Equity and Inclusion C A L E N D A R

Equity and Inclusion
Volume 27, October 2014, Page 1
A monthly newsletter to support EI in LKDSB.
M U LT I C U LT U R A L
CALENDAR
October
2—Saraswati Puja (Hindu)
3—Day of Hajj (Islam)
4—Eid-ul-Adha (Islam)
8—Pavarana (Buddhist)
9 Sukkot (Oct 9-15) (Jewish)
10—World Mental Health Day
(UN)
11—Coming Out Day-Gay and
Lesbian (LGBT)
13—Thanksgiving (Canada)
20—Birthday Of The Báb
(Bahá'í)
23—Diwali (Hindu, Sikh)
Diwali means 'row of lights' and
is the Hindu New Year. Diwali
lasts for 5 days: Day 1 - New
Year for business, Day 2 - the
triumph of god Vishnu over the
evil demon, Day 3 - Lakshmi,
the goddess of
prosperity visits
homes lit by
lamps, Day 4 Bali worship day,
Day 5 - devoted
to brothers and
sisters.
WONDERING HOW TO START YOUR OWN
CHARACTER EDUCATION ASSEMBLIES? IT’S EASY!
This is a very common template, used in many schools. At KGVI, (thanks to
Melissa Dent), our assembly agenda usually works like this: 1. Hand out certificates
to award winners (2 per classroom), for the previous month’s character trait.
(We’ve also handed out bracelets that say, “I made a difference at KGVI!”) There’s
always a photo shoot of our award winners and lots of applause. 2. Introduce next
month's character trait focus (e.g., have classes sign up for these, so each month a
different class presents something). Presentations could be reading a book, a video,
play, poem, tableau, discussion, song, speaker, talk show or whatever other way
they think they can get the point across.
If you'd like a copy of our certificates, I’d be happy to
share. They are MS PUB files. (Thanks to Beth Wilcocks
for the original certificate template.) We print them on
card stock. When teachers write the reason the child is
receiving that award on the back of them it makes them
even more valuable to parents and students.
Submitted by Ruth Kohut, KGVI (Sarnia)
WELCOME TO KING GEORGE!
When you walk in the door to King George VI
PS (Sarnia), you’re welcomed in 30 languages!
(Banner designed by Tina from Lifetouch Photos.)
Better yet, when you walk down the
Kindergarten hall, you’ll see this wonderful
poem (found on a crayon box), and the artwork to go
along with it:
Wouldn't it be terrible? Wouldn't it be sad?
If just one single colour was the colour that we had?
If everything was purple? Or red? Or blue? Or green?
If yellow, pink, or orange was all that could be seen?
Can you just imagine how dull our world would be
If just one single colour was all we got to see?
Submitted by Jennifer Holmes, FDK Teacher, King George VI
“From Awareness to Action”
Equity and Inclusion
Volume 27, October 2014, Page 2
A monthly newsletter to support EI in LKDSB.
UNDESIRABLES: White Canada and the Komagata Maru
(An Illustrated History) by Ali Kazimi
NEW BOOKS NOW
AVAILABLE!!
On May, 1914, the Komagata Maru, a ship
carrying 376 immigrants, mostly Sikhs from
Punjab, India, and ALL British subjects, was
turned away when it tried to land in
Vancouver’s harbour. Its passengers,
challenged Canada’s Continuous Journey
EI BOOK LENDING
LIBRARY
Recommended books that
are available to borrow
include (just send an email
to Ruth Kohut):
In 2014, the Canadian government
created a stamp that recognizes the
significance of the Komagata Maru incident.
Pink Sari Revolution
by Amana Fontanella-Khan
Up The Learning Tree
by Marcia Vaughan
Undesirables
by Ali Kazimi
Ask Me No Questions
by Marina Budhos
Orphan 32
by Thanh Campbell
where racist immigration policies were
challenged and transformed when more
than 350 South Asian people were denied
entry. Vancouver Observer notes that, "…
Undesirables is not only a definitive historic
glimpse of Canada’s racist past, but a more
hopeful version of history.” Kazimi brings
new insight to what the Canada' government
acknowledged in 2008 as a “dark chapter” in
its past. The book is splendidly designed and
illustrated.
This incredible story of how Canada
turned away these immigrants is part of our
history that is often overlooked.
If your class is
interested in more
clause, which was put in place in part to limit information, you can
immigration from non-European countries.
contact Pardeep Singh
After two months, under difficult conditions, Nagra, Executive
the ship and most of its passengers were
Director of the Sikh
forced to return to India where, in a
Heritage Museum of
subsequent clash with British soldiers, 19
Canada at
passengers died.
[email protected]
In Undesirables, award-winning filmmaker Visit the website at http://wwww.shmc.ca
and author Ali Kazimi enlarges our
(This book is available to borrow through
understanding of the months-long standoff,
the EI Library.)
Curriculum Connections:
Grade 6 Social Studies: Heritage and Identity: Communities in Canada, Past and Present
“From Awareness to Action”
Equity and Inclusion
A monthly newsletter to support EI in LKDSB.
IMPORTANT MATH TIP TO SHARE WITH YOUR SCHOOL
COMMUNITY
• If you and your child are more comfortable in a language other than
English, use it. Your child will understand concepts better in the
language that he or she knows best.
From “Helping Your Child Learning Math.” Get the full guide from http://
www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/parentGuideNum2012.pdf
ABORIGINAL PERSPECTIVES: A GUIDE TO THE TEACHER’S
TOOLKIT
The Teacher’s Toolkit is a new collection of electronic resources from the
Ministry of Education to help elementary and secondary teachers bring
Aboriginal perspectives into their classrooms. It is available on the ministry’s
website. These resources were developed by educators from across Ontario
who have expertise in bringing Aboriginal themes and perspectives into the
classroom to both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students.
cultures, and perspectives are being incorporated into many areas of the
elementary and secondary curriculum. The Teacher’s Toolkit identifies
these expectations in the revised curriculum, and provides teaching
strategies to enrich teaching and learning. It also provides listings of print
and electronic resources that you can use to explore each teaching theme
in more depth.
Aboriginal perspectives bring the curriculum to life! These lesson plans
are very engaging, so check them out!
Where to Find It - This document and the
accompanying CD are in your school!
However, if you can’t find it, the Teacher’s
Toolkit can also be located on the ministry’s
website at: www.edu.gov.on.ca. From the
home page, click on “Popular Topics” and
select “Aboriginal Education”, or go directly
to: www.ontario.ca/aboriginaleducation.
Volume 27, October 2014, Page 3
EQUITY IN EXPECTATIONS:
WHAT CAN A TEACHER DO TO
BUILD RELATIONSHIPS?
*TESA (Teacher Expectations and
Student Achievement) identified 15
behaviours that teachers use with good
students. The research study found that
when teachers used these interactions
with low-achieving students, they made
significant gains in achievement.
1. Calls on everyone in room equitably.
2. Provides individual help.
3. Gives ‘wait’ time (allows student
enough time to answer).
4. Asks questions to give student clues
about answer.
5. Asks questions that require more
thought.
6. Gives feedback to students on their
answers.
7. Gives specific
praise.
8. Gives reasons for
praise.
9. Listens.
10. Accepts feelings
of student.
11. Gets within arm’s reach of each
student each day.
12. Is courteous to students.
13. Shows personal interest and gives
compliments.
14. Touches students (appropriately).
15. Desists (does not call attention to
every negative student behaviour).
*Adapted from TESA (Teacher Expectations
and Student Achievement), Los Angeles
Department of Education
“From Awareness to Action”
Equity and Inclusion
Volume 27, October 2014, Page 4
A monthly newsletter to support EI in LKDSB.
WELCOME TO HOLLAND—HAVING A CHILD WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
Have you ever read the article by a parent of a child with special needs describing the experience? I thought it was a
thought provoking analogy. (Submitted by Tania Smith.)
Welcome To Holland
I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not
shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......
When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books
and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn
some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the
plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."
"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've
dreamed of going to Italy."
But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.
The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and
disease. It's just a different place.
So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a
whole new group of people you would never have met. It’s just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy
than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to
notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they
had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had
planned." And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very, very
significant loss. But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy
the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.
©1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley.
INCLUSION: An Expected and Regular Practice in LKDSB Schools
This is a grade 5 student who has Down Syndrome. Her favourite time of the
day is, ‘read to a friend’. She loves listening while her classmates read story
books to her. She and her twin sister, who also has Down Syndrome, love
the time they spend in their sensory ‘pea pod’.
Submitted by Charity Cochran, LRT, Lakeroad
(This is just one example of how students are integrated into our regular programs. “It is imperative that inclusion
means not only the practice of placing students with special needs in the regular classroom but
ensuring that teachers assist every student to prepare for the highest degree of independence
possible.” Education for All, 2005.)
“From Awareness to Action”