The winter solstice is a special time for those who honour and acknowledge the patterns of our natural world. |
|
|
We acknowledge that we are hosted on the lands of the Mississaugas of the Anishinaabe, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and the Wendat. We also recognize the enduring presence of all First Nations, Métis & Inuit peoples. |
|
Welcome to the December issue of the TDSB EcoSchools newsletter!
Inside this EcoSchools newsletter, you will find valuable information on...
Toronto Youth Food Policy Council | World Soil Day
Project Neutral | ACER's Mulch Program
NEW! Twitter Spotlight | Archived Webinars
Decolonizing the Winter Solstice | Additional Dates
|
|
 |
Calling all student writers, artists, photographers, poets, and creatives! |
They are looking for artwork from youth (30 and under) that explores food justice, food access, family, ancestry, migration, familial recipes, and community.
They accept all forms of print media including: photography, paintings, collage, poetry, flash fiction, short essays, recipes, and more – anything and everything that calls us to laugh, mourn, learn, question, and/or celebrate our respective and collective roots and the worlds that bloom from them.
Submissions close January 1, 2021 at 11:59 PM. Submission guidelines can be found here.
|
|
|
|
World Soil Day
December 5, 2020
How can we stand on the ground everyday and not feel the soil's power? On World Soil Day, lets celebrate what we plant, what we harvest, and what we eat. Health, after all, begins in the ground!
"The soil is the great connector of our lives, the source and destination of all" - Wendell Berry
Elementary:
Secondary:
Agriculture in the Classroom -
National Geographic lesson -
|
|
|
|
|
Calling all in-person and virtual secondary schools: our friends at Project Neutral are offering a FREE climate change program for your class!
Download lesson plans, view curriculum connections, and create an in-depth educational experience for students to take action!
Plus - if your school is certifying with EcoSchools Canada, your participation can be claimed in your application.
Learn more and sign up today: https://app.projectneutral.org/school-resources
|
|
|
|
Upcoming Webinar
Wednesday, December 9th
4:00 - 5:00 PM
Accelerating Climate Change and the TDSB
The Toronto District School Board has been engaged in climate action for 20 years, during which time it has gradually reduced greenhouse gas emissions from buildings, spearheaded the EcoSchools movement in Canada, and established numerous
programs and partnerships to support and expand education for sustainability.
While the TDSB has been making steady, incremental improvements, climate change is accelerating at a frightening pace. What can be done? Where do we go from here?
Join Richard Christie, the TDSB’s Senior Manager of Sustainability, who will share his reflections on the opportunities,and the challenges for the TDSB and other school boards in these critical years for climate action.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
|
|
|
|
Check out these inspiring tweets we were tagged in last month!
Be sure to tag @EcoSchoolsTDSB on Twitter with your environmental projects and outdoor activities to be featured in next month's newsletter.
|
|
|
|
Love my manatee tote bag I did in collaboration with a student. Rewarding project to do with students combining environmental awareness + linocut art techniques. Pro-tip: order blank canvas bags from board approved vendor.
|
|
|
|
TDSB EcoSchools & OISE Webinars:
Anti-Racism and Eco-Justice
|
Revisit our archived virtual sessions and learn about how some Black and Indigenous environmental educators are reclaiming a field that has been dominated by white voices. What can we all do to make Environmental Education more diverse and inclusive? Watch to find out!
with OISE PhD candidate and creator of the blog Black Outdoors, Jacqueline L. Scott
with TDSB teachers Dan Kunanec, Ben Gross (Don Mills CI), and Stephanie Ustianov (West Prep)
|
|
|
Winter Solstice December 21, 2020
|
For thousands of years, Indigenous people have noted the changing of the seasons, and to acknowledge these cycles, they celebrate through ceremony. With the passing of the winter solstice and the rising of the sun in the noon sky, First Nations people have reason to celebrate as the sun strengthens once more. Many months of cold weather still remain before the spring thaw, but they realize that the return of the warm season is inevitable.
|
|
A Time for Renewal:
The winter solstice is the point at which the sun is farthest from the equator; thus, it is the darkest and shortest day of the year.
- Set meaningful homework tasks
- Invite more community members and Elders to class or to meet virtually
- Find a way to make non-engaged students see that they matter
- Connect more lessons to Indigenous language and culture
- Get students out on the land more
|
|
|
Additional Dates in December
|
|
Visit our website: https://www.tdsb.on.ca/ecoschools
Follow TDSB EcoSchools on Twitter and Instagram:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
