REDI IN ACTION Recognizing Tamil Heritage Month By: Noelyn Selvanayagam
Days Not to Miss
by: Sara Akbari Throughout the month of February for Black History Month, students across The York School from JK to Grade 12, spent time to recognize the sacrifices, contributions, and achievements of influential Black people and impactful movements across the world. Grade 1 examined various trailblazers, ranging from Josiah Henson to Rosemary Brown to Akim Aliu, investigating a new person each day and identifying the significant contributions and struggles each one faced. In class, students subsequently brainstormed adjectives to describe them in order to write poems about each trailblazer.
Angela van Straubenzee
March 2021: Women’s History Month March 8: International Women’s Day March 11: Isra and Mi'raj March 17: St Patrick’s Day March 20: Nowruz March 21: International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination March 31: International Trans Day of Visibility
The Government of Canada recognizes January as Tamil Heritage Month. I am so proud that The York School formally recognized Tamil Heritage Month this year. This was really the first time that I shared my Tamil identity with my students. I felt so grateful to share about the heritage, struggle and resilience of my people. In discussions, my kiddos and I got to explore parallel stories my family and I had to the TVO panel discussion. They learned how to pronounce “Tamil” correctly. It’s these little things that really make a big impact. I always make an effort to ensure the learning community is safe for my kiddos to share their thoughts and who they are. It’s the first time in my life that I felt like I truly have a safe place in a classroom to do the same. I left our discussions feeling like my 12 Homeroom Middle Schoolers probably understand me the most inside Takeaway from Kike Ojo-Thompson’s Staff and Faculty PD Session 1320 Yonge St, and all because I made the opportunity for them to and they took the time to listen and learn.
Black History Month
Spotlight: REDI member
Resources to Check Out
Introducing: Nice White Parents A 5 part podcast series that looks at building a better school system, and what gets in the way. Check out this podcast on Apple or The New York Times Me and White Supremacy: A Guided Journal by Layla F. Saad was written to encourage people who hold white privilege to examine thoughts and behaviors that perpetuate racism through a 28-day reflection process complete with journaling prompts.
Angela joined York a year ago as the Admissions Manager, right at the beginning of the pandemic. It's been an interesting challenge for her to get to know the school while working remotely. She loves admissions work and is really looking forward to getting back on campus and being able to meet candidate families in person again. One aspect of York that Angela appreciates is that students are allowed (and encouraged) to be individuals and don't have to fit into a certain type. Angela's favourite pastime outside of work is hiking.
REDI IN ACTION
Behind the Scenes The Staff Affinity Group for Black, Indigenous and People of Color meet once a month. It is an opportunity for sharing and exploring lived experiences within a safe and supportive space that is defined by the membership to a particular racial or ethnic group. We celebrate identity, while sharing successes and challenges with the ability to engage freely. Email sgopal@yorkschool.com for more information to join our next meeting. Look out for student affinity groups coming soon! Action of the Month Investigate: “Calling Out” vs “Calling In” vs “Calling On”