Upper Grand District School Board
Parent Involvement Committee
Minutes January 26, 2016
In Attendance:
Parents: Kathy Watts, Deb Drake, Debbie Bush, Karen Dopson, Cat Thompson, Paul Smith, Cindy Gibson,
Renee Chumbley, Rosemond Anim-Somuah, Vikki Brown, Lorrie Wren, Heather Janes, Maureen Oesch,
Rebecca Deckers, Amanda Gudino, Lindsey Glavaz
Board Personnel: Martha Rogers (Director), Brent McDonald (Superintendent), Andrea Higgins (Program
Dept.), Martha MacNeil (Trustee), Bruce Schieck (Trustee)
Guest Speakers: Bonnie Talbot (Superintendent), Colinda Clyne (Curriculum Leader Equity/FNMI)
Regrets: Kay Elford, Megan Taylor, Jane Brown
Welcome and Introductions
• Welcome extended to all and introductions were made.
• Revisions to and approval of January agenda.
• No November minutes for approval. Lorrie Wren will compile minutes from her meeting notes.
Guest Speakers: Equity and Inclusive Education Policy
Bonnie Talbot and Colinda Clyne presented the draft Equity and Inclusive Education Policy, with particular
focus on those areas pertaining to parents. The Policy has been in development for the past 1½ yrs and the
Board is looking for input from stakeholders. Draft policy will be presented at the Board meeting Jan. 27th and
then released for public input on the Board’s website this week with the opportunity for on-line feedback.
Input can also be made via Brent McDonald (PIC) or direct to Bonnie Talbot. The timeline for feedback is ~ 6
weeks.
The Policy has 4 components:
1) Equity and Inclusive Education Policy 504
 Includes the responsibility to provide training, role of the Equity lead, role of school equity
representatives and the requirement for the Board and Schools to have equity goals.
2) Equity and Inclusive Education Procedures Manual 504 – A
 Procedures on implementation of the policy - System and individual schools to evaluate where
they are now and then to move forward
 New to this revision is the division of responsibility for implementation of equity and inclusive
practices across the system (Trustees, Director, Principals, Managers, Employees, Parent &
Guardians, Students).
 Parent responsibilities (Section 3.16) include awareness of and support for equity policies, and to
support their children in using equitable practices and inclusive language.
 Section 3.3 School Community Relationships – The UGDSB will encourage representation from
diverse communities on existing Board Committees, including PIC. Similarly, schools are to
encourage diversity at the School Council level.
 Section 3.6 School Climate – Ensure all members of the school community, including parents, are
welcomed and respected and that all have a shared responsibility to create a respectful, positive
school climate.
3) 504 – B Guidelines for Creed Accommodation (Religious/Faith)
 Indigenous spiritual practices has been added (i.e., change from Religious/Faith since this is
considered to be Creed rather than Religious group)
 Examples of areas of accommodation: Dress code, food restrictions, Creed-based holidays, prayer,
Indigenous spiritual practices, modesty requirements for Phys. Ed.
 Procedures for requesting accommodations include verbally or written form, as early in the year as
possible. Curriculum based accommodations must be in written form (forms are available if
needed). Accommodations would not be a classroom based initiative (i.e., prayer group) but
pertaining to individual students.
4) 504 – C Guidelines for Accommodating Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Students, Staff and
Community Members
 This is a new addition to the Equity Policy that ensures the Board is in line with the Ontario
Human Rights Commission Policy.
 Key points included are: Privacy/confidentiality, self-identification (right to have “lived” gender
in the student’s records), ensuring safe washroom and change room access (access to genderneutral facilities as required), field trips (private accommodation if required on overnight trips),
gender segregated Phy. Ed. Class (e.g., permitting students to take their Phys. Ed credit in Gr. 11
where it is co-ed rather than in Gr. 9/10 where it is gender separate, separate changing area, etc.).
• The Board has provided staff training and will be running an equity workshop for staff as well.
• Principals will be asked to approach their School Councils to add Policy discussion to their agendas.
Board and Ministry Report
1. BIPSA (Board Improvement Plan for Student Achievement)
• The 2015-2016 Plan was presented to attendees and includes the action steps being looked at as a
Board. For the plan see http://www.ugdsb.on.ca/board/article.aspx?id=13629
• The plan includes the Board’s Vision, Mission Statement and Why? (Student Inclusion, Well-Being,
Engagement), What? (Goals) and How? (Targeted Instructional Strategies) for the current school year.
2. Memorandum on Babysitting for School Council Events
• When School Councils are running a non-school/board endorsed event, it is recommended that the
council purchase School Council insurance.
• Includes guidelines to consider when you are planning events and risk management advice with
respect to age of children supervised, number of supervisors required, age of supervisors.
• The memorandum can be found at http://www.ugdsb.on.ca/pic/schoolcouncil.aspx?id=17482
3. Math Resource Package
 The Council of Ontario Directors and Ministry of Education have added a Math package to their
Parent Toolkit resources, “Inspiring Your Child to Learn and Love Math”.
 A package was sent out to all school Principals to pass on to their School Councils.
 Includes many resources for parents to help support students in Literacy and Numeracy
 Can also be accessed at http://www.ontariodirectors.ca/parent_engagement-math/en/index.htm
4. Labour Agreements
• A tentative agreement has been reached with the local Elementary teachers and will go to the Board
for ratification Tuesday Feb. 23rd and then on to teachers.
• Similarly, an agreement was reached with the EAs and ECEs a couple of weeks ago.
• An agreement has already been ratified with the Secondary teachers.
• Currently efforts to reach an agreement with the four remaining groups are still ongoing: CUPE,
Occasional Teachers, Professional Support Services (e.g., Psychologists, Speech Pathologists) and
Office/Clerical staff.
Co-Chair’s Report
1. Parent Information Night at Ross
• Chair felt the presentation was very good and it was well attended.
• Lots of great programs offered: CAD, Aesthetics, Music Program, ESL and very well equipped.
• Also included a separate French Immersion presentation
2. Multicultural PRO Grant Event – Date TBD but will be sometime in May
• Working with Willow Road P.S. and tying into their Diversity Day. This is an all-day event at the
school and they are willing to open up the evening portion to the wider community.
• Want to get parents feeling comfortable with getting involved in their schools
• Will provide access to many community services of interest to all parents but particular focus on
immigrant groups: Library (have graphic novels in dual languages), Public Health, Immigrant
Services (help with Settlement Services).
•
•
Kathy has been in touch with some community leaders as well, including the Nepali and Afghani
communities. The Board has demographic data on those groups represented within the Board
which will help to determine target populations.
The Muslim student group from University of Guelph will be helping with translation.
PRO Grant/Spring Event
 Breaking Down Barriers Through Parent Engagement – Keynote Speaker Dr. Debbie Pushor (Professor,
University of Saskatchewan), Thursday, April 14th, 2016; 4:00 - 8:00 p.m. at Centennial CVI, Guelph.
 Evening will include a meal, team activities, networking.
 Each school may send a team of 4 composed of Principal/VP, Teacher, School Council Member, Parent.
Registration deadline is Friday, March 25th and can be submitted through your Principal via UGShare
LINK or direct to Lynne McInnis at the Board office. Extra registrants may be accommodated if space.
 Flyer/registration form http://www.ugdsb.on.ca/uploadedFiles/pic/events/Flyerspringevent2016.pdf
 3 schools are already registered
School Calendar Planning – Preliminary Info
 UGDSB calendar committee requested parent feedback on the proposed 2016/17 school calendar.
Parameters include 194 instructional days between labour day and June 30th, 10 exam days, 7 PA days
(Ministry & Board directed), alignment with the separate school board to minimize transportation costs.
A summary of parent feedback was presented at this meeting.
 Winter Break: Ministry’s proposal was last day of school Friday, Dec. 16, 2016 and return to school
Monday Jan. 2, 2017. The Committee proposed last day of school Friday, Dec. 23, 2016 and return to
school Monday, Jan. 9th, 2017.
 30 parents agreed with the Committee recommendation. Reasons included: Too much time wasted
before Christmas, family time decreased if parents work until the 23rd, vacations the first week of
January would be lower cost, companies more likely to shut down the 23rd, more in line with
University schedules, more relaxing quality time after the holidays, students wouldn’t be well rested
and ready to return on the 2nd.
 11 parents preferred the Ministry proposal. Reasons included: Gives time to get ready for the
holiday, anticipation of Christmas would be less if kids stay in school until the 23rd, aligns better
with working schedules, more in line with University exams (these end on the 16th), not much work
would get done at school the last week if school went to the 23rd, parents need to return to work Jan
2nd decreasing time spent together as a family/added childcare costs, employers shut down starting
the 17th, school start-up the 9th leaves a short window for high school students moving in to exams.
st
 3 parents wondered if a good compromise might be last day of school Dec. 21 and return to school
th
Jan. 4 . Will look into, but labour contracts may specify 2 full weeks off.
Note: there is an overlap of reasons for both dates. Has research been done into when most companies
close, when University exams are, etc.?
 Additional PA day: Proposed dates are Sept. 23rd, 30th or Oct. 7th.
th
 16 respondents preferred Oct. 7 to make Thanksgiving a longer week-end
th
 4 preferred the Sept. 30 in order to have 2, 3 day week-ends
rd
 Many felt Sept. 23 was too close to the start of school and would be bad for momentum. Others
suggested no PA days in Sept. as students are just starting to get back into routine.
 Suggestion was to add the day to March break or the Family Day week-end. It is important to note
that this is a Ministry mandated PA day and it is important to roll out
initiatives/curriculum/programs early in the school year so teachers have training.
 Direct any questions to Kay Elford elford5489@rogers.com
Mental Health Steering Committee
 Developed a Mental Health and Addiction Strategy and many points have been included in the BIPSA
 Board Mental Health Lead is Dr. Lynn Woodford.
 Ensure that everyone at the school level is prepared for issues that may arise and are aware of community
referral options.

safeTALK (Suicide Alertness for Everyone) Workshop being presented by the Canadian Mental Health
Association in Fergus, Feb. 11th, 2016, 6:00 – 9:30 p.m. Workshop is free but pre-registration is
required https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/safetalk-suicide-alertness-for-everyone-tickets-20038573914
Treasurer’s Report
 No activity to report
Communication
• Elementary school websites across the Board are currently being updated. Secondary school and then
other Board sites will follow.
• Any feedback or suggestions to improve and/or update the PIC website can be sent to Brent
McDonald Brent.McDonald@ugdsb.on.ca
Trustee’s Report
1. Inclement Weather Procedures – Bus Cancellations and School Closures
• Information is available on the Board website http://www.ugdsb.on.ca/schools/article.aspx?id=2056
• Main change is that schools may be closed due to extreme temperature. The decision is made jointly
by the UGDSB and Catholic School Board directors and the Board chairs.
• Information is also available on the website with respect to crossing guards during extreme weather.
There is a policy for each area of the Board.
2. French Review Committee
• The increased growth rate of the FI program in the board has led to pressure accommodating
students, multiple boundary reviews and difficulty hiring enough qualified teachers. To address this,
the Board created a review committee to develop and evaluate options.
• Their report has been recently presented to trustees and includes 18 recommendations including:
 Review and expand recruitment practices of French language teachers and support staff
 Explore pool hiring
 Effective Sept 1, 2017 JK be confirmed as the only entry point into the FI program
 JK enrolment cap of 579 effective for the 2017-18 school year
 Development of a random selection process for JK entry as part of the enrolment cap
 Reduction in French instructional time from 100% to 84% for JK-2 and decreasing to 50% for
Gr. 6-8.
• This report relates to the Elementary system only. It is recommended that a similar review be done
for Secondary FSL and a report presented by June 30, 2017.
• The report can be found at http://www.ugdsb.on.ca/uploadedFiles/board/board/meetings/20152016/French.Review.FINAL.REPORT.2016.01.12.pdf.
• See also the Board web page http://www.ugdsb.on.ca/board/article.aspx?id=56893.
• There is an acknowledgement that there are a lot of issues that need to be dealt with at the Ministry
level. Important to work with OPSBA to advocate with the Ministry.
Open Discussion, New Business
 Update on PRO grants – no extensions will be granted this year, so all funds must be spent by June 30th
or returned to the Ministry. Reports are due July 15th (note in previous years the deadline was August
30th).
Next Meeting
Monday February 29th, 2016 at 6:45 p.m., JD Hogarth School, 360 Belsyde Ave. E., Fergus.
Minutes prepared by D. Drake