Dear Parents and Guardians,

We would like to extend our warmest wishes to you and your family for health and happiness for 2021! We look forward with excitement and optimism of what this year will bring as we work with your children.

Much like 2020, the school year resumes slightly different than expected. As we have adjusted to the new normal, our staff continue to demonstrate wonderful flexibility and innovative thinking as we pivot to online learning. The goals of this week will be on well-being, literacy and numeracy. Staff will work collaboratively to implement RealTime and FlexTime learning opportunities for your children. We will be using Google Classroom to post Google Meets (online learning), assignments and learning resources for you and your child to access. Educator Teams will establish Office Hours to answer any questions you may have and to support student learning.

We will also be encouraging students to take Fitness Breaks with Mr. Stanat and Mrs. McPhillips, as well as attend Story Time with Ms. Lamont, Mrs. Thomas and Mrs. Brusselers. School spirit initiative will continue with a special activity that your child will learn about on Tuesday!

Our custodial team will be focused on a deep clean of the building during this period. We thank them for their hard work and commitment to keeping us safe. 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 a wonderful week of learning, virtually!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Brusselers and Mrs. Thomas - Administrative Team

January is:

Guru Gobind Singh’s Birthday (Sikh) - January 5th

This day is celebrated as the birth anniversary of the tenth Guru, who instituted the Five Ks and established the Order of the Khalsa on Vaisakhi (Baisakhi).

Gobind Rai was born on December 22, 1666. His father was Guru Tegh Bahadur, the 9th Guru of Sikhism. In 1675 at the age of nine he became the 10th Guru on his father’s death and was the last of the ten human Gurus of the Sikhs. He was a student of Punjabi, Sanskrit, Brig Bhasha, Arabian, Persian and a number of other languages, and was highly regarded for his wisdom and leadership qualities. Throughout his life he wrote many poems about love, the worship of the Divine, equality and the putting away of superstition and idolatry.

On his birthday, historical lectures are conducted and poems are recited in praise of the Guru. Special dishes that are unique to this occasion are prepared and served during the festivities. Like other anniversaries associated with the lives of the Gurus, the day is referred to as a gurpurb, and is marked by the ending of an akhand path, an unbroken reading of the whole of the Guru Granth Sahib. This lasts for 48 hours.

Epiphany - January 6th

Kings’ Day, (from Greek epiphaneia, “manifestation”), Christian holiday commemorating the first manifestation of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, represented by the Magi, and the manifestation of his divinity, as it occurred at his baptism in the Jordan River and at his first miracle, at Cana in Galilee. Epiphany is one of the three principal and oldest festival days of the Christian church (the other two are Easter and Christmas). Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans, and other Western churches observe the feast on January 6, while some Eastern Orthodox churches celebrate Epiphany on January 19, since their Christmas Eve falls on January 6.

Orthodox Christmas - January 7th

Many Orthodox churches in Canada recognize the holiday dates according to the Julian calendar. Christmas is still on December 25 in the Julian calendar so the January 7 date is only valid between 1901 and 2100 The Gregorian date for Orthodox Christmas will be January 8 in 2101 if the Julian calendar is still used.

The Julian calendar was revised in 1923 and this version is more in line with the Gregorian calendar. Some Orthodox churches follow the revised Julian calendar but many Orthodox churches still follow the more traditional Julian calendar, which has the original dates for Christian observances prior to the Gregorian calendar’s introduction.

Many Orthodox Christians in countries such as Canada fast before Christmas Day. Many people identify the Nativity Fast as the period of preparing to celebrate Jesus Christ’s birth. It is believed that fasting helps people shift their focus from themselves to others, spending less time worrying about food and using more time in increased prayer and caring for the poor. In return, fasting before the Nativity enables one to fully enjoy, appreciate and celebrate the Nativity of Christ.

“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