Week of November 6th, 2023

Diwali Celebration

                                                                                                                          

This past Friday, our students, staff and school community participated in various Diwali activities. Students learned about Diwali, created Rangoli and were able to walk through our front foyer and enjoy the vibrant colours of all the decorations. Rangoli is a popular Diwali tradition-beautiful patterns made using colourful powders and flowers. The Rangoli drawn on our floors in the front foyer of the school was spectacular and allowed us all to immerse ourselves in the vibrancy and joy of this special season. 

We truly appreciate the tireless efforts of our parent community who planned, organized and carried out a range of activities focused on learning more about Diwali. We are grateful for your commitment and dedication to our school and your efforts to truly create an inclusive space of belonging for all members of our school community. From the beautiful artwork displayed in our front foyer to the presentations happening in classes and the delicious Diwali feast prepared for staff, it truly was a day filled with joy, warmth and wonderful memories.

For many people, Diwali honours the Hindu goddess of wealth, Lakshmi. The lights and lamps are said to help Lakshmi find her way into peoples’ homes, bringing prosperity in the year to come. Diwali is one of India's most popular celebrations, known as the "festival of lights." Happy Diwali to all in our school community celebrating the Festival of Light!

Remembrance Day

Each year, Remembrance Day is a time for us to reflect and pay tribute to the sacrifices of the generations of Canadians who served – and continue to serve – our country, both at home and overseas. This day holds immense significance in acknowledging the sacrifices made by these brave individuals – many of whom were once students at the Toronto District School Board (TDSB). As Remembrance Day occurs on a Saturday this year, our school will mark the day on Monday, November 13th at an assembly. At our school assembly, we will honour the courageous soldiers who lost their lives to protect ours. 

Creating a Caring, Safe and Inclusive School Environment

At both Davisville JPS and Spectrum Alternative, we work hard to create a caring, safe and inclusive learning environment for all of our students. As part of our school code of conduct, students are expected to treat one another with respect, civility and kindness. A positive school climate exists when all members of the school community feel safe, included and accepted. At our school, equity, inclusion and respect are critical components embedded in the learning environment. Recently, some of our students have engaged in actions that go against our school code of conduct. There have also been some acts of vandalism on our third floor washrooms. To ensure that all members of our school community feel safe and respected, please remind your children of our school expectations and standards of behaviour. We invite your support here by speaking to your children at home and reinforcing the following expectations: 

• Remind your children that peer conflict situations need to be addressed peacefully, respectfully and safely. At our school, we use WITS as a way to manage peer conflict solutions. Please reinforce this conflict-resolution strategy at home with your children, so that they can feel empowered to manage conflicts constructively and respectfully at school.

WITS stands for: walk away, ignore, talk it out, seek help

• At our school, we stand against bullying and respect differences in people, their ideas, and their opinions. We are all expected to treat one another with dignity and respect at all times, especially when there is disagreement. All students are expected not to engage in bullying behaviours including cyberbullying.

• We all need to work together including students themselves to promote a positive school climate that is inclusive and accepting of all in our school community despite differences in race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, or disability. 

• Students must show proper care and regard for school property and the property of others.

WASHROOM VANDALISM 

We are unfortunately having some issues with vandalism on our third floor washrooms.  This causes a huge disruption to the use of specific stalls and the washroom. We have reminded our students regularly to use the washroom respectfully and responsibly. Students are expected to sign out of their classroom when using the washroom. This has helped us to monitor the situation. Please remind your children that vandalism will not be tolerated at school and appropriate consequences will be implemented if such behaviours do persist. Your cooperation and ongoing support with reinforcing school expectations is greatly appreciated.

WORTH REPEATING...

Cell Phones

A reminder that students are NOT to be using their cells at school. If parent(s)/guardian(s) feel it is necessary to have their child carry a cell phone, the following guideline need to be respected: 

✓ While on school property, all cell phones must be turned off and stored in backpacks for our students at Davisville JPS and in lockers for our students in Spectrum Alternative. 

✓ Parents/guardians wishing to contact students can do so by contacting the main office 416-393- 0570. 

✓ Please be reminded that students are NOT to record and take photos of staff and students under any circumstances.  We thank you for your support with this.