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”