FOUR ACTION-ORIENTED INITIATIVES Jake Ernst, Noelyn Selvanayagam, Sean Rand & Shelley Gopal The four action-oriented initiatives we will focus our efforts on this year were brought forward through community conversations with faculty, staff, and students. Our goal in this work is to remain action-focused and these four areas will allow us the opportunity to make meaningful improvements. The four action-oriented initiatives are as follows: Exploring our commitment to diverse representation by reviewing and changing the House Names Promoting inclusion and belonging in our community through Assemblies and Homeroom/Advisor sessions Deepening our learning and encouraging community conversations through our monthly DEI Newsletter
Important Dates: October 2021 October: Latin American Heritage Month/Islamic Heritage Month October 4th: National Day of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
October 5th: World Day of Bullying Prevention October 7-14th: Navratri October 10th: World Mental Health Day October 11th: International Day of the Girl Child October 13th: Durgaashtami October 14th: Vijaya Dashmi/Dassehra October 14th: World Sight Day October 15th: International Day for the Eradication of Poverty October 17-23rd: Invisible Disabilities Week October 17th: Mawlid-un-Nabi October 19th: International Pronouns Day October 20th: Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva's Pravrajya October 20th: Installation of the Guru Granth as Guru October 20th: Kathina Ceremony/Pavarana Day October 22nd: Intl Stuttering Awareness Day October 23 or 24th: Karva Chauth
Upholding our commitment to Truth and Reconciliation by revising the The York School Land Acknowledgement Each of these initiatives will be led by groups of faculty and staff who will meet regularly to steward this work and oversee its progress.
Resources to Check Out Watch “My Culture Is Not A Costume” in this issue of Teen Vogue Read Debbie Donsky’s perspective about The Dangers of Positivity in Equity Work Reflect on what makes a Land Acknowledgement meaningful by reading this article by Ka’nhehsí:io Deer Read Social Justice Parenting by Dr. Traci Baxley
Sean Rand As part of our commitment to reconciliation and honouring the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action pertaining to curriculum development, the junior school has partnered with Indigenous Educational Consultant Dr. Pamela Rose Toulouse. Dr. Pam has facilitated an initial Indigenous worldview and reconciliation community building workshop for junior school faculty and staff in September, as well as met with our Indigenous Education Committee. Throughout the year Dr. Pam will meet with each year group team (K-G5) to help develop one unit of inquiry using an Indigenous lens related to Indigenous worldview and reconciliation. We are also looking forward to participating in a final workshop by Dr. Pam in June. Dr. Pam previously worked as a professor for the faculty of education at Laurentian University and is a National 3M Teaching Excellence Award Fellow. Originally from the Sagamok First Nation in Northern Ontario, Dr. Pam has over 25 years of teaching experience and has published various resources and curriculum documents related to Indigenous Education.
INTRODUCING... OUR WORKING GROUP LEADS
House Names: Katherine A. (JS), Mary H. (JS), Megan G.R. (SS) and Juliana A. (SS) Assemblies: Roxy C. (JS,) Erin R. (MS) and Adina F. (SS) Newsletter: Camille M. (JS/Admin), Anthony W. (Admin), Praveen M. (Admin) and Mary W. (SS) Land Acknowledgment: Sara A. (JS), Jesse G. (MS) and Ryan G. (SS)
INTRODUCING… Dr. Pamela Rose Toulouse
LÀ OÙ JE DORS IN GRADE 7 FRENCH
EXAMINING THE WAGE GAP IN SPORTS
Kimberley Acres
Robin Johannsen & Dalyet Melekin
Là où je dors, or Where I sleep, a TFO video series which propels Grade 7 students into the lives of students from countries around the world creates awareness and appreciation for the lives of young people who reflect on their diverse family, school and personal experiences. Grade 7s at TYS discover, through reflection, what is relatable in the similarities and differences of the lives of these students to their own. For example, Pipo from Haiti says that when he studies Haitian history he feels proud. Our Grade 7s identified pride in being Canadian and more appreciation for Indigenious history now. Elisé, who lives in Québec, loves music as do many of our Grade 7s. Roxanna lives in Roumanie and is proud of being part of a large family, all of whom live together. Grade 7s recognized that even among students at TYS, we all have special and unique family relationships. .
Grade 9 Math classes used their understanding of scatterplots and scale to inquire about the differences in salary between the NBA and the WNBA. Students shared their observations and questions about the graph, and we discussed what we know about the two leagues. To follow up, we read an article about the history of the pay gap in tennis and how female athletes like Billie Jean King and the Williams sisters have used their influence to change policies in their sport. Students were surprised to learn that, despite the women’s league’s larger revenue, the US Soccer Federation pays female athletes much less than male athletes. Through these activities, students explored ideas of gender equality, living wage, and how things can change through advocacy and negotiation. If you are interested in looking into the issue, here is the graph and the follow up article we used.
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