Happy New Year Manhattan Park Families! I hope that 2025 brings good health and much happiness for all. I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to the school community who have been so warm and welcoming to me. I am honoured and privileged to work alongside such a fantastic group of parents/guardians, students, staff, and community members. I look forward to working with everyone.
School news will be posted on the school website under the Monthly Newsletters tab at the beginning of each month. The School Council will endeavour to share information regularly by posting it in the School Council tab.
Thank you to parents/guardians who attended our School Council meeting on January 8. We had such a great discussion about how parents/guardians can support the school as partners in their child/ren's education. It was a fruitful meeting, and I hope you will be able to join our next School Council meeting scheduled for February 5 at 6:30 p.m. Every parent/guardian is welcome to attend as a General Member. The Council is actively looking to increase the number of Voting Members so that votes on topics/items reflect more parent voices. The virtual meeting link will be shared closer to the date. Please join me in congratulating our new Co-Chair of the School Council, Justine Coll Mansfield, who will be working alongside current Chair, Kassandra Rogers-Filopoulos!
February 13 (evening) and February 14 (morning) are Parent-Teacher Interviews. At this time, not every family will need to meet with the teacher. However, as always, you can also request to meet with the teacher. More details will be shared by your child/ren's teacher.
Since January 2016, the Toronto District School Board proudly recognized Tamil Heritage Month. Toronto has the largest Tamil population outside of the South Asian subcontinent with thousands of TDSB students and staff members who identify as Tamil. By proclaiming the month of January as Tamil Heritage Month, the Province of Ontario recognizes the valuable contributions that Tamil Canadians have made to Ontario’s social, economic, political and cultural fabric. Tamil Heritage Month is an opportunity to remember, celebrate and educate future generations about the inspirational role that Tamil Canadians have played and continue to play in communities across Ontario. This year’s theme for Tamil Heritage Month in the TDSB is Kinship: யாதும் ஊரே யாவரும் கேளிர் // Yaadhum Oore Yaavarum Kelir // To us, all towns are one, and all people are our kin. Happy Tamil Heritage Month!
With the winter comes snow and severe weather. At times, it is necessary to cancel student transportation, classes and/or programs. On rare occasions, severe weather makes it necessary to close TDSB schools, administrative offices or sites. Visit the website to learn about Snow/Cold Weather and the Procedure for Severe Weather: https://www.tdsb.on.ca/About-Us/Severe-Weather/Snow-Cold-Weather. We know that severe weather will be part of our daily lives for the next several months. Please drive carefully around the school, especially during school arrival and dismissal times.
Again, wishing all Manhattan Park families a healthy, happy, safe, and successful 2025.
Warm regards,
Ms. Lin