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12/12/2017 - Regular Board Meeting THAMES VALLEY DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD INAUGURAL MEETING, PUBLIC SESSION 2017 DECEMBER 12 The Board met in session for its annual Inaugural meeting on 2017 December 12 in the Board Room at the Education Centre, meeting in public session at 7:00 p.m. The following were in attendance: TRUSTEES ADMINISTRATION AND OTHERS M. Reid (Chair) J. Bennett R. Campbell C. Goodall P. Jaffe A. Morell S. Polhill Regrets: G. Hart, J. Skinner, B. McKinnon, T. Kennedy P. Schuyler R. Tisdale J. Todd S. Kim N. Lavdas L. Elliott V. Nielsen J. Pratt S. Builder R. Culhane A. Canham M. Deman K. Edgar L. Griffith-Jones R. Kuiper D. Macpherson P. McKenzie M. Moynihan S. Powell P. Sydor B. Williams H. Gerrits D. Geisbrecht B. Keast 1. CALL TO ORDER Board Chair M. Reid called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. 2. O CANADA John Wise P.S. Choir led in the singing of O Canada. 3. WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION OF TRUSTEES Trustee Bennett, Chair, Program and School Services Advisory Committee, on behalf of the Trustees and the Senior Administration welcomed everyone to the first meeting of the 201 8 Board. She introduced the trustees noting their area of representation. 4. MUSICAL INTERLUDE Trustee Polhill introduced H. B. Beal Secondary School Choir to perform their first of three musical selections. 5. TRADITIONAL OPENING Trustee Schuyler provided a traditional opening recognizing the First Nation communities in Thames Valley District School Board 6. REFLECTION Jacob Rowe delivered the reflection. 7. MUSICAL INTERLUDE Trustee Todd introduced the John Wise P.S to perform a selection of their choice. 8. SPECIAL GREETINGS Trustee Goodall, Chair, Planning and Priorities Advisory Committee read a list of organizations represented at the meeting. He welcomed and introduced the following guests including those who brought greetings on behalf of their affiliates:  Sherry Bortolotti, Educational Officer, Regional Office  John Jevnikar, Chair, London District Catholic School Board  Adrian Willsher and Loretta Honsinger, Co-Chairs, Thames Valley Parent Involvement Committee  Laura Gonzalez, Vice-President, Thames Valley Council of Home and School Associations 2017 December 12…2  Kathleen Holland, Board Member, Thames Valley Education Foundation 9. MUSICAL INTERLUDE H. B. Beal Secondary School performed their second selection. 10. RECOGNITION OF 2017 CHAIR Trustee R. Tisdale extended appreciation, on behalf of the Trustees, to Chair M. Reid for his commitment and dedication as Chair in 2017. 11. MUSICAL INTERLUDE John Wise P.S. performed their next music selection. 12. PRESENTATION OF THE GAVEL On behalf of the students, trustees, staff and community of the Thames Val ley District School Board, the Gavel of Office was presented to Chair Reid by Student Trustees S. Kim and N. Lavdas. 13. INAUGURAL ADDRESS Chair Reid presented the following Inaugural Address: “The promise of education itself is to overcome the cycle of poverty, to provide diverse perspectives, and to ensure every child has a chance to succeed.” The quote is not mine, it is from Annie Kidder but it speaks to what we do, collectively at Thames Valley. As we come together to celebrate our successes in 2017, and look to the promise of a new year and making public education even stronger, I know our school board is improving the lives of our 75,000 students. Our students are learning so much from our dedicated staff of over 8,000 strong. So much of what I’ve witnessed this past year as chair and over my many, many years with the school board is the learning that comes from being together in the classroom and in our school community. Through our diverse school populations, we learn about the world, of different cultures, foods, dances and religions, we learn of the power of simple acts of kindness such as last month when our students raised over a half a million dollars for cancer through the relay for life- we learned that our collective energies can amount to so much good in the world. Doing good in the world and promoting acceptance are core values for me. I learned these values as a student of this board. Today I stand committed to use my platform to raise awareness about the stigma of mental illness and follow the Ministry of Education in making “Well -Being” a key priority for our students and staff. But we know it’s a process and there is still work to be done to ensure that our students and staff are able to succeed in the complex world in which we live. Last week, the Ontario Student Trustees’ Association released its annual Student and Parent engagement survey. With over 5,000 responses from 59 school boards, it found that 35 per cent of students do not feel that adequate mental health resources and supports exist in their school. The positive finding is that 76.2 per cent of students recognize that their schools do care about their health and well-being as well as their academic success. We need to work towards ensuring that every student feels supported and knows about the rich resources that we have - from our social workers and psychologists, to our guidance counsellors and our online resources. No student in Thames Valley should ever feel alone or that there is no one to turn to. Still, what is vital in supporting our students and staff is that we recognize the complex backgrounds of our students and their families and that we are prepared to respond appropriately. 2017 December 12…3 I want to tell you a story from a Social Worker and homeless advocate from Vancouver named Kristi Blakeway. She told the following story in her 2014 Vancouver YWCA Women of Distinction Recipient speech. * * * “On a warm afternoon, I was handing out water. I was an inconvenience to Kathy as she had planned to take her life that afternoon by jumping in front of a city bus. You see, she was battling HIV, hepatitis and a heroin addiction. At lunch, she spoke about wanting to die, but also about her one reason to live. As a teenager living in Ontario, she had given up her baby for adoption. Twenty-five years had passed, yet it was still her biggest regret. All she knew was her daughter’s birthdate and her first name. That evening, I spent endless hours on Facebook looking through profiles of every person named Crystal in Ontario that I could find. One profile stood out. To this day, I have no idea why. It was a woman named Crystal, of the right age, who had not been active on Facebook for a year. I clicked her friend list and found a guy who looked responsible. When I cl icked on his profile it popped up that we had a mutual friend – Aaron. I contacted Aaron right away and he let me know that the guy I had clicked on was his university friend who had gone to elementary school with Crystal. Within a few hours, Crystal was at the other end of my phone explaining that she had been searching for her birth mother. I let her know that the news may be hard to hear as Cindy lived a rough life in the Downtown East Side. Crystal didn’t judge – in fact, she knew of the neighborhood as she had struggled with her own addiction but had found solace in a book by Dr. Gabor Mate entitled “In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts” – a book written about residents of the Downtown East Side. Crystal let me know that a character in the book named Celia had inspired her to get clean – so much so that she had written to the author to thank him for sharing Celia’s story. I returned to the streets excited to find Kathy and let her know we had found her daughter. I asked Kathy if by chance she had ever met Dr. Gabor Mate. She looked at me and said “you mean – In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts? – that book is about me – in the book, my name is Celia. Without even knowing it, Kathy’s ability to communicate and share her pain had inspired her own daughter to get clean. Knowing Crystal was alive and well, Kathy checked herself into rehab. On Mother’s Day of 2014, I was able to introduce the women to each other for the first time since Crystal’s birth. Today, Kathy is not only clean, she is working full time. Kathy’s courage to communicate in her darkest days helped her heal her soul.” * * * I share this story not just because it illustrates the power of social media, or that Aaron’s university friend that connected Crystal to Kristi was myself, but to help illustr ate in a very real way the fact that we will never fully know the struggles that all of our students or their families are facing. While I was aware that Crystal was adopted in school, it is only when you get past the surface that you get a glimpse of how strong this woman really is, and the fact that she needed support and understanding while she overcame her own struggles. That is why programs such as “Reframing our Responses” are so vital in our schools. To look past the surface and to understand that some students have what must feel like the weight of the world on their shoulders. We know from our students that they want to be supported in their mental health. But we also know that students are struggling with issues that previous generations never had to address. 2017 December 12…4 It is important that we recognize that we all play a part in supporting and contributing to each other’s mental health and wellness, and we need to promote the resources such as our Mental Health and Well-Being website, with its plethora of resources for students, staff and parents. Having courageous conversations about mental health is so vital because it not only ensures students are able to learn, but it can actually – in a tangible way – save lives. It is only when we build a culture for learning that we create an environment where all students feel safe, secure and accepted. And it is in that moment, that we will ensure every student knows that they are loved, that they are supported – regardless of the mistakes they make – and that we will ensure no student feels lost or alone. It is not an easy goal, but it one that we must renew our commitment to and work tirelessly towards. I want to thank our Board of Trustees for their vision, and our Administration and staff for their ongoing support for our students. Public Education has the ability to leave a lasting positive impact for generations to come. And in this world and time of uncertainty, it is the hope of our students and their future that drives us to do more, to work harder and to never give up on anyone in our Thames Valley family”. The following motion was moved by Trustee Bennett, seconded by Trustee Jaffe and carried: THAT the Chairperson’s Inaugural Address be spread upon the minutes. 14. MUSICAL INTERLUDE H. B. Beal Secondar y School performed their next selection. Vice-Chair, A. Morell thanked the Beal Singers and John Wise P.S. choir for their performances. 15. CLOSING REMARKS Director L. Elliott brought closing remarks to the Inaugural meeting of the Thames Valley District School Board of Trustees noting the Inaugural meeting is held to mark the beginning of a leader’s term of office. Trustee Matt Reid was welcomed as Chairperson and Trustee Arlene Morell as Vice Chairperson. On behalf of the Senior Administrative team, Director Elliott expressed the ongoing commitment of working together to create an innovative and positive learning culture for all students and staff. The student performers were thanked for their special performances and sharing their talents. Families, friends, staff, partners in education and special guests were thanked for attending. Director Elliott invited guests to attend the reception in the Atrium. 16. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 8:20 p.m. on motion of Trustee Tisdale, seconded by Trustee Todd. Confirmed: Chairperson 2017 December 12…5 SUMMARY OF APPROVED RECOMMENDATIONS OF 2017 DECEMBER 12 That the Chairperson’s Inaugural Address be spread upon the minutes and posted to the Board’s website.