Dear Parents and Guardians,

The Ministry of Education announced that Remote Learning will be extended to January 25, 2021. Although this is unfortunate to many of us in the school community, it is important to note how successful the transition to Remote Learning has been since the start of the New Year.

The success of Remote Learning is dependant on all members of the school community. We are especially proud of our students and staff for making this quick transition. We recognize and thank our teachers and support staff for their incredible work and ongoing dedication. We appreciate all parents, guardians, and caregivers for your flexibility, patience, support. and partnership in helping us shift to remote learning.

Over the period of Remote Learning, students are encouraged to:

• keep showing up on time with a positive attitude;

• communicate any challenges with teachers and staff so that we can support you;

• continue participating in class and completing assigned work;

• ask for help if you need it.

There are a few staffing changes to note. We would like to wish Ms. Bazeghi , one of our Educational Assistants, all the best as she moves to J. Clarke Richardson . She is affectionately known as Ms. B to students and we appreciated her ongoing support to our students. She is affectionately known as Ms. B to students and we appreciated her ongoing support to our students. Congratulations to Mrs. Henry, who will not be the Acting Vice Principal at Vimy Ridge Public School. Although she will be missed, we know she will be a great addition to that staff. We would like to welcome Mr. Teminski, who will be our new Grade 7/8 teacher starting on January 18th.

We kindly ask that parents refrain from coming to the school during this time. You are welcome to call the office at 905 619 7400 for any questions that you may have, or email us at Violadesmondps@ddsb.ca.

We look forward to another week of learning together, virtually!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Brusselers and Mrs. Thomas - Administrative Team

January is:

Orthodox Christmas - January 14th

Many Orthodox Christians in Canada observe the New Year based on January 1 in the Julian calendar, which is on or near to January 14 in the Gregorian calendar. However, there are also Orthodox Christians who observe New Year’s Day (January 1) based on the revised Julian calendar, which correlates with the Gregorian calendar. Orthodox New Year celebrations include social gatherings and dinners featuring traditional activities and dishes from other parts of the world such as Russia or Ukraine. Many Orthodox Christians also attend special New Year’s Day liturgies at their churches.

Thai Pongal - January 14th

Thai Pongal is celebrated on the first day of the month Thai of the Tamil calendar. The day normally falls between 12th and 15th of the month of January in the Christian calendar. Thus, Thai is the first month of the Tamil Almanac, and Pongal is a dish of sweet concoction of rice, moong dal, jaggery and milk. This festival is celebrated by one and all as it is non-relevance to any particular religious faith. The whole Tamil population of the world celebrate it without any differences. Therefore it is widely known as "Tamil Thai Pongal" or the "Festival of the Tamils".

The Tamil festival of Thai Pongal is a thanks giving ceremony in which the farmers celebrate the event to thank the spirits of nature spirit, the Sun and the farm animals for their assistance in providing a successful harvest. The rest of the people celebrate the festival to pay their thanks to the farmers for the production of food. Overall, it is a festival to encourage social cohesiveness and unite people by bringing them together in a common function. There are many songs about Thai Pongal and there is much Tamil literature about it.

Martin Luther King Day - January 18th

The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Baptist minister and political activist who is arguably the most famous leader of the American Civil Rights Movement. King was named Man of the Year by Time Magazine in 1963, and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964—then the youngest man ever to have received the award. He turned over the Nobel Prize money to further the Civil Rights Movement. King was assassinated in 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee, where he had planned to lead a march in sympathy with striking garbage workers. It was only 9 years later, in 1977, when he was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Jimmy Carter. In the United States, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is observed on the third Monday of January each year. The struggle to have this day recognized as a federal holiday involved Stevie Wonder’s song “Happy Birthday,” and a petition with 6 million signatures—the largest petition in US history. The day was observed first in 1986, and was finally observed in all states in 2000. For his promotion of non-violence and racial equality, King is considered a peacemaker and martyr by many people around the world.

“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