Boardroom Briefs
March 27, 2024 Meeting of the LDSB Board of Trustees
You can view the entire Twitter/X thread here.
Each meeting, a different Trustee will present the Indigenous Acknowledgement of Territory and include their own personal reflections.
Presentation
Limestone Music Celebration - Kristen Martin & Marcy Satnik
Limestone music teachers Kristen Martin (Sydenham High School) and Marcy Satnik (Napanee District Secondary School) provided an overview of the collaborative event and shared a video showcasing highlights of the event with the Board of Trustees.
Chair's Report
Yesterday, the provincial government released its budget, and with it several announcements. Funding for school boards primarily flows through Grants for Student Needs (GSN), which are yet to be announced, but are expected to be shared in April.
LDSB Financial Services will be reviewing the funding grants and will provide context for the April 17 LDSB Budget Meeting. Staff will also have details from the LDSB budget survey which just closed on Monday. On behalf of all trustees, I would like to thank all those who were able to fill out the survey. The feedback we receive from families, students, staff, and community members will be helpful information as trustees begin the budget process.
As we await the arrival of Spring and warmer temperatures, I hope students, families, and staff gain much needed energy and optimism as we round the corner to the final months of this school year.
Director's Report
Good evening, Trustees and the viewing public. Based on recent weather, it appears spring is upon us. As I indicated in my last update in February, as we head further into the spring season, preparations for 2024-2025 continue to ramp up. A critical component of this planning and preparation is the overall budget. As people are aware, the provincial government released the full provincial budget yesterday. That being said, we still await the GSN information and Ministry memos that accompany the specific funding for Limestone. We should receive this information in the next 2-3 weeks. Consequently, to date, the only information we have is the general budget information that was released yesterday. So, while we continue to prepare for next year, some critical decisions will have to wait until we see our specific budget allocations.
As Trustees are aware, there have been a number of engagement opportunities for students, families, and staff in the past few weeks: virtual school interest for 2024-24, the school year calendar, and the budget survey are prime examples.
This evening Trustees had the opportunity to hear about the Limestone Music Celebration that occurred in February. This was a great showcase for Limestone and you can clearly see it had a tremendous impact on the students involved, and is a wonderful opportunity for community partnership while supporting the clear need for arts activities for students. While partnerships were critical, I also need to highlight again the decision the board made a couple of years ago to invest some surplus funds into secondary arts. This event highlighted the value of that investment and was a wonderful evening.
This evening there are four reports on the agenda: A Math Achievement Action Plan Update, A follow up Virtual School Update, The Provincial Student Achievement Plan- Public Posting Required by April 2, and the Solar Eclipse on April 8.
Finally, I would also like to highlight a few significant events or awards from the past few weeks. First, I would like to commend SHS teacher Michelle Fraser for being awarded an OFSSA Leadership in Sport Award at the AA Girls Volleyball OFSSA tournament that was hosted by Sydenham HS in early March. Second, I would also like to commend retired LCVI teacher Joanne Riley for being the recipient of a 2024 Descartes Award for significant and outstanding contributions to math or computer science education in Ontario.
Third, I would like to highlight the LDSB/KEDCO/Queen’s Innovation Centre workshop series that occurred on Thursday, March 7th focusing on Entrepreneurship and Business for students who are racialized or Indigenous. These Students had the opportunity to engage in a number of workshops and with local business owners, as well as entrepreneurs. This work will culminate with the Limestone Young Entrepreneurs in Action showcase at Queen’s on April 18th. These events provided exposure to a range of career pathways: university, college, trades, business and the arts. This event included support from Queen’s, St. Lawrence, local businesses, and experts in the trades. It was a great event and evolved from an idea put forward by an Ernestown SS student.
These are just some of the examples of a wide range of activities and partnerships that are occurring in Limestone schools and in the community. And staff that deserve to be acknowledged and celebrated.
Student Trustee Report
The Student Trustee report was presented by Ava-Jean O'Keefe.
The March Inner Student Council Meeting was held at the board office on March 19th. Student Trustees Eckloff and O’Keefe were present with regrets from Trustee Wang. This meeting was short, as we had many regrets from the school representatives, including LCVI, ESS, NDSS, KSS, SHS and one representative from LSS.
Trustees began the meeting brainstorming for our final board-wide event, as we had discussed doing a more ambitious event. We decided to do a three-day-long spirit competition surrounding each school's respective end-of-school-year festivities. On the day of the end of the school year event, such as a carnival or BBQ, students will be encouraged to wear their school colours, the other two days are pre-decided spirit days. The competition aspect will be the culmination of the participation over the three spirit days and the in-house event each school is hosting during their event. For the in-house aspect most schools are putting on a teacher-related activity, for example teacher pie in the face or a teacher dunk tank. The school with the most participation in all these events will win. This will occur at the end of May from the 22nd to the 24th, where schools are free to assign what will ensue on each date.
We are looking forward to continuing to iron out the details at future meetings and see which school will win at the end of May.
Reports for Information
Math Achievement Action Plan Update
Presented by Associate Superintendent Hedderson (Pages 23-25)
The purpose of the report is to update Trustees on the progress of Phase I of Limestone’s Math Achievement Action Plan and provides an overview of Phase II. The plan is aligned with the LDSB Strategic Plan goal of improving math learning and achievement for every student.
A Math Achievement Action Plan (working version) was developed in Fall 2023, based on requirements provided by the Ministry, and was endorsed by the Director of Education and the Board of Trustees in November 2023. The blueprint outlined the board’s concrete, visible, and measurable strategies as well as key performance indicators (KPIs) under the following areas of focus:
- Fidelity of the Math Curriculum
- Ongoing learning of Math Content Knowledge for Teaching
- Knowing the Math Learner and ensuring mathematical tasks, interventions, and supports are relevant and responsive
- Measurable Results: Improvements in Math Achievement
At the last update to Trustees, the rationale for the LDSB Math Achievement Action Plan was shared, along with a vision for equity and excellence in all mathematics classrooms and expectations for high levels of learning and achievement for every student, in every classroom, in every school.
Phase I of the LDSB Math Achievement Action Plan had two key areas of focus: (1) ensuring all math educators were using a long-range plan that aligned with the most recent curriculum as the basis for ensuring fidelity to the curriculum; and (2) gathering diagnostic assessment data and using developmental continua as guidance to plan the first 15-minutes of the daily math block focused on students’ development of mathematical reasoning, beginning with the intentional focus on computational fluency to support the development of math content knowledge and knowing our math learners.
Current Status
The following key performance indicators (KPIs) have been monitored by school leadership teams, school administrators, and school supervisors across schools during implementation of Phase I of the Math Achievement Action Plan:
- % of educators following a long-range plan aligned to the Ontario Mathematics curriculum(2020, 2021)
- % of educators gathering diagnostic data and using information plotting students on continua to use for intentional planning
- % of educators planning and implementing the first 15 minutes of instruction in Mathematics classes with a focus on fluency
The LDSB Math Team has been engaged with the Provincial Math Team and has been developing resources and facilitating professional learning sessions for educators and administrators.
School Math Facilitators continue to work alongside Grades 3, 6, and 9 math educators in 26 priority schools to support students’ math learning, confidence and achievement.
Next Steps and Communication Plan
Phase II of the Math Achievement Action Plan will be launched in April and is intended to reinforce and help refine the implementation of Phase I and introduce a series of next steps to improve math outcomes for all students.
Phase II is focused on implementing short collaborative math learning and planning cycles in elementary schools where small groups of educators work alongside administrators to engage in data analysis, math content knowledge building, a review of LDSB-endorsed math resources, the implementation of high-impact instructional practices, and collaborative monitoring of the impact of responsive instruction.
Similarly, Phase II will also see Grade 9 math educators across priority schools engaged in a collaborative inquiry related to the implementation of high-impact instructional practices and monitoring student progress through analysis of math achievement data.
A new digital math tool will be introduced across the system for math educators to consider using to support student learning and practice in the classroom, and that will also be available for students to use for practice at home.
Planning is underway for targeted math tutoring support for elementary students in Grades 3, 6, 7 and 8 who are currently achieving below provincial standard. Tutoring is scheduled to begin in late April once post-secondary students have finished their term.
Communication about improvement efforts, support, and how families can assist with math learning at home will be shared with families.
Virtual School Update
Presented by Associate Superintendent Sartor (Pages 26-30)
The purpose of this report is to provide trustees with an update on the results of the Virtual School survey and to provide an update on the status of Elementary Virtual School and Secondary Virtual School for the 2024/2025 school year.
By gathering community voice, and reviewing student achievement and attendance data to determine future instructional planning and next steps, we are focusing on all of the Strategic Plan Goals which are as follows:
- Improving student well-being/sense of belonging, participation/engagement in class time and time focused on learning
- Improving literacy learning and achievement for every student
- Improving math learning and achievement for every student
- Improving graduation rates and preparedness for future success for all groups of students
- Improving responsiveness and service to families, staff, and community partners
Background
On February 28, 2024, an Administrative Report and presentation was shared with trustees providing an update on the current status of Elementary Virtual School and Secondary Virtual School. On February 29, 2024, a survey was shared with LDSB Virtual School Families and KPRDSB Virtual School families to determine their desire to proceed with virtual learning. Community survey responses were a driving factor in whether virtual school would remain a viable option to be offered during the 2024/2025 school year. In addition, the survey was shared with the broader Limestone community to gauge additional interest in registering in Virtual School. When the survey closed on Monday, March 18, 2024, the Virtual School Administrative team phoned existing virtual school families who had not yet responded to the survey.
Current Status
As of March 19, 2024, a total of 104 K-12 students from Limestone DSB and Kawartha Pine Ridge DSB expressed interest in continuing in virtual school (Existing Enrolment), registering in virtual school (New Enrolment), or registering/returning to a physical school site (Registering at Home School). As of March 20, 2024, we did not yet have the projected enrolment data for Renfrew County DSB because they conducted their own survey. This information will be shared with LDSB by April 1, 2024.
Next Steps and Communication Plan
Based on the survey data, the Limestone DSB community continues to express an interest in
accessing virtual learning for students.
A review of the Elementary Virtual School achievement data (Term 1 report cards) suggests that a
lower proportion of primary and intermediate students are achieving, or exceeding, the provincial
standard as compared to the Board average, whereas a higher proportion of junior students are
achieving, or exceeding, the provincial standard as compared to the Board average. It should be
noted that given the smaller number of students enrolled in virtual school relative to Board
enrolment, the achievement data for students in the virtual school can be impacted by very small
numbers of students.
Secondary credit accumulation is also lower in Grade 9, 10 and 11, as compared to the Board
average.
Finally, elementary student attendance is lower in all divisions, as compared to the Board average.
Limestone DSB plans to continue offering Elementary Virtual School for the 2024/2025 school year, in partnership with KPRDSB. RCDSB will share their intentions by April 1, 2024. Limestone will also
continue to work with other public school boards in the region if students/families are interested in
continuing to pursue virtual learning options.
Students entering Grades 9 and 10 will continue to be offered three asynchronous classes through
the OeLC (Ontario e-Learning Consortium) and one synchronous class through LDSB per semester.
However, students will be registered at their home school for Grades 9 and 10 and will continue to
be supported through support services offered at their home school, as opposed to Secondary Virtual School. Current Grade 10 and 11 Virtual School students will receive the same programming options through OeLC that have been offered to Grade 11 and 12 Virtual School students. Again, these students will be supported by their home school.
Students enrolled in the School to Community (SCS) program will continue to receive the same scheduling and support.
In collaboration with partner boards, student support plans will be discussed moving forward to determine how to improve student achievement and attendance in virtual school.
Student Achievement Plan
The purpose of this report is to update Trustees on the Student Achievement Plan and share connections to the LDSB Strategic Plan Goals.
Background
As part of a July 2023 memorandum, the ministry released a Student Achievement Plan Framework, which aligns with the regulated provincial priorities (O. Reg. 224/23). The framework sets out goals and performance indicators for school boards to monitor student achievement, develop action plans, and measure their progress in improving student outcomes. Throughout the Fall, Trustees have been creating the LDSB Multi-Year Strategic Plan (2024-2028), with consideration given to the regulated priorities shared by the Ministry of Education, and the considerable family and community feedback received since consultation began in the spring of 2023.
At the end of January 2024, the ministry provided pre-populated materials to support the development and reporting of board Student Achievement Plans. The materials included a Student Achievement Plan Tool, and the Student Achievement Plan Public Reporting Template. The goal of the template is to provide consistency within the province for communicating boards’ data, action plans, and progress on indicators to their communities. Under the Act, school boards are required to publicly report on progress toward the provincial priorities and meet with parents in the first two months and last two months of each school year to discuss the priorities and progress towards them. School boards are expected to complete the Student Achievement Plan Public Reporting Template and share it on board websites by April 2, 2024.
On February 28, 2024, the LDSB Board of Trustees unanimously approved the Strategic Plan Framework for the Multi-Year Strategic Plan (2024-2028). The LDSB Strategic Plan framework aligns with Bill 98 Provincial priorities and reporting requirements.
Current Status
LDSB Senior staff are participating in Ministry webinars supporting implementation of the Student Achievement Plan Public Reporting Tool, to understand the data collection processes used by the Ministry, and for clarity of provincial expectations. Operational plans are being finalized by departments, to ensure coherence and regular communication between departments. Ongoing communication with Trustees will occur on a regular cycle through Board and Committee meetings.
Next Steps and Communication Plan
The completed Student Achievement Plan Public Reporting Template will be posted on the LDSB website by April 2, 2024. The completed template will include a macro-level overview of actions the board is taking to support the goals of both the Student Achievement Plan, and the Board’s Multi-Year Strategic Plan.
Solar Eclipse - April 8, 2024
The purpose of this report is to share information with Trustees about how LDSB has prepared for the April 8th Eclipse, and to highlight the partnership with the Queen’s Department of Physics, Engineering Physics & Astronomy, and the City of Kingston staff.
Background
On April 8, 2024, residents and visitors to Kingston will witness a total solar eclipse. The 2024 eclipse will be visible from other areas of Ontario and Canada, but Kingston is in the path of totality, where the Sun will be completed blocked out by the moon. The last total solar eclipse was almost 700 years ago in 1349, and the next one won’t be for another 375 years in 2399. As a result, the City of Kingston is planning for thousands of visitors to arrive in the City to view the Eclipse, weather permitting.
LDSB and the Queen’s University Department of Physics, Engineering & Astronomy began discussing the April 8th 2024 Total Solar Eclipse in the Spring of 2023. The timing of the eclipse was shared, as well as information related to the securing of certified eclipse glasses, learning opportunities for students, and the potential implications for the City with the expectations of thousands of visitors coming to the City to view the eclipse.
As Trustees are aware, the total eclipse will occur at approximately 3:20 PM on April 8. On a normal school day all secondary students, and many elementary students will already be finished school, and the balance of elementary students would be preparing for dismissal. Consequently, after investigating potential options to adjust the school day to accommodate all students at school at that time, the three Tri-Board partner boards (ALCDSB, HPEDSB, & LDSB) requested a calendar change in the fall of 2023 adjusting the date of the April PA Day (from April 12 to April 8), which was subsequently approved by the Ministry of Education.
Current Status
LDSB staff has been meeting and communicating regularly with both the Queen’s Department of Physics, Engineering Physics & Astronomy, and City of Kingston. Queen’s has secured thousands of certified eclipse glasses for LDSB staff and students, and the greater Kingston community. They have also shared a mapping of eclipse content to the Ontario Science Curriculum, while also offering learning workshops for classrooms and schools which include hands on activities for students. There are currently almost 70 LDSB educators signed up for Queen’s workshops in their classrooms (in person or virtual).
Queen’s Department of Physics, Engineering Physics & Astronomy has trained approximately 40 volunteers (faculty, graduate students and undergrads) to act as “Eclipse Ambassadors”. They have been trained to explain eclipses in a classroom, offer hands on experiences for students, and share how to safely watch the eclipse from their home or at a community viewing location. Many LDSB students have participated in these workshops, and all students will be receiving eclipse glasses during the first week of April, thanks to the partnership with Queen’s University. Queen’s has also provided safety information for watching the eclipse, and this has been shared with schools so educators can share with students prior to the April 8 PA Day.
On April 8th, there will be multiple viewing locations within the City of Kingston. The City and Queen’s have requested additional viewing locations at Ecole Maple, LaSalle Intermediate-Secondary, Bayridge SS and Frontenac SS. These locations will allow for visitors to spread out throughout the City, allowing for better traffic flow following the eclipse. Queen’s has committed to sending Eclipse Ambassadors to each of these school sites to support those in attendance on how to safely view the eclipse, as well as answering any questions people may have about the eclipse.
Next Steps and Communication Plan
LDSB staff will continue to collaborate with Queen’s and the City of Kingston leading up to the April 8th eclipse. Certified eclipse glasses have been delivered to schools, along with the safety information provided by Queen’s University. Glasses will be distributed to students during the first week of April, prior to the PD Day and eclipse. Information will also be shared with families at the end of March or early April to ensure families have eclipse related information for safe viewing.
Future Board Meeting Schedule
April 24, 2024
May 15, 2024
June 19, 2024
Limestone District School Board
Email: communications@limestone.on.ca
Website: www.limestone.on.ca
Location: 220 Portsmouth Avenue, Kingston, ON, Canada
Phone: 6135446920
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Limestone-District-School-Board-308623265872996/
Twitter: @LimestoneDSB