Following the announcement by the Ministry of Education today, Ontario public schools, including SOLE, will resume classes online beginning this Monday, April 6th.

We will be using the Google Classrooms that you were already using for your courses. Please check them! We recommend checking this week, as some teachers have already posted important information.

School buildings will remain closed until May 1st for teachers and May 4th for students. This may be extended depending on public health advice.

Students are expected to complete three hours of online learning per course per week. For more information, check out the full announcement here.

Please check in with your teacher(s) this week if you haven’t already, either through email or Google Classroom. If you’re having technical difficulties, email rachel.rosen@tdsb.on.ca or your subject teacher. We need to know about your access to online learning so that we can help everyone get connected and get what they need to achieve success in this difficult time.

March 27, 2020

Dear Monarch Park CI/SOLE parents/guardians,

Greetings from our admin team during this unprecedented time while our school remains closed after the March Break. We would like to wish all parents/guardians and students of Monarch Park Collegiate/SOLE community good health throughout these challenging times.

During this period of uncertainty, we continue to be concerned for the well-being of all staff, students, and families We would like to reiterate that the Ontario government has imposed that schools WILL NOT reopen on April 6, 2020 and the Ministry of Education will launch a second phase of Learn at Home. We will promptly share these details and timelines when they become available.

To support student learning, the Ministry of Education’s Learning at Home website provides supplementary learning materials in math and literacy for elementary and secondary students. The website will help keep students learning and engaged during the COVID-19 school closure period. The Ministry has indicated that these resources do not replace what students have been learning at school, but are intended to help mitigate the loss of learning during the COVID-19 shutdown period. In addition, the TDSB additional online resources will support the Ministry’s Learn at Home initiative.

Furthermore, many courses at our school have online Google classrooms or other online portals set up to connect and engage students in learning as well as providing them with activities and resources. Please encourage your child to connect with their teachers via the online portals. We are also in the process of planning and organizing supplementary and alternative learning opportunities for students without access to online resources. Please be assured that we are working diligently this week and next to set up our system for student success. We are gathering information, assessing needs, and formulating plans about the continuation of learning and will be communicating with families as soon as these plans are finalized.

Going forward, student well-being and mental health will also be an important focus. Both school-based staff and Professional Support Services share responsibilities for supporting student well-being. There are a variety of Mental Health and Well-Being Resources for students and families available on the TDSB web. Please refer to the Parent letters from the Director of Education on our Board’s website www.tdsb.on.ca. For information pertinent to Monarch Park CI/SOLE please also check postings on our school website www.monarchparkcollegiate.ca (SOLE www.solealternative.ca ). We are also committed to maintaining regular communication with our school community via School Connects.

As always, please feel free to forward questions or concerns directly to my email virginia.pang@tdsb.on.ca prior to April 6. Your email will be acknowledged and responded to in a reasonable timeframe given the circumstances.

Sincerely,

Virginia Pang

Principal

This is a time of uncertainty for everyone. Like you, we are awaiting more information and directions on how the COVID-19 situation will affect the rest of the school year. As of now, we know that schools will be closed until further notice.

The following events will be postponed until we know more:

• Parent-Teacher Interviews
• SOLE Open house

The Ministry of Education has provided some resources through its Learn at Home website; the TDSB has even more resources at its Student Learning Resources page. Please note that these resources are not mandatory and they are not graded; they are completely optional!

You can also stay informed through the TDSB website.

If you are returning back from March Break, please follow Toronto Public Health’s guidelines on self-isolation.

If you need to reach your teacher, all email addresses are listed on our Teacher page.

More Resources

If you are a student who is struggling, the Kids Help Phone is available to talk to you through phone (1-800-668-6868), live chat, or text.

LGBT Youthline: https://www.youthline.ca/ 
phone: 1-800-268-9688
text: 647-694-4275

Teen Health Source: http://teenhealthsource.com/services/

Daily Bread Food Bank: https://www.dailybread.ca/need-food/

Here’s some tips from the Mental Health Commission of Canada on choosing your sources of information during this time.

Please know that while we can’t be in the same building during these challenging times, we are still here for you as a school community. Don’t hesitate to reach out! Stay safe, practice social distancing, and wash your hands.

Parent-Teacher Interviews will be Wednesday, March 25th from 5-8. To reserve an appointment time, please click the link below. If you have problems signing up, you can also call the school at 416-393-0756 or email rachel.rosen@tdsb.on.ca.

Students in Shannon’s Crafting and Design class worked with fabric scraps to show their understanding of elements of design like line and colour, as well as principles like balance. Some also chose to tell stories with their pieces. No two students had even close to the same outcomes, and all had a great time planning out their pieces and pulling them together. Looking forward to what they create next! 

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Olivia is available for math tutoring Tuesdays and Thursdays at lunch!

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The work of eight SOLE students is on display at the Edge: Youth Art Show 2020 along with work from other emerging artists from across the TDSB and TCDSB. You can visit the Artscape Youngplace gallery at 180 Shaw St. to see painting, mixed media, sculpture, and photographic works until Thursday, March 6th. Congratulations to our talented young creators, who, like their peers across the city, continue to demonstrate the transformational power of the arts.

The EDGE: Youth Art Show features the work of emerging artists across the TDSB and TCDSB…including eight talented SOLE students! You can see their work on display starting next week:

Location: Artscape Youngplace Hallway Galleries, 180 Shaw St.
Exhibition: Tuesday, February 25 – Thursday, March 5, 2020, Floors 1-3
Opening Reception: Tuesday, February 25, 2020, 6-8 PM

Did you miss getting your school ID photo taken? Don’t worry…you have another chance. Please see Rachel in the Tech Lab on Wednesday or Thursday at lunch to take your photo.