May 2021

Good Day Mount Royal Families:

As we step into the month of May, let us continue to be grateful for our health and safety. This month is Asian Heritage Month and Jewish Heritage Month and we honour the excellence in our Jewish and Asian communities. From May 3rd to May 7th it is Mental Health Week. It is important to name, express and deal with our emotions. These are times of extreme anxiety and isolation, so feeling worried and lonely just makes sense. At Mount Royal is our mission to embrace all our emotions, whether they feel good, challenging, or difficult. This is all part of being human.

This month I wanted to share a story with you about Don Miguel Ruiz. Don was one of 13 children. His parents were healers and practitioners of ancient Toltec traditions. He graduated from medical school and practised neurosurgery. He was injured in a car accident that caused him to reflect on the essential truth about life and humanity. He studied the ancient Toltec culture with a focus on spiritual enlightenment with a deeper understanding of the physical universe and the virtual world of the mind. In 1997 his first book The Four Agreements was published.

Mr. Ruiz believes that if one practices the four agreements you can create love and happiness in your life. The Four Agreements are: Be Impeccable with your Word: Speak with integrity and use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love. Honor commitments and only make commitments you intend to follow through on. Don’t Take Anything Personally: Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be a victim.

Deepak Chopra has a mantra that he says over and over again; “I’m totally independent of the good and bad opinion of others.” Don’t Make Assumptions: Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. The way to keep yourself from making assumptions is to ask questions. Make sure the communication is clear. If you don’t understand, ask. Have the courage to ask questions until you are as clear as you can be. Always do your Best: Your best will change from moment to moment. Under all circumstances simply do your best. If you practice the four agreements the potential for happiness, love and respect with yourself and your relationships improves. Mr. Ruiz refers to people who embrace the Four agreements as Spiritual Warriors. It is Spiritual because it is about living your Life. It is war because you are working to change basic beliefs in your mind. The quest for a Spiritual Warrior is for personal freedom as we discover our personal power and learn to live with clear intent and impeccability. The Four Agreements empowers the reader to live in truth and move beyond doubt to let go of the lies that create emotional drama, victimization and limiting belief systems of punishment and reward. “When you transform your whole dream, magic happens in your life. What you need comes to you easily because spirit moves freely through you. This the mastery of intent, the mastery of love, the mastery of gratitude, and the mastery of life. This is the goal of the Toltec. This is the path to personal freedom.”

Stay Safe. Stay Humble. Stay Kind.

With Gratitude:

Mr. Aamer Zuberi

Principal

Mount Royal Public School

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Spoken Word Showcase: The Masked Poet

Mount Royal is going to hold a Spoken Word Showcase: The Masked Poet for students in grades 6-8. This showcase will take place on Friday, May 28th. It will focus on students understanding and growing into their identities as ancestors in training. Students will be encouraged to reflect on who they are, where they come from, and what is home, thus creating their own narratives based on their histories. 

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Student Excellence and Excitement at Mount Royal

1. Click on the link to see Ms. Vandenburg-Sampson’s student submission

Ms.Vandenburg-SampsonStudentsClass7-8

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2. Ms. Masi’s art assignment that student completed using Google Draw

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Opportunity for Black, Caribbean, and racialized students to learn about careers in finance

This event is open to schools with black students in grades 6-8 across the Peel District School Board and is being organized by Dana Sheahan’s FOS.
Date: Tuesday, May 18, 2021
Time: 7-8:30pm
Location: Virtual
Event: Careers in Finance Night with the Black Experience Committee TD Securities:

 Career exploration is critically important for Black students in middle school and high school. Introducing Black students to potential career options early in their education can motivate them to remain focused and engaged in the critical subjects required to move along these pathways to success.
The Black Experience Committee at TD Securities – the investment banking arm of TD Bank, would like to expose Black students and their parents to a variety of professions and professionals in the finance and investment banking industry, and provide opportunities for interaction, learning, and inspiration.

Finance and banking offer career paths that cater to math and science skills, in addition to more creative professions. The objective of the career night will focus on broadening students’ horizons, by highlighting career paths they may not have been aware of.  Panelists will share personal stories, struggles, and successes encountered along their educational and career paths and will highlight the critical relationship between academic performance and overall life success.

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Register today for Adult ESL or LINC classes

Do you know an adult who is interested in improving their English language skills for work, study or daily life?

Through the Continuing & Adult Education department, the Peel District School Board offers a wide variety of English language classes that help adult learners experience success in Canadian English in both listening/speaking and reading/writing. Courses are designed for a range of basic, intermediate and advanced English (Levels 1 to 8) as well as the more experienced learner needing to prepare for an IELTS exam.

Classes are ongoing – Register anytime.

All learners who complete a session will earn a certificate of learning from the Peel District School Board. Certificates of completion at Canadian Language Benchmark level 4 and greater can be submitted as proof of language proficiency for Canadian Citizenship applications.

Currently, our classes are offered online, using Google Classroom. Our dedicated staff will support you with basic digital skills, and logging into our classrooms.

Classes operate from six locations in Brampton and Mississauga with three specially designed adult centres at:

· Bramalea – Adult Education Centre – Bramalea Secondary School, 510 Balmoral Dr, Brampton, Door #33

· Brampton – Adult Education Centre – #300 – 7700 Hurontario Street, Brampton

· Mississauga – Adult Education Centre – 1490 Ogden Drive, Mississauga, ON L5E 2H8

To learn more or to register, call 905-270-6000, then press 2

Also visit http://www.peelschools.org/adulteducation or follow us on Twitter: @PDSBLearnESL

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Using social media safely

With the growing number of social media sites, it is no surprise that social media is the most common form of communication for children and teenagers. Posts, status updates, comments, instant messages, video uploads, tweets and texts have become a regular part of their lives. While there are many positive benefits to using social media, including staying connected with friends and expressing your interests, students must be cautious in their use of these networks.

Among the most popular social media platforms used are Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, YouTube and Whatsapp Messenger. Many of these platforms are free and are available on smartphones and other electronic devices. These platforms are easy to navigate and often allow information to be shared instantly, not only with friends, but with strangers. On social media, it is important to remember that the world is watching.

Here are some tips, provided by the Canadian Safe School Network and GetSafeOnline.org, to keep your children safe and help them make smart choices when using social media:

· Set some boundaries for your child before they get their first ‘connected device’ (mobile, tablet, laptop or games console). Once they have it, it can be more difficult to change the way they use it or the settings.

· Have a conversation about what is appropriate online behaviour and what actions could have huge repercussions that could damage their reputation and be harmful to others.

· Talk to your child about the kind of websites they look at. Encourage them to speak to you if they come across something they find worrying or upsetting on websites, games or social media.

· Discuss with your child what is safe and appropriate to post and share online. Written comments, photos and videos all form part of their ‘digital footprint’ and could be seen by anyone and available on the internet forever, even if it is subsequently deleted.

· Explain to your child that being online doesn’t give them anonymity or protection, and that they shouldn’t do anything online that they wouldn’t do face-to-face. Users should only accept people they know in order to protect themselves from spammers, strangers and others who may be using social networking sites to commit crimes.

· Unlike when they’re meeting someone face-to-face, children don’t always know who they’re actually ‘talking’ to online, even if they think they do. Tell your children they must never email, chat, or text with strangers, and it’s never okay to meet a stranger in the real world.

· Ensure your children set their privacy settings appropriately. Take the time to learn how privacy settings work on your children’s favourite sites, and teach them how to control their privacy.

· Tell your children never to share personal and private information with anyone online. This includes, but is not limited to, his or her full name, age, birth date, address, phone number, social insurance number, credit card information and parents’ full names.

· Limit the amount of time that your children spend on social media platforms and talk about the importance of healthy and appropriate use of technology.

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“The Mental Health Resource Team is GROWING!”

From the PDSB Mental Health Resource Team

The Mental Health Resource Team is excited to welcome 8 new Mental Health Resource Clinicians and announce the recent expansion of support to the students, families and teachers in the middle schools at the Peel District School Board! The new Mental Health Resource Clinicians were hired with particular attention to the specific intersectional identities and lived experiences of the students and families in Peel. Our role is to support middle schools with a primary focus on mental health promotion, prevention and early intervention. We recognize that racism, oppression and inequity can impact the wellness and wellbeing of students.

The Mental Health Resource Team is working on creating programs and events specifically designed with YOU in mind! Keep your eyes and ears open for different ways that you can get involved with events that the Mental Health Resource Team may be organizing at your school. Some of the things that may be coming your way include:

· Support for school-based identity groups (e.g. Black Student Association, Genders and Sexualities Alliances/Gay-Straight Alliances, Indigenous and other racialized and religious student groups)

· Presentations and workshops to learn about mental health, well-being, coping with stress, healthy attitudes, self-care, empowerment, how to deal with racism-related stress and much more!

· Group counselling where students can join together with others who may share similar identities or life experiences and develop skills and feel empowered to make changes and reach their goals

· Workshops and presentations for parents and caregivers to learn new strategies to foster mental health in the home.

If you’re concerned about your child’s mental health, or have questions about how to talk to your child about difficult topics, visit http://www.peelschools.org/secondary/resources/mental-health/parents/Pages/default.aspx for further information and links to school and community resources. The PDSB Mental Health Resource Team is made up of registered psychologists and social workers. Follow them on Twitter @MHRTPeel to join the #WELLinPEEL conversation.

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We Welcome the World Centres

The Peel District School Board’s We Welcome the World Centres located in Brampton, Malton and Mississauga, are the first point of contact for all newcomer families to become familiar with the educational system in Peel. The centres are open all year—including the summer months— from Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Due to pandemic restrictions, please note that all Welcome Centre locations are closed to the public at this time. Registrations and assessments for students new to Peel are continuing virtually. To book an appointment to begin registration process, please call 905-366-8791 or email welcomecentre@peelsb.com.

In addition to providing literacy and numeracy assessments, the We Welcome the World Centres provide newcomers with a host of services including: orientation, interpretation and referrals.

At each centre, parents/guardians and students will discover:

• settlement service information

• age and grade appropriate educational and related program resources

• information about various community supports

• translation of materials to support the reception and assessment process

• computer portals— providing information on Peel resources

For more information about the We Welcome the World Centre and the services they provide, call 905-366-8791.