Create a Culture for Student and Staff Well-Being

We will build positive school cultures that support the mental health and overall well-being (physical, cognitive, social, emotional and spiritual) of all students.
We will create the conditions for every student in every school to experience the support of a caring adult.
We will equip educators with the tools necessary to teach, assess, support, and relate to students to ensure that student mental health and well-being is at the centre of teaching and learning.
We will partner with staff to create workplaces that promote positive mental health and well-being and are free of bias and full of potential.
We will provide all staff with professional learning opportunities that build healthy relationships and develop leadership capacity to effectively support students, schools and their communities.

Action Plans

Student Well-Being and Mental Health
When students are happy and healthy, they are more engaged and better able to learn. That is why the TDSB is focused on improving the mental health and well-being of all its students.

This effort will be led by Principals, who will be responsible for collaborating with staff to ensure every student is connected to at least one caring adult. At the same time, staff will be trained in suicide prevention and we will implement and expand programs such as School Mental Health Assist, which enhance student resilience, coping and help-seeking skills.

Staff Well-Being
The Board will work collaboratively with staff to improve student well-being, and recognizes the fact that student and staff well-being go hand-in-hand.

Data from last year’s staff census will be analyzed and shared with employee representative groups for feedback. This feedback will inform a Staff Well-Being Action Plan which the Board will begin implementing in May 2019.

Physical Well-Being
Students who are physically active are happier and better able to learn, and the TDSB is introducing new initiatives which aim to keep kids moving. These include Board-wide walk-to-school days, playground improvements and the installation of new bike racks.

Student Voice
Students want to be heard and want to see their voices reflected in Board policies. There is opportunity for them to share their views on how to improve student engagement, academic achievement, equity, and other parts of the strategic plan.

The Board will launch a mobile app designed to integrate feedback from students, and develop a procedure for receiving their concerns. Superintendents will also seek feedback from students in school visits twice per year, in order to gauge their sense of school climate and student well-being.