Director’s Update

Want to know what is extraordinary about this school district? Take a look at the most recent update to the Director’s webpage. This week, the Director shares her thoughts about Michael Fullan’s work “Great to Excellent” and some of the “excellent” examples of his thinking put into practice at the OCDSB.

Protecting our Youth from Prescription Drug Abuse

Ottawa Public Health has shared some great information about the risks of prescription drug use. In Ottawa, there are concerns over more reports of youth misusing prescribed drugs. Some examples of drugs can be Fentanyl, Percocet and Morphine. These drugs are usually prescribed to treat people in severe pain. They can result in injury and death if used improperly. It is important that people are aware of how to store and discard prescription drugs. Please share this information with others who should also be aware. For more information contact Ottawa Public Health at 613-580-6744 or visit www.ottawa.ca/health.

How to prevent non-prescription drug use:

• Talk with your youth about drug use and safety.
• Lock up prescription drugs.
• Return unused or used drugs to pharmacies.

Get help right away from a healthcare provider or other support service in your community if you think your youth is showing signs of drug use:

• starts having trouble at school.
• sudden change in friends.
• new needs for money, stealing.
• mood changes and keeping secrets.

Teens and Technology

Interested in understanding how to manage the challenges of teens and technology? There will be a presentation for parents on April 16, 2013 at 19:00 at Earl of March High School in Kanata. Constable Carrie Archibald of the Ottawa Police Service will be delivering the presentation on behalf of OPS. All parents are welcome to attend.

Board and Committee Meetings

The next Committee of the Whole meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 19th at 7:30 p.m. in the Board Room at 133 Greenbank Road. The agenda will be posted to the district website on Friday, March 8th.

Interested in Learning More about EQAO?

The Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) is inviting all interested parents to a regional parent forum in Ottawa on Saturday, March 23, 2013, 10:00 a.m.– 2:00 p.m. The parent forum will be held at the Brookstreet Hotel, 525 Legget Drive, Kanata. The forum is composed of two sessions. The first session, “Answering Parents’ Top Questions about EQAO Assessments,” will be delivered by members of the EQAO School Support and Outreach Team. This presentation will describe EQAO’s province-wide assessment program and will inform parents about the EQAO assessments and how parents can work with the school to support their child’s learning. The second session features an educator and author from Queen’s University, Dr. Lynda Colgan, who will talk to parents about the importance of mathematics and how parents can encourage their child to see the value of mathematics in everyday life.

The session is free and lunch will be provided, however registration is necessary. Please register by March 20, 2011 by sending an email to pic@ocdsb.ca with your name, email address, and your child’s school.

Reminders

Parent Involvement – Parent Guides for Reading, Writing and Math – Coming soon!

The Ministry of Education has announced that they will be providing literacy and math parent guides for all parents of elementary students. Scheduled to arrive within the next few weeks, the guides offer families a range of fun and easy ways to support student learning. Copies of Reading and Writing with Your Child, Kindergarten to Grade 6 and Doing Mathematics with Your Child, Kindergarten to Grade 6 can also be found on the Ministry of Education website in English, French, Arabic, Farsi, Hindi, Korean, Portuguese, Punjabi, Spanish, Tagalog, Tamil, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Urdu and Vietnamese. Watch for printed copies coming to your school very soon!

Want to Recognize an Incredible Volunteer in Your Community?

Each year, the district celebrates the contribution of parents and community members through our Community Member Recognition Awards.

We are pleased to announce that three new awards have been added to the program. Do you know someone who has made a difference in your community? Consider nominating him or her for one of these awards:

• Chair’s Award – recognizes the substantial contribution of staff and/or community member to the achievement of the aims and objectives of the Board over an extended period.
• Community Award – recognizes the outstanding contribution of a community member in in developing an initiative that directly supports the well-being of our students.
• Community Partnership Award – in recognition of outstanding partnership/support from a community agency or business over an extended period of years or through a significant initiative that has directly benefited OCDSB students.
• Distinguished School Council Service Award – is granted in recognition of the outstanding efforts of a school council or school council member for making a significant contribution to enhancing the learning experience of students at a school and/or system level.
• Volunteer of the Year Award – is granted in recognition of the substantial contribution of a parent volunteer or community volunteer over an extended period of years or through a single significant initiative that has had a positive impact on students.

Read more about the nomination process and criteria and get a copy of the nomination form on our website.

As always, please continue to check the School Council Information and Updates webpage for the most up-to-date and detailed information. You can also follow the OCDSB on Twitter (@OCDSB), Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube!

Have a great week!

Kindest regards,
Michele

Michele Giroux
Executive Officer (Corporate Services)
Ottawa-Carleton District School Board
133 Greenbank Road
Ottawa, ON K2H 6L3
(613) 596-8211 ext. 8607
michele.giroux@ocdsb.ca