EcoSchools Newsletter | Volume 8 Issue 3 | May 2016

In this issue...May is get outside month, Bike to School week, Subsidy for AQ courses Parts 1, 2, and 3; Pollinating Partnerships, School Travel Planning webinar, and a free evening with Green Bronx Machine's Stephen Ritz!

  

Stay connected--follow us on twitter and share your great environmental initiatives with us
 
May is Get Outside month
EcoSchools Section 4: Questions, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, and 4.7
 
TOES is joining forces with the TDSB's Social and World Studies and Humanities Department to put forth the fifth annual Get Outside Month!  As always, there will be a theme-based, curriculum- connected activity each day in the month of May. These lessons, designed to support teachers teaching in the outdoors, will focus on inquiry, active citizenship and making connections to the real world. Inspired by Richard Louv's Last Child in the Woods, this exciting initiative encourages teachers to trade their classroom for the schoolyard to Take Learning Outdoors. According to Louv, "direct exposure to nature is essential for healthy childhood development and for the physical and emotional health of children and adults". The Get Outside activities are ideal for any school ground and local community, and the instructions for the 21 short learning activities - one for each school day in the month of May will be posted on the Toronto Outdoor Education Schools (TOES) websiteTo stay in the loop, follow @TOES_TDSB on Twitter.

Why the focus on Get Outside? As the staff at any TDSB Outdoor Education Centre know, today's students are less connected to the world around them and have, generally speaking, less experience being outside than students from 15 or even 10 years ago. For today's "digital natives", the need to reconnect with the real world is great.  Green School Yard Network in the UK, offers 10 top benefits for outdoor classrooms including shifting the focus of inquiry research from secondary to primary sources.  Check out all ten and GET OUTSIDE!

Don't forget to check out the Suzuki Foundation's 30x30 nature challenge - also taking place throughout the month of May.

Bike to School Week: May 30th - June 3rd
EcoSchools Section 1, Question 1.6; Section 4, Questions 4.4; Section 5, Questions 5.2, 5.5 and 5.6


Bike to School Week is a celebration of cycling, active transportation, and healthy living. The week beginning on the last Monday of May has officially been declared the annual Bike to School Week at the TDSB. Join students and teachers across the GTHA in celebrating Bike to School Week from May 30th - June 3rd, 2016.

Visit www.biketoschoolweek.ca to register your school's event. Schools that register events that take place between Monday, May 2nd and Saturday, June 11th, and report on their events afterwards, will receive a certificate of participation.

By registering and reporting on your school's activities, you also contribute to telling the story about Bike to School Week, and planning future campaigns. Responses will be collected and analyzed by staff at Smart Commute (a program of Metrolinx) and CultureLInk, an agency offering cycling education programs to TDSB schools. Use of these surveys in TDSB schools has been approved by the External Research Review Committee. If you have any questions or concerns about the surveys, you may contact Kristin Schwartz, Bike to School Project Coordinator at CultureLink, at [email protected]. Completing the registration and reporting surveys should take no more than 30 minutes in total. Any responsible adult may do so on behalf of the school.

Questions? Contact [email protected]
ECOSCHOOLS NEWS
AQ Courses--Parts 1, 2, and 3
EcoSchools Section 4: Questions 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, and 4.7

Want to expand your knowledge and practice of environmental education? OISE has partnered with the TDSB to offer Additional Qualification courses in 
environmental
Summer Institute 2011_resizededucation this summer. To support EcoSchools teachers, the TDSB will subsidize $400 of the cost for a limited number of TDSB teachers who register and successfully complete the course!  This interdisciplinary AQ course will take an inquiry-based, experiential approach for elementary and secondary teachers, using both in-class and on-line learning.  Parts 1, 2, and 3 are being offered at the U of T, OISE campus (9 days in class July 4th-8th, 11th-14th, 2016; online done by July 22nd, 2016). 

To register, contact [email protected] to ensure a spot on the TDSB subsidy list;
formal registration at OISE will begin in May 2016.
Pollinating Partnerships returns June 1st, 2016
EcoSchools Section 5: Question 5.4

 Join this annual learning carousel to hear TDSB educators talk about the successes and
challenges of environmental learning in their own classrooms, and share your own stories to inspire others. Celebrate the success stories of EcoSchools across Toronto. This year-end event is open to TDSB teachers and staff working in EcoSchools.

Educational Exhibits 4:00 - 4:45 pm
Environmental organizations focussed on nature-based learning will be showcasing their programs and resources.

When: Wednesday, June 1st, 2016
Time: 4:00 - 6:30 pm
Agenda: Registration and Light Dinner 4:00 - 5:00 pm
Keynote Speaker 4:45 - 5:00 pm
Learning Carousels 5:00 - 6:30 pm
Where: OISE Library, University of Toronto, 252 Bloor St. West
TTC: St. George Station
Registration: TDSB teachers can register on Key-to-Learn (must be logged on to the TDSB network)
David Sobel at OISE on July 6th, at 4:30pm

Place-based Education: Making School More Like a Farmer's Market

Join us for an afternoon talk with David Sobel, a renowned expert on place-based education. David, the author of Place-based Education: Connecting Classrooms and Communities and Childhood and Nature, (amongst many other books), will introduce examples of place-based education from the US, Canada, and Europe to illustrate innovative initiatives from pre-school through high school settings. This talk will be hosted by Evergreen's Cam Collyer, and is being co-sponsored by OISE, the TDSB, and Evergreen.

When: Wednesday, July 6th, 2016
Time: 4:30 - 6.30 pm
Where: OISE Auditorium, 252 Bloor St. West (St. George Subway station)
Cost: $10 per person
Registration and more into for the event can be found here
EVENTS
May 12th: Free School Travel Planning (STP) Webinar
EcoSchools Section 5: Question 5.2

walking to school
School Travel Planning (STP), when effectively coordinated and implemented, can result in positive school travel behaviour change, and ultimately provide substantial economic,environmental, and physical activity benefits. 

On Thursday, May 12th, at 12:00 pm join parents, educators, and community stakeholders across the country in a live and interactive webinar on School Travel Planning. 

Learn about new Active & Safe Routes to School tools that have been developed by Green Communities Canada, and hear Linda Rothman, a Post Doctoral Fellow with York University's School of Kinesiology and Health Sciences, discuss recent research on school traffic safety in the City of Toronto. 

For more details, and to register for this free event, click here
School Traffic Safety in the City of Toronto
EcoSchools Section 5: Question 5.2

What makes a safe pedestrian environment in the City of Toronto for children?
 
Did you know...
  • Walking to school is not related to child pedestrian collisions if the built environment is safe
  • Pedestrian injury must be considered when implementing programs to increase walking to school
  • Built environment modifications may reduce unsafe driver and pedestrian behaviours leading to a reduction in collisions
Research out of the University of Toronto, York University, and the Hospital for Sick Children has revealed that built environment modifications, such as speed humps, fewer road crossings, and designated car drop-off areas, can contribute to a safe pedestrian environment for children. More details on this research can be found here.
 
Researchers, school boards, and cities need to continue to work together to ensure a safe environment around schools and beyond so that children can walk safely to school.
May 16th: A free evening with Green Bronx Machine's Stephen Ritz
EcoSchools Section 4: Question 4.6

Calling all teachers, educators, students and growers! Join Us! For a free evening with Global Teacher prize finalist, Stephen Ritz.
 
Get inspired this growing season and learn more about how NYC's Green Bronx Machine is transforming students' lives through experiential education and access to fresh, school-grown food! Hear about the incredible results of this dynamic program and how FoodShare, in partnership with the TDSB and LoyaltyOne will be bringing our very own Good Food Machines to life in schools across Toronto this fall!
 
When: Monday, May 16th
Time: 7:00 - 8:30pm
Where: FoodShare Auditorium, 90 Croatia St. Toronto (entrance off Brock Ave.)