EJPS Week at a Glance (Oct 21-25)
Chers parents,
As we transition from the Fall to Winter seasons there are many days of significance observed by the myriad of cultures and religious groups that make up our wonderful EJPS community. For example, October is Islamic Heritage Month. Diwali, the Hindu Festival of the Lights is celebrated all around the world on November 1st. The installation of the Holy Scriptures of the Sikh religion is celebrated on October 20th. There are four holy days observed by those of the Jewish faith in October. December is a time when Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Winter Solstice celebrations all converge. It would be wonderful for our school to reflect all of these celebrations in the learning in the classroom and in the products displayed throughout our school. Our teaching staff is always open to collaborating with EJPS parents who are willing to visit the classroom and share in their own voices their first-hand knowledge and appreciation for some of the cultures outside of the dominant majority. If you are interested in contributing to widening our recognition of cultural diversity please contact me directly at olivier.cutz@ugdsb.on.ca so I can help coordinate learning opportunities for our staff and students.
This coming Monday, October 21st we will have a Spirit Assembly during the middle block to celebrate our successes so far, review areas of improvement, and set goals for the coming weeks. We encourage all students and staff to wear our school colours, GREEN & GOLD! Speaking of colours, Halloween and Black and Orange Day will be occurring at EJPS on October 31st as done in previous years. Many schools celebrate Halloween with costume dress up and/or black and orange. Halloween is a day that is not observed by all students or staff. With this, it is considered a choice to participate as are all spirit days. Alternate and supportive accommodations are to be provided for students if school events take place (e.g. parade). Also, I want to reassure parents that when treats are brought into the school to celebrate that we will ensure that Halal and Kosher options (e.g. gelatin free) will be available.
Costumes: It is our responsibility to ensure that school community members avoid using identities and cultures as costumes. This includes appropriative costumes/cultural stereotypes (i.e. cultural garments), black/brown face, transphobic costumes, body-shaming and objectifying costumes, and costumes that joke about situations that have caused harm (i.e. COVID pandemic). Such costumes perpetuate stereotypes and can cause harm that can further marginalize and oppress community members.
General Guidelines:
Participation is optional
Wear black and orange if you prefer
Costumes must be free of replica weapons, masks are not encouraged (students must have full vision for safety), no valuable items
Costumes must be respectful of all cultures and beliefs. (For example, a costume depicting indigenous peoples would be inappropriate).
Have regular clothes available for your child, as they may need to change out of their costumes part way through the day.
Kindergarten teachers will communicate additional information directly to parents around the logistics of having a successful experience with Halloween costumes in Kindergarten classrooms with up to 28 students!
If students wish to wear a costume here is a list of Do's and Don'ts:
Costume Do’s
Costume Don’ts
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Below are some important information items and updates:
Oct 21 EJ Spirit Assembly (students are encouraged to wear green and gold
Oct 22-24 CCAT Test for Grade 3 students
Oct 23 Police Presentations (JK/SK, Gr 1 - Gr 4) *Letters emailed to each class
Oct 24 ECE Appreciation Day
Oct 25 > PA Day Poster for Elementary schools - October 25, 2024 PA Day
Oct 31 > Halloween/Black & Orange Day
Nov 8 > Anti Bullying Assembly @ 10:50 in the Gym (parents welcome)
Nov 11 > Remembrance Day Ceremony @ 10:50 in the Gym (parents welcome)
Nov 13 > Progress Reports available online
Nov 28 > Parent-Teacher Interviews Evening
Nov 29 > PA Day for Parent-Teacher Interviews
Dec 11 > JK-Gr 6 Holiday Extravaganzza (Times TBD) in the Gym (parents welcome)
Dec 23-Jan 5 > WINTER BREAK
Notes from the office:
Wokbox, Subway & Pizza are now posted and available on School Cash Online. The deadline to order is Friday, October 25th @ midnight. Please note that no late orders will be processed.
Merci beaucoup!
Olivier Cutz
(Principal)
** This and all past EJPS Week at a Glance emails are also posted on our school website here: https://www.ugdsb.ca/o/ejps/news
Olivier Cutz (he/him)
Principal École Edward Johnson
397 Stevenson Street North
Guelph, Ontario N1E 5C1
519.763.7374 ext. 223