Eco Action: Yard Clean Up

On May 6th. 2014 Teston Village lead an eco-friendly event to welcome the season of Spring. The primaries, juniors, and intermediates all did their part in helping clean the yard. Yard cleanup is a excellent tool to engage students in making a difference to their community.

This was a great way for students to see how much waste they were producing, and to learn how to directly help their community. This also helps students realize the unnecessary amount of waste there is on the yard and how difficult it is for the caretakers to clean up the mess.

Thanks to all the students and to the teachers who helped clean up the schoolyard. A special thanks to Ms.K and the ECO team for continuously helping our school become more environmentally friendly and ecologically knowledgeable one step at a time. Everyone’s effort was very appreciated. Keep up the great work Teston!

By: Mahnoor and Joham

Together We're Better

Together We’re Better...Gearing up for our Social Justice Day

On Thursday, April 24th, a group of Grade 8 students from the Student Council attended the Together We’re Better conference at Bill Crothers Secondary School. The conference has been taking place in the Board for the past 21 years, as its lessons are timeless and will always be of use. Its main goal is to increase equity and inclusivity amongst all YRDSB members.

Building an inclusive environment involves acknowledging and celebrating differences. This was highlighted during the first presentation by the First Nations Group, Tribal Vision. The many dances performed by various tribes demonstrated how inclusivity is possible even if people come from different places.  Although the dances were diverse, they all encompassed the feeling of unity. Greg Frankson a well known Canadian Poet shared his insightful poems based on personal  experiences. Educating others with his poetry made us understand prominent social issues like racism. His powerful words, “No matter what our intention, it is the effect of the action that changes our lives” made us realize just how impactful actions are. We need to be the change we want to see.  Itah Sadu, a well-known storyteller and author shared her vision. She underlined the need for everyone to help others when they are vulnerable and in fact, asking for help is not a weakness but a strength.

The workshops we attended were very informative. The Scanning for Equity workshop made us realize we should be creating a more inclusive community at our school by reflecting on our school’s physical space. A simple idea such as displaying achievements of all of the various clubs at our school in the front foyer will foster more equity and inclusivity within our school.  The Learning and Unlearning workshop had participants experience first hand what English Language Learners go through when facing an unfamiliar language environment.

The conference has given us some ideas to share at our upcoming Social Justice Day. We look forward to planning an amazing day.

Mrs. Reid in collaboration with Shanzay A.

Inspire Learning

The student council was asked to choose a theme for Teston Village's end of year celebration.  The students ultimately decided to focus on the theme of Social Justice.  This is a rich topic that provides countless avenues and directions for students to become involved.  It also happens to be a topic that has recently been added to the Secondary curriculum, and is being taught at Stephen Lewis Secondary School.  I came to see this connection when chatting with a good friend of mine who happens to be a teacher at SLSS.  We both saw an opportunity for collaboration that would result in increased engagement and a more powerful voice for our students.

The initiative will see students from TVPS and SLSS working together to plan workshops about social justice for Teston's end of year celebration.  The Secondary students will take on leadership in mentoring and guiding the Elementary students in the planning of the workshops.  These students will then implement and lead the workshops in their own school.  They will take on the role of mentor and empower younger students by challenging them to take action and find a strong voice of their own.
Secondary students will be forced to apply their learning for different audiences and purposes. Everyone will face the task of generating creative ideas to engage students and inspire learning.