2021-2022 – Meeting Minutes

Attendance Taken (19):

Amanda Walker
Evan Lang
Hilary Baker
Janice Doucette
Jen M.
John-Mark Morey
Nadine Hilts Avery
Ray Este
Rob Hewitt (HKPR)
Lori Gregory
Sam Itani
Sara-Lynn Francis
Sascha Kylau
Yvonne Strange
Denise McCue
Joelle Shen
Kim Hancock
Juanita Oswald
Kristy Chartrand

Regrets:
None Given

Call to Order: 7:00pm

Welcome; approval of the agenda – motion to approve
Agenda amended to allow Rob Hewitt to talk about vaping first

Rob Hewitt: Tobacco Enforcement Officer for the Health Unit
Works with administrative staff to try to help deal with this epidemic
The main substances of vapes are PG and VG (propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin)
We don’t know all of the long term effects yet
So far there have been signs posted at the school, announcements re: no vaping and smoking on school property.  Random inspections – $305 ticket/fine.  Any one sharing – fine $490 for “providing a device to a minor”
None of this seems to be deterring students
Nicotine is considered the most addictive substance on the planet – students are setting themselves up for a lifetime addiction
Please reach out to the health unit if you are aware of the suppliers – even if it’s only a suspicion
Sascha asked if there are “any vape detectors”?
Pilot project in York, the vaper was already gone by the time the detector reported, and students would just choose a different washroom.

Mr Este – “some people are passing out with vaping – why”? 
Some are using banned high concentration vapes
One puff of a vape is the nicotine equivalent to a whole cigarette
Unfortunately, monitoring is very challenging because students need to be caught with the vape in their mouth in order to have a consequence

Health Promoters are all redeployed to COVID stuff right now, so there has been less education
Rob states that the kids he’s charged are very aware of all the consequences.
Vaping is part of the grade 9 curriculum, and in elementary school
Rob’s Email: [email protected]

Resources Available for Nicotine Addiction for Under Age (provided after the meeting):
Kids Help Phone will work with under 19 year olds:
Parents/guardians can call/text themselves and use the online resources.
Under 19 year olds can call or text: Number is 1-800-668-6868
https://kidshelpphone.ca/tag/smoking/
Outside of Covid/Pandemic, the Health Unit would also be able to work with students under 19

Student’s Administrative Council Report – Hillary Baker
ECO Team Climate Change Action Plan – Jessica Kellow, Rhys Matthew (presentation deferred to next meeting)
50th anniversary celebrations are being planned
“Trick or treat so kids can eat”.  300 canned food items donated to the food source. 
12 Days of Christmas – students will be asked to donate items on 12 days before school ends for Women’s resources and for A place called home.
Christmas tree race will be happening again this year
Eco team climate action plan – hoping to bring some reps to the next meeting.

Review of Action items from the last meeting
% students coming from out of area for Power Pack program:
109 students (~10% of students) from out of area; of that 109, 28 (2.5%) are IB/PP students
Question raised about why students from out of area are attending. The Education Act states that unless classes are full, students are allowed to attend the school of their choice in secondary if they can provide transportation.  Once they have enrolled they stay if they can provide their own transportation

Principal’s Report – Ray Este

**See tab for full report**

Tasia Williams Story: https://sites.google.com/tldsb.on.ca/tldsb-our-dock/news-feed/2021/november-2021#h.2um7dlvyz4rl
Parent resources for bullying https://www.prevnet.ca/bullying/parents/talking-to-the-school

Questions from Council:
When will we know if it will be quad/semesters
Hopefully after Christmas
It will be a Board decision as there are issues with co-op/prerequisites
IB exams
Will not change regardless of semester/quadmester, would be advantageous to be semesters as the students in quads might be months past the end of a course, and might also be starting a few days into a course that they have an exam in

Staff report – Kristy Chartrand
Reminder for parents to sign up for school cash online – as more sports and extracurriculars are starting, any team fees will be posted on school cash for payment.  https://tldsb.schoolcashonline.com/

School council items – Sascha Kylau
Fundraising
some parents are enthusiastic about this for team jerseys and possibly other items

Subcommittee would need to be formed: Kristy Chartrand, Lori Gregory, Janice Doucette volunteered
Ray “things haven’t been normal for 2 years”. Awful lot of money from fundraising needed to make a dent in the cost of jerseys.  The school usually has enough funds to cover the cost of jerseys.  Usually, money would be more likely needed to go toward travel for special events for a band/sports team.  The cost of bussing is much higher.  There are very specific guidelines regarding fundraising, such as not carrying over from year to year.  If PC does fundraise it needs to be targeted and ensure there is a specific need. 
IF ANYONE INTERESTED IN LOOKING INTO SPECIFIC FUNDRAISING NEEDS, PLEASE CONTACT SAM

Vacant positions (treasurer; community member)
We don’t actually need a treasurer at the moment as there are no funds right now.  If fundraiser starts, a treasurer will be needed
Juanita is interested in the community member position and will follow up with Sam
District School Council (DSC) download from Oct 28/21 (minutes at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dIMnZ5uQ46LZifqVd0PGdnZSzzpsjjKzeARX_TnXakg/edit)
88% of staff are vaccinated.  Discussion about COVID and about transitions and pathways

Meeting dates (Mondays at 7 pm, frequency to be discussed)
Next meeting – suggest January 24, 2021 to allow for next DSC meeting
DSC dates FYI: Thursday, January 20, 2022, Thursday, March 31, 2022, Thursday, May 19, 2022

Additional Concern Raised
Concern about the students vaping/smoking adjacent to the road – much more dangerous with the changing road conditions.  There was an incident last week.  If administration or police are there they move away from the road, but otherwise everyone just gathers.  There are concerns with neighbours as well.  It’s a frustrating issue with Admin only able to be in one place at a time

Motion to adjourn
First: Juanita Oswald
Second: Janice Doucette

Adjournment: 8:09pm
____________________________________________________________________________

Additional Resources
IE Weldon School Council https://iew.tldsb.on.ca/parent-council-information/
TLDSB School Council Procedure https://www.tldsb.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/OP-6016-School-Council-Procedure-AODA-UPDATED-2020.pdf
Ontario Ministry of Education Parent Engagement Policy http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/parents/policy.html
School Councils – A Guide for Members http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/general/elemsec/council/guide.html

Principal Report November 22nd 2021

October:
-Truth and Reconciliation activities took place during the last week of September/first week of October
-The month of October got off to a tough start as our school community dealt with the loss of Jacob Downey, who was a June graduate
-Extra-curriculars began during the first week of October
-Terry Fox fundraising began
-Staff PD began on the high yield strategy The Thinking Classroom. In a nutshell, students will be posed with a subject related thinking task, work in random groups, and work collaboratively on vertical non-permanent surfaces. The expected outcome will be more discussion, more use of subject specific vocabulary, more collaboration between students, and a focus on thinking, and not just mimicking teacher expectations.
-The Terry Fox school event took place on Friday Oct 15 and $8192 was raised.
-Electronic copies of the mid-term report card were shared without any issues
-A plaque was presented at the base of the tree near the outdoor classroom that was planted to recognize the contributions of the school eco-team. The tree donation was made as part of a project sponsored by the Retired Teachers Association of Ontario. Kirsten Fatt, a June graduate, had created a piece of artwork as part of the contest put on by the RTAO, which she won and her work is now hanging at their office in Toronto.
-New teachers began their mentorship with experienced teachers as part of the New Teachers Induction Program (NTIP).
-The school’s Terry Fox golf tournament raised another $2500 for the charity on Oct 25th
-Halloween Spirit Week took place in the week leading up to Oct 31st. It was great to see how many students chose to participate this fall.
-Two fall teams qualified for OFSAA- girls rugby, girls basketball, and cross-country runner Nicholas Connell qualified as an individual racer.

November:
-EQAO tests took place for the first time since COVID shutdowns. The OSSLT is now completely online, with only one long writing task, and a number of multiple choice and drop and drag questions. The Quad 2 group will be writing the OSSLT on November 30th. All grade 9 math classes also wrote their year(course) ending test the day before the end of quad 1.
-The Ministry sponsored Tools in the Trade group gave an all day outdoor training session to all students who were interested in the millwright profession. Each student was given $300 worth of tools through the program.
-Quadmester 2 began with the cafeteria, gyms and library being opened for students
-Classrooms are still open for eating as well, and some students are choosing to stay in those rooms during lunch.
-Rock Your Moc’s presentation took place in the library last Thursday, with self-identified Indigenous students getting an opportunity to make moccasins with Rye Whetung from Curve Lake.
-Jersey Day was help across the board to raise money for Feed All Four fund, which schools can access to help students/families in need.
-Paper copies of report cards were distributed as the technology used to share the electronic reports was not working for elementary and secondary schools.
-A great story about Tacia Williamson’s project she created for QVPS was shared within the board and with Kawartha 411.
-November 22-25th is Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week
-Parent Resource Questions to Ask Your School

Open in Power BI
TLDSB Q-mester Achievement 2021-2022
Data as of 11/19/21, 1:42 PM
Filtered by School_Type (is Sec), OctoBlock (is Q1-F)

Open in Power BI
TLDSB Q-mester Achievement 2021-2022
Data as of 11/19/21, 1:42 PM
Filtered by School_Type (is Sec), School_Name (is I. E. Weldon Ss), OctoBlock (is Q1-F)

79% of credits obtained were at or above the provincial standard of 70%
11.5% were between 60-69%
6.6% were between 50-59%
1.3% were below 50%

Open in Power BI
TLDSB Q-mester Achievement 2021-2022
Data as of 11/19/21, 1:42 PM
Filtered by Mark_Range (is <50), School_Type (is Sec), School_Name (is I. E. Weldon Ss), OctoBlock (is Q1-F)

Of all the credits that were failed, most were due to students missing too many classes to keep up with the learning. The numbers at the bottom are the number of classes missed in the quadmester.

Destreaming Updates

– on Thursday, the Ministry of Education announced that there will be a new destreamed science course introduced for Sept 2022. Hopefully it arrives in early spring and training is provided by the Ministry as it was for the new math curriculum.
Next September, grade 9 English and geography will be offered at the academic stream only. French will also be academic, but an open level will be offered for those students who have less than 600 hours of elementary French programming.
For our school specifically, we will no longer be segregating phe by gender- our grade 9 phe classes will be co-ed.
After discussions with our equity committee and the department heads of English and CAWS(Canadian and World Studies), next September we will also piloting new English credits for grade 11 university and college courses, NBE 3U and 3C, Understanding Contemporary Indigenous, Métis and Inuit Voices.
Semesters vs quadmesters- last Thursday the MOE gave boards the option to return to semesters in February. Discussions have now started at the board level regarding the viability of this option. There are pros and cons to discuss.
Ex. Returning to semesters would eliminate study hall periods.
It will create some issues for pre-requisites, as the schedule was built around quad mesters.
Lockers would be reopened if we returned to semesters as students would have materials for four classes.

Attendance Taken: Juanita Oswald, Hillary Baker (Sac Premier), Janice Doucette, Kathleen Seymour-Fagan, Kim Hancock, Regan Harris, Lori Gregory, Ray Este, Sam Itani, Kristy Chartrand, Sascha Kylau, Yvonne Strange, Nancy Nicholson, Amanda Walker, Andrea Lackey, John-Mark Morley, Denise McCue, Ted McFadden, Joelle Shen, Sara-Lynn Francis, Mandy Tubrett, Sarah Miller, Leanne Halstead

Regrets: Nadine Hilts-Avery

Call to Order: 7:00pm

Declaration of Conflict of Interest: None

Welcome and introductions; meeting expectations
With such a large group, please keep audio muted, use hands up for discussion
Be as respectful as you can be to allow others to speak – this is hard in a virtual environment with audio
Introductions of attendees by each member of the group

Approval of the agenda
Please submit agenda items in advance.  There will be a call out for items about a week in advance
We can do walk on items if time allows (after the Principals Report)
Approval Motioned:
First: Sascha Kylau
Second: Sara-Lynn Francis

Weldon school council meetings for 21-22 school year
School council overview
Lots of experience with everyone who joined tonight, nice rich background and range of perspectives to draw on
An overview of of Weldons school council was sent out by email
Sam wanted to highlight that Parent Council is about being involved and communicating with the school and finding out about local events, community initiatives, etc
The second thing we are here to provide is our advice and recommendations and considerations that we want the board and school to keep in mind as they are contemplating directives and actions
Resources were included in the introduction email from Sam
See end of Minutes for Additional Resources
Membership and positions
Usually we have a small casual group
We like to keep it friendly and open.  A casual environment for exchanging thoughts and ideas and offering advice back to the school
Technically all members are to be voted into the council for positions
We usually just appoint everyone as members of council rather than fill out forms for voting members
Positions Available:
Secretary – This role is important for accurate note taking which is used in decision making
Kristy Chartrand, Kim Hancock and Sara-Lynn Francis volunteered to share the position for the 2021/2022 school year
Chair/Co-chair – This role is beneficial with a couple of people to put their heads together.  Typically Chair/Co-Chair do the first meeting of the new year until new chairs are elected
John-Mark Morley and Sam Itani were co-chairs for the 2020/2021 school year
Sam Itani and Sascha Kylau are the new co-chairs for the 2021/2022 school year

Principal’s Report – Ray Este
**Attached to the email with the minutes will be the Principal’s Report, including any documents included in the Principal’s report as a link**
Thank you to everyone for coming out and a reminder to use the hand up feature.  It’s helpful with all the experiences everyone is bringing as parents are our biggest allies
Has anyone had a trustee involved in a meeting?
Responses – some yes, some no
Ray will put out an invite to the trustees to join our meetings
Teachers were given mental health toolkits
EQAO – non writing gr 12 students – are kids who don’t have 24 credits going into gr 12
Question from Council: Can we get stats on the percentage of kids in powerpack
Ball park answer during meeting – 140 are out of district coming into power pack
Ray to get actual stats
Destreaming Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYfEVjARRDk
Though Exchange Link – Deadline Sept 30th, 2021
https://tejoin.com/scroll/199940100
Covid Concerns
The health unit is always the one who gives clearance for kids to return.  Of note, zero cases from last year were due to inschool transmission
Keep sports/covid guidelines on agenda – still evolving
Discussion around rules for sports vs cohorts and kids in classes
The rules are not clear/defined
Parents offered to to help advocate for clarity

Staff report – Kristy Chartrand
Truth and Reconciliation Committee created
Activities for the TRC Week: morning announcements, O Canada in Indigenous languages, recognition/celebration of an Indigenous person each morning, Orange Shirt Day on Thursday, orange ribbons in the trees to represent the 215+ children, calls to action posted around the school
Absentee Photo Day – tentative date Oct 27 2021 – details to follow once confirmed
Terry Fox T-Shirts – available for sale Oct 8th in school cash online.
Need to be registered to get notifications of new items posted
https://tldsb.schoolcashonline.com/

Student’s Administrative Council Report – Hilary Baker
SAC is just starting up – not much to offer this week
Currently sending out a google form looking for reps for each grade level.  We are looking for general reps and position holders
We need a minister of finance
We are working on getting locker project up and running
provides free sanitary products and supplies around school
We will also be participating in the ‘We Scare Hunger’ fundraiser this year

Opportunities for engagement – Sam Itani
TLDSB thought exchange – strategic plan
https://tejoin.com/scroll/199940100
Deadline Thursday, September 30th, 2021
District School Council Parent Involvement Committee (DSC PIC)
Open to anyone to attend, typically the chair from each council attends
The Board doesn’t have meeting dates set yet.  They are waiting for most schools to have their first Parent Council meeting
Sam to advise once dates are set and will share the links

Meeting dates and times
Typically meetings are held Mondays at 7pm every couple of months
We try to be strategic with our meetings and set them around the DSC PIC meetings to share information
Please keep an eye on the shared public calendar for significant dates (https://iew.tldsb.on.ca/bi-monthly/)
Tentative meeting date is Nov 22, 2021 at 7pm.  More dates to follow once DSC PIC meeting have been established

Motion to adjourn
First: Kim Hancock
Second Juanita Oswald
Adjournment: 8:40pm
____________________________________________________________________________

Future Meeting Dates:
Tentatively November 22, 2021
Remainder TBA

Future Topics for Discussion:
Extracurriculars (Standing Item)
Vacant Council Positions (Treasurer, Community Members
DSC PIC (District School Council Parent Involvement Committee) Meetings

Additional Resources
IE Weldon School Council https://iew.tldsb.on.ca/parent-council-information/
TLDSB School Council Procedure https://www.tldsb.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/OP-6016-School-Council-Procedure-AODA-UPDATED-2020.pdf
Ontario Ministry of Education Parent Engagement Policy http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/parents/policy.html
School Councils – A Guide for Members http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/general/elemsec/council/guide.html

September 27 2021 Principal’s Report
Start-up
-A Quadmester learning model was developed and implemented, with students working on one
subject all morning, and a second subject all afternoon.
– In August, school administrators reviewed the Return to School Document with the TLDSB
Senior Administration team to ensure that startup procedures addressed all expectations from
the Ministry of Education
-A start up video was shared with families and students via SchoolMessenger the week before
school started to give some visuals for the start-up expectations. A board level setting error on
our SchoolMessenger system caused that error to go into many spam emails, so unfortunately
not everyone had a chance to see the video unless they looked in their spam mail or visited the
school website.
-The Return To School document was shared and reviewed with all staff during the September
PD days to familiarize all staff with expectations relating to COVID guidelines.
-During the September PD days, resources on mental health, equity, inclusiveness, and
well-being were also shared and reviewed by all staff
-The social and emotional wellness piece is being addressed via the Supporting Minds- School
Mental Health-Assist Program. Our staff are going to focus on Tier 1 Supports to Create
Supportive Classroom Environments, which can be seen here
-High expectations for all students with a focus on social and emotional wellness will be the
focus of our School Improvement Plan
-Our High expectations goals will focus on learning and embedding destreaming strategies (not
just for math), and training on a high yield strategy called the Thinking Classroom has already
begun, and will continue to with monthly training sessions
September
-Students were very excited to return! I was able to visit all classes during the first week and the
enthusiasm was noticeable.
-Gift bags were given to all grade 9 students on the first day, and tours were given with their
morning teachers
-Picture Day was organized during the first week of school, and student cards have already
been delivered back to the school. This has also allowed us to update our photo records for our
students in our Powerschool student management system
-All Health and Safety Protocols were reviewed at the end of the first week
-One area of concern from that review was social distancing during lunch, breaks, and in the
bus loading zone,so masks were mandated outside unless students were eating
-Otherwise, students have been very compliant with all COVID protocols
-Our current enrollment is over 1100 students. Our class sizes are very full across all grades
and levels, with many at the provincial caps
-There are still a small percentage of families that chose the LAH option, and the LAH teachers
are using teaching spaces in our physical buildings instead of teaching from home
-A mark update was shared on Friday with all students. Midterm grades will be entered on
October 14th.
-Emergency drills (fire and lockdown rehearsals) have taken place.
-EQAO testing (grade 9 math test and grade 10 literacy test) will be taking place this year.
Planning and training for those tests will be beginning next week. Currently, all grade 10, 11 and
non-graduating 12 students will need to write the OSSLT during one of the four testing blocks
this year. All grade 9’s will write the EQAO math test.
-Mrs. Bew’s organized the Student Vote event on the September 20th Election Day, allowing
students to participate in a mock election.
-The school cafeteria was also a host site for a Health Unit Vaccination clinic on Sept 20-21.
-To recognize Truth and Reconciliation Week, readings and resources are being shared on the
morning announcements and with morning classroom teachers so consistent messaging is
being delivered to all students this week. The week will be highlighted by Orange Shirt Day this
Thursday
-One ongoing issue has involved some inappropriate behaviour at the Ultramar and issues with
litter in and around the school community, which both remain ongoing concerns and are being
addressed
Thought Exchange for Parent Council
COVID At IEWSS
On Sunday September 26th, the school sent out messaging to all families regarding a COVID
case at the school. The affected class has been quarantined and students will be advised on
next steps by the health unit. Last year this happened three times, but there were zero cases of
in-school transmission.
Annual Terry Fox Run
The Athletic Union will be running a COVID compliant version of the Terry Fox Run on Friday
October 8th. Monies will be collected via Cashnet to avoid any money being
handled/exchanged. The school hopes to remain one of the top fundraising schools in Canada.
Extra-Curriculars
Some extra curricular activities have begun. While the board allowed us to proceed, there were
many unanswered questions that remained unanswered up to and beyond declaration dates.
Issues included:
-our school has been unable to secure bussing for two daily curricular needs: co-op and the
dual credit program
-we cannot secure any buses for any extracurricular activities as none are available
– Information regarding parent volunteer drivers was only shared this afternoon
-Information regarding event specifics, including vaccination status for referees, masking
expectations and other information was only shared today, and there is still uncertainty relating
to masking expectations between districts
-As per the Return to School guidelines, high touch surfaces would need to be cleaned, but we
have not been allocated additional staff to perform this duty
There are still a number of students who are choosing to participate in extracurricular sports,
who are still getting the physical and social-emotional benefits of exercise from club level games
and practices.
FACT- yes, some other programs in the KDAA are running, but I did not feel that I was
complying with the Guiding Principles in the Return to School document by allowing students to
participate without clarification before declaration dates.

Page 1
COVID-19 Guidelines for Extracurricular Activities (Sports/Clubs)
Locations
Permitted inter school activities can occur at all Trillium Lakelands District School Boards (TLDSB)
indoor and outdoor facilities.
Host schools should determine areas of access to accommodate staggered entry/exit, routes of travel,
sideline and warm up areas, and washroom access where required, for visiting schools.
Team Selection
Coaches/Staff Supervisors may not ask, nor discriminate against, non-vaccinated students when
conducting team/club selection.
Equipment
Any coach or staff member who may be administering first aid must have adequate PPE available. This
includes gloves, mask, and face shield.
Extra masks should be available to provide to any team/club members who may require them.
Screening and Visitors
Note: A visitor is any person coming to a school who is not an employee of the school/board.
For students, coaches, and referees/officials visiting host schools:
● Any individual to the school who is not a staff member or student (for example, coaches,
referees/officials, athletic trainers, outside activity providers) are required to self-screen and
wear a medical mask while on school premises.
● A medical mask will be provided by the school if needed.
● All visitors and school staff will also be required to self-screen every day before attending
school/sporting activities.
● Schools are expected to have a process in place to confirm the daily screening of all visitors.
● Visiting teams will keep a record of all officials, players, coaches, trainers, and managers and
will make this information available should contract tracing need to be implemented.
● League/event organizers are responsible for ensuring officials have been fully immunized,
having received 2 Covid-19 vaccination doses at least 14 days prior to the extracurricular
event.
● Volunteer coaches/club advisors will need to provide evidence of double vaccination to the
principal.
Page 2
Spectators
Currently TLDSB is not permitting any spectators at indoor inter school events unless they are a
volunteer driver that was necessary for transportation of the team.
Only necessary volunteer drivers are permitted as spectators at outdoor events. Spectators must
wear a mask if 2 metres of distancing cannot be maintained.
Tracing
A record must be kept of all individuals involved in each sporting event, including players, coaches,
officials, and trainers.
When travelling in any vehicle to an event, an attendance and seating record must be maintained by the staff
supervisor. Volunteer drivers must complete an attestation (QR code at each school) indicating they
have received 2 COVID-19 vaccination doses at least 14 days prior to the extracurricular event if they
are driving students other than their own children.
Masking
● Outdoor:
o Masking is not required when actively playing high or low contact activities/sports
outdoors.
o Masks should be worn by coaches and players when not engaged in play if 2m
distancing cannot be maintained.
● Indoor:
o Masking is encouraged during indoor activities/sports (low and high contact) where they
can be worn safely based on the activity.
o Consider the following areas when determining if a mask can be “worn safely based on
the activity”:
▪ Potential physical risks (for example, getting caught on equipment, becoming a
choking hazard, impairing vision, causing difficulty breathing).
▪ Replacement masks must be available should player masks become saturated or
broken.
o Windows and doors should be opened when feasible to increase ventilation.
o Referees may remove their mask if officiating a high contact sport. If their mask is
removed, referees must maintain a 2m distance from players and coaches during any
communication.
Page 3
Masks must be always worn when indoors and not actively engaged in the sport. (for example,
on the sidelines, walking through school halls, while being transported on busses or with
volunteer drivers if people from different households are in the same vehicle).
o Additional information about masks including mask exemptions can be found in TLDSB’s
mask protocol document.
Distancing and Congregating
Note: As much distancing as possible between students, between students and staff, and between
staff members should always be promoted.
For arrival and departure of students, instruction/gatherings within competitions, change rooms,
coaches meetings, awards, event standings, etc.:
● Physical distancing measures are to be layered with other public health measures such as
screening, hand hygiene, cohorting, enhanced cleaning and masking).
● Periods of student movement should be staggered, if possible, to limit student congregation
(for example, transition to gymnasium, transition between games/matches).
School Arrival, Departure, and Signage
Schools should develop arrival and departure procedures for visiting schools that support physical
distancing, where possible. This information should be conveyed to visiting teams/clubs prior to
game/activity day so students can be instructed of accessible/inaccessible areas. Schools should also
ensure signage for masks, screening, and hand hygiene is visible at all entry/exit points.
Examples of information that should be provided to visiting teams arriving and departing from the host
school:
● Create designated routes for students to get to and from activity/sport/competition areas.
● Provide visual cues or physical guides, such as tape on the floor or sidewalks and signs/posters
on walls.
● Hand sanitizer should be placed at all school entrances and exits and at the sporting event.
● Schools should develop school arrival and departure procedures for inter school teams/clubs
that:
o avoid times when students are congregating in the halls and high congestion areas
within the school (for example, stagger arrival times around dismissal times)
High Touch Surfaces
Priority should be given to cleaning high touch surfaces and shared materials/equipment after a
sporting event has been hosted.
Page 4
Shared Spaces (indoors)
For the use of change rooms:
● When different cohorts interact in shared indoor spaces masking and as much distancing as
possible should be maintained between cohorts.
● The following strategies may be used: blocking off areas in change rooms, signage posted to
remind students to maintain distance.
Food/Hydration:
● Students will bring filled water bottles and food from home. Host schools will provide access to
water filling stations.
Management of Symptomatic Individual
If an individual is identified or self-identifies as ill with concerning symptoms at an extracurricular
activity at their home school or another TLDSB school, you must follow the steps below:
1. Notification must be immediately made to the host school principal, as well as the home school
principal.
2. Anyone providing care is to maintain as much physical distance as possible from the ill
individual. Access PPE kit – both caregiver and ill individual must wear a medical grade mask,
and a face shield, eye protection. Caregivers should also wear a non-permeable disposable
gown and gloves.
3. Isolate the individual.
● If the individual is already inside the building, move them to the designated isolation
room.
● If outside, distance the individual away from others.
4. If the ill individual is an adult and able to transport him/herself, they can exit the building
immediately. Staff members should be directed to follow instructions per the Staff Reporting
Guidelines and the Staff Attendance- Reporting and Coding section of the Staff Return to School
Guidebook.
If the ill individual is a student or an adult who requires a ride, immediately call parent/guardian
or emergency contact for pick up. Advise the ill TLDSB staff member or student and/or their
parent or guardian to have the ill individual seek medical advice, including a recommendation
for a COVID-19 test as advised by their health care provider.
Parents/guardians can be sent home a copy of the Ontario COVID-19 Screening Tool for
Children in School PDF – parents/guardians should be advised to screen their child and follow
the guidelines regarding school attendance as outlined in the tool.
5. Once the TLDSB staff member or student has exited the building, the homeschool principal is to
immediately call the school superintendent to determine if the demonstrated symptoms
Page 5
require a report to the health unit. For contact information, please see the Managing Illness
During COVID-19 Pandemic section of the TLDSB Staff Return to School Plan.
In the event of an Infection
The principal of the host school and visiting schools should be notified. All tracing documentation
should be supplied to the principal of the host school for reporting to the health unit.
Student Transportation
For inter school competitions off site (for example, another school, a community facility):
● Capacity:
o School vehicles can operate at full capacity – vehicles for elementary students should
reduce capacity where possible.
o The seat directly behind the driver is empty to maintain physical distancing between the
driver and students.
o Where school vehicles are able to operate at less than full capacity – students should be
seated in a manner that maximizes physical distancing.
o Windows should be open when feasible to increase ventilation.
o Note: Distancing measures may not be applicable to other vehicles like vans and cars.
● Masks:
o Students in grades K-12 are required on school vehicles.
● Assigned Seats:
o Students should be assigned seats and a record of the seating plan should be kept to
assist with contact tracing in the case of a student or driver contracting COVID-19.
o Students who live in the same household or are in the same classroom cohort should be
seated together where possible.

INFO SHEET
for Supporting Minds
Overview of Mental Health and Well-Being at School
Behavioural/Physical Social-Emotional Cognitive
 Makes friends easily / has at least one
good friend
 Shows appropriate range of affect
(i.e. sad when appropriate)
 Explores the environment with curiosity
 Separates from family readily  Appears mostly happy and content  Completes assigned tasks
 Enjoys healthy lunches  Bounces back from failure or mistakes  Engages in creative play
 Reaches out to help a peer in trouble  Shows empathy to a peer  Perseveres with challenging tasks
 Has lots of energy  Enjoys play with peers  Is engaged in learning activities
 Participates enthusiastically in physical
activity
 Overcomes initial hesitations or fears with
new experiences
 Asks for and accepts help from teacher
 Can resolve conflicts with talking and
compromise
 Seeks comfort from adult when appropriate  Makes plans and follows through
 Demonstrates developmentally appropriate
self-control (impulse control)
 Is able to calm down and regulate
emotional state when disrupted
 Is able to identify the source of a problem
and think of ways to resolve it
Although most students are resilient and do not develop emotional distress, some will require additional support because of
stressful circumstances, vulnerabilities, or experience of trauma. Educators are in a good position to notice when students are
struggling, and to provide caring support in the classroom. Please refer to Supporting Minds for more specific information.
Mental Health Matters…
Developing positive mental health is foundational to student academic
achievement, effective life skills, and overall well- being. At the core of
mentally healthy classrooms are the principles of compassion, inclusion
and engagement, encouragement and support, and effective instruction
that facilitates success. What Works? Research into Practice Monograph 58, Nov. 2014
The Aligned and Integrated Model (AIM) for School Mental Health and
Well-Being brings together fundamental elements of Foundations for a
Healthy School, within the framework of a multi-tiered system of support.
Educators can welcome, include, understand, promote, and partner to
enhance the well-being of ALL students. We can prevent risk, offer
support, and bolster protective factors to build the well-being of
students who are experiencing difficulty with their mental health. School
and community mental health professionals can collaborate to intervene
with the FEW students exhibiting significant mental health disorders.
Indications that a student is thriving:
Creating Mentally Healthy School and Classroom Environments
The school environment has an important impact on a student’s sense of belonging and overall mental health. There are
many ways that educators can contribute to creating and sustaining a welcoming and inclusive school climate.
For example:
WELCOME (Social and Physical Environments)
 Greet and welcome students individually each day
 Build a caring adult program that ensures that every student has a designated adult ally to provide support
 Establish a school reception team to assist with welcoming new students, especially at key transition points
 Consider a peer mentorship program that pairs senior students with younger students
 Ensure full implementation of safe and accepting school protocols and procedures
INCLUDE (Student Engagement)
 Visibly celebrate diversity, and connote inclusion in interactions with students
 Provide instruction that meets the learning needs of students in differentiated ways
 Notice and support student leadership and kindness
 Support students with leadership activities that promote mental health awareness and help-seeking
 Be open when students approach you for help with problems and concerns
UNDERSTAND (Well-Being Literacy and Knowing your Students)
 Become familiar with the Foundations for a Healthy School and Supporting Minds documents
 Take time to reflect on your personal beliefs related to mental health and well-being
 Build your own mental health literacy so you know the signs of difficulty and how to help at school
 Know your students – take time to get to know their unique stories and strengths.
 Read the Ontario Student Records for each student, and review Supporting Minds for possible support strategies.
PROMOTE (Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning)
 Engage in your own well-being and personal resiliency practices
 Offer explicit instruction in social-emotional well-being skills, such as problem-solving, decision-making, conflict resolution, etc.
 Offer explicit instruction in cognitive well-being skills, such as time management, study skills, stress reduction techniques,
particularly during exams and for culminating assignments
 Post visual reminders that promote mental health and help-seeking
 Model and regularly build in time for mindfulness/contemplation, self-regulation, and stress reduction techniques.
PARTNER (Home, School, Community Partnerships)
 Provide a positive greeting to all parents/guardians when in the school building
 Connect with families regularly to discuss their child’s progress at school
 Provide opportunities for ongoing dialogue with students and parents to support mental health and reduce
stigma about mental illness.
 Know how to support students and families to access mental health services
 Provide translated information about mental health services in the community
School Mental Health ASSIST works alongside the Ontario Ministry of Education to support
student mental health and well-being in Ontario schools.

TRILLIUM LAKELANDS DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD | Return to School Plan V2 2021 Page 1
August 2021
Guiding Principles for Administrators
Well-being and safety are the primary focus for students and staff in TLDSB. Staff and students will
feel safe and supported by attending to Feed All Four principles and the guidelines for safety during a
pandemic.
In the event of any conflict between this guidance document and any orders or directive issued by the
local medical officers of health, the order or directive prevails.
The following are key pieces to mitigating risk for students and staff:
● Staying home when sick or symptomatic
● All students and staff must do a health assessment screen prior to entering the building
● Hand hygiene
● Respiratory etiquette
● Personal protective equipment
● Environmental and high touch surface cleaning
● Limiting the mixing of students (cohorting)
● Minimizing shared materials
● Physical distancing
● Contact tracing
● Risk mitigation protocols for students and staff at higher risk of infection
● Reduction of non-essential persons in schools
Decision Making Tool:
When considering a process, decision, or activity within your school, please use the following guiding
questions:
● Will this increase or decrease risk of infection to staff or students?
● Can processes be put in place to decrease risk to staff or students, including physical
distancing and hand hygiene?
● Does the number of people involved comply with current provincial or local public health
gathering guidelines?
● Will this create a need for increased cleaning, use of PPE, or other measures in order to reduce
risk?
● Has there been appropriate instruction to staff to ensure safety in the situation or activity?
● Is this necessary for student or staff wellbeing, student learning, or staff development?

September 27, 2021
Dear parents/guardians and students;
Trillium Lakelands District School Board is carefully considering the health and safety risks
involved in students and staff participating in extracurricular activities during this ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic. Although this year, schools are permitted to offer extracurricular
activities, it is important that we all approach participation with caution. Please review the
following:
● Students participating in extracurricular activities, both in school and inter-school, will be
interacting with students from different classes and different schools which may increase risk
of exposure to COVID-19.
● Spectators will not be permitted to attend any inter-school extracurricular activities unless
they are necessary volunteer drivers. Visitors are not permitted at this time in TLDSB
buildings.
● Necessary volunteer drivers must maintain a minimum of 2m distance from anyone from
another household when attending any activities.
● Extracurricular participants may be required to wear a mask for either indoor or outdoor
activities depending on the type of activity.
● Where volunteer drivers are needed, they must complete an attestation* indicating they have
received 2 COVID-19 vaccination doses at least 14 days prior to the extracurricular event
(*Visitors to School QR code include vaccination status). Volunteer drivers are also required
to show proof of double vaccination to the Principal, Vice Principal or school secretary.
● Where volunteer drivers are needed, they must meet the requirements outlined in HR-4020
Criminal Record Checks and Offence Declarations Procedure.
I accept the inherent risk of participating in an extra-curricular activity during the COVID-19
pandemic and will assure that I / my child does not attend school or participate if they have not
passed the daily health self-assessment.