Dear Parents and Guardians,

A few weeks ago, our grade 4s responded to a hate crime to Viola Desmond's gravesite in Nova Scotia, by writing letters of support to her sister, Wanda Robson. Last week, they received a response of her appreciation for their letters. Mrs. Robson said their letters cheered her up and she encouraged students to continue their allyship and advocacy for change!

Last week, we also held our School Community Council Meeting virtually and we were pleased that our school trustee, Patrice Barnes, was able to attend. Trustee Barnes presented this year's Volunteer of Distinction to our current co-chair, Alisha Noormohamed. We appreciate Alisha's support of our school's initiatives and her time to organize school events and weekly Pizza Days last year.

Class Reorganization

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.

Many families have opted for virtual school with DDSB@Home. As a result, with the recent decrease of in-school enrollment, Viola Desmond has lost a total of 4 classes in the primary and junior divisions. Unfortunately for us, Mrs. Gray, Mrs. Jackson-Stewart, Mrs. Willar and Mrs. Nunes will be going to the virtual school and remaining students will be distributed among our classes in grades 1 to 6 starting on Monday, November 16th. We will miss our teachers as they `\ transition to DDSB@Home but we wish them all the best and look forward to working with them again in the near future.

Parent-Teacher Interviews

You will be receiving your child's report card electronically. Please check your junk mail or spam folder if you have not received it by 7 p.m. on November 11th.

• If you selected a virtual meeting, you will be sent a link by your chidl's teacher 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 meeting, your child's teacher will call you for a 10 minute meeting at the number registered with the office.

• We hope to have full participation in our parent-teacher interviews. We look forward to joining some of the virtual meetings to hear feedback from parents about their children's progress.

Thank you for your support and flexibility during this time as we strive to support a safe and welcoming environment for all of our students.

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.

Remembrance Day - November 11th

On Remembrance Day, we honour all who served and continue to serve our country during times of war, conflict and peace. Every year, at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, people who live in Canada as well as many other Commonwealth countries will stop what they are doing to observe a moment of silence to pay tribute to the sacrifices that were made and are still being made on our behalf. Over 6000 First Nations soldiers fought alongside the Canadian Forces throughout the First and Second World Wars. However, those who returned from the war quickly realized that the freedom that they fought for did not equally apply to them. This then, may also be a time to look both into the past and forward toward a better future.

Diwali - November 14th

Diwali, also spelled Divali, one of the major religious festivals in Hinduism, lasting for five days from the 13th day of the dark half of the lunar month Ashvina to the second day of the light half of Karttika. (The corresponding dates in the Gregorian calendar usually fall in late October and November.) The name is derived from the Sanskrit term dipavali, meaning “row of lights,” which are lit on the new-moon night to invite the presence of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. In Bengal, however, the goddess Kali is worshipped, and in north India the festival also celebrates the return of Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, and Hanuman to the city of Ayodhya, where Rama’s rule of righteousness would commence. The third day of Diwali is celebrated on Saturday, November 14, 2020.

Diwali is also celebrated in Sikhism.

Sikhs do not solely celebrate Diwali for the same reason as other faiths, although the story of Diwali is celebrated for its spiritual significance. Sikhs celebrate Bandi Shor Divas (often translated as Prisoner Release Day and spelled in different ways) on Diwali. This is the occasion of the return of the sixth Guru, Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji, who was freed from imprisonment in 1619. Guru Ji arrived home to His followers around the time of Diwali, which has long been a national holiday in India.

Louis Riel Day - November 16th 2020

Louis Riel was a Métis man who is also called the ‘Father of Manitoba’’. He was a heroic and influential teacher and leader who took on the challenge of ensuring that the Métis people could preserve their heritage and identity. To do this, Riel headed a Provisional Government which negotiated the Manitoba Act and provided some protection for the French language. He was a man of strength and courage, but he was not seen as a hero by everyone. Riel was labelled as a traitor for taking a stand and defending Metis rights and was consequently executed by the Canadian government.

Louis Riel Day is held every year across the homeland on November 16, the anniversary of Riel’s execution in 1885. While Louis Riel Day marks one of the great tragedies of Canadian history, its recognition demonstrates their continuing resilience and determination to regain their rights and preserve their way-of-life in Ontario and across the Homeland. To commemorate Louis Riel Day, MNO citizens and communities hold events across the province to recognize the many contributions of the Métis to Canada, to celebrate Métis culture and to highlight the struggles that Métis continue to face.

The great niece of Louis Riel, Augustine Abraham called for unity among Métis people.

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