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FRIDAY FILE – March 10, 2023

KINDNESS. RESPECT. PRIDE.
Follow us on Twitter @ZionTdsb
School Website Link https://schoolweb.tdsb.on.ca/zionheights/
School Contact Information:
5900 Leslie St, North York ON M2H 1J9
Phone: 416-395-3120 Email: zion@tdsb.on.ca

Dear ZHMS families,

We cannot believe that it is already March

Break! Time truly flies when you are
engaged, learning and having fun!

We want to wish everyone a safe and

relaxing break and we hope to see you all
back energized and ready for an awesome
latter half of Term 2! Please scroll down for
more school updates.

Please have a wonderful March Break!

Chi Le Monica O
Principal Vice-Principal
Zion Heights Middle School Zion Heights Middle School
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What’s Happening at ZHMS…

We are also happy to announce Mr. Burgess AKA Coach (Educational Assistant)
and Mr. Pinto (Teacher) as new members of our dynamic school staff!
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It was a pleasure to see some of our students collaborating and sharing their
ideas during their Math group work activity with Ms. Ahmad this week!

Our Grade 6s were also innovating and experiencing during their Space Rover
STEM project with Ms. Tharmaratnam
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The following message is brought to you by students from the ZHMS Eco-Team!
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Looking Ahead at Zion Heights Middle School

March 13 - 17 - March Break - NO SCHOOL

March 20 - School Resumes - Day 2

March 20 - Global Innovator of the Year Finals(goIT)

March 21 - UN International Day for the Elimination against Racism

March 24 - Spring Dance

Mental Health & Wellness

Need Immediate Help?
● TDSB SOCIAL WORK & SUPPORT FOR FAMILIES
● Telehealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0000
● Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868 or texting CONNECT to 686868
● Mental Health TO
● 211 – community supports such as food banks, housing and more.
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ZHMS IMPORTANT SCHOOL UPDATES

Student Accommodations during Ramadan

In 2023, the third week of March marks the first week of Ramadan - one of the holiest months
in the Islamic Calendar. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims around the world abstain from
food and water from sunrise to sunset for 29-30 consecutive days.

Our school will be offering a Prayer space for students of the Islamic faith during Ramadan. We
are fortunate to have Ms. Ahmad help us organize this space as well as students who will be
fasting during this time. Parents, please email zion@tdsb.on.ca or saba.ahmad@tdsb.on.ca for
more information.

International Day for the Elimination against Racism

Zion Heights Middle School and The Toronto

District School Board are committed to
addressing incidents of hate and racism that
continue to take place throughout the district.
Globally, March 21 is marked as the
International Day for the Elimination against
Racism.

On March 21, 2023, the Toronto District

School Board will host a series of
professional learning opportunities for
Kindergarten to grade 12 students, staff, and
parents/families/caregivers.
photo source: https://www.un.org/en/observances/end-racism-day

These sessions will provide opportunities for interactive conversations about the need
for racial literacy in all classrooms and schools, as well as some tangible takeaways to
continue this work in all curriculum areas.
School communities and families are invited to participate in the day by doing the
following:
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1. Read the United Nations Declaration on the International elimination of

Racism: https://www.un.org/en/observances/end-racism-day
2. Affirm your commitment to taking concrete actions against racism in your
curriculum, school environments and beyond.
3. Beginning the week of March 06, publicly display and declare your pledge
to fighting racism by using the following hashtags:
a. #TSDBAdvocate2023
b. #advocateforfightingracism
c. #TSDBforAntiracistSchools
d. #CriticalLoveforTSDB

add your photo here:

https://share.ohchr.org/join/1

Free Online Tutoring For Zion Heights MS Students

Tutoring is offered in French, English, Spanish and Mandarin. These sessions are great for
students who need help with their homework or have a question about a concept. We know
that not all students have someone at home with them who can help with homework so this is
a great support.
Parents/Guardians/Caregivers can sign up here:
Brainfuse Registration Paper Registration
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SCHOOL COMMUNITY MESSAGES & UPDATES:

Excellence Awards 2023 to Celebrate Staff Dedication

Every year, the TDSB Excellence Awards help shine a light on the stories of extraordinary staff
commitment, and we are delighted to announce that nominations for the Excellence Awards 2023
are now open! Please consider nominating a Zion Heights Middle School staff member who you
know is inspiring students, innovating the curriculum, championing digital transformation, creating
inclusive schools and workplaces, and working behind the scenes to support events, operations,
initiatives, learning, and wellness in so many different ways.

The TDSB welcomes nominations from anyone – staff, students, parents/caregivers, or community
members – so we encourage you to submit nominations between February 27 and April 6, 2023.

Tuesday Afterschool Chess Program 2022-2023 at Zion Heights MS

Zion HMS students finished in 1st place at their recent chess competition!
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Seneca Hill Chess

We bring chess to Zion Heights MS because it
is a well-known fact that learning and playing
chess can improve one’s intellectual
capabilities and social skills.

This is a program for those who would like to

play chess as an intellectual pursuit, as well
as an enjoyable activity. Our selected
students will participate in various school
team tournaments throughout the year.

Students will have instruction in groups of about 6 to 8. Students will also do problem-solving, practice
and play rated games every week.

Session 3: April 4 to June 6 – 10 lessons

Dates are subject to minor change due to unforeseen school activities.

Time: 3:10 to 4:40 (1.5 hours) in school.

Fee: $226 ($200 + $26 HST) for each session.

To register, please fill out the online form and make an e-transfer payment to
admin@senecahillchess.com by March 14.

We can be reached at admin@senecahillchess.com The online form can be found HERE.

Islamic Heritage at the TDSB – Ramadan

The Islamic Heritage Committee invites you to share the Ramadan Acts of Kindness calendar to
honour and learn about this special time with your students. Teaching resources about Ramadan
are linked below.

1. IHM Acts of Kindness Calendar Ramadan 2023

2. Ramadan Teaching Resources

3. Poster Call Out – Written

4. Poster Call Out – One pager

Italian Heritage Months - Invitation to Join Volunteer Planning Committee

This year, we are collaborating on a joint project with the Jewish Heritage Committee project to
commemorate the 90 Year Anniversary of the Christie Pits Riot that took place in Toronto - please
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join us on March 21st at our first Italian Heritage Committee meeting (details below) to learn more
about this initiative. Please visit our resources website to learn more about the Christie Pits Riot
and the plans for the months of May and June.

Details of the first planning meetings for Italian Heritage Month are shared below. We hope you will
be able to join us!

Italian Heritage Month First Volunteer Planning Meeting

Date: Tuesday, March 21, 2023

Time: 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Z oom Link: https://tdsb-ca.zoom.us/j/97619287156

Parent/Caregiver Learning Opportunity – as part of the Be The Change Project

The OT/PT team has made great progress with the Be The Change project (an initiative to promote
awareness on diversity, equity, and inclusion incorporating anti-oppression, anti-racism, and
anti-ableism). At this time, education has been provided to participating schools and they’re busy
working on developing their own local school initiative that will promote student inclusion,
community, and connection. Embedded within the project is also a parent/caregiver learning
module where this learning will be shared in addition to the inclusion of a parent speaker who will
share her experiences of how to partner with the school community to support inclusion.

There will be two parent/caregiver sessions on Tuesday, March 28th to accommodate personal
schedules which will occur from 12-1pm or 7-8pm. Please refer to the parent/caregiver Be The
Change flyer for more details.

TDSB’s OT/PT’s Virtual Office Hours for Parents/Caregivers

TDSB's occupational therapists and physiotherapists are hosting our third professional
development and virtual office hours for both parents/caregivers as well as educators of students
with special education and inclusion needs for the 2022/2023 school year. The session will focus
on support for students in ISP-DD/DK/PD classrooms, but the information is also relevant for
students in other settings. Our upcoming session will occur on March 29th, 2023 with a lunch
session for parents/guardians/caregivers (12:30-1:30pm) and an after school session for educators
(3:30-4:30pm). The format of these sessions includes the provision of a brief education session
from our TDSB OT/PTs followed by an open forum where attendees may ask questions, receive
generalized strategies to support their student(s)/child(ren), and connect with one another.

This month's discussion will focus on Finding Calm: Supporting Yourself and Others During
Stressful Behaviours. Translated versions of the parent/guardian/caregiver flyers are accessible in
the March 29th virtual office hours’ folder; translation services may be made available by request by
March 15th, 2023 – please refer to the flyers for more details. We look forward to seeing you there!
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The Black Girls’ Book Club – Middle School Edition

The Black Girls’ Book Club is back! Black girls (African, Afro-Caribbean and Black Diaspora) from
Grades 6 to 8 are invited to register for this program. The Black Girls’ Book Club provides students
with an opportunity to explore new ideas, new stories, and new ways of self-expression.
Throughout the program, student voice and the stories of Black women writers are celebrated.

Interested students should register for this program before March 20, 2023.

Virtual Information Session: March 22 from 6 to 7 p.m.

Program begins: March 28 at 4:30 p.m.

Register here

https://www.destinationontario.com/en-ca/articles/fun-march-break-activities-on
tario