Dear Parents/Guardians,
As we come to the end of what can only be described as an unpredictable and challenging school year, we would like to say congratulations to all students and thank you to all families. The partnership between school and home has never been as important as it’s been over the past several months of remote learning and everyone has risen to the occasion in ways we could never have imagined. Learning has continued under extraordinary circumstances and for that we are grateful. As the summer begins, we wish all of you a well-deserved break and hope that you and your family stay healthy and well.
Looking forward to the 2020-21 school year, there are still a lot of unknowns and over the summer we will be preparing for a number of possible scenarios for learning in September. Whether September brings a return to a normal school day routine, a modified school day routine, or the continuation of at home learning, health and safety will remain a priority and we will be ready to serve all students. Thank you to those who have completed the online survey and provided valuable feedback, which will help guide and inform our work. There is still time to complete the parent survey and student survey online, for those who haven’t already!
As you know, circumstances around COVID-19 continue to change on a regular basis and a determination of what format school will take in September will be made by the Government of Ontario with guidance from public health authorities. Staff are working on plans to be prepared to implement whichever option the government decides. This final decision will then be shared with school boards and families sometime in August. In late July families will be asked to indicate whether you intend to send your child(ren) back to school in September or if you plan for them to remain at home and engage in remote learning. Please watch for and respond to this poll, which will be emailed to all parents/guardians, as the results will assist in our planning.
As the timing outlined above indicates, final work and preparations to begin the 2020-21 school year will continue right up until school begins. For this reason, it will likely be late August before families receive specific information from their school about any new schedules, routines, protocols, etc. We know that this is not ideal and makes planning and preparation challenging. We ask for your patience and thank you for your ongoing understanding as we operate under the current circumstances. All schools will finalize plans as efficiently as possible and information will be shared with school communities in a timely manner to ensure as smooth of a transition as possible.
Finally, we are pleased to announce the appointment of Carlene Jackson as TDSB’s Interim Director of Education, effective July 15, 2020. Carlene is currently the Associate Director, Business Operations and Service Excellence and with over 20 years of experience in the public sector, she is an ideal selection for the appointment. We are pleased to welcome Carlene to this role until a permanent Director is installed.
Once again, we hope you all have an enjoyable summer and wish you and your family good health.
Sincerely,
Robin Piley
Chair of the Board
John Malloy
Director of Education