This update provides a summary of the public meeting of Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board held Monday, March 26, 2018 at the Education Centre. It is an unofficial summary of the meeting; official minutes will be approved at the next meeting in April 2018.
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Character Moment of Reflection
Each Board meeting opens with a Character Moment of Reflection. At Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board, Growing with Character is our intentional focus on creating safe, caring, respectful and inclusive learning environments where students develop the foundation for good character. Growing with Character is the foundation of the school board strategic plan. Through Growing with Character, we model, teach and expect demonstrations of our eight character traits which are: caring, cooperation, honesty, humour, integrity, respect, responsibility and trustworthiness.
This evening Justin Bray, Trustee for Southeast Hastings, asked all to reflect on humour: We celebrate the fun in life. We lighten the emotions of others by interacting in a joyful manner.
Report from Committee of the Whole Board
It was stated that two items were discussed in Committee of the Whole Board. These meetings are closed to the public as provided by subsection 207 (2) of the Education Act.
- Surplus properties
- Vice-principal pool candidates
Presentations
Achieving Excellence & Equity: 20Time Project at Centre Hastings Secondary School, North Hastings High School and York River Public School
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This presentation featured teachers and students from three school who described their experiences cultivating student voice and leadership through the 20Time Project. The teachers learned about this learning approach at the HPEDSB-hosted Google Summit in August 2017.
Students participating in the 20Time Project experienced a unique learning opportunity. Their teachers created classroom conditions for students to follow their passion and design their learning. The idea was to give students time to work through a project of their choice 20% of their time. Students presented a proposal, asked questions along the way, challenged each other about what they saw and heard; told stories about their experiences and grew together as learners and leaders.
Student testimonials about the 20Time Project
"It gave me a reason to come to class, to work hard."
"Doing my project made learning fun and widened my concept of how and what the world can be through my positive social media account."
"We were excited to go to English class and were happy to be there. We made fishing lures from household products like pop can tabs and broom handles."
"I created a blog about diabetes, did research, created recipes and still wanted to do more. I decided to go on a sugar-free diet for the month of November. It was truly an authentic learning experience."
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Thank you to the presenters of the 20Time Project at tonight's Board meeting: Students Dalton Howarth and Maria Toews, and Teacher Michlyn Gaylord from Centre Hastings Secondary School; Student Jamie Eastman, and Teachers Kate Apperley, Amber Clarke from North Hastings High School; and Student Maiya Rallison and Teacher Leigh-Anna Plumpton from York River Public School.
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Thank you to the presenters:
- Students Dalton Howarth and Maria Toews, and Teacher Michlyn Gaylord from Centre Hastings Secondary School
- Student Jamie Eastman, and Teachers Kate Apperley, Amber Clarke from North Hastings High School
- Student Maiya Rallison and Teacher Leigh-Anna Plumpton from York River Public School
Presentation by Dr. Charles Pascale
Dr. Pascale submitted a request to present to the Board of Trustees. He briefly referenced his 2009 report to the Premier of Ontario, With Our Best Future in Mind: Implementing Early Learning in Ontario. Through this presentation he made connections to school boards and community development/connections.
Recommendations
2018-2019 School Year Calendar
Each spring, school boards are required to establish a school year calendar for the next school year in accordance with Regulation 304 School Year Calendar. This regulation sets the beginning and end dates for the school year, stipulates school holidays, and prescribes the minimum number of instructional days (194) and the maximum number of professional activity days (7), examinations days (10) and board designated holidays (2).
A consultation process occurred with employee groups, parents, school councils and community members. An online survey was also available for public input. Overall, 80% of respondents agreed with the placement of the PA days.
Board members approved the following dates for the 2018-2019 school year calendar. These dates are subject to Ministry of Education approval, which is expected by the late spring.
- The first day of school for students will be Tuesday, September 4, 2018
- Semester 2 will begin Friday, February 1, 2019
- The last day of the school for students will be Friday, June 28, 2019
- The following seven dates are designated as professional activity days:
- Friday, September 28, 2018
- Friday, October 26, 2018
- Friday, November 30, 2018
- Friday, February 1, 2019
- Friday, April 5, 2019
- Friday, May 17, 2019
- Friday, June 28, 2019
- Ten examination days* for secondary schools:
- Thursday, January 24 to Wednesday, January 30, 2019
- Wednesday, June 19 to Tuesday, June 25, 2019
*Actual dates may vary, please confirm with each secondary school.
The following dates were not included in this report. However, they are included for reference.
Statutory, Ministry of Education and School Board Holidays
| Holidays |
Ministry of Education proposed dates for the 2018-2019
School Year Calendar |
HPEDSB dates for the 2018-2019
School Year Calendar |
| Labour Day |
Monday, September 3, 2018 |
Same |
| Thanksgiving Day |
Monday, October 8, 2017 |
Same |
| Christmas Break (inclusive) |
Monday, December 24, 2018 to
Friday, January 4, 2019 |
Same |
| Family Day |
Monday, February 18, 2019 |
Same |
| Mid-winter Break (inclusive) |
Monday, March 11 to
Friday, March 15, 2019 |
Same |
| Good Friday |
Friday, April 19, 2019 |
Same |
| Easter Monday |
Monday, April 22, 2019 |
Same |
| Victoria Day |
Monday, May 20, 2019 |
Same |
2018 School Board elections/trustee distribution
School board elections will be held on October 22, 2018. Before each election, every board of trustees in Ontario determines the number of trustee positions on their Board and distributes these positions across the Board's area of jurisdiction. The rules governing the number and distribution of trustee positions are found in section 58.1 of the Education Act, and in Ontario Regulation 412/00 Elections to and Representation on District School Boards. The rules have not changed since the last election in 2014.
Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board, has nine elected trustees plus one appointed under subsection 188(5) of the Education Act representing Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte.
Board members designated the following municipalities as low population municipalities for the purposes of distribution of trustees for Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board:
- Corporation of the County of Prince Edward;
- Centre Hastings (consisting of Centre Hastings, Marmora and Lake, Madoc Township and Stirling-Rawdon);
- North Hastings (consisting of Town of Bancroft, Hastings Highlands, Carlow/Mayo, Faraday, Wollaston, Limerick and Tudor Cashel); and
- South East Hastings (consisting of Tweed, Town of Deseronto and Tyendinaga).
Board members also approved the election of nine trustees and that one trustee be redistributed to the low population areas described above.
Tender for Kindergarten rooms and associated renovations at Prince Edward Collegiate Institute
Board members awarded a tender in the amount of $1,915,445 to K. Knudsen Construction Ltd. for renovations to Prince Edward College Institute.
PECI will become a Kindergarten to Grade 12 school in September 2018 and the following renovations are required:
- renovate existing classrooms to create four Kindergarten rooms;
- renovate the Senior Cafeteria to become two Special Education classrooms;
- renovate the Lecture Theatre to become two classrooms; and
- add an elevator and accessible washroom.
The work is taking place in the elementary wing of the school. It is anticipated the work will be completed for the start of school in September 2018.
Information
Calendar of events
A number of HPEDSB and school events (Pdf) are scheduled for April 2018.
Upcoming events include the following:
- April 3, 2018: EcoLeague Youth Forum, Quinte Secondary School
- April 3, 2018: Dairy Program presentation, Athol-South Marysburgh Public School
- April 9, 2018: Rotary Music Festival, Grade 5/6, Prince Charles Public School (Trenton)
- April 11, 2018: Euclid Math Contest, Prince Edward Collegiate Institute
- April 11, 2018: Social Media Information Session for Parents/Guardians, Deseronto Public School
- April 11, 2018: Making A Difference Assembly, Stirling Public School
- April 12, 2018: Jump Rope for Heart, Harmony Public School
- April 19, 2018: Moira Idol, Moira Secondary School
- April 26, 2018: District Chess Tournament, Sir John A. Macdonald School
- May 9, 2018: Everyday Learning and Well-Being Symposium for Students, Loyalist College
Report from the Chair
This report included the following:
Report from the Executive Committee
This report included the following:
- ongoing policy review;
- review of the draft Accommodation Review Guideline from the Ministry of Education.
Report from the Student Enrolment/School Capacity Committee
This report included the following:
- review of the draft Accommodation Review Guideline from the Ministry of Education;
- updates on school consolidations in Belleville, Madoc and Picton;
- update on the Sophiasburgh Community Hub; and
- update on Trenton elementary schools.
Report from the Operations and Finance Committee
This report included the following:
- ongoing policy review; and
- trustee expense report.
Report from the Program and Human Resources Committee
This report included the following:
- school year calendar;
- health and safety updates;
- ongoing policy review.
Trustee professional learning session, March 10, 2018
From time to time Board members participate in professional development to enhance their leadership and service. On Saturday, March 10, 2018, trustees spent the day with the director of education reviewing and reflecting on the Ontario Education Services Corporation Module 4: Common Ground, Common Purpose, Relationships in School Boards. Trustees identified common ground, reviewed the personal leadership resources from the Ontario Leadership Framework, completed a leadership exercise, conducted appreciative inquiry interviews with one another and did a team assessment based on the work of Patrick Lencioni.
Upcoming meetings
All meetings take place at the Education Centre unless otherwise noted.
- Monday, April 9:
- Executive Committee, 11:00 a.m.
- Student Enrolment/School Capacity Committee, 3:30 p.m.
- Program and Human Resources Committee, 5:30 p.m.
- Operations and Finance Committee, 5:30 p.m.
- Monday, April 23:
- Budget Committee, 3:30 p.m.
- Public Board Meeting, 7:00 p.m.
- Thursday, April 26, 2018:
- Special Education Advisory Committee, 5:00 p.m.
- Parent Involvement Committee, 6:00 p.m.
For more information, please contact Kerry Donnell, Communications Officer, extension 2354, [email protected]