Emily Carr
December 2018
Message from Administration
As we slide into December, we want to give a friendly reminder that as the weather turns colder, students need to dress appropriately for the weather conditions (boots, winter hats, scarves and gloves are always a good choice). If students do not have proper snow pants, they will be asked to stay off the field during Nutrition Break. Also, families are encouraged to adjust morning routines when inclement weather is in the forecast to ensure that students arrive safely and on time to school.
A reminder to Emily Carr families that December 21st is an Early Dismissal. All students will be dismissed at 1:05pm.
The Emily Carr staff would like to extend to all Emily Carr families, Happy Holidays and Best Wishes as we head into the New Year. We encourage everyone to reflect on their personal growth and accomplishments of 2018. We all have so much to be proud of! May you all experience peace and joy with your families during the Winter Break and throughout the new year.
Community Reminders
The Town of Oakville Crossing Guard Office is dedicated to creating and maintaining a strong partnership with our local schools in a mutual effort to ensure the safety of everybody involved. The safety of the students/parents and crossing guards is their primary concern.
With an increased number of traffic incidents in school zones since the beginning of this school year, the Crossing Guard Office would appreciate our help in creating safety awareness on the road when traveling to/from school; whether it would be in the form of walking, cycling or driving.
The Crossing Guard Office has asked us to highlight:
1. Traffic congestion around the schools including illegal stopping/parking and obstructing crosswalks. The number of children who regularly walk to school has been steadily declining over the past three decades in Canada. By encouraging active transportation as a safe, enjoyable, healthy and eco-friendly model, we can alleviate the traffic congestion in the school zones.
2. Driving through active crosswalks poses a serious safety concern. Vehicles approaching the school crossing guard should stop before reaching the crossing and should remain stopped until all persons, including the school crossing guard, have cleared the roadway and it is safe to proceed. In order to make students and parents aware of the Highway Traffic Act (HTA) regulations with regards to the School crossing, please refer to Section 176 of the HTA.
3. Cycling through crosswalks - making both students and parents aware that they need to dismount and walk their bikes when crossing within a crosswalk, at a mid-block trail location or pedestrian crossover location.
Thank you for your support and continued efforts to keep the Emily Carr community safe for everyone!
Stay Informed
EC families are encouraged to keep informed with all the happenings at Emily Carr P.S. through our Twitter account @EmilyCarrHDSB and our school website.
Parent Connection Information
Our Emily Carr Parent Group met on November 16. Thank you to all the parents who attended. We learned about the Ontario Progress Report Card, Student Led Conferences and Community Resources. We look forward to meeting again in the new year! All are welcome to attend.
Many parents were interested to learn about winter driving tips and child car seat regulations in Ontario.
The link for the Winter Driving and Car Seat Videos is here:
https://www.safetydrivesus.org/e-learning
The video links are offered in many languages: Arabic, Cantonese, English, Mandarin, Punjabi, Spanish and Urdu.
Please also check out the links for the recreation and library programs offered in Winter 2019.
Town of Oakville Programs:
https://www.oakville.ca/culturerec/rec-culture-programs.html
Oakville Library Programs:
For more Community Connections information, please contact our School Settlement Specialist - Catherine Lee at clee@haltonmc.com
Celebration on Parade!
We are excited to present “Celebration on Parade”, an original holiday show
celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Ramadan and Eid, Diwali, Chinese New
Year, and the Winter Solstice.
"Celebration on Parade" will be performed on Wednesday, December 12 at 6:30 pm.
Tickets are not required.
Parents, Guardians, and family are also welcome to attend the dress rehearsal at
1:15 pm.
Student Leadership
Be an Angel this Holiday Season and send a candy gram to a friend(s). Candy Grams will be sold for $0.25 each. All proceeds will go to the Angel Project. The Angel Project supports long-term care patients who have no families to provide basic needs (i.e. toiletries, equipment, patient visits, etc.).
December 4th to December 12th - Orders through School Cash Online ONLY. Students may order up to a maximum of 30 candy grams.
December 10th to December 14th - Candy gram tags will be distributed.
December 20th - Candy grams will be delivered.
Emily Carr Student Leadership - #Kindnessiscool #Kindnessculture
#kindnessiscool
#kindnessculture
Additional Parent Resources
Additional parent resources on bullying prevention and how to support your child at home can be found here.
Giving Tree
Much of the joy of the winter season is creating a special moment for someone else in need. In the spirit of giving, we will be collecting new mittens, gloves, hats and scarves which will be used as decoration on the Giving Tree. Please place these new items onto the tree outside of the office beginning on Monday December 3rd through December 19th.
Make a Difference Campaign
Student Leadership
December 11th - Holiday Story Time for Grades 1 & 2
December 18th - Holiday Craft Time for Grades 1 & 2
PJ Day - Friday, December 21st
Town of Oakville - Crossing Guard Recruitment
Be part of our Walk to School program:
• Keep children safe
• Provide an essential and valuable community service
• Enjoy holidays and summers off
• Earn $15.39 per hour
For more information, visit oakville.ca
or contact the Crossing Guard Office
at 905-845-6601, ext. 3363 or
School Council - Volunteers Needed
Even a few hours a month is appreciated!
We need volunteers to help run our Pizza Program, support our school Library, organize several upcoming events, including our year-end CARRnival Celebration, and several other activities during the school year!
We also need Parking Lot helpers each morning and afternoon during student drop-off and pick-up times.
Contact Erica Ramey today to get started! --> erica.ramey@gmail.com
Thank you for being part of this great community and for your support!
The HDSB App
Prevalent Medical Conditions
Earlier this year, the Ministry of Education released Policy Program Memorandum 161: Supporting Students with Prevalent Medical Conditions. School Boards across Ontario are expected to implement PPM 161 by September 2018. As a result, the HDSB has updated several Administrative Procedures to better support students who have Anaphylaxis, Asthma, Diabetes, Epilepsy and Seizure Disorders. With the revised HDSB procedures, students who have any of the listed prevalent medical conditions, must have a Plan of Care in place. Furthermore, the Plan of Care must be co-created by the student, parent and school staff.
If your child has a prevalent medical condition, please access the new Plan of Care documents at the hyperlinks below
Epilepsy and Seizure Disorders
Please also complete Appendix A and Appendix B of the Request to Administer Emergency Medication Form 1
Dates to Remember
Tuesday, December 4th - Safety Bus Training
Wednesday, December 5th - School Council's Winter Break Celebration (3:00 - 6:00 pm -- RSVP Required) & Terra Greenhouse Holiday Fundraiser Item Pickup (12:00 noon to 6:00 pm)
Wednesday, December 19th - Grade 2's to Dundurn Castle, Hamilton
Friday, December 21st - EARLY DISMISSAL (1:05 pm) for all students
Monday, January 7th, 2019 - School Resumes (8:15 am)
December 2018 Celebrations/Observances and Significant Days
December 1 - World AIDS Day
World AIDS Day takes place on the 1st December each year. It’s an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, to show support for people living with HIV, and to commemorate those who have died from an AIDS-related illness. Founded in 1988, World AIDS Day was the first ever global health day.
December 2 - Int. Day for the Abolition of Slavery - United Nations
The International Day for the Abolition of Slavery is observed tomorrow by the United Nations.
The focus of this day is on eliminating all forms of slavery, such as trafficking and child labour or use of children in armed conflicts. This day was instituted on the 2nd of December, 1949 in hopes to raise public awareness of the importance of this worldwide issue.
December 2 - First Sunday of Advent - Christianity
Many Christians in Canada celebrate the beginning of the Advent season on the first Sunday of Advent. It marks the start of the Christian year in western Christianity. Its length varies from 22 to 28 days, starting on the Sunday nearest St Andrew’s Day and encompassing the next three Sundays, ending on Christmas Day.
December 3 - Int. day for Persons with Disability - United Nations
Since 1992, the United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities has been celebrated annually on 3 December around the world. This day is observed to raise awareness for greater inclusion for all persons with disabilities. The hope is that the world becomes more inclusive and equitable for all persons with disabilities.
December 3 - 10th - Hanukkah (Judaism)
Many Jewish communities in Canada observe the first day of Hanukkah, which marks the start of Hanukkah. This holiday is also known as Chanukah or Festival of Lights.
Hanukkah is an eight-day Jewish observance that remembers the Jewish people's struggle for religious freedom. Hanukkah is a time for gift-giving and celebration. Hanukkah events often include singing, drama, and entertaining activities involving the dreidel, which is a toy used for games. Many Jewish Canadians prepare and eat special meals together. Happy Hanukkah to all of our families celebrating this holiday.
December 6 - National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women
In 1991, the Parliament of Canada declared December 6th to be the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.The day now represents a time to reflect on violence against women in our society. It is also a day for communities and individuals to speak out against all forms of violence against women and its impact on victims and their families and friends. In Ontario, candlelight vigils, memorial services, and other events are held throughout the province.
December 8 - Bodhi Day - Buddhism
In the world of Buddhism, an important day of celebration is December 8th. This is the day that many Buddhists celebrate Bodhi Day, or the occasion when the Buddha attained enlightenment on this same day in 596 BC while sitting under the Bodhi tree. The Buddha taught his followers to fit into the neighborhood in which they lived and not to draw attention to themselves, and represent peace and calm to everyone around them.
December 10 - International Human Rights Day - United Nations
Human Rights Day is observed every year on 10 December. It commemorates the day on which, in 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This year, Human Rights Day calls on everyone to stand up for someone's rights! Many of us are fearful about the way the world is heading. Disrespect for basic human rights continues to be widespread in all parts of the globe. It starts with each of us. Step forward and defend the rights of a refugee or migrant, a person with disabilities, a woman, a child, indigenous peoples, a minority group, or anyone else at risk of discrimination or violence.
December 13 - Birth of Imam Aga Khan - Islam
On December 13, 2018, people of the Islamic faith around the world celebrate the 82nd birthday of our present living Imam, His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan. Born in Geneva, Switzerland in 1936, he succeeded his grandfather to become the 49th Ismaili Imam at the age of 20. The faith has over 15 million followers across 25 countries in the world.
December 21 - Yule/Winter Solstice - Christianity
In the Northern Hemisphere, the December Solstice is the Winter Solstice and the shortest day of the year. Although winter is the season of dormancy, darkness and cold, the December Solstice marks the "turning of the Sun" and the days slowly get longer. Celebrations of the lighter days to come and nature’s continuing cycle have been common throughout cultures and history with feasts, festivals and holidays around the December Solstice. For thousands of years, the First Nations peoples noted the shifting of seasons. To acknowledge the vast complexity of the earth’s cycles, people celebrated through ceremony what is considered the longest night. It has always been a time when people reflect on their spirituality and prepare themselves to greet the New Sun, with intentions of living a vision that is anchored to spirit and a new light.
December 22 - Unduvap Poya Day - Buddhism
Unduvap Poya is the last Full Moon Poya day of the year and commemorates the arrival of Sangamitta Theri in Sri Lanka and for people of Sri Lankan culture all over the world. It is observed by the closing of businesses and schools in Sri Lanka.
December 25 - Christmas Day - Christianity
December 25 is known as Christmas Day all over the world and many people in Canada spend the day with close relatives or friends. It is a time to exchange gifts, enjoy a special festive meal and, perhaps, attend a special church service. However, some people, particularly in Quebec, do some or all of these things on Christmas Eve as well as, or instead of, on Christmas Day. The traditions centered on Christmas gifts in Canada vary a lot between families. In some families, a mythical figure called Santa Claus brings gifts. It is a time of giving to those who are in need and to show love for friends and family. Many Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem on December 25, although the true date and year of his birth is unclear. The tradition of celebrating his birth at the end of December may come from the widespread European tradition of celebrations around the winter solstice.
December 26 - January 1 - Kwanzaa - African Canadian
Kwanzaa is a holiday honoring the culture and traditions of people of African origin. It is celebrated by people from a range of African countries and their descendants. Kwanzaa consists of a week of celebrations, which ends with a feast and the exchange of gifts. During the celebrations, candles are lit and a wooden unity cup is used. Originally, the people observing Kwanzaa did not mix any elements of other festivals into their celebrations. However, in recent years, it has become increasingly common for people to mix elements of Kwanzaa with Christmas or New Year celebrations. For instance, a family may have both a Christmas tree and a Kwanzaa candle stick on display in their home. This enables them to include both Christian and African inspired traditions in their lives at this time of year.
Emily Carr Public School
Website: https://sites.google.com/a/hdsb.ca/emily-carr/home
Location: 2255 Pine Glen Road, Oakville, ON, Canada
Phone: (905) 827-3928
Twitter: @EmilyCarrHDSB