Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board

Board Meeting Summary, May 27, 2024

Posted on 05/27/2024

This is a summary of the public meeting of the Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board, held May 27, 2024. 

Acknowledgement of Traditional Lands

Kandis Hambly, Trustee, Trenton and CFB Trenton, offered the Land Acknowledgement.

Presentation: Mental health learning

Presenters Luna Fleming, Grade 11 at Bayside Secondary School; and Jolie Brant, Mental Health Lead spoke about their involvement in mental health journeys at HPEDSB. 

Luna described her three days of training to become a Well-being Champion last fall. This included, among other topics, the Five Golden Rules:

1. Say what you see. 

2. Show you care. 

3. Hear them out. 

4. Know your role.

5. Connect them to help.

 

Jolie described upcoming mental health summer programming, which includes partnerships with Heal with Horses Camp and YMCA Mental Health Promotion Camp.

 

Pictured L to R: Shannon Binder, Chair of the Board; Luna Fleming, Bayside Secondary School; Ken Dostaler, Superintendent of Education; Jolie Brant, Mental Health Lead.

Certificates of Appreciation were presented to two HPEDSB Human Resources staff by Lieutenant-Colonel J.P. Hoekstra, Liaison Officer from the Canadian Armed Forces, and Melissa Burns, Teacher, Stirling Public School.

Ben Chapman, Manager; and Darren McFarlane, Superintendent, were recognized for their support of the Canadian Armed Forces and of Melissa, in particular, on several occasions when she requested periods of leave in order to support her military commitments as a Naval officer with the Royal Canadian Navy. Like all Reservists, Melissa requires periods of leave from her civilian career from time to time in order to complete military courses and to respond to domestic emergencies within Canada, such as floods, ice storms, or wildfires. Leave requests can also be in response to overseas missions that involve Canada’s Armed Forces.

Pictured L to R: Melissa Burns in her role as a Reservist; Shannon Binder, Chair of the  Board; Ben Chapman, Human Resources Manager; Darren McFarlane, Human  Resources Superintendent; Lieutenant-Colonel J.P. Hoekstra, Liaison Officer, Canadian Armed Forces.

Rise and report from Committee of the Whole

At this closed meeting, Board members received a presentation from Director of Education Katherine MacIver, as part of the Director's Performance Appraisal process.

Report from external organizations

Ontario Public School Boards' Association (OPSBA)

Highlights from this report included the following:

• presentation from OSTA-AECO (student trustee association);
• discussion about the OPSBA budget; Core Education Funding (formerly Grants for Student Needs); the new director of education performance appraisal process; the new cell phone and vaping policy; OPSBA elected roles; 
• update on copyright litigation;
• three member board policy resolutions; and 
• take your MPP to Work Day last week; Trustees Binder and Robertson went to Park Dale School with MPP Todd Smith.

Board members approved the following appointments to the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association for the 2024-2025 Term of Office.

• Trustee Shannon Binder to the Board of Directors.
• Trustee Shannon Binder as a Voting Delegate.
• Trustee Amanda Robertson as the Alternate Voting Delegate.

Find out more starting on page 24 of the May 27, 2024 agenda.

Food for Learning Committee, May 16, 2024

Highlights from this report included the following:

• 80s Neon Party raised over $26,000 for student nutrition programs; and
• the Smile Cookie fundraising amount will be announced tomorrow, May 28, 2024.

Standing Committee reports

Governance and Policy Committee, May 21, 2024

• Board members approved Policy XX Board Review/Self Evaluation and Policy 3-J will be revoked. Find out more starting on page 32 of the May 27, 2024 agenda.

Student Learning, Well-being and Equity Committee, May 6, 2024 

Highlights from this report included the following:

• mental health and well-being update and services;
• professional learning and school climate surveys;
• equity topics for the upcoming school year.

Physical Planning, Finance and Building Committee, May 13, 2024

Highlights from this report included the following:

• new funding model now called Core Education Funding and borrowing resolutions.

• Board members approved various borrowing resolutions in order to meet current and upcoming fiscal year operating and capital expenditures. Find out more starting on page 39 of the May 27, 2024 agenda.

Statutory Committee reports

Parent Involvement Committee, May 15, 2024

Highlights from this report included the following:

• student council initiatives
• reminder of a Notice of Motion from April 2023 about learning for parents/caregivers on the topic of equity and anti-oppression; planning is underway now for a June event.

Special Education Advisory Committee, April 25, 2024

Highlights from this report included the following:

• development of a Student Services Guide for Alternative Courses (known as K Courses);
• location and needs of Regional Programs for the upcoming school year; and
• tri-Board SEAC meeting with a guest speaker about executive function skills.
• Board members approved the 2023-2024 Special Education Plan. Find out more starting on page 51 of the May 27, 2024 agenda.

Supervised Alternative Learning Committee, May 1 and 15, 2024

Highlights from this report included the following:

• 20 students were approved for Supervised Alternative Learning at the two meetings.

Advisory Committee reports

Accessibility Advisory Committee, May 8, 2024

Highlights from this update included the following:

• the Multi-year Annual Accessibility Plan is a 5-year rolling plan; and
• compared to 10 years ago, significant progress has been made in schools and at the Education Centre.

Student Voice Committee

On April 26, 2024, approximately 70 students from all secondary schools attended the Student Voice Leadership Conference at the Education Centre. There were three break-out sessions: Leadership from an Indigenous Perspective; Super Student Leadership Skills; and Leadership and Mental Health.

The three incoming student trustees were announced.

Welcome incoming student trustees for the 2024-2025 school year: Alisha Makkar, Centennial Secondary School; Julia Cranshaw, Eastside Secondary School; and Matthew Shalla, North Hastings High School.

 Find out more starting on page 55 of the May 27, 2024 agenda.

Ad Hoc Committee report

Director's Performance Appraisal Committee

Highlights from this report included the following:

• the committee met May 2 to review stakeholder interview questions;
• the interviews were completed last week and a report is being prepared; and
• the next committee meeting is in early June.

Chair's report/trustee sharing

Highlights from this report included the following:

• the Chair of the Board visited "The Roc" recreation centre in Picton earlier this month; 

• the Chair also attended the Minds in Motion STEM Challenge for Grade 7 and 8 students at Loyalist College;

• attendance at the Community Partner Breakfast and the Inspiring Excellence Awards celebration on May 23;

• participation in Take Your MPP to Work Day with MPP Todd Smith and Trustee Amanda Robertson last week;

• Coe Hill School road toll/fundraiser that raised around $5,500 for the school;

• Internet safety presentation for parents/caregivers in North Hastings;

• shout-out to school councils in North Hastings for fundraising efforts for bus costs;

• attendance at Sophiasburgh Central School for the annual spring concert;

• attendance at the Community Partner breakfasts; and

• shout-out to Central Hastings School for the outstanding performances of Beauty and the Beast.

Director's report

• 20 HPEDSB students participated in the Skills Ontario Competitions in 10 sectors distinct sectors. Congratulations to Ian Ketcheson from Bayside Secondary School who won Gold for the third year straight.
• Students have also participated in Music Monday, Band Fest, Minds in Motion Skills Competition for Grade 7 and 8 students.

• PA Day activities this Friday, with a professional learning day for CUPE staff.

• Last week Centennial Secondary held its first Relay for Life and raised over $50,000, surpassing the goal of $30,000. Schools also participate in Terry Fox cancer fundraising and the total for all school is $72,903.31.
•  Commendation to the current student trustees on the fantastic Student Leadership Day they organized and led on April 26. Students from all seven high schools participated. Three new student trustees were selected and will be sworn in at the first Board meeting in the fall.
• School climate surveys are being rolled out with the student survey happening now. More to come about the surveys for parents/caregivers and staff.
• Planning is underway now for a parent involvement session on June 11. The guest speaker is Alice Te who will speak about how to engage in conversations about anti-oppression, anti-racism, 2SLGBTQiA education and inclusivity.
• Community partner breakfasts are happening again; last week was for Belleville/Trenton partners and this week are two more, one in  Prince Edward County and another in Bancroft.
• Lastly, I want to share that our Inspiring Excellence Awards celebration was held on May 23, 2024, honouring eight award recipients nominated by their peers and community.

Staff reports

Communications Services: Connections to the 2020-2025 Strategic Plan

As a service provider, the Communications team supports schools and departments through consultation, prompt and time-sensitive actions, and collaborative efforts. In addition, the team engages daily with current and new families to address a wide range of inquiries. These include questions about school registration, student transportation, complaints, donations of items like cameras, pianos or books, as well as questions related to payroll, careers and bidding on tenders, among others.

Find out more starting on page 56 of the May 27, 2024 agenda.

Summer Learning Program

Summer learning initiatives are set to continue, catering to students from Kindergarten to Grade 12, with both online and in-person formats available. These programs are designed to support students in engaging with both credit and non-credit offerings, thereby addressing learning gaps and fostering skill development.

Find out more starting on page 58 of the May 27, 2024 agenda.

Calendar of events

Several school events, committee and Board meetings are scheduled for the remainder of May and into June.

Find out more starting on page 60 of the May 27, 2024 agenda..

• June 17, 2024

For more information, please contact Kerry Donnell, Communications and Privacy Manager, 613-966-1170, extension 62354, or 613-847-0696, or [email protected]