Board Standing Committee Meeting Public Session Monday, April 11, 2011 Board Room – 7:00 p.m. Pages 1. Approval of Agenda 2. Declaration of Conflict of Interest 3. Special Announcements 4. Public Forum 5. NEW BUSINESS a) Introduction of York Region Parent Association 1 – 1 Delegation - Angela Chang & Nirmala Armstrong b) Director’s Annual Plan 2 – 5 - Ken Thurston, Director of Education c) Community and International Education Report 6 – 15 - Bob Harper, Coordinating Superintendent of Education - Peter Tse, Secondary Principal, Community and International Education Services d) Naming of New Schools 16 – 25 • Black Walnut Public School, Town of Markham • Rick Hansen Public School, Town of Aurora • Michael J. Fox Public School, Town of Markham • Beynon Fields Public School, Town of Richmond Hill • Wendat Village Public School, Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville - Bob Harper, Coordinating Superintendent of Education e) Cash Disbursements, January 2011 26 – 28 - Bruce Richardson, Associate Director of Education f) Cash Disbursements, February 2011 29 – 31 - Bruce Richardson, Associate Director of Education 6. Adjournment YORK REGION DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD DIRECTOR’S ANNUAL PLAN Background: The Director of Education is responsible for operationalizing the goals established in the Trustees’ Multi-Year Plan, as well as priorities identified through the Board, school and department plans. Rationale: The Director’s Annual Plan is intended to provide direction regarding areas of Board-wide priority and to act as an accountability framework for the Director’s Annual Report and performance review. Estimated Cost: N/A Timeline: As determined by the Board. Recommendation: That the York Region District School Board receive the Director’s Annual Plan report for information. Communications Implementation Plan: Coordinating Council of Superintendents April 6, 2011 Board Standing Committee April 11, 2011 Board Meeting April 28, 2011 Presentation to Departments and at Principal/Vice-Principal meetings during the months of April and May 2011. System communication May 2011. Public communication June 2011. Appended Data: Appendix A – Director’s Annual Plan Respectfully submitted, Ken Thurston Date April 11, 2011 For further information, please contact Ken Thurston, Director of Education. Director’s Annual Plan Literacy and Numeracy Student Achievement and Well-Being • Establish a strong early learning foundation and continuously improve student achievement in targeted areas: critical thinking skills; primary reading; junior math; and Grade 9 applied math Effective & Sustainable Educational Programs • Provide engaging programs for differentiated learning, higher-order thinking and inquiry based learning • Increase student, staff and parent awareness of career pathways and programs Stewardship of Board Resources • Increase opportunities and access to differentiated professional development related to digital literacy • Increase professional development and technological resources to support assessment and reporting Equity Student Achievement and Well-Being • Increase achievement for English language learners and students with learning disabilities Effective & Sustainable Educational Programs • Embed equity and inclusivity goals and targets in every school and workplace improvement plan • Review and implement programs to improve inclusivity in the curriculum, classroom, and school environments Stewardship of Board Resources • Increase training and resources to support equitable and inclusive practices throughout the system • Increase access to multi-language support Environment Student Achievement and Well-Being • Increase the number of schools and workplaces attaining Eco Certification Effective & Sustainable Educational Programs • Implement measures to improve safety in school and workplace improvement plans • Increase focus on environmental sustainability in the curriculum Stewardship of Board Resources • Reduce carbon footprint (e.g. electricity usage, waste reduction, increase in renewable energy initiatives, reduced water usage) • Enhance positive climates for learning and working in schools and workplaces Engagement Student Achievement and Well-Being • Increase the level of student, staff and parent engagement and satisfaction Effective & Sustainable Educational Programs • Increase explicit curriculum connections to everyday life and experiences of students • Enhance Board and community relationships and partnerships Stewardship of Board Resources • Improve communication by enhancing the corporate website and introducing standardized school websites • Renew the Board’s public advisory committees and school councils Well-Being Student Achievement and Well-Being • Promote and support student and staff participation in the Healthy Schools and Workplaces initiative Effective & Sustainable Educational Programs • Increase student and staff knowledge of resiliency and mental health issues • Increase support for students affected by mental health issues through school and community interventions and resources Stewardship of Board Resources • Partner with mental health agencies to support students, staff and families in need • Allocate resources and professional development opportunities to address well- being YORK REGION DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD Community and International Education Services (CIES) Report Background: In April 2010, Director Thurston presented his vision of integrating the programs and services offered by Community and Cultural Services, Continuing Education Services, e-Learning/Virtual Schooling, Funded Services, International Languages, and International Education Services into a singular grouping, Community and International Education Services (CIES), to be housed at the Dr. Bette Stephenson Centre for Learning. Since then Community and International Education Services has, and is still in the process of organizational change which involves integrating physically and philosophically into a singular grouping that provides a better set of programs, services and partnerships to support clients. Community and International Education Services is a very large service centre serving over 45,000 students through 1,500 teachers/instructors (pre-kindergarten to adult). At a quick glance, CIES: • supports students and clients with 30 different programs, services and partnerships; • uses approximately 100 locations (Board and leased sites); • has most of its full-time infrastructure at the Dr. Bette Stephenson Centre for Learning; and • operates 12 months of the year, with a budget of approximately $ 13,000,000. The purpose of this report is to update the Board of Trustees of the progress as the Community and International Education Services continues to move forward. Rationale: “Community and International Education Services support the achievement, well-being, and life-long learning of the diverse communities through our programs, services and partnerships.” With this philosophy in mind, it is important to remember: • the wide range of students from pre-Kindergarten to seniors and members of the community; • the wide range of programs from credit bearing to non-credit general interest to courses; and • the wide range of services from employment support and newcomer orientation locally in York Region, to language and literacy development globally beyond Canada. Supporting the achievement, well-being, and life-long learning of the diverse communities through our programs, services and partnershipsPage 1 Through reorganization, Community and International Education Services is integrating and streamlining without reducing the variety of programs, services and partnerships that are provided to clients. Programs, Services and Partnerships Community and International Education Services has organized 29 programs, services and partnerships which can be grouped into the following three major areas: • 13 Programs – Non-credit; • 10 Programs – Credit; and • 7 Services and Partnerships – Community and International. Please refer to Appendix 1 for the Program Organization Chart. Some of the highlights on Community and International Education Services programs, services and partnerships, including new initiatives and refinements, are as follows: New Initiatives • reorganizing the summer learning infrastructure – integrating Building Blocks for Kindergarten, Summer Institute, Summer English Language Academy, Elementary, Secondary and Adult Summer School, and Summer Teaching Abroad, servicing 14,800 students; • incorporating credit recovery opportunities into summer learning – personalizing programs for students (with expanded teacher resources and support to students) to align with Ministry protocol: Growing Success, 2010; • expanding the Adult English as a Second Language and Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) programs - partnering with Citizenship and Immigration Canada to provide more English as a Second Language classes at the new Reception and Welcome Centres; and • expanding the services provided by the Reception Centre to two new locations – Markham South and Richmond Hill (see Facilities section). Refinements • reorganizing and aligning the hiring and staffing processes within Community and International Education Services – ensuring consistency between different areas (e.g. Continuing Education Services, e-Learning, International Languages posting and selection process, pay scales); • aligning all night school and summer school credit-bearing programs to day school standard of 110-hours; Supporting the achievement, well-being, and