Weekly News Nov 13
Hi All,
Drinking Water Testing and Drinking Water Fixture Signage
Ontario is continuing to protect children’s health with new regulation changes aimed at improving drinking water testing in child care centres and schools to minimize children’s exposure to lead.
New amendments to Ontario Regulation 243/07 that took effect July 1, 2017, now require lead testing within these facilities for all fixtures used to provide drinking water and/or prepare food or drink for children under 18. There is a three-year period to test at elementary schools and child care centres, and a five-year period to complete testing at secondary schools.
Ontario Regulation 243/07 also requires testing to measure the presence of lead in drinking water against the provincial drinking water quality standard of 10 micrograms per litre, based on a national guideline set by Health Canada.
As we go through testing each year at our school you may notice stickers around certain sinks in the school. Any water fixture that is meant to provide water for consumption or for food preparation will be clearly labelled with a sign illustrating that the water is provided for drinking purposes. Water fountains will not have these signs as their intended purpose is for drinking.
Sub Day
The grade 8s are hosting a sub day. You should have received an envelope with the forms. The sub is from Mike’s Submarine and the cost is $5. The forms and money are due on November 15–NO EXCEPTIONS! and the subday will take place on November 24.
Anti-Bullying Week
As part of our Anti Bullying Week we would like to remind you of TipOff.
We continue to support TipOff for all schools as an anonymous approach to reporting bullying. TipOff scrambles a senders’ phone number for anonymity. TipOff can receive reports by text message, phone call, smartphone app or web chat – and this information is shared with the school for next steps based on Board/school protocols. We expect that this will result in safer schools because students can share tips without the fear of reprisal, judgment or discovery. Note that it is a legislated requirement that all schools have an anonymous reporting mechanism in place.
TipOff will not provide counselling but can direct students in crisis to 911. TipOff appears on the Board webpage and your school webpage. Because TipOff supports Board policies, we believe the service can help schools collect and address concerns in the same way a school would address a face-to-face concern.
Updated on Monday, November 13, 2017.