Dear families,
It’s wonderful to see the spring weather finally approaching after a long winter. And while I’m sure we are all ready to look ahead to warmer weather, I want to acknowledge that many in our communities had to navigate a challenging situation during the recent ice storm. Thank you to the staff, students and families who came together and showed a real sense of community during a difficult time.
We are pleased this month to launch the new District Action Plan. The plan sets out system actions that are aligned with the Trustees’ Multi-Year Strategic Plan priorities and will inform our work centrally and the work of schools and departments as we enhance our improvement plans. This work will help to ensure we continue to move our work forward in alignment with the strategic plan priorities. We want to ensure that our commitment to student achievement, health and well-being and human rights and inclusive education is connected across our system.
This week, we saw that commitment at our annual Celebrating Student Success event. We recognized 16 outstanding YRDSB students from across the region who personify excellence through leadership and service to their school and community. We also recognized four Human Rights Office Ambassador award recipients who have helped advance the principles of human rights, equality, diversity, inclusion and/or anti-discrimination in their schools. You can watch a video of our 2025 recipients to see the amazing achievements and successes of our students.
It is always heartwarming to see the pride on the faces of students, their families and the staff who nominated them. Thank you to everyone who nominated and helped to make the event such a success. The event is a testament to both the hard work and dedication of our students, their families and staff across this system who work every day to nurture and advance the achievement of students.
We are also pleased this month to begin launching refreshed school websites. They are designed to be accessible, translatable and mobile friendly. They have a more modern design that will help families find the information they are looking for. Families can now easily access news and events, as well as school information. We look forward to the elementary school sites rolling out this spring, with secondary sites following in the fall.
We have mentioned it in the past, but I want to once again acknowledge that as a school board, we operate within a broader context, and we know that many of the families that we work with may be affected by the events taking place around the world and closer to home. As an organization committed to building a culture of care, it’s important that we show up for one another with care, support, kindness, inclusion and understanding, particularly in challenging times.
Thank you all for your ongoing commitment to public education.
Bill Cober
Director of Education