Civil Municipal - June 2024

within the bustling Greater Toronto Area, PDSB acts as a gateway for newcomers to Canada, welcoming families seeking educational opportunities and community engagement. LIFTING VOICES AND EMBRACING COMMUNITY “We have three ‘We Welcome the World’ centers in Peel District School Board, where newcomers come in to find out where to go and what to do about schooling,” portrays Rashmi Swarup, Director of Education. “We serve 11,000 newcomers each year, coming from 188 countries and speaking 121 different first languages. We are so proud of the enrichment they bring and the wide array of perspectives and traditions.” School Board Chair, Dr. David Green, emphasizes the value of inclusion, and listening to all voices, especially those from marginalized communities. “We value the integral part that they play within our school system, and that’s including their family, the circles of elders, and so forth, that are part of our community. We work alongside them to ensure that we’re hearing from them and that their voices are a part of how we move forward as a school board,” he shares. “At Peel District School Board, we strongly believe that when the community and family are engaged, we see better outcomes for students, we see more success, we also see a better engagement through the communities.” EARLY YEARS AND BEYOND In a rapidly changing world, PDSB is committed to offering a forward-thinking educational experience. These efforts begin in the early years when children are enrolled in a two-year kindergarten program. “We get about 8,500 kindergarten students each year starting in Peel District School Board,” describes Swarup. “It’s a play-based learning model. We have parents engaging with them,we have Early Childhood Educators. If you walk into a kindergarten class, you will find that the kids are engaged.” Peel also supports families by offering before and after-school programming in most of its elementary schools. From Kindergarten to Twelfth grade, the emphasis is on preparing learners and ensuring they are future-ready. Swarup expands,“The staff focuses on 201 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 05, ISSUE 06 PEEL DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD