Terry Fox P.S. Newsletter 185 Wintermute Blvd., Scarborough, ON M1W 3M9

http://schools.tdsb.on.ca/terryfox

January/February

2017

Our students at Terry Fox

are also given the

opportunity to participate

in a variety of teams,

clubs, performances and

trips to enhance their

school experience. We

would like to extend a

huge thank you to all the

staff who are providing

these opportunities for

our students.

We all look forward to

continuing to work

closely together for the

final term of the school

year. Terry Fox P.S.

believes strongly in open

communication so if you

have any questions please

feel free to contact the

school.

Mr. Malvern

Message from the Principal

Winter seems to be hanging on, but hopefully Spring is

right around the corner! It is a very busy time at Terry

Fox P.S.

Report cards have now gone home and interviews have

taken place. Students, parents and teachers have all had

that very important opportunity to connect in order to

ensure that we are working together in the best interest of

the students. We strongly value this cooperation and

collaboration as we strive for consistency in our

approach. Parents play a very important part in the

success that a child experiences at school. The

connection between the parent and the school is vitally

important.

SCHOOL EVENTS

A Terry Fox P. S. Fundraiser

Move-a-thon

Thursday, April 12th

, 2017

We are thrilled to announce we will be

hosting another Move-a-thon.

The proceeds from this fundraiser will be

used to help purchase:

-additional iPads for the Kindergarten to

Grade 2 students

-additional Laptops for the Grade 3 to 8

students

For every $10 a student raises, they will

receive a ticket to be entered into a draw to

win a variety of prizes.

Grand Prize for the student who collects the

most pledges will win a mini iPad.

The kick-off assembly is scheduled for

March 3rd with the donations due April 21st.

Kindergarten

Registration 9:00-11:00 a.m.

and 1:30-3:30 p.m.

To register, visit our school during

the above hours and bring the

following information about your

child:

1. Age (a birth certificate or

baptismal record or passport)

2. Address (two pieces of

identification that shows

your recent address, such as

your telephone bill, Motor

Vehicle Ownership and

Insurance, etc.)

3. Immunization (the card that

shows a list of needles your

child has received)

4. Child’s Health Card

5. If your child was not born in

Canada, verification of date

of arrival is required.

Families who are permanent

residents and refuge

claimants may register

directly at the school. All

other families should come

to the International Program

and Admissions Office,

Toronto District School

Board, 5050 Yonge Street,

for a TDSB School

Admission Letter.

Student Leader Updates

The Student Leaders have organized a lot of events the past few months. The

Intermediate Potluck was a tremendous success! We had a variety of

awesome food, especially with the amount of main dishes. In future years,

we hope to continue to improve the quality and experience of the

Intermediate Potluck. From the Social Committee, we had another Spirit Day called, “Wacky

Mismatch Hair Day”. Lots of people were engaged in the event and there

were many great outfits. We have also recently given the kindergartens the chance to purchase their very own milk cartons as part of the

Terry Fox Milk Program. The Kinder Milk Program is pausing for March but will resume in April. New

customers are welcome! What else is coming up? In late March, we will be selling popcorn and cookies again. Spirit Days include Pink

Day on April 12th

. Don’t forget to wear pink. That’s not all. In May, there will be tattoo sales. So remember to

gather your money to buy some rad works of art.

We are planning to hold another intermediate dance during the spring, known as “The Spring Fling” which will

be in April or May. The money we raise will go to the school for more resources, Grade 8 Graduation DJ and to lower the cost for

our yearbooks. Throughout the whole year, we will be working towards those goals to give you all an unforgettable and fun

year. Kathleen Sun and Jerry Pan (Grade 8 Class Reps)

Hair Donation May 3, 2017

We continue our tradition since 2009 in donating hair. This year, the hair

donation will be on May 3, 2017. The event will take place at Salon Passion

located at 505 Hwy. 7 East, Markham. Paul and Eling Lo, Mrs. Mitra’s hairdressers, continue to donate their

services for this event.

Every year, we have approximately 12-15 people, students and teachers, donate their hair. The minimum length

of hair you can donate is 6 inches. If you are a student and interested in donating your hair, please sign your

name up on the sign-up sheets posted across the library doors. If you are a parent and would like to donate your

hair with us that day, please call the school and leave your name and number for Mrs. Mitra.

If you are not able to join us but would still like to donate your hair, you can always get your haircut by your

own hairdresser and bring the hair (tied with elastics or braided) and give it to you Mrs. Mitra or Ms. Woo. We

will then send the hair along with the rest of the hair that we collect on the day of the event.

Mrs. Mitra and Ms. Woo

Student of the Month Recipients

January (TEAMWORK)

Teacher Name Grade Student Name (First and Last)

Ms. Ruiz & Ms. Yu FDK Winnie C., Ryan L. & Derek C.

Ms. Lee & Ms. Bu FDK Feonny L. & Madhavan S.

Ms. Tai & Ms. Hsiung

FDK

Ivan C., Hafsa E. & Angela W.

Ms. Ahn 1 Sammy P. & Krystail D.

Ms. Jong 1 Han C. & Justin C.

Ms. VanDerToorn 1/2 Vivian Y. & Boris C.

Ms. Killam 2 Kevin S. & Cynthia S.

Ms. Baptista 2 Jeremy C., Summer L. & Jason Z.

Mr. Wan 3 Richard S. & Stephen B.

Ms. LePera 3 Ivan Y., Si Ying L. & Ye G.

Mr. Nikolarakos 4 Emily H., Su Xin J., Angela L. & Mandy P.

Ms. Chan 4 Stephanie F., Allen Z. & Valerie H.

Ms. Lau 5 Joy A., Carmen F. & Eris G.

Mr. Au 5/6 Joey Z., David S. & Ledia X.

Ms. Chu 6 Jeffery L. & Sandy Y.

Ms. Mitra 7 Adam P., Derek T. & Emily Y.

Mr. Beveridge 7/8 Shirley S. & Michael T.

Ms. Cameron 8 Kathleen S., Caroline L. & Jerry P.

Student of the Month Recipients

February (FAIRNESS)

Teacher Name Grade Student Name

(First and Last)

Ms. Ruiz & Ms. Yu FDK Jared C., Hanna L., Elena Z. & Cherry L.

Ms. Lee & Ms. Bu FDK YuYin Y. & Chloe L.

Ms. Tai & Ms. Hsiung

FDK

Edwin C., Nahlayjah J. & Alina J.

Ms. Ahn 1 Noah K., Michelle D. & Rachel L.

Ms. Jong 1 Kensen Y. & Jacky W.

Ms. VanDerToorn 1/2 Brian L. & Eton L.

Ms. Killam 2 Justin L. & Taylor H.

Ms. Baptista 2 Angie L., Summer L. & Jenny Z.

Mr. Wan 3 Kyle Z., Justin Q. & Ryan L.

Ms. LePera 3 Fiona L., Daniel C. & Ivy Y.

Mr. Nikolarakos 4 Vanness W., Willam Z. & Adrian N.

Ms. Chan 4 Nathan Y., Zihan C. & Mahdin R.

Ms. Lau 5 Nandini H., Kainat P. & Sophia X.

Mr. Au 5/6 Nico J., Tracy J. & Andy L.

Ms. Chu 6 Sandy Y. & Alyssa M.

Ms. Mitra 7 Adam P., Anson L., Ivy Z. & Brandi C.

Mr. Beveridge 7/8 Steven P., Sonia C., Katherine W. & Steven X.

Ms. Cameron 8 Irene P., Sharon S., Angelina T. & Ricky L.

Chanie Wenjack: A Film By Gord Downie & Jeff Lemire

Sarah An 02/01/2017

The story of Chanie Wenjack spread across Canada, revealing true

tragedies of the horrible misconceptions we have made about the history

of Canada. Chanie Wenjack was a happy boy, part of the Ojibwa tribe,

until he was taken away to a residential school in 1963. After the terrible

abuse and sickening days, Chanie and his two other friends decided to

escape. Chanie ended up by himself, continuing his journey by the

railroad tracks, trying to walk back home to his father. He only had

seven matches and a windbreaker to survive the long, freezing winter.

Songs by Gord Downie were accompanied by graphics by Jeff Lemire,

showing the audience Chanie Wenjack’s journey on the secret path.

Seven Matches Question 1: As Chanie decided to leave, he was given seven matches to take into the woods.

They provided him warmth that the crisp wind was against. Chanie was especially fond of them, smiling as he

looked at the matches in the screw cap jar because it reminded him of the warm smile of the women who gave

the matches. But, I think the matches also represent Chanie’s hope. Day by day, there were fewer and fewer

matches. Day by day, he had less and less hope. The hope that he will reach his home kept him moving, helping

him continue on even though the journey was extremely difficult. But, Chanie did not know the specific

location of his home, and did not know how long the journey would take. There could have been only a few

steps left, or a whole journey ahead of him. He did not know. I also believe that the matches represented the

rights that the First Nations had. In the lyrics of “Seven Matches”, it said “As long as I have six, I’d be fine. As

long as I have five…” and continued on; the numbers decreasing. As Canada’s population and economy

boosted, rights of First Nations were taken away. First their lands rights, language rights, and now even the

rights of having access to clean water. The First Nations may have thought “Oh, at least we still have the right

to do this...” trying to look at the positive side, until each one was taken away. Currently, things are becoming

much better than before. Canada has created projects to help First Nations get their rights back, such as the

“Truth and Reconciliation Commission”. We all hope it will truly make a positive difference compared to the

previous Canadian history.

Here, Here, and Here Question 3: Gord Downie ended the story with Chanie in his father’s arms, with his

home in front of him. They saw on the ground, a few feet away from them, Chanie -himself- lying on the cold

hard floor, dead. He passed away after he fell onto the ground, shivering. Chanie’s spirit simply looked away

and went home with his father. Maybe he was in heaven with his father he loved and longed for. I think Gord

Downie chose this ending because he wanted to end it more relieving, calming, and peaceful. The fact that a

child died trying to get away from residential schools is very traumatizing and extremely sad. Chanie deserved

what he hoped very much for, and even if it was an illustration, it was a way to show respect and appreciation to

Chanie. It tells us that he finally found peace and ended his journey well.

Chanie Wenjack brought attention to Canadians, allowing them to accept this mistake and make reconciliations.

The goal is to never repeat the same mistake again, and to prevent similar discrimination in the future.

The Significance of the Raven Symbolism in Gord Downie

and Jeff Lemire's "The Secret Path"

By: Kathleen Sun When you think about ravens, what comes to mind? Death, mischief, greed, impatience and bad luck, right? All

negative traits. Even its color, black is not a good sign. However, in the songs that tell Chanie Wenjack’s story,

the raven seemed to have a big spotlight, and a huge influence on Chanie. But what was it there for? What’s the

artist, Gord Downie trying to say to us? Well, to start off, the raven is a very important Native Symbol in the

Aboriginal’s people’s culture. It symbolizes many things in Aboriginal peoples’ culture, such as creation,

change, knowledge, prestige as well as the complexity of nature and the subtlety of truth. I believe the raven

has three strong symbols that play a huge part in the Truth and Reconciliation process. The raven symbolizes

change in life, the subtlety of truth, and healing.

First of all, the raven symbolizes metamorphosis and change. Change can’t be prevented, it always happens.

We just need to adapt to it. According to What’s My Spirit Animal .com, the raven encourages that change in

movement in your life. This bird appears to Chanie a few times in the videos, and those were all times of

significant change. For example, in the last video when Chanie was on the doorstep of death and hallucinating,

the raven was there, seeing the ending of Chanie’s story (life). Furthermore, this scene shows the juxtaposition

between life and death. This was a time of significant change, because Chanie was going from being alive to

dead. The word “change” is a message Gord Downie is trying the get across. He is telling us to change. To stop

having the stereotypic perspectives of how Aboriginals are lazy, dumb, and drunk. Chanie’s story is spread to

change people’s perspectives, and it worked. It has successfully touched millions of hearts, and is an everlasting

story.

Secondly, the raven symbolizes the subtlety of truth. It is also a keeper of secrets, and can assist us in

determining answers to our own thoughts. In the video the raven has given words of advice to Chanie, to help

him choose what to he wants to do with his life. According to a symbolic meaning blog by Avia Venefica, the

raven can help us find the truth behind secrets and wing us back to health and harmony. Well, the truth and

reconciliation commission has already discovered the truth about residential school, what’s left is if we want to

do anything about it. For years, the Canadian government has been trying to hide it and forget about it,

including the people it had hurt. However, something is very clear right now. Residential schools are bad! Is has

torn families apart, and taken out the light in a child’s eyes. If we all know it’s wrong, why wouldn’t anyone

want to do something to heal the damage dealt? It’s because everyone’s like “Yeah, we’re wrong. So, are we

going to do something about it? Uh, no. Everyone is too lazy, and really doesn’t CARE about how they made

others suffer. The truth and reconciliation group has clearly put out the truth on the table, but will there be

change? That’s up to us.

Finally, the raven symbolizes healing through support. According to Native American Raven Mythology, this

bird helps people, and shapes their world for them. It is also known as an excellent partner, and helper. An

example is the raven giving Chanie the advice that what he can’t escape he’s got to embrace. That really helped

Chanie keep on going, instead of wishing to go back. Gord Downie is also telling us to help heal the scars left

by residential schools. Helping Chanie is too late now, but why not lift up the heads of the survivors of

residential schools? Shouldn’t they deserve a pat on the back, a sorry, and a warm smile from us. We need to

stop being selfish right now, step in their shoes, and look at what they have all been through. What they have

suffered. Why can’t we have enough empathy to help the first nations stop depending on alcohol and drugs and

see the world brightly? Can’t we teach the mothers (that’ve been to residential school) HOW to raise their

children, so that negative generational legacy can stop being passed on? Well you’re probably thinking “I didn’t

do it, why should I help?” Because we are all humans, and we should kindness in our hearts to help those of us

who are sliding off the edge and falling. But too many people are just too lazy to rise out to them and lend them

a hand.

In conclusion, the raven is a crucial part to Chanie’s story and really brings Gord Downie’s message across. It

reminds us that after knowing the TRUTH, we should CHANGE our perspective, and then try to HEAL and

help those who have been harmed. As you see these three symbols of the raven are all linked together, and are

very important right now. Because now, after everyone knows the truth about the failure of residential schools,

some changed their perspectives, but very few want to try to fix the harm done. Through the raven we are

reminded of our next step, to heal.

On February 23rd, the intermediates went on a field trip to Scarborough Town Centre to

watch the film “Hidden Figures”. Hidden Figures is a historical film that takes place in

1961 and tells the story of three African-American female mathematicians who worked

for NASA. At the time, the US needed to prove that their space department was

accomplishing something, since they were in a race with Russia and were falling behind.

They were under a lot of pressure to get a man into space and back as successfully and

quickly as possible. Throughout the movie, it showed how the mathematicians were not

respected because they were black as well as female. Often times they were not given credit for their work, or other

employers would take credit for their accomplishments. White people would criticize them, look down at them, and treat

them unequally.

The main protagonist was Katherine Johnson. She was among some of the most intelligent workers at NASA and

contributed more to the project than many of the other workers. Johnson had to run back and forth between two buildings

multiple times every day whenever she needed to use the restroom because there was no ‘coloured restroom’ in the

building she worked in; the nearest one was half a mile away. This took up her time and as a result, she received

reprimand from her boss for her absences, but still she persevered and showed initiative. Although they would not have

been able to get a man into space without her help and dedication, her work was not properly acknowledged until recently.

Mary Jackson was an assistant who wanted to become an engineer, but she required a degree from a school which

did not accept coloured people. Mary had to go to court to petition to attend the all-white school, but they only let her go

to the night classes. Jackson was NASA’s first black engineer who contributed to numerous space expeditions.

Dorothy Vaughan, was the leader figure of ‘The Computers.” This group was made up of 20 black women who

had to work in the basement of a building for NASA while all the white workers worked on the top and ground level of

the building. These intelligent women received less advanced technology, lower quality supplies and worked in worse

conditions. Vaughan did the job of a supervisor but was not paid like one. When she asked to become an actual

supervisor, she was turned down. Later on, she was promoted to supervisor when she fixed the IBU machine. The white

workers then realized how intelligent Vaughan and the group was. ‘The Computers’ were promoted to a higher position

(to program the IBU), when they no longer needed people to hand-calculate NASA’s math.

The goal of the movie ‘Hidden Figures’ was to show how terrible the blatant racism and sexism in the 1960’s

was. The movie conveys this message by showing how the main characters; Katherine, Mary, and Dorothy struggled with

and overcame the racism and sexism in their workplace and community despite being treated badly by their fellow white

employees and doubted their husbands. They were not paid equally and were not guaranteed a permanent job despite

everything they did. Their intelligence and abilities were underestimated and questioned constantly. Regardless of their

struggles, these three bright women have and will continue to inspire people to continue moving towards equality, just as

they did. These women contributed to an important step in the 1960’s for the advancement of black African Americans

and women that still resonates today.

By: Leah Y., Kaley L., & Sophia M.

The Good and Bad of Forestry

By: Kimi Ong Forestry is the craft and science of managing, creating, using, conserving and repairing forests

to meet desired goals, needs and values for human and environmental benefits. Many things are

made from forestry products, so the forestry industry is essential.

Forestry is an important industry. In Canada, it’s a major source of wealth. It provides many

jobs, yields forest resources such as timber, decreases the risk of forest fires, and much more!

Many objects are made from wood, such as tables, chairs and pencils.

With all the benefits the forest industry brings, we also have to be aware of the negative results.

For example, many animals lose their habitat, there are fewer plants that can convert carbon

dioxide into oxygen, fewer trees will be able to stop natural hazards such as floods, and many

others. Though forestry is a useful industry, we have to realize the negative impacts it brings

and do what we can to make changes.

The forestry industry has many disadvantages, but we can’t just stop logging. We can do many

things to help, such as limit the trees that can be cut down, properly manage the waste generated

by logging activity and plant seedlings to replace trees that were cut down. Being responsible

and helping the environment to make up for the damages caused by forestry industries is a

must!

The forestry industry is a very important and useful industry but it impacts the environment in

many ways. Responsible forestry is the key to making sure we continue to enjoy the benefits of

the forestry industry into the future.

TORONTO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

On Thursday February 23, the grade 5 and 6’s in Ms. Chu, Ms. Lau and Mr. Au's classes, went

to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO). We had a blast! We heard a variety of different

songs. We listened to songs like the main theme song from Star Wars, the theme song of

mission impossible and lots more. Our favourite was “Dam! The Story of Kit the Beaver”. It

was a short film by the government of Canada and students from Seneca. They also played the

soundtrack during the film which was really cool. They even did sound effects like the beaver

chewing on the wood and the wolf howling. For the Star Wars theme song some other schools

were even playing. That was really cool. We discovered instruments we never knew about. We

also watched from a really cool view. We also liked the bus ride. We passed by things like the

blue jays stadium and the views we passed by we're really nice. I think by going to TSO it can

inspire us to play like professionals one day. If I could go again I would definitely go!

-Joey & Audrey =)