Bloordale Middle School Advisory Council

The next council meeting which was to be held on Wed. November 17 HAS BEEN POSTPONED.  WE WILL POST A NEW DATE SHORTLY.  Everyone one is welcome. We still have spots open to become voting council members and so please reach out to us if you are interested.  This month we will be brainstorming events for this year so let us know what kind of family events your family would like to participate in over the coming months!  See you there :)

  The zoom link has been sent to all Bloordale families. To get more information you can go to  https://socialnetworkingsafety.net/

  You Are Invited To Attend…. Bloordale’s First Virtual Council Meeting of 2021/2022 Oct 6 at 6:30 pm Zoom Link: Link was emailed out to all Bloordale families, if you did not receive the link please email bloordaleparents@gmail.com It will be so easy to get to since you don’t even have to leave your home! Agenda: School Updates Review of Council Activities 2020/21 New Council Updates for 2021/22 Traffic Updates

 Did you know that the TDSB celebrates heritage and awareness every month?  This October the school board recognizes the following: Islamic Heritage Month Somali Heritage Month

While this is the end of the week of Truth and Reconciliation we as a community need to move forward and continue learning and taking part in ways moving towards reconciliation in the weeks, months, and years to come.  To continue the journey learn and follow some if the many issues affecting our First Nation, Metis, and Inuit neighbours. Once you know more you may want to take part and help these communities bring change and support these crucial issues.  >  https://waterfirst.ngo/what-we-do/ >  https://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Calls_for_Justice.pdf >  https://sixtiesscoopsettlement.info/ >  http://www.northernpublicaffairs.ca/index/volume-5-issue-1/food-politics-finding-a-place-for-country-food-in-canadas-northern-food-policy/ >  https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2021/07/22/covid-forces-increase-in-food-prices-decrease-in-food-options-in-northern-remote-ontario.html >  https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/8-key-iss...

Today is September 30 2021, the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. While many of us are not able to take the full day to join in on events and ceremonies; the link I am sharing today has ways that you can make today meaningful in the time you do have available.  There are many broadcasts on the CBC today and if you can take some time today to watch, learn, and understand WHY it is so important to commemorate today, you can then take WHAT you learn and continue learning everyday. Learn about the horrors our Indigenous Sisters and Brothers have had to suffer and survive AND ALSO learn about all the wonderful things that the cultures have brought to the world and how we can celebrate all of our First Nation, Metis, and Inuit neighbours.  Make the time today - https://downiewenjack.ca/national-day-for-truth-and-reconciliation/

Today I am leaving a link from the Toronto Public Library that recommends very good books on the residential school system and Truth and Reconciliation. I could add so many more titles but these will be a good place to start.  Over this next year the blog will suggest other titles for further reading on this topic. If you have a suggestion and/or review please submit it to us at bloordaleparents@gmail.com and we will highlight you on the blog!  So for today, here is your link -  https://torontopubliclibrary.typepad.com/bookbuzz/2020/12/truth-and-reconciliation-5-years-later.html

Coursera Indigenous Canada - Start anytime at no cost! Today I just want to highlight a great learning opportunity which you may or may not have heard about. Today I am talking about the course that became very popular through social media because of the great Canadian actor, Dan Levy! This course is offered on an online platform for free and was created by the University of Alberta. From the site: Indigenous Canada is a 12-lesson Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) from the Faculty of Native Studies that explores Indigenous histories and contemporary issues in Canada. From an Indigenous perspective, this course explores key issues facing Indigenous peoples today from a historical and critical perspective highlighting national and local Indigenous-settler relations. Topics for the 12 lessons include the fur trade and other exchange relationships, land claims and environmental impacts, legal systems and rights, political conflicts and alliances, Indigenous political activism, and contempo...

This week, Thursday to be exact, our country recognizes the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.   This week each day on the blog we will provide resources you and your family can use to better understand what this day means and why it is needed. Many of us are only learning in recent months and years about the atrocities that occurred to our Indigenous communities over the past 155 years and beyond.  Today I am leaving the link that provides the document that contains the 94 Calls Of Action that were developed by the TRC (the Truth and Reconciliation Commission) in 2015. Even at that time many Canadians did not know about the work being done and only as the discoveries that were made this summer and those that continue to be made has these calls come back to light. Our kids are learning in the classroom; as parents and caregivers we have a responsibility to learn and understand and act too! Today take a few minutes to begin reading the Calls To Action and tomorrow I wil...

Today, September 21st is the International Day of Peace as proclaimed by the United Nations.  To learn more about the meaning and important meaning and purpose surrounding this day you can go to their website at  https://www.un.org/en/observances/international-day-peace What can we do? Here are some ideas  https://internationaldayofpeace.org/get-involved/                                              

 Its seems like only days ago that we were leaving for summer vacation and already we are less than 48 hours away from the first bell of the 2021/22 school year! This year remains different than most due to the ongoing pandemic but like last year while there are changes, it will be great to see so many more familiar faces in the halls this year (when you see him, be sure to welcome Mr. Tricarico back to Bloordale who was missed last year)!  School starts on Thursday Sept. 9 and a letter went out today with details surrounding the first day and current health protocols that have been set by the TDSB and Toronto Public Health. If you have not received the email you can call the school to verify that the office has your correct email address.  Keep an eye on this space for updates on what School Council is up to, community events that may be of interest, TDSB news, and other fun things that will keep the families in our school community informed and hopefully having some fun...

https://www.tdsb.on.ca/Community/How-to-Get-Involved/Conversations-Series

Did you know that the TDSB celebrates heritage and awareness every month?  This June the school board recognizes the following: - Italian Heritage Month - National Indigenous History Month - Portuguese Speaking Heritage Month - 2SLGBTQ – Pride Month - Filipino Heritage Month

Starting the conversation: https://nctr.ca/records/reports/ https://www.anishinabek.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/AnOverviewoftheIRSSystemBooklet.pdf https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWeH_SDhEYU I Am Not A Number - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2MP5ioGHAc When I Was Eight - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-l88X0JVSo These links can be a way to start the conversation of Truth and Reconciliation but so much more must be done. This is just the start of that conversation here but as the days and months go on we will continue and never let the horrors be forgotten. We must work towards a true reconciliation.   " Reconciliation is about establishing and maintaining a mutually respectful relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples in this country. In order for that to happen, there has to be awareness of the past, an acknowledgement of the harm that has been inflicted, atonement for the causes, and action to change behaviour."  Summary of the Final Report of the Tr...

In past years the Bloordale School Council has put on lunches for all the staff to enjoy as a thank you for all the hard work they do each and everyday to support our kids.  This year is obviously very different and as we all know the work that is being done by the teachers, including the constant moving from in-person to remote learning, it is very difficult for all involved. Our teachers and the rest of our school's staff feel the stress of the changes and miss being in the school but they keep moving and giving our kids all they have no matter what! They are making sure our kids get through this pandemic and it is time we make sure that they know that we are behind them and appreciate all they are dealing with, especially this year in particular.    This task becomes more difficult as we really have had to look outside the norms and figure out a way we could show our thanks. While we cannot go into the school and put on a lunch like in the past, we can show our thanks ...

 

J ust a quick update, an email was send to parents and guardians late yesterday to let them know that the TDSB is going to give families and students a bit longer to decide on remote learning vs in-school for next year due to the on-going vaccination roll out in the province. The letter stated that they will have more info to go out later this week. I will let you know when that happens. Have a great day everyone and however you can, enjoy the sunny sky and warm summer air! UPDATE May 20 - The TDSB will wait until Aug. and send out forms to all parents at that time.

  You Are Invited To Attend… Bloordale Virtual Council Meeting  May 12 at 6:30pm The meeting code is being sent to all families via email in the afternoon on May 12. If you do not receive this message from the school, please email bloordaleparents@gmail.com and it will be forwarded to you around 5pm. It will be so easy to get to since you don’t even have to leave your home! Agenda: Survey Discussion and Goal Setting Grade 8 Grad Secondary School Traffic Even though we are not in the building right now, it will be a problem one day soon so lets get it fixed once and for all and work together to let the City know that  WE NEED SAFE CROSSINGS FOR OUR KIDS! We are not in the same place right now and many of our kids are having a rough time but we can all help each other and get through to the end of this VERY rough year and . If you have ANY questions about the end of the school year or remote/virtual learning, please feel free to us this meeting as a place to find answers. R...

  Join us as we begin to read, chat, discuss, and learn as part of the first BMS Book Club for parents, guardians, and caregivers of Bloordale students.  We currently have 4 books for you to choose from and by joining our google classroom you can post your thoughts and ideas as you read and we can have a safe place for discussion and learning from one another.  The first books are: My Mother's Daughter by Perdita Felicien I Overcame My Autism (and all I got was this lousy anxiety disorder) by Sarah Kurchak The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America We Two Alone by Jack Wang To join please use this new link to sign up and you will then be sent a link to join the room https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0b44acaa23a2fe3-bmsparentcaregive or email bloordaleparents@gmail.com if you have any issues with the link.

Did you know that the TDSB celebrates heritage and awareness every month?  This May the school board recognizes the following: - Asian Heritage Month - Jewish Heritage Month - Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month - National Speech and Hearing Month