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12/10/2013 - Regular Board MeetingTHAMES VALLEY DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD INAUGURAL MEETING,PUBLIC SESSION 2013 DECEMBER 10 The Board met in session for its annual Inaugural meeting on 2013 December 10 in the Board Room at the Education Centre,meeting in public session at 7:05 p.m.to 8:10 p.m.The following were in attendance: TRUSTEES ADMINISTRATION AND OTHERS R.Tisdale (Chair) J.Bennett R.Campbell J.Coghlin T.Grant G.Hart Regrets;D.Clark, P.Jaffe,B.McKinnon 1. D.Idibe L Elliott W.Huff J.Pratt S.Polhill C.Bourbonnais- M.Reid MacDonald J.Todd R.Culhane C.Tully (+7:12)M.Deman K.Edgar L.Griffith Jones D.MacPherson M.Moynihan CALL TO ORDER Board Chair R.Tisdaie called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. V.Nielsen S.Powell K.Bushell B.Williams K.Young K.Aitken S.Macey J. Knight H.Gerrits R.Kamphuls 2.O CANADA AND MUSICAL PRESENTATION Vocalist Elya Wardini, a student at Rick Hansen Public School, led In the singing of O Canada. 3.INVOCATION Former Student Trustee Jacob Rowe delivered the invocation.' 4.FIRST NATIONS PRAYER Kingston and Patricia Huff delivered an opening prayer. 5.MUSICAL INTERLUDE Vocalist Austin Campbell performed "Music of the Night". He was accompanied Grace Yip on the piano,students of H.B.Beal Secondary School. 6.WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS Graham Hart,Vice Chair of the Board,on behalf of the Trustees and the Senior Administration welcomed everyone to the first meeting of the 2014 Board.He Introduced the tnjstees noting their area of representation. 7.SPECIAL GREETINGS Tracy Grant,Chair,Information Committee of the Whole read a list of organizations represented at the meeting.She welcomed and introduced the following guests Including those who brought greetings on behalf of their affiliates: Ministry of Education; London District Catholic School Board Chair; Former Thames Valley Trustees; Former Directors of Thames Valley; District Police Services; District Fire Services; Bus operators; Western University and Fanshawe College; Thames Valley Parent Involvement Committee; Thames Valley Council of Home and School Associations; First Nations. Trustee J.Coghlin read greetings on behalf of MPP Deb Matthevi/s who was unable to attend the meeting. Trustee M. Reid read greetings on behalf of Mayor Joe Fontana who was unable to attend the meeting. 8.PRESENTATION TO 2013 CHAIR ChairTisdale presented Past ChairJoyce Bennett witha commemorative giftInappreciation of her commitment and dedication in serving as the 2013 Chair. 9.MUSICAL INTERLUDE Elya Wardini performed the song "We Are The World". 10.PRESENTATION OF THE GAVEL On behalf of the students,trustees,staff and community of the Thames Valley District School Board, the gavel of office was presented to Chair Tisdale by her son, Ryan Tisdale. 11.MUSICAL INTERLUDE Austin Campbell performed "Sebben Crudele".He was accompanied by Grace Yipon the piano. 12.INAUGURAL ADDRESS Chair Tisdale presented the following Inaugural Address: "It is wonderful to share this Inaugural meeting with so many friends of Thames Valley.The Thames Valley District School Board is a wonderful community of dedicated individuals who help us "build each student's tomon-ow,every day". This community Includes our municipal leaders, our many fire and police departments,our local health units, our bus operators,the numerous community agencies and organizations who provide services and supports to our students and families,our staff,our students,their parents and guardians,trustees,and all of the other community members who support us in our mission. I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for the time and talents you share so freely with us.1 wish to offer a special thank you to the community members who participate on all of our board committees,such as the Audit Committee,the First Nations Advisory Committee,the Special Education Advisory Committee,and Accommodation Review Committees,to name a few.Your contributions are truly valued and appreciated. To the parents and guardians who serve on school councils and the Thames Valley Parent Involvement Committee,thank you. 1 know first-hand how challenging it can be to juggle the myriad roles of a parent,cook,housekeeper,tutor,chauffeur,etc.,and yet you find time to commit to improving your schools and parent engagement within Thames Valley. To the members of the Thames Valley Council of Home and School Associations,thank you. You provide an independent voice and an organization of volunteers committed to ensuring that the "best for each student". Iwould also like to thank my fellow trustees for their support and encouragement and for the trust they have placed in me as Chairperson of the Board.1am humbled by the opportunity to serve in this capacity.1 have always considered the Thames Valley District School Board part of my larger extended family,and stated that we need to have the same level of concern and commitment to the students entrusted to our care as we would have for our own children.This is something to which my children would attest.I will never forget one evening,a few years ago when my husband and I had taken our five children out to a restaurant.The server,upon arriving at our table and seeing five children,inquired ifall of the children were mine.Before Icould answer,my youngest son proudly proclaimed,"Yes we are,but In fact my mom has over 76,000 children". As you might imagine,I had to do a little bit of explaining after that statement. Lastly,but definitely not least In any way,I would like to thank my family. To my husband Sean,it is your love and support and willingness to fill in at home that enables me to spend time on my passion for public education.To my children,Matthew,Alissa,Kaitlyn, Victoria and Ryan,thank you for your selflessness and love.I know that it can be difficult sharing me v^th so many other commitments.Ilove you and am proud of the wonderful individuals you are becoming. There has been a lot of change in the bBoard over the past little while. In September we welcomed Laura Elliot into her new role as Director of Education,and Jeff Pratt and Karen Dalton into their new roles as Associate Directors.Senior Administration was restructured and the Superintendents'welcomed four new individuals to the team.With all of the changes come challenges,but also great opportunities.I am looking fopArard to working with the senior team and my fellow trustees as we explore these opportunities. At last year's Inaugural meeting we approved a new mission,"We build each student's tomorrow, every day.",as well as a new vision for the Thames Valley District School Board,"The Thames Valley learning community inspires innovation,embraces diversity,and celebrates achievements- a strong foundation for all students."The new vision and mission were developed through a lengthy,collaborative and consultative process,led by our past chair,Joyce Bennett,as we developed a new strategic plan for the Thames Valley District School Board.On April 23"^we approved the culmination of this work in the form of seven commitments."As leaders in public education we commit to: putting the needs of the students first;recognizing and encouraging leadership in all its forms;ensuring safe,positive learning and working environments;Inspiring new ideas and promoting innovation;taking responsibility for the students and resources entrusted to our care;actively engaging our students,staff,families and communities;and to being inclusive,fair and equitable.Itis now time for us to live the commitments. Actions speak louder than words.To paraphrase Isadore Sharp,the fastest way to destroy credibility is to say one thing,and then be seen to be doing something different.He also said, "Better not to profess any values than not to live up to them".I couldn't agree more.We have made a commitment to our students,our staff,our parents and guardians,and our community, now it is time to put those words Into actions.But how do we do that? First, we must continually remind ourselves of what those commitments are,and how they were created.Each of the commitments was created after careful consideration of input received from ail our stakeholders.We asked our community to help identify what we needed to do to achieve our vislpn and mission,as well as what they needed from us to ensure that Thames Valley remained a leader in public education.These commitments,as well as the vision and mission, must guide us as we consider alternatives and make decisions. Each of the broader commitment statements also includes a subset of statements that identify how we will support each commitment.We must take these action statements and embed them into our board improvement plan,and our school Improvement plans.We need to identify specific,realistic goals and milestones,so that we can measure our progress and celebrate our achievements,as we strive to realize our strategic plan. Some of you may be asking yourselves,how do we manage to move fonA^ard with our Board plan and our commitments when we are continually confronted by competing priorities by the Ministry of Education?How do we find time to ensure that we are meeting the needs and priorities of the Board as identified by our community?This will not be an easy task,but it is one that we must take on.EQAO scores,graduation rates...these metrics are important to our communities as well as the Ministry, but we must always remember that education is about more than just results that can be measured by numbers.It is also about "empowering students to become caring community members and responsible global citizens".We must find a way to move forward that allows us to not settle for either/or,but allows us to meet the demands of the Ministry, while focusing on the needs of our communities. The coming year is going to be busy in Thames Valley.We continue to struggle with accommodation issues,not enough space in some areas,too much in others.We continue to strive to improve our EQAO scores and graduation rates.We are working on putting our commitments into actions and we will be entering negotiations with our employee groups,utilizing a new format that is still being debated in the legislature.These are just a few of the issues we will face.Whether we choose to see these issues as challenges or opportunities,it will impact whether we settle for trade-offs,or find solutions that offer the best possible results.It is my hope that we will collectively embrace each new or continuing issue as an opportunity. Each and every one of us in Thames Valley has a role to play in building each student's tomorrow,every day.By living the commitments we will provide "a strong foundation for all students." The following motion was moved by T.Grant,seconded by M.Reid and carried: That the Chairperson's Inaugural Address be spread upon the minutes and posted to the Board's website. 13.MUSICAL INTERLUDE Elya Wardini performed the musical selection "Let It Snov/".Student Trustee 0.Tully thanked her for participating in the meeting and to her dedication to the arts. 14.BENEDICTION Jacob Rowe delivered the benediction. 15.MUSICAL INTERLUDE Austin Campbell performed his final musical number,"Stars".Student Trustee Diana Idibe thanked Austin and Grace for participating in the meeting and commended them for their exceptional musical talent. 16.CLOSING REMARKS Director Laura Elliott closed with the following remarks: "This year,1 happily assumed the role of Director of Education with a focus on student achievement.1 am dedicated to bringing our Board's vision to everything I and the senior admin team do in our work. Tonight's meeting has been a testament to our Board's commitment to innovation,diversity and celebration of achievement.The speakers,presentations and musical performances have helped us formally launch the new term for the Board and the Induction of Chair Tisdale.They have also affirmed that the Thames Valley District School Board remains steadfast in its commitment to our vision,which promises a strong foundation for all students. One of the key commitments in the strategic plan the Board launched earlier this year is to recognize and encourage leadership.1 am pleased to recognize and look forward to working with the Chair's Committee,comprised of: •Chair Ruth Tisdale; •Vice-Chair Graham Hart; •Past Chair Joyce Bennett;and • Information Committee of the Whole Chair Tracy Grant. These individuals bring a wealth of experience,dedication and leadership to the role of Trustee. 1 appreciate the collaborative spirit among Trustees and senior team as we address some complex issues while taking responsibility for the students and resources entrusted to our care.I am confident that decisions made by the Board will continue to be focused on student achievement. We are committed to engaging our students,staff,families and communities,including: Trustees: Parents; School council; Home and school representatives; Political representatives;and Community partners and neighbouring school communities. I look forward to working with this Board,our students,parents and our community during the coming year to fulfil our mission of building each student's tomorrow,every day. Thank you for attending this evening and making it the success that it has been.Join us now in the cafeteria for a reception to renew acquaintances and to extend your best wishes to Chairperson Tisdale and Vice-Chairperson Hart as they begin their new term of office." 17.ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 8:10 p.m.on motion of M.Reid,seconded by J.Todd. Confirmed: Chairperson SUMMARY OF APPROVED RECOMMENDATIONS OF 2013 DECEMBER 10 - Thatthe Chairperson's Inaugural Address bespread upon the minutes and postedtothe Board's website.