Dear Crerar Families,

I want to thank everyone for working in partnership for a very successful school year. With only a few days left of school, we are packing in as much learning and fun as possible. With students winning math competitions, completing multi-day standardized testing (EQAO), to competing in Track and Field, it has been a great 2023-24 school year. Thank you, parent volunteers, who supported our Track and Field event at Birchmount Stadium this year for our Junior/Intermediate athletes, the many volunteers who work with our teachers/students in classrooms and parent/caregiver volunteers who support classes during excursions, you are much appreciated! The General Crerar Talent Show was a success as it was the culminating celebration of Respect Animals Week back in May 6-10. Thank you Mr. Arnfield, Ms. Ahier and Mr. Demeter for organizing the events. Thank you to all staff throughout the year who have supported our co-curricular and extra-curricular activities. In the late afternoon of May 29 as families picked up their child(ren), we had our first-ever Eco Fair! Families learned from/with the many community organizations around the neighbourhood that they can connect with to support the environment and combat climate change. Thank you Eco Team for organizing such a great event. 

June is National Indigenous History Month and June 21 is National Indigenous Peoples Day, a time to celebrate and learn from First Nations, Métis and Inuit about the diverse cultures, histories, experiences, creations, perspectives, and achievements. This is a day of significance for many Indigenous peoples in the country we call Canada today. It marks the day when the sun is closest to the Earth. It is the longest day of the year and the shortest night. Many First Nations, Métis and Inuit celebrate the summer solstice. It is a time that reminds us to remain grounded, humble and appreciative. It is usually celebrated by coming together with family and community for a feast Learn More.  Throughout the year, teachers have embedded and integrated Indigenous perspectives and awareness into the various subject areas. To celebrate, General Crerar welcomed Logan Staats to our school for a fun-filled and educational day of learning on June 6. Our school had been learning Logan's songs and sang with him when he performed for us. In the afternoon, students worked with Logan on song-making techniques that inspired many. Thank you to members of the Parent Council and the many Crerar families that supported the day!

Sharing the many ways in which we identify with our heritage can provide powerful and meaningful learning opportunities that celebrate who we are, where we've come from and where we may be going. Below are some of the celebrations that are happening in June. 

In June, the TDSB marks Pride Month across all TDSB schools and sites. Pride Month is a time to celebrate 2SLGBTQIA+  communities and reflect on the important work that must continue to make our schools and workplaces more inclusive, welcoming and affirming for all Learn More.

Italian Heritage Month is also recognized during the month of June at the TDSB since May 2012.  Maintaining Italian traditions and customs from generation to generation are very important and elderly members within families and communities are the key to preserving the vibrant culture of the Italian heritage. This year's selected theme for Italian Heritage Month is "sharing our stories and embracing our future / condividere le nostre storie e abbracciare il nostro futuro".  There are many exciting stories from Italian ancestors whose contributions helped shape our Canadian cultural mosaic. Italian stories and traditions reaffirm identity and connect us. Stories unite future generations while they evolve and create new customs and traditions for us to embrace.

Additionally, Portuguese-Speaking Heritage Month is proudly recognized during the month of June at the TDSB and has been since 2011. The contributions of the Portuguese-Speaking heritage to Canada are significant as they include the arts, sports, music, culinary arts, and many professional contributions to educational and medical service areas. Canadians, along with all TDSB students, staff, and its communities and beyond enjoy the energetic and vibrant traditions that are shared through the customs of this heritage. Over 1,400 TDSB students speak Portuguese as their mother tongue or as a primary language. Internationally, there are 250 million Portuguese-Speaking people worldwide, making it the fifth-most spoken language.

June is National DeafBlind Awareness month in Canada.  This month serves as a platform for raising awareness about the distinctive challenges encountered by individuals with an identified dual sensory loss. Deafblindness, a combination of sight and hearing loss to varying degrees, profoundly impacts communication, mobility, learning, and access to information. Those who are deafblind often rely on alternative communication methods, such as tactile sign language, braille, or assistive technology.

General Crerar t-shirts will continue to be on sale while quantities last. Get yours today! 

Please join me in saying "thank you and goodbye" to Mr. Demeter, who will teach at Hillmount PS. We wish him well in his new school. We also want to show appreciation and say thank you and farewell to our Long Term Occasional Teacher, Mr. Luxamar, who has been supporting our Grade 3/4 French Immersion class. Finally, we wish Ms. Malik, who has worked at General Crerar for so many years, all the best in her retirement. Thank you all staff for your dedication and commitment to student success. Thank you to Ms. Eva, our school Nutrition Coordinator, who supported the morning snack program by ensuring that all students in the program received a healthy snack every day during the school year. Please note that the morning snack program will not be operating during the last week of school (June 24-28) in preparation for the summer wrap-up. 

Did you receive a letter from Toronto Public Health indicating your child’s vaccine records are not up-to-date? To avoid suspension when your child returns to school in the Fall, please report vaccinations at toronto.ca/StudentVaccines. If your child does not have all the required vaccines, please make an appointment with your primary healthcare provider to get vaccinated or make an appointment at a Toronto Public Health Community Clinic at tphbookings.ca. Report vaccinations at toronto.ca/StudentVaccines. Vaccinations are free and Toronto Public Health Community Clinics are operating throughout the summer. Questions? Contact 416-338-7600 or immunization@toronto.ca.

Please continue encouraging your children to read and write over the summer, and stay active. There are also summer school programs offered throughout the board, please visit this site if interested: Elementary Summer School. The TDSB Summer Well-Being Guide in multiple languages is also now available for families. If you are looking for summertime free WIFI locations, please click on this link to learn more: ConnectTO: Free Public Wi-Fi Locations – City of Toronto

Your child's teacher/class/room for the 2024-2025 school year will be posted on the main entrance windows towards the final weeks of August. Please come by then during one of your summer walks in the neighbourhood.  If your address and contact information will be changing over the summer, please call/email the school so that records can be updated. The last day of school is Friday, June 28. The first school day for the new school year is Tuesday, September 3. From Crerar staff to all students and families, we wish everyone a safe, healthy and happy summer. 

Warmly,

Ms. Lin 

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Please visit the Community Supports page/tab often to learn about various learning/job opportunities and how you can support your child(ren) and family throughout the year.  The Community Supports tab is updated regularly. Please also read Trustee Neethan Shan's webpage which contains his monthly newsletters here: https://www.tdsb.on.ca/ward17/ward-17/ward-17-newsletters.