Wednesday, June 21, 2023
Friday, June 2, 2023
School Crossing Guard Appreciation Week
It’s almost
School Crossing Guard Appreciation Week! From Monday, June 5 to Friday, June 9,
the City of Vaughan is celebrating and recognizing the dedicated team of 120
crossing guards who help students, parents and guardians travel safely to and
from school each day. This School
Crossing Guard Appreciation Week video showcases the passion and dedication
the crossing guards have for their very important role.
The City recruits, trains and hires
crossing guards, conducts pedestrian studies, selects crosswalk locations and
installs appropriate signage and pavement markings. With more than 115 crosswalk
locations throughout Vaughan, both permanent and standby crossing guards are
needed to service all locations. Interested in becoming a school crossing
guard? Visit vaughan.ca/CrossingGuard to learn more.
Please join us in celebrating our
crossing guards by taking the time to thank them for what they do and by
spreading the word!
Tuesday, May 30, 2023
Message from Our Trustee
June 2023
Dear families,
As we approach the end of the school year and the start of
the summer break, I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for helping
to make this school year a positive one. This is our first school year since
2018-2019 that has not been interrupted by closures as a result of COVID-19,
and it has been such a pleasure to visit schools and school events over the
past few months and see students, staff and families connecting and learning
together.
I think it’s important to acknowledge the effect the pandemic
has had on students; and we have made it a priority to put supports in place
for student learning, achievement, mental health and well-being. We also
continue to work hard to create safe, inclusive and caring learning
environments where our students know and feel that they matter and
belong.
June is also a time when we look ahead to transitions -
students moving ahead to new grades, new schools and new adventures. Thank you
to the school staff who support students through these transitions. Congratulations
to all of our graduating students moving on to secondary school or
post-secondary pathways. We are so proud of all that you have achieved, class
of 2023, and wish you all the very best in what comes next.
I also want to acknowledge all that you have done, as family
members, to support your child and our schools - whether that’s asking your
child about their learning, communicating with their educators, attending
school events, reading the information that comes home from the school, sharing
feedback, completing surveys, tracking down
library books, volunteering on field trips and in the classroom, participating
in school councils, and so much more. We are grateful for all of the ways you
support your child’s learning and our public education system.
Communicating
with families remains an important priority for us. I have had the pleasure of
meeting and connecting with many families throughout the school year and
appreciate how important it is that we remain connected to you. In addition to
communication from your child’s school, there are also many ways you can stay
connected with what is happening in the Board, including our newsroom, Twitter, Instagram and award-winning podcast. We were also very pleased to launch
this year the Centre for Black
Student Excellence Mailing List for families looking to receive information directly related to
supporting Black students, celebrating Black excellence and dismantling
anti-Black racism.
As we approach
the summer, we look forward to welcoming students who will be participating in
our variety of elementary and secondary summer learning programs. I wish
everyone a happy, safe and restful summer break.
Estelle Cohen
Trustee,
Vaughan Wards 4 and 5
Indigenous Trustee Greeting
June 2023
Aaniin (Hello),
I am Indigenous Trustee for the York Region District School Board and a member
of the Chippewas of Georgina Island, the only First Nation in York Region and
one you may recognize YRDSB acknowledging as their “partner in education” when
providing land acknowledgements.
I would like to
offer greetings for the month of June, the month when we recognize and
celebrate the Indigenous People of Canada, our unique status as Canadians, our
history on this land and our many significant contributions. In 1996, Governor
General Romeo LeBlanc declared June 21 as National Aboriginal Peoples Day. He
said, “On June 21st, this year and every year, Canada will honour
the native peoples who first brought humanity to this great land.” In 2017, the
name was formally changed, and we now recognize this day as National Indigenous
Peoples Day.
June 21 was
chosen because it is summer solstice, a time of spiritual significance for
Indigenous people. It is a time when the sun is at the highest point in the sky
and we experience the longest day of the year, and the most amount of daylight.
This is considered powerful medicine and is a time for practicing ceremonies
that honour our interconnection with the land and the cosmos.
The Anishinaabe
also recognize June as the month of the Strawberry moon, Ode’min Giizis. The beautiful
red heart shaped strawberry offers us the teaching of reconciliation and
forgiveness. It is the first berry of the season that brings us that sweetness
for life. June offers us many special gifts and much to be grateful for.
People ask what
they can do to celebrate Indigenous People Day and as Canadians support
Indigenous people in Canada?
We can build
our awareness by reading Indigenous books, listening to Indigenous podcasts,
and attending Indigenous events. We can create positive change and promote public
awareness by lending our support to Indigenous issues. We can also offer land
acknowledgements as we do at the beginning of meetings and events in the YRDSB.
However, I
believe most importantly to Indigenous people across this planet is to
recognize our right to reclaim and practice our Indigenous languages and the important
significance of the earth under our feet. Our traditional knowledge and our cultures
exist in our languages and without the opportunity to learn them in our schools
and speak them in our communities much of our ancestral knowledge will be lost
forever.
Further,
recognizing Indigenous relationship with the land and taking the time to build
land awareness and connection is imperative. We must practice environmental
stewardship and protect our greenspaces. Walk in nature, plant, or hug a tree,
help a turtle across the road, sing to the water, just be with the land. It
does little to offer a land acknowledgement if we do not acknowledge the earth
on which we live. The earth is our mother, this is why we call her “Mother Earth”
in our Anishinaabe creation stories. We are extrinsically interconnected; without
her we would not exist. As her children we must care for her and protect her. Stand with Indigenous people by honouring her,
this is the most important land acknowledgement you can give.
Chi-Miigwech
and Happy Indigenous People’s Day!
Your Indigenous
Trustee, Lauri Hoeg
This is a good resource and activity guide for students
Thursday, May 18, 2023
Friday, June 30, 2023 Early Dismissal in Elementary Schools
All schools in the York Region District School Board are
committed to improving student achievement and well-being. On Friday,
June 30, 2023, an early release day will take place to allow elementary
teachers and support staff to take part in meetings during the afternoon of
that day. These meetings will allow for
school staff to engage in culminating activities regarding the review and
revision of the School’s Improvement Plan as well as year-end and transition
activities that support student success.
As has been our practice in the past, students will attend
school during the morning of Friday,
June 30, 2023 only. Students will be
dismissed early that day at 11:35 am. Arrangements will be made to ensure that
students who are normally bused to and from school will receive transportation
at this time. Parents/guardians whose
children attend after school child care should make appropriate arrangements to
address this change in schedule.
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