March 24, 2023 - Share Your Input: Director of Education Selection Process, Supporting Students and Families During Ramadan, and more.
Dear Families,
We hope you and your families had a wonderful March Break, and that you have enjoyed this first week back at school. Here are a few things to note for the week ahead.
Share Your Input: Director of Education Selection Process
The OCDSB Board of Trustees is currently recruiting its next Director of Education and has retained Boyden, a global executive search firm, to assist with recruitment. Through Boyden, the Search Committee is gathering input from the OCDSB community to help inform the process and the assessment of candidates. To provide your input, complete this short survey by March 30th.
Supporting Students and Families During Ramadan
Ramadan is a period of prayer, fasting, charity-giving and self-accountability for Muslims all over the world. During Ramadan, the OCDSB ensures students and staff are accommodated for prayer, fasting, and any other needs they might have, and is committed to promoting inclusivity and belonging for Muslim community members. Ramadan provides an opportunity for us to share relevant stories about Muslim people and contributions in our schools, classrooms, and offices, honour Muslim students’ and families’ own expertise, experiences, and identities, and continue ensuring no student or staff member is discriminated against. For all those observing, we wish OCDSB families a blessed Ramadan.
Survey Closing Tonight
The School Climate Survey for parents and caregivers is open until 11:59 p.m tonight, March 24th. This is a voluntary and anonymous online survey for parents, guardians, and caregivers of students in Kindergarten to Grade 12 that will help inform school improvement initiatives. Click here to complete the survey, which is available in 12 languages.
2023-2024 OCDSB Budget
Each spring, the OCDSB is required to develop an annual budget for the next school year. The first step in the budget process is the approval of the 2023-2024 academic staffing plan. This year, academic staffing will be considered by the Budget Committee on March 27, 2023. The timelines for academic staffing decisions are established in the collective agreement. This means these decisions must be made in advance of receiving detailed information from the province about the Grants for Student Needs (GSN). Recognizing this, a fiscally prudent approach has been taken, with the understanding that future adjustments may be possible once GSN’s are known. In making recommendations, the focus has been to protect investments in schools and classrooms. With this in mind, the recommendation going forward for academic staffing projects approximately 4950 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions. To learn more please visit our Frequently Asked Questions about the budgeting process.
Volunteers Needed: Annual Youth Ottawa Youth Action Showcase
Youth Ottawa is looking for community members to attend their annual Youth Action Showcase as volunteer "Community Leaders". The showcase allows students from Ottawa high schools to present civic action projects to the community, while Community Leaders engage with their projects and provide feedback. The event takes place Friday, May 5th from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. If you are interested in volunteering as a Community Leader, please sign up here.
April is World Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month
World Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month is an opportunity for staff, students, and families to work together to promote diversity, inclusion, and well-being. This will include “Neurodiversity to Neuroharmony”, a pre-recorded virtual event with Dr. Peter Vermeulen that will premiere for staff and families on Monday, April 3 at 7:00 p.m. More details and a link to watch the session will be shared next week.
Career Opportunities at the OCDSB
Many people are surprised to learn about the variety of career opportunities we offer at the OCDSB. Whether you have experience in education, child care, trades or a completely different sector, we offer many fulfilling career choices and opportunities for advancement. No matter the role, every staff member at the OCDSB contributes to student learning and can make a real difference. Visit our new Career page for more: ocdsb.ca/careers
Upcoming Events
- Saturday, March 25: Supporting Black Student Success - Parent Advocacy Conference. Join us at Brookfield High School from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. to learn strategies for supporting and advocating for your children’s success, and to network with community partners and other parents and caregivers.
- Tuesday, March 28: Board Meeting. OCDSB Trustees will meet publicly at 7:00 p.m. Save this link to watch the live stream.
- Wednesday, March 29: Supporting Trans and Gender Diverse Children and Youth. Join us from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. for a webinar that will answer questions and share strategies on how to support trans and gender diverse children and youth. Register here.
- Wednesday, April 19: Social Media And Your Kids. Join us at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 19th for a webinar with MediaSmarts, to learn more about how kids are using social networking, and discover strategies to help children and youth minimize negative experiences and maximize the positive opportunities social media has to offer. Register here.
Dates to Remember This Week
- March 25: International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade: This date honours those who suffered and died and recognizes our obligation to fight for racial equity, to build a world that is just and free.
- March 26: Purple Day. This is an international movement dedicated to increasing awareness about epilepsy, and reminding those with epilepsy that they are not alone.
- March 31: International Transgender Day of Visibility. International Transgender Day of Visibility celebrates transgender people and advocates for their safety and well-being. The date was first marked in 2009 when trans, gender diverse, intersex, and Two-Spirit peoples recognized the need to celebrate trans individuals and communities.
- March 31: Indigenous Languages Day: Indigenous Languages Day is an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the rich and diverse heritage of Indigenous languages, and to support Indigenous peoples as they reclaim, maintain, celebrate and strengthen their languages.
Ottawa Public Health’s Respiratory Virus Dashboard
A reminder that Ottawa Public Health (OPH) updates their Respiratory Virus Dashboard every Wednesday, and continues to recommend layers of protection like masks, COVID-19 vaccines and boosters, flu vaccines, and staying home when sick.
In case you missed it…
Nominations Open for the 2022-2023 Community Recognition Awards: Nominate a volunteer here by April 7, 2023 at 4:00 p.m.
Nomination Period Extended for the RBC Spirit of the Capital Youth Awards: Learn more and submit a nomination by March 31, 2023.
Thank you,
Michele Giroux
Director of Education