2025-04-14 Family Message
April 14, 2025
Dear Vincent Massey Families:
We hope all our students and families who are observing Passover and Easter this week have happy and joyous celebrations.
School is closed on Friday, April 18 and Monday, April 21.
Classes resume on Tuesday, April 22.
Today’s message includes information on the following topics:
Emergency Procedure Practices
DDSB Code of Conduct
School Climate & Well-Being Survey Information
Scholastic Book Fair
Save the Date - Arts Showcase
Federal Election Polling Station at Vincent Massey
EQAO Information for Grade 3 and 6 Families
SCC News - Spring Fair Save the Date
DDSB Engagement Speaker Series Event - Dr. Jean Clinton
Hot Lunches at Vincent Massey
DDSB Summer Camps Information
Vincent Massey Spirit Wear
DDSB Survey March/April
Third Party Speakers at Vincent Massey
Coming Events at Vincent Massey
EMERGENCY PROCEDURES PRACTICES
It is always important to be prepared for emergencies and to know how to respond. With the arrival of spring, our students will be conducting drills for the following scenarios:
Fire/Evacuation Drills
Hold and Secure
Lockdown
Nuclear Evacuations
Bomb Threat
We review these procedures regularly in our classrooms and learning spaces.
We follow the direction of the DDSB and our Emergency Service partners when communicating with our school community during an actual emergency.
SCHOOL CLIMATE AND WELL-BEING SURVEY BEGINS APRIL 22
The Durham District School Board (DDSB) is committed to fostering inclusive, healthy, and safe learning environments. To better understand the demographics, perspectives, and lived experiences of our students, families, and staff, we will be conducting the Grade 4-12 School Climate and Well-Being Survey from Tuesday, April 22nd to Friday, May 2nd, 2025.
This survey, guided in part by the Accepting Schools Act, seeks to gather input on school experiences, attitudes, and well-being. After public consultation, and in alignment with our Multi-Year Strategic Plan priorities of Meaningful Learning, Connected Communities, and Well-Being, the survey has been revised for the 2024-25 school year.
To ensure transparency, sample surveys are now available for your review so you can familiarize yourself with the questions being asked. Please note that the information listed in the purple boxes found in these sample surveys will not appear in the actual surveys used. The information in the purple boxes are there to indicate the next series of questions that the participant will be directed to based upon their responses to certain questions.
We appreciate your participation, as the insights gathered will help us enhance the school experience for all students.
Please visit the DDSB School Climate and Well-Being Survey Web Page for further information and details, including a sample survey.
SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR APRIL 14 - APRIL 24
The Scholastic Book Fair is back this spring. When your kids buy books they love, your school can turn Fair earnings into more books for this season and years to come.
When: Monday, April 14 - Thursday, April 24
-AM Recess - Grades 1 - 3
-PM Recess - Grades 4 - 8
-The Book Fair is OPEN during the Vincent Massey Arts Showcase from 6:30 - 8:00 on Wednesday, April 23rd.
Where: Library Learning Commons
Payment: - Cash, Debit and Credit are accepted.
To learn more, visit the Vincent Massey Scholastic Book Fair Web Page
The Arts Showcase is returning this year! Join us on April 23 from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. for interactive art displays throughout the school and live performances in our showcase stage.
We will also be welcoming the Scholastic Book Fair in the library.
Ask your child how their class is involved in the Arts Showcase.
FEDERAL ELECTION POLLING STATION AT VINCENT MASSEY - APRIL 28
On Monday, April 28, Vincent Massey PS will be a site for the Federal Election. We have plans in place to ensure the safety of our students and to minimize the impact to the daily function and routines of our school.
The voting will be taking place in the library, and voters will be parking in the South parking lot and entering through the doors by the library. There will be professional paid security personnel on site throughout the day.
Please note, the south parking lot (by the kindergarten area) will be closed all day to all staff and families throughout the day to allow the voting public to access the parking lot. Parents/guardians who are dropping off and picking up children from Umbrella Daycare can continue the drop-off and pick up location as usual.
Please direct any questions to Ms. Lawton or Ms. Hunt at the main office.
EQAO INFORMATION FOR GRADE 3 & 6 FAMILIES - WEBINARS FOR FAMILIES
At the end of May, our Grade 3 and Grade 6 students will be taking part in the provincial Assessment of Reading, Writing and Mathematics, Primary Division (Grades 1–3) or Junior Division (Grades 4–6). These assessments, developed by Ontario teachers and assessment experts, are administered to all Grade 3 and Grade 6 students in Ontario’s publicly funded school system by the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO).
There are webinars by EQAO available for parents and guardians who wish to learn more about EQAO.
Registration is available for the webinar on April 10 at 6:00 p.m. or April 15 at 12:00 p.m. here:
EQAO is also hosting a Parent/Guardian Math Night Webinar on April 29 at 12:00 p.m.
EQAO Math Night Webinar Registration
Families may also wish to view this information video - What to Expect on the EQAO Primary and Junior Division Assessments.
For more information about EQAO and to view a sample test, visit EQAO’s website, www.eqao.com.
Please contact your child’s teacher with any specific questions.
SCHOOL COMMUNITY COUNCIL NEWS - SPRING FAIR - MAY 24, 2025
Join us on Saturday, May 24, 2025 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM for our second Spring Fair, brought to you by our School Community Council.
We have fun and exciting activities planned for all our students and their families.
If you are interested in volunteering or if you have questions about the Spring Fair, please send a message to the SCC at scc.VincentMasseyPS@scc.ddsb.ca
Our next Spring Fair Meeting is on Wednesday, May 7 at 6:15 p.m. Volunteers are welcome and needed. Please send a message to the SCC scc.VincentMasseyPS@scc.ddsb.ca or contact the office to volunteer.
SPRING FAIR STUDENT MAKER MARKET
The Student Maker Market is returning at our Spring Fair. Student makers are welcome to pick up an application from their teacher or by visiting the office for a form.
Please note that a parent/guardian must provide supervision to all our student vendors throughout the day of the Spring Fair.
SAVE THE DATE - DDSB ENGAGEMENT SPEAKER SERIES - SUPPORTING OUR CHILDREN AND YOUTH TO THRIVE
Registration details will be available in the coming weeks.
HOT LUNCHES AT VINCENT MASSEY
Our School Community Council offers a variety of hot lunch days for our students and we encourage families to take advantage of the convenience of these lunches while also supporting our school programs.
We strongly request that families refrain from ordering food from delivery services (e.g. UberEats, Skip The Dishes, etc.)
These ordered lunches often arrive with incomplete information such as student name, and we do not have staff available to distribute these lunches in a timely manner.
If you are treating your child to a special lunch, we ask you to consider taking your child out for lunch rather than ordering a delivery lunch.
MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY | FRIDAY | |
LUNCH | Wok Box | Subway | Twisted Indian | Frantastic Cafe | Little Caesar’s Pizza |
HOW TO ORDER | |||||
LUNCH | Patty Gyal | Bar Burrito | |||
HOW TO ORDER |
DDSB SUMMER CAMPS JUNE 30 - AUGUST 22, 2025
Registration is open for the DDSB Summer Day Camps at the Durham Forest Environmental Education Centre, Operated by the Durham District School Board, located just south of the town of Uxbridge.
Children born between 2013 - 2018 are eligible to attend.
Each week of camp will feature outdoor and experiential learning activities designed to inspire, educate and reconnect your child to the world around them.
There is a cost for the program.
Parents and caregivers are invited to view the details on the DDSB Website here:
The registration deadline is Friday, June 13, 2025 at ddsb.schoolcashonline.com.
VINCENT MASSEY SPIRIT WEAR
Vincent Massey Spirit Wear is available for purchase. Visit the online store to purchase your spirit wear today.
DDSB MULTI-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN FEEDBACK SURVEY
We want your opinion! Please take a few moments to give the DDSB Leadership Department your thoughts on how we are doing.
Responses are anonymous and will be reviewed by the DDSB Leadership and Research & Strategic Analytics Departments on a monthly basis. This information will be used to measure how well we are implementing our DDSB Multi-Year Strategic Plan (MYSP) and provide us with suggestions for next steps for improvement.
You can access this Form multiple times, so that you are able to provide feedback on the three areas of our MYSP. If you have any questions or need to contact us, email us at research@ddsb.ca
Multi-Year Strategic Plan Survey March/April
THIRD PARTY SPEAKERS AND PRESENTATIONS AT VINCENT MASSEY
Per the Ministry of Education’s memorandum Parent Accountability and Transparency: Communication Requirements for Guest (Third Party) Speakers and Presentations in Ontario Schools, we are pleased to provide you with this schedule - Vincent Massey Speakers & Presentations 2024-2025 - which outlines third party guest speakers and presentations. The published schedule will remain current whenever new content is added. If you have any questions, please contact your child’s teacher.
COMING EVENTS AT VINCENT MASSEY
April 18 - Good Friday - School Closed
April 21 - Easter Monday - School Closed
April 23 - Arts Showcase, 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
May 15 - Gr. 7 & 8 Vaccination Clinic
May 15 - Great Beginnings New JK Event
May 15 - Engagement Speaker Series Event - Dr. Jean Clinton
May 19 - Victoria Day Holiday - School Closed
May 24 - Spring Fair, 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
May 28 - Eastdale Family Information Night 5:30 PM - 7:00 p.m.
Sincerely,
Charmyn Lawton, Principal & Nadia Nembhard-Hunt, Vice-Principal
Vincent Massey Public School
905-728-0681
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