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Message From Our Trustee

June 2024

It is hard to believe we are almost at the end of another school year. I hope that this has been a great school year for you and your child, and you continue to see evidence of your child’s learning and engagement at school.

As a school board, there are several things we have been focused on in recent months that I want to update you on.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Multi-Year Strategic Plan consultations. The plan sets our priorities and direction as a school board. Your input will help ensure our plan reflects both the priorities established by the Ministry of Education and the community we serve. The revised plan will be announced in the fall and I look forward to sharing those updates.

I also want to thank everyone who shared their feedback in the budget survey. Again, we want to ensure that the community has voice in these important decisions. We are committed to transparency and you can find information about the school board budget on the board website that will continue to be updated.

This is an exciting time of year as schools host end-of-year events including concerts and graduations. I want to offer my sincere congratulations to all of our students on your hard work this year, and a special congratulations to the graduating class of 2024. This is an important milestone and a celebration of years of perseverance, commitment, growth and learning. Graduates should feel proud of all they have accomplished. I wish you all the very best for the future and hope you continue to cherish the memories you have made in this school.

I also want to acknowledge all of the many ways that you support your child’s learning and our public education system as family members throughout the year, whether it’s helping with homework, reading communications, making sure they’re out the door on time or volunteering in the school. We recognize that this is a partnership and value the relationship with families.

As we wrap up the school year and look ahead to summer, I want to remind families:

While report cards are shared online, families can request a printed copy through the school.
The school board offers a number of summer learning opportunities for students in elementary and secondary school.
You can also access links to resources to support student learning on the Board website to support summer learning.

I wish everyone a positive end to the school year and a safe, happy and enjoyable summer. We look forward to welcoming back returning students in the new school year.

Ed Law

Trustee, Markham Wards 3 and 4

As we enter another month of winter, this is a good time to be thinking about our health, well-being and the importance of self-care. We know that, like all of us, our students can focus better when they feel better. Our schools play an important role in health and mental health promotion and education, and fostering well-being and mental health is one of our priorities as a school board.

There is a lot of work taking place in our schools and board to create healthy schools and promote mental health and well-being, including:

Providing training and resources for educators on strategies to support mentally healthy classrooms for all students, including holding a mental health conference.
Hiring identity specific mental health workers and developing partnerships with community partners to serve the diverse needs of our students.
Developing a Student Suicide Intervention Protocol to help keep students safe in the event of suicidal thoughts or actions.
Educating students about the risks of substance use and misuse, including vaping and cannabis.
Providing strategies and supports for students in preparing for exams and managing stress.

This commitment is also reflected in Board policy like the Healthy Schools and Workplaces policy and procedures. Setting policy, which governs the operation of the Board, is one of the roles of trustees, and we greatly value the input provided by students, staff members, family and community members. I encourage you to look at the policies under review and share your feedback.

We have a lot to look forward to in 2020. At the Board meeting in December, trustees unanimously approved the addition of new permanent Indigenous Trustee and Indigenous Student Trustee positions. We are committed to Indigenous Education in our Board and it is important that these voices are represented at the table. We hope to fill the positions as soon as possible and will share more information as it becomes available.

A message from the Chair of the Board of Trustees is also available on the Board website at www.yrdsb.ca.

Allan Tam

Trustee – Markham Wards 4 and 5