January 2015 News from the Peel District School Board

Transcription

1 January 2015 News from the Peel District School Board This package includes: Bus cancellation & closing schools due to bad weather Help your family stay warm this winter It's time to register children born in 2011 for kindergarten Register for French Immersion by Jan. 30, 2015 Register for Extended French by Jan. 30, 2015 January faith and culture backgrounder/calendar Register for French Immersion by Jan. 30, 2015 Are you thinking of registering your child for Grade 1 French Immersion (FI) for the school year? Registration for Grade 1 FI for the school year will be available online at as of Monday Nov. 24, 2014 at 9 a.m. The deadline to register is Friday, Jan. 30, 2015 at 4 p.m. Registrants after that date will be put on a waiting list. The FI school for our area is Nahani Way Public School. Registration process A grade 1 FI enrolment cap is in place. This means that a specific number of spots are available for students entering grade 1 FI. If the number of students registered by the deadline exceeds the number of spots in grade 1 FI, a random selection process system will be used to identify students gaining entrance into the grade 1 FI program. All students who make the registration deadline will be placed in a random selection process and assigned a rank using a computerized random selection process. Spots are not assigned on a first come, first served basis. Once students have been assigned to all available spots, remaining students will be placed, again in rank order, on the school's waitlist. Some students will be automatically placed in grade 1 FI. To find out if your child does not need to participate in the random selection process, and for more information about the random selection and waitlist processes, visit How to get more information Visit the Peel board website Call Nahani Way Public School Visit the Canadian Parents for French website at

2 Bus cancellation & closing schools due to bad weather During the winter months, we may need to cancel buses or close schools because of inclement weather. Information regarding details of cancellations or closures will be announced on radio and television stations listed below and posted at and Information will also be available on Facebook at or by calling or VIRGIN RADIO FM99.9 CHUM AM1050 CFTR AM680 CFNY FM102.1/AM640 CJCL AM590 CHFI FM98.1 CFRB AM1010 EZ ROCK FM97.3 CJBC (FR) AM860 FM Z103.5 FM93.1 FM Q107 CHIN FM100.7/AM1540 CBC99.1 CITYPULSE GLOBAL NEWS CTV One of the following messages will be announced (highlighted text only): Peel District School Board buses are cancelled. This means that schools remain open for students and staff, but buses are cancelled. Bus cancellations could occur in all or parts of municipalities. Buses will remain cancelled all day. All activities that require busing will also be cancelled. Permits, night school classes, child care and other activities in schools will operate as usual. All Peel District School Board schools and board offices are closed. This means that all schools and Board offices are closed to students and staff. All activities in schools and board offices are also cancelled, including child care, night school and permits. All evening programs and permits at the Peel District School Board are cancelled. This means that all activities in schools and Board offices are cancelled, including continuing education courses and events. The buildings will be closed. All weekend programs and permits at the Peel District School Board are cancelled. This means that all activities in schools and Board offices are cancelled, including continuing education courses and events. The buildings will be closed.

3 Help your family stay warm this winter Canada Safety Council recommends the following tips for staying comfortable and preventing hypothermia when working or playing outdoors: Wear a warm hat most body heat is lost through the head. Children should keep an extra hat at school. Wear layered clothing. Layers allow warm air to stay trapped around the body. Protect your feet and hands. Wear loose waterproof boots. If the boots have liners, carry an extra pair to replace damp ones or take an extra pair of socks. Mittens are warmer than gloves. Carry an extra pair of mittens to school, on outings, etc. Prevent dehydration and exhaustion, which can lead to hypothermia. Drink plenty of fluids and pace yourself when doing vigorous activities. Stay fit by exercising and eating well people who are fit are less susceptible to hypothermia. If you stay indoors, avoid moving from a hot environment to a cold one. Excessive sweating caused from an extreme change in temperature increases the risk of developing hypothermia. Eat high-energy food such as nuts and raisins. If you are travelling (on the road or in the wilderness) carry emergency supplies. Register for Extended French by Jan. 30, 2015 Are you thinking of registering your child for Grade 7 Extended French (EF) for the school year? Registration for Grade 7 EF for the school year will be available online at as of Monday Nov. 24, 2014 at 9 a.m. The deadline to register is Friday, Jan. 30, 2015 at 4 p.m. Registrants after that date will be put on a waiting list. The EF school for our area is Green Glade The phone number (905) How to get more information Visit the Peel board website Call Green Glade The phone number (905) Visit the Canadian Parents for French website at

4 Traffic safety in our community Safety is a top priority at our school. Here is a list of traffic tips to keep students, staff and parents safe while commuting to and from school. Respect traffic signs and road markers around the school. Drive slowly and with caution on and near school property. Adhere to the posted speed limits on any surrounding streets used by students on their way to and from school. Always yield to pedestrian traffic. Wait for students, staff members and parents to cross before driving past them. When dropping your child off at the school, use the Kiss'n'Ride area. This is a supervised area that is designed to keep students safe. Do not double park or do anything else to block traffic or draw your child off the curb and into traffic. Do not take shortcuts over curbs. Have your child ready to exit the car During regular drop-off times, students are to remain in the car until a staff member opens the door Follow the directions of staff or volunteers on duty in the school parking lot and treat staff, students, volunteers, passengers and other drivers with respect. Consider parking off site and walking a short distance to school. This will give you time to talk to your children about their day, review new vocabulary words, math concepts, etc. Remind your child to only cross the street at an intersection or crosswalk. They should never jaywalk by crossing in the middle of the street. Celebrating Faith and Culture Backgrounder January 2015 The Peel District School Board is a mosaic of many cultures and faiths from all over the world. To commemorate this diversity, the board recognizes special faith and culture days of our communities. January 2015 has several special faith and culture days to celebrate and remember: K'aliyee in Aboriginal Spirituality K'aliyee is celebrated by Nisga'a people of the Nass Valley in Northwest British Columbia. It is the period of the north wind when prevailing weather blows off glaciers and icecaps that have lingered from the last ice age.

5 January 1 - Gantan-sai (New Year) in Shinto People of the Shinto faith a Japanese faith practised for centuries say "Akemashite Omedeto Gozaimasu!" on this day, which means "Happy New Year!" This is the most important holiday in Japan. Most businesses are closed from Jan. 1 to 3, and families typically gather to spend the days together. For happiness and good luck in the New Year, Japanese people begin to laugh the moment the Gantan-sai begins, so they will have good luck throughout the year. January 1 - Temple Day in Buddhism Buddhists of all schools attend a special service in the temple on this day in dedication of their faith. January 1 and 14 - New Year s Day in Christianity and Canada New Year s Day has been celebrated as a holiday by Western nations for the past 400+ years. It also holds religious significance for the followers of the Christian faith. In 153 BC, the Roman senate declared Jan.1 the beginning of the New Year. This holiday was first observed in Babylon 4,000 years ago. Celebrations around the holiday include: making of resolutions, parties on the evening of Dec. 31, and a toast at midnight when the New Year officially begins. On New Year's Day itself, many people watch football games, parades and spend the day with family and friends. Followers of Orthodox Christianity celebrate the New Year's Day on Jan. 14 based on the Julian calendar. Eve of January 2 January 3 - Milad-un-Nabi in Islam Milad-un Nabi or Maulid (Mawlid) is celebrated by Muslims as Eid-e Milad, the birthday of Prophet Muhammad. This is also anniversary of his death. The celebration begins the evening before with reading from the Quran, followed by poetry and songs in praise of the Prophet. There are also lectures and story-telling about his life and teachings. In some big cities of the Muslim world, the day is marked with processions. On the day of Milad, the Prophet's teachings are repeated, the Quran is read and religious discourses are conducted in the mosques. January 5 - Birth of Guru Gobind Singh in Sikhism Guru Gobind Singh was the 10 th and final guru ( ) in the Sikh faith. He created the Order of Khalsa and declared the scriptures, the Adi Granth, as the only guru after him for people of the Sikh faith.

6 Gurpurbs are festivals associated with the lives of the Gurus. Sikhs celebrate Gurpurbs, like the Birth of Guru Gobind Singh, with an akhand path, a complete and continuous reading of the Adi Granth, which takes 48 hours and finishes on the day of the festival. January 5 Mahayana New Year in Buddhism The followers of Mahayana Buddhism celebrate the New Year s Day on the first full moon day in January. The observance is a multi-day celebration. January 6 and 19 - Epiphany or Feast of Theophany in Christianity Followers of the Western Christian tradition celebrate Epiphany on Jan. 6. This day marks the journey of three kings to worship Jesus in Bethlehem. Some of the Orthodox churches like Greek, Russian, Ukrainian and Serbian that still follow the older or Julian calendar celebrate the same tradition as the Feast of Theophany on Jan. 19. The term epiphany means to show, to make known or to reveal. January 7 - Christmas in Christianity Followers of the Eastern Rite celebrate Christmas and the birth of Jesus on Jan. 7, based on the Julian calendar. Traditional celebrations include singing carols, having holy supper on Christmas Eve and attending church services on Christmas Eve and the Christmas Day. January 7 - Amitabha Buddha's Birthday in Buddhism Mahayana (practised in Vietnam, China, Japan, Korea, Tibet and Taiwan) Buddhist followers celebrate Amitabha (celestial) Buddha's Birthday on this day. Followers of the faith believe that he attained supreme enlightenment and now presides over the Pure Land (western paradise) - a land of ultimate bliss. January 12 - Seijin-no-hi in Shinto Based on a Shinto rite of passage known as gempuku, Seijin-no-hi is the Coming-of-Age Day, which marks the official entry to adulthood for all young Japanese who will have reached the age of majority (20 years) between April 2 of the previous year and April 1 of the current year. Declared a national holiday in Japan in 1948, 20-year-old women and men go to shrines, wearing traditional clothing. Their families announce their adulthood to the kami or spirits, and pray for their health and well-being.

7 January 13 - Lohri and January 14 - Makar Sankranti in Hinduism This festival marks the end of the winter season (when daylight hours begin to increase) and is primarily a harvest festival. This festival is also called Lohri in Punjab, Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Kicheri in Uttar Pradesh, Til Sankranti in Maharashtra, and Uttaran in Gujarat, India. Kite flying and burning sugar cane in bonfires is a couple of the more popular customs for this celebration. Newly married couples and parents on the birth of their first child particularly celebrate Lohri in the Punjab. Makar Sankranti is the first Hindu festival of the solar calendar year. It falls at a time when the sun enters the Zodiac sign of Makar (Capricorn), and when days become longer from this point on so it is a time for celebration. January 13 - Maghi in Sikhism This is the first day of the month of Magh. This day commemorates the battle at Muktsar, a town in Punjab, India, in which 40 Sikhs (called the Immortal Ones) died for Guru Gobind Singh in January 18 - World Religion Day in Bahá'í At this annual celebration, representatives of all faiths and traditions are invited to foster inter-faith understanding and harmony by focusing on the common beliefs and spiritual principles underlying all religions. January 19 to February 6 - month of Sultán in Bahá'í In the Bahá'í calendar, there are 19 months of 19 days each. Each month represents an attribute of God. January 19 is the beginning of Sultán, the seventeenth month of the Bahá'í calendar, signifying "sovereignty." The Bahá'í day starts and ends at sunset. The first day of each month is known as a Feast Day. January 24 - Vasant Panchami in Hinduism A North Indian celebration, Vasant Panchami is celebrated in honour of Saraswati, the Goddess of Learning and Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth. The fifth day of the bright fortnight of the lunar month of Magh is Vasanta Panchami and the first day of spring. Hindus celebrate this festival by holding ceremonies to venerate Saraswati, goddess of wisdom and knowledge. People dress in yellow and get together with their families. Marigold flowers are featured in religious services. Symbolically, the education of children in their first year begins on this day.

8 January 27 - Sakyamuni Buddha's Enlightenment in Buddhism Siddhartha Gautama, known also as Sakyamuni Buddha, attained enlightenment at the age of 35 while sitting in deep meditation under the Bodhi tree. Followers of the faith commemorate this day for their founder by holding Dharma functions in the temples and by partaking of congee (a nourishing milk drink). On this day, Buddhists reflect on the "Middle Path" - a path of moderation between extreme self-indulgence and selfmortification taught by Sakyamuni Buddha.