The Parent Resource Bank is an online resource which is currently being developed by the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario [CDSBEO], which contains free resources, support materials, and videos for parents. The resource was developed in collaboration with various board departments, committees and other stakeholders.
Jameson Lee, Curriculum Consultant, presented information on the Parent Resource Bank to the School Board at their Board meeting held on February 5. James Proulx, Chief Information Officer, also presented information on the School Messenger Safe Arrivals app that the Board will be introducing in the coming months.
“The Parent Resource Bank seeks to promote and honour the strong home, school and parish relationships that have been at the heart of what we do,” began Curriculum Consultant Jameson Lee. “Furthermore, I believe parents will be excited about the carefully selected resources that increase the awareness of, and participation in Catholic education.”
The Parent Resource Bank, which will be available on the CDSBEO website, provides parents with the knowledge, tools and resources to fully participate in the spiritual, social, emotional, physical and academic growth of their children.
“Key features of the website include an overview of the content, quick access links to a “Parent Toolkit” of which there are two versions (and elementary and a teen edition), as well as the main area of resource tabs which contain links to relevant content which is divided into topics,” noted Mr. Lee.
Topics for the information include faith, health and wellness, special education, online safety, academics, and other parent information.
The School Messenger Safe Arrivals app, which is currently in the pilot phase, is an app that is free for parents to download on any Apple or Android device. The app is connected to the Board’s School Messenger tool, which sends out school and Board communication through email, text message, and voice message.
The School Messenger Safe Arrival app sends notifications to parents for improved teacher/school to parent communication, offering a simple process for parents to receive and manage messages. The app also allows parents to report their child’s absence to the school.
“Overall, this app will save school staff the time of chasing down parents of absent students,” noted Chief Information Officer James Proulx. “In addition, if a student has been marked absent by the school, the parent would receive a notification via text, phone and/or email based on their preferences.”
The app will be fully functional and available for download in the coming months. More information will be provided to schools and parents once the pilot phase of the app testing it complete in the coming months.
