Junior School - SEPTEMBER 21, 2023

UPCOMING EVENTS

What you need to know

CAR SIGNS FOR BACKDOOR PICK UP
Car signs have been made this week to assist with identifying vehicles at our back door pickup. These signs have only been made for those who pick up from the back door frequently. Please reach out via email to Sarah Charley, Director of Student Life & Belonging, if you haven’t received one and you want to have the option of a back door pick up. You can also request another one if you have multiple vehicles. Please keep your car sign handy and hold it up or place it on the windshield so that faculty on duty can view it easily.

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation/Orange Shirt Day 
September 30th has been designated as a day to reflect on the painful history and legacy of Canada's Residential School System for First Nation, Métis and Inuit families and communities. We recognize that conversations surrounding residential schools can be difficult, particularly for our youngest learners. Therefore, we have decided to use a selection of children's literature as a gateway to understanding the lives of residential school survivors. The text chosen will be age and stage appropriate and focus on the following themes: 

  • Kindergarten - Grade 3: The conversations and texts used in these grades will center around the idea of safety and what they appreciate about their own home and community. 

  • Grade 4 - 5: The conversation and texts used in these grades will include similar discussions around safety and appreciation of their own home and community. However, they will also go deeper into understanding the injustices that have been inflicted upon Indigenous communities through Canada's residential school system.  

  • The school has partnered with Dr. Pamela Rose Toulouse to help us incorporate Indigenous content into our curriculum. Dr. Pam previously worked as a professor for the faculty of education at Laurentian University and is a National 3M Teaching Excellence Award Fellow. Originally from the Sagamok First Nation in Northern Ontario, Dr. Pam has over 25 years of teaching experience and has published various resources, including curriculum documents. Here are some suggested texts from Dr. Pamela, should you wish to start the conversation with your children at home: 

    • Kindergarten - Grade 3:

      • When We Were Alone by David Alexander Robertson 

      • Nanabosho and the Butterflies by Joe and Matrine McLellan 

      • When I was Eight by Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton 

    • Grades 4 - 5: 

      • Kookum's Red Shoes by Peter Eyvindson 

      • As Long as the Rivers Flow: A Last Summer Before Residential School by Constance Brissenden and Larry Oskiniko 

      • Fatty Legs: A True Story by Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton

    • We will also be welcoming children’s author David A. Robertson, virtually to our school to discuss his book When We Were Alone. David is a member of Norway House Cree Nation and currently lives in Winnipeg. In honouring the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, students and staff are encouraged to wear orange on Friday, September 29th to demonstrate their commitment to reconciliation.

Health & Safety

Health reminders for Back to School

  • Please have your child stay home if they are sick.

  • They may return to school if they have been fever free for 24 hours and their symptoms have been improving for 24 hours.

  • If they test positive for covid, they should remain home until they are fever free for 24 hours and their symptoms are improving/mostly gone. They should wear a mask for 10 days from when their symptoms began.

  • Please take a moment to look at the guidelines posted from Toronto Public Health. Bookmark the guidelines for easy reference.  

Wishing everyone a healthy fall. As always, any health related questions please reach out to Shana Brandes at sbrandes@yorkschool.com, our school nurse.

STUDENT LIFE & BELONGING
ORANGE SHIRT day to honour truth & reconciliation

The Junior School will be honouring National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Friday, September 29th with our Orange Shirt Casual Day. Students will also engage in age and stage appropriate activities and conversations that amplify Indigenous voices and learn more about this part of Canada’s history and identity. We will also create an art installation with messages that ‘Every Child Matters’. 

We are welcoming  Indigenous children’s author David A. Robertson virtually from his home in Winnipeg the morning of  Friday, September 29th. David will speak to our SK- Grade 5 students about his picture book When We Were Alone. It is an empowering story of resistance that gently introduces children to the history of residential schools in Canada. The story is about a young girl that notices things about her grandmother that make her curious. Why does her grandmother have long, braided hair and beautifully coloured clothing? Why does she speak Cree and spend so much time with her family? As the girl asks questions, her grandmother shares her experiences in a residential school, when all of these things were taken away.

To purchase merchandise from the Official Orange Shirt Society (Scroll down to bottom of the webpage for a list of approved t-shirt providers.)

The York Shop

  • The York School is excited to share with our community that we are opening up a York Shop at our 1320 Yonge Street campus where students across all three divisions (Junior, Middle and Senior School) will be able to purchase black gym t-shirts for our Junior School students, gym uniforms for all Middle and Senior School Students as well as spirit wear items.

    *All purchases will be charged to Student Accounts

  • Where: 1320 Campus in the Learning Commons

    Hours: 11:30am - 12:45pm

    Start date: September 11, 2023

    *The York Shop is not selling the official school uniform which you must purchase through our uniform provider Top Marks (topmarks.ca)

  • Please note: Students in Grades 6-12 are able to purchase items independently on their student account. Students in our Junior School Grades JK-Grade 5 require parents to purchase on their behalf.

    If you have any questions please reach out to Astrid Fischer (afischer@yorkschool.com)