Director's Annual Report 2022-2023

End-of-Year Successes and Accomplishments for 2022-2023

• Instructional Program Leaders reached out to every school to develop and implement Equity Action Plans
  
• Implemented capacity building for a broad range of employee groups including school administrators, classroom educators, interdepartmental support and corporate staff on designing equitable and inclusive learning/work environments and effectively responding to racism and discrimination
  
• Provided ongoing support of affinity spaces for HDSB staff
  
• Updated the Equity & Inclusive Education Policy and Religious and Creed Accommodations Administrative Procedure 
  
• Provided regular communication and ongoing support through monthly updates and department drop-in hours
  
• Identified systemic barriers facing Black-identifying students through the Graduation Coach for Black Students Program
  
• Provided training to newly-hired managers/supervisors/administrates on equitable hiring practices, in accordance to PPM 165 and the Board’s Employment Equity Policy
  

• Implemented capacity building for staff working directly with students (i.e. educators, specialty staff, administrators, non-teaching staff) specific to anti-oppression and anti-colonialism
  
• Supported educator school leadership (e.g. Human Rights and Equity Advocates)
  
• Provided opportunities for student leadership to enhance student engagement (e.g., student unions, Spoken Word competition, HDSB Student Equity Committee)
  
• Provided opportunities for students through the Graduation Coach for Black Students Program (e.g. student conference Exploring Us; A Journey Through Black Cultures)
  
• Engaged a variety of community organizations to support culturally affirming and responsive pedagogy ​

End-of-Year Successes and Accomplishments for 2022-2023

• Responded to disproportionate outcomes in learning and achievement through collaboration with the Destreaming Committee and Early Years Literacy Committee
  
• ​Advised on necessary actions as listed in the commitments from the HDSB Student Voices Report through the Human Rights Equity Advisory Committee
  

End-of-Year Successes and Accomplishments for 2022-2023

• Child Youth Counsellors (CYCs) provided 1,000 mental health literacy sessions for classes and supported 1,975 individual students
  
• Social Workers and Psychology Mental Health Workers provided clinical support to 2,030 elementary and secondary students
  
• The Tragic Events Response Team (TERT) provided support to 32 school communities​

End-of-Year Successes and Accomplishments for 2022-2023

• ​Implemented School Improvement Plan for Student Achievement (SIPSA) well-being goals focusing on belonging, climate and reduced bullying
  
• Results from the parent/guardian engagement survey demonstrate the following:
  
• 74% of parents/guardians are comfortable reaching out
  
• 81% of parents/guardians feel staff listen to their concerns
  
• 74% of parents/guardians feel valued and recognized
  
• 80% of parents/guardians feel staff create a welcoming environment
  
• Implemented system-wide professional development for all staff in accordance with PPM 166 Keeping Students Safe - Anti-Sex Trafficking. 
  
• Developed Anti-Sex Trafficking awareness and safety presentation for families, including three videos: Staying Safe Online, Anti-Sex Trafficking Parent and Guardian Awareness Video and Interview with the Parent of a Survivor. 
  
• Developed a Bullying Prevention and Intervention Plan, in alignment with PPM 144. This plan includes definitions of the seven forms of bullying and a framework for each school to create an action plan to prevent and intervene in incidents of bullying. 
  

End-of-Year Successes and Accomplishments for 2022-2023

• 149 elementary teachers and 46 secondary teachers completed the Concerns of Suicide training
  
• Implemented the Mental Health First Aiders (MHFA) program in all schools and trained more than 300 staff as MHFAs
  
• Through the MHFA Program, all Board locations except for nine have at minimum one person trained as a MHFA​​

End-of-Year Successes and Accomplishments for 2022-2023

• Implemented curriculum connections that were mapped across all subject areas last year as part of the larger Secondary Program Climate Action Guide
  
• Provided learning opportunities for all staff regarding connections and their role at work and in the community in support of sustainability objectives
  
• Provided workshops and self-directed training modules for educators to support environmental education focused on examining the curriculum to better understand the scope and sequence of curriculum expectations in each grade from Kindergarten to Grade 8
  
• Secondary co-op students implemented learning to more than 1,300 elementary students through the Nature’s Near - Environmental outdoor experiential education program

End-of-Year Successes and Accomplishments for 2022-2023

• Developed a Memorandum of Understanding with Learning for a Sustainable Future (LSF) to support our system in meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) so schools have access to training, support funding and youth conferences
  
• Through EcoSchools, there are 58 new EcoLeads and further development of EcoMentors to support schools
  
• Implemented pollinator gardens at schools (signage, planting materials and strategies)The Environmental Management Team (EMT) was restructured to support the Multi-Year Plan and renamed  to Environmental Leadership and Sustainability Committee (ELSC)
  
• Launched the Student Sustainability Leadership Award 
  
• Approved and launched the Sustainability Report
  
• Incorporated student voice into environmental initiatives through Student Senate
  
• Continued to seek out community partnerships that promote environmental stewardship in schools​

Tied to the UN SDGs and Eco Schools

• 15 schools participated in water conservation (SDG 6 - clean water and sanitation)
• 325 classrooms were optimized for energy efficiency(SDG 7 - affordable and clean energy)
  
• 1,181 waste-free lunches were brought to school (SDG 11 - sustainable cities and communities)
  
• 17,808 kg of waste diverted from landfill (SDG 12 - responsible consumption and production)
  
• 29 tons of CO2e was sequestered from school greening activities (SDG 13 - climate action)
  
• The first Miyawaki forest was constructed at Pineview PS
  
• Beyond EcoSchools, 170 Halton students registered in the fifth annual Gen Green Conference at Queen Elizabeth Park regarding Food Sustainability
  

End-of-Year Successes and Accomplishments for 2021-2022​

• Updated the Outdoor Learning Spaces Administrative Procedure
• Presented the first Annual Sustainability Report
• Identified Environmental Leadership on the Strategic Enterprise Risk Management (SERM) Registry
• Collaborated with Student Senate, as well as school-based staff and student experiences with water consumption in our schools and HDSB energy profiles and connections to curriculum
• Continued implementation of Building Automation Systems (BAS) that support efficient operation of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, thus reducing consumption and carbon footprint
• Pilot design and development of HDSB’s first Miyawaki forest at Pineview PS​
  
  

End-of-Year Successes and Accomplishments for 2022-2023

• Presented to staff  on National Day for Indigenous Peoples, on understanding why we have Indigenous Education and uphold Indigenous Rights
  
• Built awareness on Creed and Indigenous Spirituality Accommodation Policy
  
• Offered various professional development Sessions connected to NBE3, Civics, History, Destreaming
  
• Implemented and reviewed the Anti-Human Trafficking Administrative Procedure (AP) and provided safety planning for school teams for Indigenous students at-risk for being victims of Human Trafficking 
  
• Planning Department integration of Indigenous Rights work in the Board’s Long-term Accommodation Plan (LTAP)
  
• Ongoing inclusion of system-wide communication in alignment with HDSB’s Indigenous Education Policy 
  
• Review of Procurement AP and transactional process connections made to include Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) frameworks to align with the Indigenous Education Policy
  
• Conducted corporate professional learning on Indigenous Rights, delivered to approximately 200 people on June 15, 2023.
  
• Co-developed processes for caregivers of Indigenous students receiving Special Education services to access services offered by the Indigenous Rights and Education Department
  
• Offered professional development to Professional Student Service Personnel (PSSP) and Well-Being leads
  
• Provided guidance on how to include an anti-colonial approach within HDSB’s Attendance Manual/Process
  
• Collaborated on Bullying Prevention & Intervention Plan
  
• Provided on-going staff learning and resources to support staff learning about the impacts of colonization, anti-Indigenous racism, Indigenous Rights and enhance knowledge and understanding of Indigenous history, excellence and current realities in multiple subject areas through Professional Development (PD) and collaborative inquiries and staff meetings.
  
• Offered select-subsidized First Nations, Métis and Inuit Studies Additional Qualifications (AQ) course for secondary teachers to build capacity for the implementation of NBE3 
  
• April 24 subject-specific PD day collaboration with the Secondary School Programs Department: The Indigenous Rights and Education Department organized keynote speaker, Dr. Alan Corbiere to speak to 500 staff, senior team members and Trustees. Teachers in attendance were connected to the First Nations, Métis and Inuit Studies, English, English as a Second Language, Canada and World Studies, Social Sciences and Humanities Curriculum areas.
  
• Worked with the Special Education Services (SES) department to deliver PD, develop progrmaming, co-plan and co-teach in the Community Pathways Program (CPP) and Life Skills program
  
• Leadership staff were supported through learning, in collaboration with First Nation, Métis and Inuit partners, to enhance understanding the history and legacy of residential schools, treaties the Indian Act and current realities
  
• Supported staff through educator learning and various learning strategies, in collaboration with First Nation, Métis and Inuit partners, to enhance age and grade appropriate understanding and teaching of the history and legacy of residential schools, treaties and the Indian Act and current realities
  
• Co-planning and co-teaching in English and French Immersion classrooms
  
• Presented to Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) members about the role of the Indigenous Rights in Education department
  
• Presented at Special Education Resource Teacher (SERT) Learning sessions
  

• First Nations, Métis and Inuit students supported and engaged through intentional, specific and identity-affirming opportunities provided by the Indigenous Student Coordinator, Itinerant Student Success Teacher, and/or the Social Worker for Indigenous Students

• Held Indigenous Family Gathering to share results of the HDSB Student Census
• Held meetings with Indigenous Education Advisory Council (IEAC) to share the results of the HDSB Student Census
• The Indigenous Student Coordinator organized a post-secondary event for Grade 7-12 students and families that involved Indigenous colleges, trades and universities, with approximately 50 people in attendance.
• Students in the HDSB had the opportunity to listen to treaty education and storytelling talks through virtual visits using multiple resources that bring forward and highlight Indigenous voices
• New relationship formed with Indigenous Education Coordinator at Conservation Halton, partnering in work connected to Science
• Kindergarten to Grade 8 students learned from Indigenous experts through an Anishinaabe Storytelling session with Isaac Murdoch (Bomgiizhik) which reached 7,521 students
• Grade 7-12 students across the system participated in listening to Sheila Watt Cloutier, Inuk Activist, and Nancy Rowe, Mississaguas of the Credit First Nation, on the topic of Environmental Rights during the Human Rights Symposium

• Grade 7-12 accessed Spoken Word learning from D-Scribe, an Ojibwe Mi’kmaq poet
• Grade 7-12 heard from treaty educator Maurice Switzer, Mississaguas of Alderville First Nation
• Developed a partnership with the Child First Initiative with Tungasuvvingat Inuit social service agency
• Grade 4-12 students, who self-identify, attended the HRIC Youth and Elders Conference
• Grade 7-12 students, who self-identify, attended the Skills Ontario’s 2023 First Nations, Métis and Inuit Student Conference
• Grade 4 - 12 students, who self-identify, attended a Moccasin-making workshop with Six Nations resident Jeannine Jamieson
• Offered virtual Indigenous Storytelling session with Isaac Murdoch (Bomgiizhik) in June to elementary classroom teachers (in response to the popularity of the first session), with background information, supporting resources and lesson ideas provided to continue the conversations and embed cross-curricular learning through a rights-based, anti-colonial stance
• Offered virtual sessions  for elementary schools during National Indigenous History Month in June:
•  Aliqa Illauq, born and raised in Inuit Nunagat, and brought up in a strong Inuit community where Inuit culture, language and traditions were very much alive and lived into; sharing how we as all Inuit (humans) can connect and beautifully co-exist together through Inuit teachings
• Isaac Murdoch (Serpent River First Nation) and Shannon Paul (Northwest Angle 33) shared about the importance of water using their puppets’ Nenaboozhoo and Nokomis
• Daniel A. Lockhart, Turtle Clan member of Eelünaapéewi Lahkéewiit (Lenape), a registered member of the Moravian of the Thames First Nation, and who currently resides at the south shore of Waawiiyaatanong (Windsor, ON- Detroit, MI); discussed poetry as an imported form from its Eastern and Western roots and illustrate how it has become used by writers from numerous First Nations to explore the realities they face and continue proud cultural traditions with this form
• Grade 4-12 students who self-identify attended a Gathering for Indigenous Students for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation at Crawford Lake

• Student Engagement Worker - Accessed to support student wellness and engage students in identity-affirmation, which benefited their overall treatment plan
• Self-ID secondary student meetings to hear from the voices of Indigenous Students
• IPL and system principal called in to support students experiencing the greatest vulnerabilities due to the impacts of colonialism 
• IPL supporting student transition planning
• Regular IEP consultations for students who self-identify
• Behaviour and Safety Plan consultations for students who self-identify
• Supporting school teams with SRT, connection to Indigenous Rights and Education team supports, attendance at Case Conference
• Consultation on IEPs
• Parent/Caregiver request for team members to attend School Resource Team meetings
• Supporting parents/caregivers with school systems/procedures
• Self-ID secondary student meetings at schools with highest self-ID populations

• These circles have paved the way for Student Support Coordinator to continue work rooted in identity and community engagement
  

• The NBE3 Working Committee’s plan completed the 2022-2023 phase of the working plan. Seven schools are currently offering NBE3 as the Grade 11 English credit (Aldershot, Iroquois Ridge HS, Craig Kielburger SS, Gary Allan, Dr. Frank J. Hayden SS, Milton District HS, Acton District School), with professional development continuing for all groups. New schools that are being onboarded for 2023-2024 include Burlington Central HS, Nelson HS, White Oaks SS, Georgetown District HS, Elsie MacGill SS and T.A. Blakelock HS.
  
• Itinerant Resource Teachers (IRTs) and Instructional Program Leaders (IPLs) co-planned with staff across the system, with the goal being to embed Indigenous Rights and anti-colonial practices across the curriculum 
  
• All students are/will be engaged in learning about First Nations, Métis and Inuit histories, rights, excellence and current realities by embedding Indigenous content across the curriculum
  
• Provided on-going professional learning for all employee groups specific to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action, the impact of residential schools, as well as the contributions of Indigenous Peoples
  
• Provided system-wide virtual drop-ins tied to days of significance to embed Indigenous rights and showcase Indigenous brilliance, resistance and survivance (e.g. World Water Day, 2023 - hosted 58 classes to reach approximately 1,200 students) 
  
• Approximately 1,000 students visited the Kent Monkman exhibit called ‘Being Legendary’ at the Royal Ontario Musuem and accessed resources
  
• Provided Destreaming professional development with an anti-colonial stance
  
• Developed the NBE3 Brightspace shell for eLearning and Summer School