Week of May 26, 2025

 

Davisville Fun Fair

Thank you to our incredible School Council and all the dedicated volunteers who helped make our Fun Fair a success! Though the day was cold and drafty, we made the best of it. Our students enjoyed a variety of fun activities, while families took part in the silent auction and browsed the used book sale.

We are so grateful for everyone’s concerted efforts, time, and energy in making this event such a memorable one for our school community.

June Parent/Guardian Special Education and Inclusion Newsletter

The Special Education and Inclusion team releases monthly newsletters to help keep families informed about important information, policies, and procedures related to special education.

These newsletters are designed to support families in understanding available resources, current practices, and key updates within the TDSB.

June is Pride Month

June is Pride month across all of TDSB, a time to celebrate 2SLGBTQ+ communities and reflect on the important work that must continue to make our schools and workplaces more inclusive, welcoming and affirming for all. Pride month offers learning opportunities for each of us to engage in and learn from as we strive to celebrate 2SLGBTQ+ Pride every day at Toronto District School Board.

It is also an opportunity to highlight the varied issues related to 2SLGBTQ+ communities as well as the impact of homophobia, transphobia, and biphobia on TDSB students, staff, and community members. Community based agencies such as Toronto Pflag, CANVAS Arts Action Programs, Lumenus Community Services, Get REAL Movement Inc., White Ribbon and Queer Song Book Orchestra, are also excellent resources for supporting work related to 2SLGBTQ+, students, parents and families.

Italian Heritage Month @ TDSB - June 2025

Italian Heritage Month has been proudly recognized during the month of June at the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) since May 2012. Further, the Italian
Heritage Month Act was passed in 2010 resulting in the Italian heritage being celebrated in June across the province in Ontario.

This year's theme for Italian Heritage Month at the Toronto District School Board is La Dolce Vita: Celebrating the Sweet Life of Italian Culture.

Embracing life to its fullest is enjoying a simple meal made with a few modest ingredients, enriched with love and shared with family and friends with a backdrop of music and enjoying the moment. Italian culture appreciates art, fashion, elegance, and maintaining a balanced life. These all contribute to this year's theme of La Dolce Vita: Celebrating the Sweet Life of Italian Culture.

An in-person Italian Heritage Month celebration will take place at Newtonbrook Secondary School with performances, presentations, and speakers to mark the day. A video will be shared soon for all to enjoy!

June is also Seniors Month, and students from across the TDSB participate in marking this month by drawing and/or writing a message on a postcard that features the national flower of Italy. These postcards when complete will be distributed to the residents of Villa Colombo Home for the Aged during the month of June.

Portuguese-Speaking Heritage Month at the TDSB - June 2025

Portuguese-Speaking Heritage Month is proudly recognized during the month of June at the TDSB and has been since 2011. The month also coincides with the Province of Ontario's Celebration of Portuguese Heritage Act which passed in 2001.

In part the Celebration of Portuguese Heritage Act states: The Portuguese Canadian community is a vibrant community in Ontario and continues to make many significant contributions to our society and to enrich it with its history, language, culture and work ethic.

The month of June and the day of June 10, in particular, have always been a great time of celebration by the Portuguese community. The celebrations honour the life of Luis de Camoes and his famous epic poems, the Lusiads, with cultural performances, history seminars, poem recitals, street parades, and many other activities. The Lusiads are epic poems narrating the history of Portugal up to and including the era of the discoveries of the 15th and 16th centuries. June 10 is the anniversary of the death of Luis de Camoes.

As part of the celebration, an invitation is being extended to all students, staff and the larger TDSB community to attend the annual Portuguese Parade taking place on Saturday, June 7th, 2025. All are welcome to join this vibrant, colourful parade that brings the Portuguese-speaking community together to celebrate Luis de Camoes!

Those wishing to participate in the parade are asked to meet at 9:00 am on Oakwood Avenue north of St. Clair Ave. W. on Saturday, June 7, 2025. There will be clearly identified parade volunteers in the area to assist to locate the TDSB vehicle. The parade starts at 9:30 am and ends at 12:00 noon. A limited number of TDSB t-shirts will be provided to participants on a first come/first serve basis. Looking forward to seeing you there to celebrate!

This year's theme for Portuguese-Speaking Heritage Month at the TDSB is A Festa of Food. Festa is the Portuguese word for celebration, and you can't have a celebration without food. This year we will explore the Portuguese speaking world through its diverse culinary traditions. A celebration with musical performances, guest speakers, and of course a selection of food will be held to further celebrate Portuguese-Speaking Heritage Month at the Gallery of Portuguese Pioneers.

 

June Learning Sessions for Staff and Families

Learning and engagement sessions continue to be made available for both staff and families, providing valuable opportunities to explore inclusive and anti-ableist practices and concrete strategies to use in the classroom and at home. These sessions are designed to support student achievement and well-being. Please click this link to access the sessions being offered.

June is National Deafblind Awareness Month

The month of June serves as a platform for raising awareness about the distinctive challenges encountered by individuals with an identified dual sensory loss. Deafblindness, a combination of sight and hearing loss to varying degrees, profoundly impacts communication, mobility, learning, and access to information. Those who are deafblind often rely on alternative communication methods, such as tactile sign language, braille, or assistive technology.

In Ontario, students are identified as deafblind when neither sense can fully compensate for the loss of the other, meaning that neither can be used as a primary means of learning. They have unique and complex needs, requiring services and support which are different from those designed exclusively for individuals who are blind or have low vision, are Deaf or hard of hearing, or have multiple exceptionalities. When both vision and hearing challenges exist, attention and consideration must be given to both senses simultaneously. Environmental adaptations, positioning adjustments, and modifications in information delivery are needed.

To learn more about the local deafblind community, please visit Deafblind Awareness Month | DBCS (deafblindservices.ca)