Dear Parents and Guardians,

Black History Month is an opportunity to celebrate the incredible contributions of Black Canadians. We are focused on exploring the resilience, strength, and dignity of Black leaders, and how we can embody their values in our goals and pathways as leaders, allies, and innovative thinkers. We are so honoured to work, teach and co-learn with students at Viola Desmond. Our namesake, whose voice and actions created a civil rights movement in Canada, inspires us every month of the year. We continue to use the VIOLA character traits to remember that while we celebrate the achievements of Black people during this month, that our learning as staff and students extend beyond February. We are engaged in critical conversations with students and co-learning from each other, to ensure that Black History Month provides a fulsome look at the legacy of Black Canadians, past and present!

Words of Encouragement to a Long Term Care Home

Ms. Bruno's class wrote letters to their pen pals at a Long Term Care Home, to share words of encouragement during this challenging time. Last week, the grade 6s were thrilled to receive letters back from their pen pals. These letters will be a wonderful way to start their week as we transition back to in-person learning. We are so proud of the leadership and empathy demonstrated by our grade 6 students.

Valentine's Day

This year bringing in and distributing Valentine's Day cards or treat does not fit into our COVID- 19 Safety Policies and Procedures. While we know this is a wonderful tradition of friendship, we cannot distribute cards, or hand out treats. Any cards or loot bag items sent to school will be returned home. We hope that you will enjoy celebrating Valentine's Day during the Family Day long weekend!

Our school office is open but remains closed to visitors. Should you need to contact our secretaries, Mrs. Gill or Mrs. Hindle, or admin, please call 905 619-7400 or email us at Violadesmondps@ddsb.ca.

With students returning to in-person learning, it is important that everyone remembers to stay safe by following the direction of public health. We encourage all community members to wear a mask, to frequently wash/sanitize hands, cough/sneeze into your arm, avoid any gatherings with people outside your household and maintain appropriate physical distancing from others. Please read the important message below regarding mandatory masks for students and parents while on school property.

We are so excited to have students back in our lovely building and look forward to a fantastic week of learning!

Warm Regards,

Mrs. Brusselers and Mrs. Thomas - Administrative Team

February is:

Lunar New Year - February 12th

Lunar New Year, Chinese Chunjie, Vietnamese Tet, Korean Solnal, Tibetan Losar, also called Spring Festival, festival typically celebrated in China and other Asian countries that begins with the first new moon of the lunar calendar and ends on the first full moon of the lunar calendar, 15 days later. The lunar calendar is based on the cycles of the moon, so the dates of the holiday vary slightly from year to year, beginning some time between January 21 and February 20 according to Western calendars. Approximately 10 days before the beginning of the new lunar year, houses are thoroughly cleaned to remove any bad luck that might be lingering inside, a custom called “sweeping of the grounds.” Traditionally, New Year’s eve and New Year’s day are reserved for family celebrations, including religious ceremonies honouring ancestors.

Saint Valentine's Day - February 14th

Valentine’s Day occurs every February 14. Across the United States and in other places around the world, candy, flowers and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine.

Family Day - February 15th

Family Day is not a national statutory holiday, it is only observed in New Brunswick, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Saskatchewan and in British Columbia.

Other provinces have holidays in February on the same day but these holidays aren't called family day. In PEI Islander Day is celebrated on the 3rd Monday in February and in Manitoba the 3rd Monday in February is the Louis Riel Day holiday. In Nova Scotia, this day is called Heritage Day

“I raise up my voice-not so I can shout but so that those without a voice can be heard...we cannot succeed when half of us are held back.”

― Malala Yousafzai