Dear Parents and Guardians,

Last week, some of our community celebrated Diwali and in honour of the holiday, our kindergartens and grade 1s and 2s, had a virtual author's visit with Anjali Joshi, who read Let's Celebrate Diwali!

We would like to thank parents for attending our virtual parent-teacher interviews. It was great to share your children's strengths and develop goals and next steps for the remainder of the term. Remember open communication is key to supporting your child's academic growth and development. If you have questions or questions, please email your child's teacher.

While this is a routine process that happens every year in September, the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the creation of the DDSB@Home virtual school has resulted in a greater need for class adjustments, along with the distribution of teachers between in-person schools and DDSB@Home. It helps us ensure that students are in classrooms of a similar size to provide equitable access to education and support, and to promote student success. Our classes have begun to settle and students have done well adapting to the change. Thank you parents and guardians for your continued support.

Kind Regards,

Mrs. Brusselers and Mrs. Thomas - Administrative Team

October is:

• Hindu Heritage Month

Ontario is home to a large and vibrant Hindu community. Since the first Hindu immigrants arrived in Canada at the beginning of the 20th century, Hindu Canadians from across Ontario have made significant contributions across all fields: science, education, medicine, law, politics, business, culture and sports. Hindu Canadians have helped build Ontario into the multicultural success story that it is and have helped to build this province into the best place to live, work and raise families. They continue to help foster growth, prosperity and innovation throughout Ontario.

"Deepawali" or "Diwali" is the biggest of all celebratory festivals that members of the Hindu community celebrate. It falls in either November or October each year, depending on the cycle of the moon. It's observed on the 15th day of Kartik, the holiest month in the Hindu lunar calendar. Diwali commemorates the victory of good over evil. In addition, during this time of the year, Hindus also celebrate other significant festivals such as Navratri and Durga Puja.

By proclaiming the month of November as Hindu Heritage Month, the Province of Ontario recognizes the important contributions that Hindu Canadians have made to Ontario's social, economic, political and cultural fabric. Hindu Heritage Month is an opportunity to remember, celebrate and educate future generations about Hindu Canadians and the important role that they have played and continue to play in communities across Ontario.

• Albanian Heritage Month

Ontario is home to more than 28,000 Albanian Canadians. Since the early 20th century, the Albanian-Canadian community has made and continues to make significant contributions to the growth and prosperity of the Province of Ontario.

November is a significant month for the Albanian community. Each year, during the month of November, people of Albanian origin celebrate the Albanian Declaration of Independence, which declared Albania an independent sovereign nation on November 28th, 1912.

In November, Albania also commemorates Liberation Day, which is the day that Albania was liberated from Nazi Germany forces after the Albanian resistance on November 29th, 1944.

By proclaiming the month of November as Albanian Heritage Month, the Province of Ontario recognizes the meaningful contributions immigrants have made in building Ontario’s communities and the social, economic, political and cultural achievements of Albanian-Canadians throughout the province. Albanian Heritage Month is an opportunity to remember, celebrate and educate future generations about Ontario’s rich history.

Transgender Day of Remembrance - November 20th

Transgender Day of Remembrance is held in November to honour Rita Hester who was killed for being who she was. This day urges us all to raise awareness of the threat of violence faced by people who identify as transgender and the persistence of the prejudice felt by the transgender community.

I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

Maya Angelou