Dear York School Community,

It is a very busy time at The York School as the Admission & Advancement Teams have started preparing for our upcoming Open Houses - our Junior School Open House is scheduled tomorrow and the Middle and Senior School hosts an Open House on October 24.

The Fall is a wonderful opportunity for all of our student Ambassadors to showcase their school and the Gladiator pride that comes from the chance to share what they are learning and doing at The York School. The feedback we’ve received is that York students are confident, articulate and naturally polite. Our student Ambassadors take their role in our community very seriously and it is wonderful to watch them shine as they share their energy and enthusiasm with touring families.

In the classrooms and hallways, school spirit is high. This school spirit will hit high stride tomorrow in the Middle and Senior Schools with the annual Staff vs. Student basketball game.

Thank you again for your continued partnership. Your engagement and support keeps our community positively energized and helps position our school as one of the leading and most enviable schools to attend in Canada.

Val Turner,
Principal, Junior School

TONIGHT! - DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP EVENING
ALL PARENTS INVITED

Thursday, October 17 from 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM at The York School
1320 Yonge St.

As part of practising Digital Wellness, parents of students K-12 are invited to join Justin Medved, Director of Learning Innovation and Technology and Elissa Kline-Beber, Director of Wellness to an evening session on fostering digital citizenship and wellness. They will discuss how The York School is taking a whole school approach to developing healthy digital habits and skills in our students, as they navigate an increasingly interconnected world. The session will address issues such as:

limiting digital distraction
managing gaming
promoting healthy sleep habits
social media etiquette, and
as parents - setting an example for our children.

As well, student leaders will be in attendance to share the adolescent voice on some of these timely issues how they are helping steward the conversation at school as part of the student-led Digital Citizenship initiative.

For those of you who cannot attend, the link to the presentation is here

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LOCKDOWN DRILL - PLANNED FOR OCTOBER 21

Dear Parents,

On October 21st, we will have the first lockdown drill of the school year. The purpose of a lockdown drill is to prepare for a perceived or actual threat such as having an intruder in the building. The intention is to familiarize students and faculty to a procedure that can be followed quickly, effectively and safely.

Tomorrow, teachers will facilitate discussions with their students about why lockdown drills are practiced. We want students to know that ensuring the safety of our community is our most important priority. Like fire drills, these are practice for an event that will most likely not happen. By taking proactive steps, the goal is to augment the students’ sense of control and competence. Knowing the school has a plan can heighten students’ sense of safety and help to reduce anxiety. We recognize that these drills may generate questions. Teachers and parents are encouraged to be open to any questions their children may have and be as honest in their responses as possible.

Please note our lockdown procedure is as follows:

The lockdown tone will be broadcast over our PA system with a verbal message indicating that “all people in The York School are to initiate lockdown procedures”.
Students and staff who are in a room with a door will close and lock the door and draw the blind, ensuring that they are out of the line of sight.
Students, staff and visitors in open common spaces will quickly move to a lockable space, the specific location will depend upon where they are in the school.
During the lockdown drill, students will be asked to remain silent, all cell phones must be turned off.
When the lockdown drill is over, the all-clear signal will be broadcast over the PA system. Students and staff will remain in their rooms until the doors are unlocked, from the outside, by an administrator.

We plan to hold two lockdown drills this school year. Going forward, we will not inform students in advance of the drill. However, if you believe your child requires advance warning, please advise Elissa Kline-Beber, Director of Student Wellness.

Struan Robertson
(Interim) Head of School

and

Elissa Kline-Beber
Director of Student Wellness

SAVE THE DATE - ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

OCTOBER 23 at 5:30 PM - ALL MEMBERS WELCOME

Details HERE

SPOTLIGHT ON SERVICE

The York School in the Community.

Crossroads International is a leading Canadian volunteer cooperation agency advancing equality for women and girls and eradicating poverty in some of the world’s poorest countries in Africa and South America. Every year, Crossroads International engage hundreds of experienced volunteers and staff North and South who apply their expertise locally to address poverty and inequality. Crossroads invests in local partners who are best positioned to meet the needs of their communities, and with them, pilot innovative approaches to create decent jobs and to empower women and girls to become leaders and live free from violence.

Crossroads profiled two of our recent alumni, Gigi Noble and Lizzie Schulz for founding Women of The World (WOW) in their latest annual report. Organized to support a Girl’s Empowerment Programme in Burkina Faso, Christine Campbell, National Director External Relations at Crossroads made two observations while attending Gigi and Lizzie’s Women of The World event 1. It was inspiring to see these women helping women a world away 2. she was encouraged to see so many actively engaged young men in attendance.