Dear Parents and Guardians,

We have lots of SPIRIT at Viola Desmond! Our VIOLA Character Awards Ceremony has been a tradition at our school to acknowledge and recognize students who demonstrate character traits that embody our namesake, values and mission statement. We have reimagined our monthly recognition assemblies to virtual assemblies! Mrs. McPhillips and Mr. Stanat have taken the lead to highlight school news, events, heritage months and award recipients into a monthly news broadcast, called the Desmond News. Students and teachers are invited as guest reporters to share a recap of the month's highlight. A big thank you to our phys ed team for continuing to embed team spirit at Viola!

Our countdown to Halloween started with a mini-spirit week led by Ms. King and Ms. Bruno. It was fun to see so many children (and staff) dressed up for Halloween. We even had some staff members participate in Viola Desmond's first Masked Singer. It was nice for all to have a positive celebration and to feel a little bit of normalcy. The students especially enjoyed their spooky Gym classes, Kindy pumpkin patch and exploding pumpkins as part of STEM activities in intermediate.

Parent-Teacher Interviews

Last week you should have received a survey link or Remind message from your child's teacher to parent-teacher interviews that will take place on Thursday, November 12th and Friday, November 13th. If you have not heard from your child's teacher, please send them a message or contact the office.

• If you select a virtual meeting, you will be sent a link on your preferred date and time for a 10 minute meeting. We encourage you to have your child attend, if possible, so they can share their successes, goals and next steps for the remainder of the term.

• If you opt for a telephone meetings, your child's teacher will call you for a 10 minute meeting at the number registered with the office. If your number has changed, please email Violadesmondps@ddsb.ca .

• Ongoing communication with your child's teacher is important to support the academic growth and development of your child. We hope to have full participation in our interviews. If there is anything we can do to support connecting with your child's teacher, please let us know.

We are looking forward to a fantastic week of learning together!

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.

All Saints Day (Christianity) - November 1st

The origin of All Saints’ Day cannot be traced with certainty, and it has been observed on various days in different places. A feast of all martyrs was kept on May 13 in the Eastern church according to Ephraem Syrus (died c. 373), which may have determined the choice of May 13 by Pope Boniface IV when he dedicated the Pantheon in Rome as a church in honour of the Blessed Virgin and all martyrs in 609. The first evidence for the November 1 date of celebration and of the broadening of the festival to include all saints as well as all martyrs occurred during the reign of Pope Gregory III (731–741), who dedicated a chapel in St. Peter’s, Rome, on November 1 in honour of all saints. In 800 All Saints’ Day was kept by Alcuin on November 1, and it also appeared in a 9th-century English calendar on that day. In 837 Pope Gregory IV ordered its general observance. In medieval England the festival was known as All Hallows, and its eve is still known as Halloween. The period from October 31 to November 2 (All Souls’ Day) is sometimes known as Allhallowtide.

Inuit Day - November 7th 2020

On International Inuit Day, we celebrate the cultural, history, and impact Inuit people have on Canada and around the world.

Indigenous Veterans Day - November 8th 2020

National Aboriginal Veterans Day began in Winnipeg in 1994 when Indigenous veterans were not recognized in Remembrance Day activities.

Over 12,000 Indigenous people are estimated to have volunteered in all three wars, including 7,000 First Nations members, and approximately 300 died during these conflicts.

First Nations, Inuit and Metis people were not eligible for conscription because they were not citizens of Canada (they were also unable to vote), but many volunteered despite the challenges they faced, including traveling long distances from remote communities to enlist, learning a new language (English), and coping with racism against them. Indigenous people were not allowed to join the Canadian Air Force until 1942 and the Canadian Navy until 1943. Both men and women enlisted, serving as soldiers, nurses and in other roles. Many served with distinction, winning medals for bravery in action.

After the war, enlisted Indigenous people returned home to continued discrimination, including in some cases denial of benefits, loss of Indian Status, and expropriation of their land by the government for non-Indigenous veterans. It was only in 1995 that Indigenous veterans were allowed to lay wreaths commemorating their fallen comrades at the National War Memorial in Ottawa.

The first monument commemorating the role of Indigenous people during these three wars was dedicated in 2001 in Ottawa. It took until 2003 for the Government of Canada to provide veterans’ benefits to First Nations soldiers who had been denied them in the past, and Metis veterans have never received them.

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