A letter from our new Director of Education

Dear Families:

We are thrilled to welcome Ms. Louise Sirisko, our new Director of Education to YRDSB!
Please see her letter attached.
Thank you.

Tamil Heritage Month

On October 5, 2016, Motion M-24 was passed in the Federal Parliament, officially proclaiming January of every year as Tamil Heritage Month.  Tamil Heritage Month aims to celebrate the richness of the Tamil language and its literature, as well as to highlight the vibrant traditions, histories, arts, and cultures of Tamil Canadians. In addition, it seeks to recognize the significant contributions of Tamil Canadians in key areas of social, cultural, economic, and political spheres. 

According to the Tamil calendar, January 14, 2017 is the start of the Tamil New Year during the month of “Thai”. On this day Tamils around the diaspora will be celebrating Tamil New Year and Thai Pongal, the Tamil harvest festival. Thai Pongal is the most important and widely-celebrated festival amongst Tamils around the globe. 

Thai Pongal is a time to give thanks for the blessings of the previous year and a time to look forward to the New Year. Pongal refers to rice cooked in milk and sweetened with chakkarai (brown cane sugar). On Thai Pongal members of the family wake up early in the morning, dress in new clothes and gather together to cook the traditional Pongal meal. Additional ingredients used in this special dish include milk-roasted green gram (payaru), raisins, cashew nuts (optional), and cardamom. Pongal is served with fruits (banana and mango) on a banana leaf, and the family gives thanks to the sun and, the farmers for a bountiful harvest before sharing the special dish with family members, friends and neighbours. 

Please join us in recognizing Tamil Heritage Month.

Nominations open for

OTIP Teaching Awards 2018

 

Nominations are open for the 2018 awards. The deadline for receipt of nominations is March 31, 2018.

There are three categories of awards: elementary school teacher, secondary school teacher and beginning teacher in the first five years of teaching. A teacher may be nominated by anyone – professional colleagues, students, parents, or the general public.

The Ontario Teachers Insurance Plan (OTIP) and the Ontario Teachers’ Federation (OTF) are proud sponsors of the OTIP Teaching Awards. For many years, these awards have recognized the excellence of our teachers in publicly funded education.

We are proud of the excellence of teachers throughout the province. These awards allow us to recognize and celebrate outstanding contributions that our members make to their students’ education, to their schools, and within their communities.

Further information is available at www.teachingawards.ca.

French Immersion Information Evening

To our Senior Kindergarten Families:

Please see the attached flyer regarding an upcoming French Immersion information evening at Lorna Jackson 

Note:  This is the site for the grade 1 students who wish to enter the French Immersion program.  In grade 2, students would then move on to the French Immersion school that would be assigned to them based on their home address.  This will be explained to families at the information evening, along with many details pertaining to the French Immersion program. 

If you have any questions, please call Lorna Jackson.

Triple P - Positive Parenting Seminar Series

Thanks for your support!!!

Our Scholastic Book Fair during Family Fun Night in December was one of our most successful ever.  We sold almost $4500 in product netting us $2500 in profit which we will use to purchase more books for our Library and classroom use.  Many thanks to everyone for your support.  Congratulations to our prize winners too!  Carson in 5/6P, Fatiah in 4S and Mikayla in 1P all won $10 worth of free books while Raj in Ms. Picchetti's class was the grand prize winner of $25 in product for himself and $25 worth of books for his classroom.

Birth of Guru Gobind Singh 

January 5 marks the birthday of the tenth and last guru within the Sikh tradition. Guru Gobind is recognized as the "saint/soldier" and poet who fought against oppression by infusing a martial spirit in people through soul-inspiring heroic poetry. He founded the "Khalsa" order within the Sikh tradition that sought to bring justice and quality to mankind through selfless service.

Birth anniversaries of the ten gurus are observed with a great deal of devotion and enthusiasm and this is especially the case for the birthdays of the first and last gurus, as these days are often celebrated as festivals. The festivities typically last for three days.

On the first day, a large procession is organized that is led by the Panj Piyaras (Five beloved ones) and the Palki (icon) of Guru Gobind. On the following day, devotional hymns are traditionally sung and there may be a katha (religious discourse) or Sikh historical lecture scheduled. A free langar (luncheon) is then usually served where everyone gathers together in a spirit of sharing and community.

We extend our best wishes to staff, students and members of the Sikh Community who will be celebrating this festive occasion.