Ventura Park PS BLOG

Students, families and staff have been affected by the murder of Mr. Floyd and ongoing Canadian incidents of anti-Black racism. Black students, families and staff have been particularly impacted and are telling us that they are not ok. They tell us about feelings of personal hurt and harm and of a need to be able to express some of these feelings.

We have done and continue to do work to support our Black staff, and we are in the process of developing support for our Black parents and families.

As one means to support Black students, we are offering Black students in primary, junior and intermediate grades the opportunity to participate in a live presentation on Traditional Afro-Caribbean Dancing.  We hope to give Black students an opportunity to express themselves through dance about its impact on their well-being.

We have partnered with Tamla Matthews, Hons Bsc, OCT, who is a professional dance artist and educator who has specialized in African Caribbean Dance for over 20 years. Tamla will lead registered Black students in the live presentations. 

The live presentations will be held on June 24, 2020 and June 25, 2020 at 9:30am -10:15am

and 2:00pm – 2:45pm. 

We ask that you encourage Black students from grades 2 to 10 register for one of the live presentations being offered.

For more information, please connect with Wendy Wright, OCT Intermediate Teacher, Elder’s Mills Public School at wendy.wright@yrdsb.ca. 

While schools remain closed, we continue to offer credit and non-credit summer school program opportunities for elementary and secondary students.

· Elementary Summer School (Grades 6-8)
· Summer School e-Learning (Secondary credit courses)
· Secondary Summer School (Acceleration courses, Credit Recovery/Reinforcement)

All programs will be offered in a remote learning environment with a mix of synchronous (real-time) and asynchronous learning. YRDSB continues to follow direction from the Ministry of Education and public health authorities to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. If there are any changes to our program delivery model, we will communicate those changes.

Adult Learning Programs

In addition, adult learning programs are also available by phone or online. If you have a question or would like to register for one of these classes, please email uplands@yrdsb.ca or call 905-731-9557 or 905-305-4122 and leave us a message:

· Adult Literacy and Basic Skills
· English as a Second Language
· Citizenship Classes
· Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada

For more information about school closures and resources for families, including information on summer learning programs during COVID-19, please visit www.yrdsb.ca/covid19 and follow us on Twitter @YRDSB

REGISTRATION WILL BE CLOSED ON JUNE 19TH.

Dear VPPS Families,

This post contains important information about the student material retrieval and return process taking place from June 15th to June 17th at Ventura Park P.S. Our ultimate goal is to provide a safe and supportive process to allow for the retrieval of materials and return of school property.

Here are some highlights to be aware of:

1)      You must sign up for a 15 minute time slot on EDSBY to enter the school on June 15th, June 16th and June 17th to return and retrieve items. You will ONLY be able to enter the building during your designated time slot.
PLEASE NOTE THE SCHEDULE WILL BE CLOSED OFF ON SUNDAY JUNE 14TH AT 5 PM AND YOU WILL NO LONGER BE ABLE TO BOOK A TIME SLOT.

2)      Only one parent/guardian is to retrieve materials with your child (grade 7s and 8s may attend alone). Ensure you know your child’s homeroom, teacher’s name and/or locker number/combination. No additional family members, particularly children, will be allowed to enter the building during the assigned time slot.

3)      There will be no access to washrooms or drinking fountains.

4)      Bring a bag (or two) so you can place all of the items you are retrieving into it.

5)      Arrive at your scheduled time. 

6)      Line up for entry at the front entrance only, at least 2 metres apart from others. 

7)      Review and adhere to the instructions on the self-screening poster from York Region Public Health posted at the front entrance 

8)      Use hand sanitizing station outside front door. 

9)      Enter through front door and check in with staff member. 

10)   Maintain a minimum 2-metre distance at all times, as you enter and exit the building.

11)   Proceed directly to material retrieval location (classroom, locker, hooks). 

12)   Bag all personal items to take home (no sorting into recycling/garbage at school). 

13)   Leave lockers empty and open. 

14)   Return any school-owned items (textbooks, library books, guided reading books, etc.) to a designated table in your child’s homeroom class.

15)   If a student is currently using a board-issued laptop and are returning to a school in the YRDSB in the fall, they need to keep their laptop for use over the summer. If they are not returning to a YRDSB school in September 2020, they must return their laptop, chromebook, etc. 

We thank you so much for your support with this process. We continue to stress the importance of health and safety at this time and thank you for your consideration.

Stay Safe,
VPPS Team

Dear Families,

The Ministry of Education has asked all school boards to share information about Ontario’s new COVID-19 testing plan, including the availability of free testing for any Ontarian who would like it.

Tests are free and do not require an OHIP card. Referrals are no longer required to visit an assessment centre and no Ontarian will be declined a test.

To learn more about this plan, including when you should get tested and the process, please visit our website to see a message from the Ministry of Education regarding COVID-19 testing. 

Thank you.

Happy June! Please click the link for a special surprise!

Special Surprise!

“Dear VPPS Families. As we enter the last month of school, the Mental Health and Well Being Committee at VPPS has been hard at work creating a Newsletter for Well Being. It includes many strategies for your family to engage in together. Click the images to learn more & be sure to be logged into your child’s YRDSB gapps account to access the documents. Enjoy, be safe and stay healthy!

Good morning VPPS!
We hope everyone had a wonderful weekend, enjoying the beautiful weather, while staying safe and healthy!
We wish all students a great week of remote learning!!

Dear VPPS families,

Vaughan Public Libraries is pleased to offer an exciting program that they are launching for kids and families.

On June 1^st, Vaughan Public Libraries will be launching a Virtual Science Fair which is open for any participants in Grade 2 to Grade 12. Create a website, a video presentation, an animated cartoon, or a video game to showcase your research centered around a theme which will be announced when the event launches on June 1^st. The Science Fair will accept entries throughout the month of June, with final submissions due on June 30^th.

The event will launch with several categories for participants, Junior (for grades 2-5), Intermediate (for grades 6 – 8), and Senior (for grades 9-12). You are welcome to join as a solo participant or as a group, working collaboratively online. They cannot wait to see what the eager young minds of Vaughan can come up with when they rise to the challenge.

Event rules, registration information, and submission guidelines, and Judging Rubric will be available online at event launch, on June 1^st, 2020.

For any inquiries on this upcoming event, please contact the Virtual Science Fair communications officer Rosa Covertini, at rosa.covertini@vaughan.ca or the Virtual Science Fair lead, Tommy Sunthorn, at tommy.sunthorn@vaughan.ca.