Update Oct 19th

Posted October 19, 2022

Oct 19 Update

Good morning Rockwood Families,

As we transition from Fall to the upcoming Winter seasons there are many days of significance observed by a variety of cultures and religious groups that make up our wonderful RCPS community. For example, October is Islamic Heritage Month. Diwali, the Hindu Festival of the Lights is celebrated all around the world on Oct 24th. The birthday of the founder of the Sikh religion is celebrated on November 8th. December is a time when Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Winter Solstice celebrations all converge. It would be wonderful for our school to reflect all of these celebrations equally in the learning in the classroom and in the products displayed throughout our school. Our teaching staff is always open to collaborating with parents who are interested in visiting the classroom and sharing their own voices first-hand knowledge and appreciation for some of the cultures outside of the dominant majority. If you are interested in contributing to widening our recognition of cultural diversity please contact me directly at [email protected] so I can help coordinate learning opportunities for our staff and students.

Halloween and Black and Orange Day will be occurring on October 31st as done in previous years. Many schools celebrate Halloween with costume dress up and/or black and orange.  Halloween is a day that is not observed by all students or staff. With this, it is considered a choice to participate as are all spirit days. Alternate and supportive accommodations are to be provided for students if school events take place (e.g. parade).

Costumes:  It is our responsibility to ensure that school community members avoid using identities and cultures as costumes. This includes appropriative costumes/cultural stereotypes (i.e. cultural garments), black/brown face, transphobic costumes, body-shaming and objectifying costumes, and costumes that joke about situations that have caused harm (i.e. COVID pandemic). Such costumes perpetuate stereotypes and can cause harm that can further marginalize and oppress community members.

General Guidelines:

  • Participation is optional
  • Wear black and orange if you prefer
  • Costumes must be free of replica weapons, masks are not encouraged (students must have full vision for safety), no valuable items
  • Costumes must be respectful of all cultures and beliefs.  (For example, a costume depicting indigenous peoples would be inappropriate).
  • Have regular clothes available for your child, as they may need to change out of their costumes part way through the day.

If students wish to wear a costume here is a list of Do’s and Don’ts:

Costume Do’s

  • Follow our school code of conduct found on our website
  • Use makeup or face paint
  • Make sure you can get your costume on independently
  • Check that your costume is safe
  • Be creative!
  • Have fun!

Costume Don’ts

  • No costumes that are representative of another culture or religious beliefs
  • No gruesome masks or gore
  • No violent references
  • No weapons
  • Must be appropriate for school

Below are some important dates and highlights this week:

  • IEPs have been sent home for parent feedback on October 17th.
  • Oct 18th-we had our local firefighter volunteers come visit our students in K-4 to talk about fire safety and they had a chance to see the fire truck
  • Oct 18th-We also had our bus patrollers attending training
  • Take Me Outside Day is October 19th https://takemeoutside.ca/
  • Thursday we have a visit from GCVI for gr 7/8 regarding the International Baccalaureate program offered  https://www.ugdsb.ca/ib-gcvi/
  • Monday, October 24th will be a PA Day-no school for students
  • Monday, October 31st will be a day students will have the option to dress up and participate in Halloween and/or Black & Orange Day activities.
  • More information to follow from your teachers around classroom specific activities and accommodations.

Here is some fundraising information from the school and items available on schoolcashonline.com

  • Spirit wear for students is available until Oct 20th on schoolcashonline.com
  • Dielemans Fundraiser: orders due Oct 21st

The Grade 8 Grad Committee’s Dielemans Fundraiser has been quite the hit so far! If you haven’t already, get your orders in now as some items are starting to sell out. Sign up at www.shopdfscanada.com with the organization ID of 7894. Once signed in, you can browse many different holiday and treat items that are available for purchase. You have the option to have it shipped to your house for a fee and it will be processed and shipped right away, or you can have it shipped to the school for free and it will have a guaranteed delivery date of November 21. Remember, the proceeds made from this fundraiser will be going towards the 2023 Grade 8 Grad Celebration. Any questions regarding this fundraiser can be emailed to the Grad Committee at [email protected] Thankyou and happy shopping!

  • Subs are available on schoolcashonline.com to order weekly. Order by Sunday for Wednesdays delivery by clicking on the green button and it takes you to Lunch Lady.
  • Grade 8’s-Tree Trekking Trip Oct 31st is on schoolcashonline.com for purchase
  • Pizza is available for purchase at $2.50 per slice on Thursdays.

Please advise the school if there are any financial barriers to accessing programs as all students participate as we want to ensure equity and inclusion to programs, opportunities and access to food programs.

Merci beaucoup!

 

Categories: News