Dear Parents and Guardians,

Our Kindergarten Teams are doing an amazing job at exploring rich texts to celebrate and recognize the identities of students! Culturally relevant and responsive pedagogy focuses on educators developing a deep knowledge of their students by exploring their identities, interests and strengths so our tasks are engaging and relevant to our learners. In Mrs. Fong and Mrs. Gunn's Class, and Ms. Parreira and Ms. Tomais', they read the book, Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns: A Muslim Book, which inspired students and teachers to share their identities with each other by creating Identity Dolls! Students made connections to their peers and did a fantastic job presenting! In Mrs. Antonucci and Mrs. Michailidis' Class, and Mrs. Halcomb and Mrs. James' Class, started an inquiry about lawyers after reading the book, I am Brown. A big thank you to Mrs. Clarke for organizing a special visit by 5 lawyers, who shared their jobs in the fields of family law, refugee law, business law, housing law and labour law. Each lawyer shared their identities, made connections to students, and provided motivational words to inspire our youngest Defenders!

As the weather gets warmer, we continue to encourage students to attend Virtual School in our final few weeks of the school year. Students are encouraged to:

• keep showing up on time with a positive attitude;

• work in a dedicated learning space to show you are ready for the day;

• 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.

At the end of June, we say goodbye and congratulate Mrs. Brusselers on her retirement after 34 years of incredible service to students and school communities. Mrs. Brusselers's commitment, knowledge, and passion have had a positive impact on many lives throughout her career. Her many dedicated years of hard work have made an undeniable difference, and we are grateful for the leadership she has shown in opening Viola Desmond and growing our school community! We wish her all the best as she starts this exciting next chapter!

In September, we welcome our new principal, Mr. Imran Syed from Sir John A. MacDonald P.S. in Pickering. His years of administrative experience, commitment to equity and inclusive education, and parent engagement will benefit our school community!

Our school office remains closed at this time. Should you need to contact our secretaries, Mrs. Gill or Mrs. Hindle, or admin, please email us at Violadesmondps@ddsb.ca. Response time will be delayed for messages left on the school's voicemail.

Stay well and be safe!

Have a wonderful week,

Mrs. Thomas - Vice Principal

May is:

June is Indigenous History Month

“National Indigenous History Month is a time to honour the contributions, sacrifices and advancements Indigenous Peoples’ have made throughout the creation of the country that is now called ‘Canada.’ This is also a time to reflect and remember those we have lost in the fight for acknowledgement of our Inherent, Treaty and Human Rights.

This is also a time to celebrate and share our heritage, cultures, languages, songs and dance of the many First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people across this land. By sharing our history and traditions with Settler-Canadians, we develop shared respect and bond over this land that we now share.

I now invite you to take the time to learn more about our true shared history and the many Indigenous people and organizations throughout Canada that have and are bringing awareness to ensure our culture thrives, our people and ways are protected, and the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Canada are respected.

June is Italian Heritage Month

June 1st marks the beginning of Italian Heritage Month in Canada, where we honour and celebrate the exceptional contributions of Canadians of Italian origin in shaping our society.

Canada is home to more than 1.5 million Canadians of Italian descent, which makes it one of the largest Italian diasporas in the world. Italian Heritage Month is the perfect time to recognize and showcase the rich culture and heritage of Italian Canadians, as well as their ongoing contributions to building a stronger, vibrant and more inclusive Canada.

Pentecost (Eastern Orthodox) - June 7th

The Feast of Holy Pentecost is celebrated each year on the fiftieth day after the Great and Holy Feast of Pascha (Easter) and ten days after the Feast of the Ascension of Christ. The Feast is always celebrated on a Sunday.

Martydom of Guru Arjan Dev - June 16th

Guru Arjan was the fifth Sikh Guru and the first Sikh martyr: he gave up his life for the Sikh people.

The Guru laid the foundation of the Golden Temple (Harmandir Sahib) in Amritsar. He also designed the four doors in a Gurdwara, proclaiming that "My faith is for the people of all castes and all creeds from whichever direction they come and to whichever direction they bow."

He also declared that all Sikhs should donate a tenth of their earnings to charity.

The greatest contribution he made to the Sikh faith was to compile all of the past Gurus' writings into one book, now the holy scripture: the Guru Granth Sahib. It was this holy book that made him a martyr.

Litha (Wicca) - June 20th

Litha is a pagan holiday; one of their eight sabbats during the year. Litha (also known as Midsummer) occurs on the summer solstice, and celebrates the beginning of summer. The traditions of Litha appear to be borrowed from many cultures. Most ancient cultures celebrated the summer solstice in some way. The Celts celebrated Litha with hilltop bonfires and dancing. Many people attempted to jump over or through the bonfires for good luck.

“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