Dear Families,
As winter continues and we head into the Mid-Winter Break, we want to wish you all a safe and restful week and to take this opportunity to share some updates.
Once again, over the past few months, we have seen some amazing examples of how students are learning, leading and growing. Visit our newsroom, social media feeds and podcast to learn how schools are partnering with community organizations to enrich learning for students. We continue to celebrate success across the system, reflecting our commitment to the Multi-Year Strategic Plan, including through the Applause Presentations. We appreciate the hard work and dedication of all students, families and staff that continue to make YRDSB a high-achieving school board.
We recently held the Student Trustee Election process. Congratulations to Hayden Lai and Jason Lin who will serve as Student Trustees in the 2025-26 school year and to Natalia Pitawanakwat who will serve again as Indigenous Student Trustee. Thank you to all of the students who put their names forward and who voted in the elections.
Budget consultations will be starting shortly for the 2025-2026 school year budget and we encourage you to take the time to share your feedback when that information is shared. We greatly value the input of our communities.
We also recently made all student report cards available in the new Family Dashboard. Thank you to all families who have created accounts. We look forward to continuing to add new features to the Dashboard in the future to continue making it easier for families to access important information.
This week, we also recognized Corporate Employee Recognition Day, thanking the staff who work behind the scenes to keep our schools and system running smoothly. There is often a common theme when we ask staff what they enjoy about their work; the opportunity to make a difference and the people - the students, staff, families and community partners they get to work with every day.
We are launching a new recruitment campaign, sharing the stories of some YRDSB employees speaking about what they do and what they love about their work. You can learn more at www.yrdsb.ca/careers.
We also want to recognize that we are in challenging times that may be affecting families in different ways. Now, more than ever, it is important that we continue to treat each other with grace, respect and kindness. We are proud to be part of the YRDSB community and the culture of care that we see everyday.
Enjoy the Mid-Winter Break.
Bill Cober, Director of Education
Ron Lynn, Chair