Filipino-Canadian Advisory Committee shall have the responsibility for advising the Board of Trustees and Senior Staff of the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) on matters pertaining to the following:

  1. Advancing best practices to foster equitable education and greater student achievement for students of Filipino heritage.

  2. To advocate for commitment, resources and support to improve student success in the Filipino community.

  3. To ask for a critical analysis and evaluation of the effectiveness of initiatives taken to improve the academic success of students of Filipino heritage.

  4. To support Filipino families in nurturing their faith through a meaningful relationship between home, school and parish.

  5. To further support and enhance Filipino heritage, culture and arts within the many different ethno-cultural groups represented within the TCDSB.

  6. To make recommendations for the allocation of funds to improve student learning and wellbeing within a caring Catholic community for Filipino students.

  7. To work in partnership with Filipino and other ethno-cultural organizations in supporting Catholic teachings that speak to equity and diversity within the TCDSB.

Composition of Advisory Committee

The Filipino Advisory Committee shall be comprised of appointed members from the Board of Trustees, staff of the Toronto Catholic District School Board (one member being from the Nurturing Our Catholic Community Department) and a maximum of seven appointed community members from the Filipino community as recommended by the Director and approved by the Trustees. All positions are voluntary, and the committee shall be comprised of the following:

  1. One parent of a child in TCDSB of Filipino heritage.

  2. One secondary student of Filipino heritage selected from the Catholic Student Leadership Impact Team (CSLIT).

  3. Five members from the Filipino community that represent various areas of expertise. The five members will be selected from the following organizations:

    • Filipino-Canadian Parents Association in Catholic Education.

    • Philippine Teachers Association of Canada.

    • A current post-secondary student of Filipino heritage who has previously graduated from the TCDSB.

    • Archdiocesan Filipino Catholic Mission (AFCM).

    • Filipino Centre of Toronto.

Leadership and Guidance

The Filipino Advisory Committee shall have a TCDSB Chairperson and a TCDSB staff liaison/coordinator (from the Indigenous Education, Equity, and Community Relations Department) as well as a Co-Chair chosen from the committee, to ensure due process, leadership and effective functioning of the committee.

Terms of Service

The Co-Chair and Advisory Committee shall have a maximum appointment of two terms for two years each. In the appointment of members, the committee shall consider the ability of individuals to carry out the role effectively and to make the time commitment involved. Members who miss more than 2 meetings may be removed from the committee.

Frequency of Meetings

The Committee shall meet four times per year or more frequently at the discretion of the Chair. Quorum for committee meetings will be 50% plus one of the committee members. The advisory committee community members and the TCDSB liaison coordinator shall have ad hoc meetings to follow upon on action items and coordinate future efforts.

Reporting Responsibilities

The Filipino Advisory Committee shall be accountable to the TCDSB for the effective performance of their roles and responsibilities. The Committee shall develop an annual work plan that shall be presented to the TCDSB for approval. The Committee shall communicate openly with TCDSB to ascertain the progress in achieving the work plan and make revisions as needed.

Appointment Process

The Committee seeks to reflect the diversity within the Filipino community. All positions are voluntary and candidates must be of Filipino heritage. The appointment process shall follow the guidelines laid out in "Selection Process for Parent Membership on TCDSB Staff, Steering, Advisory or Ad Hoc Committees."

Proudly Pinoy Scholarship Fund

The Angel Foundation for Learning (AFL), as the official charity of the TCDSB, is proud to partner with the Equity and Community Relations Department/Filipino Advisory Committee, and the Filipino community - supported by the Philippine Consulate General Toronto - to launch the Proudly Pinoy Scholarship Fund.

The bursary aims to fund 2 awards at $5,000 each to graduating Filipino students who are registered students in the TCDSB and require financial assistance to pursue post-secondary studies in pursuit of a Bachelor of Education degree and have made outstanding contributions to their school community.

More information on the scholarship fund and the launch event on December 8, 2023 (Friday) can be found below. The link to register for the launch event can also be found below.

Questions can be directed to jodelyn.huang@tcdsb.org.

​Contact

Jodelyn Huang
Community Relations Officer
Email: jodelyn.huang@tcdsb.org
Phone: 416-222-8282 ext. 2682