Good evening, Bellwood Community, the home of the Bobcats where we Belong, Believe and Succeed!!

Congratulations to all our Bobcat Athletes who attended the Abilities Track and Field meet today. Our students did an excellent job representing

Bellwood! Thank you to Mrs. Ferguson for organizing and working with our athletes.

We are looking for information to continue to build a strong SCC for the 2024-2025 school year. We would appreciate it if you could fill out a short survey. Please click on the link to access this survey https://forms.gle/pJiVb9drw4rzNnYz9

Kindergarten Pick-Up and Drop off

This is a reminder for families dropping off their children to the kindergarten enclosures in the morning, picking up at lunch and picking up afterschool. To keep all children safe, we are reminding you to please do not enter the kindergarten enclosure at any time. In rain, sleet, snow and sunshine, please wait for a staff member to open and close the gate to receive children in the morning and to give you your children when picking up at lunch or afterschool. If there is no staff member at the gate, please bring your child to the office. The gates need to be closed at ALL times!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Please see below for our weekly updates;

Save the Date

• June 18                 Freezy Sale Day
• June 19                 Grade 8 Graduation Ceremony and Dinner
• June 24                 Grade 8 Graduation Trip
• June 25                 Report Cards go home
• June 27                 Last Day for students

Summer Learning Camps

This summer the Durham District School Board will be offering In-Person Summer Mathematics and Literacy Camps for students currently enrolled in Grades 1-8. These summer learning camps are intended to support students who would benefit from review of current grade level concepts and skills specific to mathematics and literacy.

Students will engage in fun, interactive arts-based learning opportunities focused on further developing and consolidating skills and knowledge connected to Literacy and/or Mathematics. Using a variety of engaging tools, students will be immersed in collaborative learning opportunities designed to address current learning challenges and help prepare them for the upcoming 2024-2025 school year.

The summer learning camps are not a reach-ahead or enrichment program.

All Program Dates (In-Person): July 8th to August 1st (Monday-Thursday), 9:00 am – 2:00 pm

By registering for the program parents are asked to commit to having their child participate ALL 16 DAYS (4 weeks).

Please complete the following GOOGLE FORM. A reminder that spaces are limited. Confirmation that your child has been registered with Summer Learning will be shared no later than Friday, June 21st.

Character Trait for June is Courage

Our Safety Tip this month: In the last few weeks of school, let’s have the courage to do what is right, to be kind and respectful to one another and to keep our hands and feet to ourselves!! The school year is almost over let’s end on a positive note!!

The Neuroscience of Courage Strengthening the Will to Act

The neurology of courage involves a competition between your amygdala, which drives fear, (along with your fight or flight response) and your subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sgACC), which acts to suppress bodily fear responses.

Neurologically, conscious activation of your sgACCcan suppress and shut down your (otherwise-involuntary) amygdala response.

So, the idea of voluntarily acting in the face of fear isn't just a poetic description, it’s a scientific reality.

And what helps you “voluntarily act”? Four things:

1. The ability to clearly picture your actions and the positive results that will come from them increases your ability to act. If you don’t know what to do, it becomes a lot harder to do it, which is one reason why uncertainty can be more paralyzing than concrete fears.. Focusing on what you need to do in the moment can have magical results on your ability to act

2. Focusing on the meaning of your actions —"why" you are doing what you're doing. If parents routinely display courage for the sake of their children, one reason is that their “why” for acting is concretely in front of them; they know they’re doing it for their kids’ sake. So focus on why. After all meaning and happiness are key principles behind Positive Psychology for a reason.

3. Embrace the courage to fail. If you believe that daring greatly is honorable in itself —that the brave man who fails is still brave —you greatly increase your ability to act. This is one reason why The Courage to Fail (in order to succeed), is a key element of the Fearless Leaders Coaching Model.

4. Strengthen your pattern of bravery. We've all had moments of bravery in our life. Routinely recalling and reliving those moments activates and strengthens our neural patterns associated with bravery and helps us to begin seeing ourselves as brave. Once you begin identifying with being brave, you become much more likely to act in ways that conform to that self-image. You'll have a new “reason- why” for your actions and a new neural pattern to tap into when acting in the face of fear.

If you focus on these four factors, you'll find that you have a much easier time facing your fears, staying in the moment, and acting from your highest consciousness under pressure.

Grade 8 Graduation Fundraiser: Freezy Sales

Our much-anticipated Freezy sales are back! We will be selling Freezies on Tuesday June 18, 2024 in the afternoon. Jumbo Freezies will be available for $1.00 for grades 1-

8. Our Kindergarten students will be getting half of a Jumbo Freezy for 50 cents.

Thank you for supporting our grade 8 graduation fundraiser.

Steel Pan and Stem Summer Camps

Please see attached flyer for more information \June\2024 Steel Pans and STEM Summer Jam Camp .png

Parent Engagement: The lighter side of Mental Health speaker series

Please see attached flyer for more information and registration details \June\2024 The lighterside of Mental Health_Speaker Series.pdf

Free June Events for Durham Region Families Durham Forest Summer Day Camp

June is Recreation and Parks Month, and Durham is celebrating with a passport to explore lots of FREE events across Durham Region throughout the month of June and a chance to win prizes (including a new bike)!

• Exciting activities including Fitness Fridays, Zumba® in the park, Yoga by the lake, public swims and many more FREE events!

• Open to all residents of the Regional Municipality of Durham and is running from June 1-30, 2024.

• Explore your community, make memories, and get active.
• Attend at least 3 free events for your chance to win!

Visit DurhamTourism.ca/RecAndParksMonth for more information and event details. As well you can see the attached flyer

DDSB Durham Forest Summer Camp

Join DDSB for a summer of fun, learning, & adventure! ??Durham Forest Summer Day Camp is for children ages 7-12. Each week, camp will feature outdoor and experiential learning activities. July 2 - August 23: Mon to Fri, 9 A.M. to 4 P.M.

Register: https://bit.ly/45zOIbS

100 Strong FREE Summer Camp July 2-26, 2024

The Board of Directors of 100 Strong Foundation are pleased to invite applications for the Strong Summer Academy program for 2024.

Strong Summer Academy is a 4-week summer program designed to inspire Black male youth ages 11-14 years old. This program has been designed to provide the attendees with the tools necessary to achieve their maximum potential both in education as well as life skills. The Strong Academy curriculum strives to combine the concepts of academic theory and experiential learning alongside real world experiences, while focusing on the holistic learner. The academy is held Monday to Friday from July 2 – July 26, 2024.

Attached you will find information to share with students and families who identify as Black, African, or Afro-Caribbean about an upcoming summer program. 100 Strong Summer academy is geared towards Black male identifying students in grades 7 and 8. The program runs during the month of July at UTSC (University of Toronto Scarborough campus). There is no cost to families and busing will be provided. Please click on the link for more info.

Applications should be submitted to margaret.lazarus@ddsb.ca.

Participants will be admitted to the program based on the submission of a completed application on a first come first serve basis.

Teams and Clubs

The following teams and clubs are running;

• Ultimate Frisbee - please check in with Mr. Marshall and Mrs. Ferguson for practice times if your child is on this team

Kiss and Ride Reminders for the new year

• When dropping students off in the kiss and ride please drive right up to the front of the kiss and ride so that other cars are able to join the Kiss and Ride to drop off their children

• Please be patient as everyone is trying to drop off their children safely

• We understand that the mornings and afterschool times you are busy rushing to get your children to and from school. We ask that you choose safety over convenience as you are driving through the Kiss and Ride and please watch your speed

• Please do not park or stop in the Kiss and Ride or in front of the kindergarten enclosure in the morning from 8:50 – 9:20 a.m. and from 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. If possible, please find a parking space or circle around (like at the airport)

• It has been brought to our attention that some people are parking in our handicapped parking spaces who do not have the handicapped permit visible on their dashboard or where it can be seen. We are reminding you that these parking spots are for people who have a handicapped permit, and the permit must be visible if you are going to park in the handicapped spots. Also, we have noticed that cars are sometimes blocking these spots making it difficult for those who need it to park there. Please note the fine for parking in these spots without a permit is $5000.00.

• We are also reminding parents who drive their children to school to please drive right up to the front of the Kiss and Ride. Please do not park your car in the middle of the Kiss and Ride as this slows down the process for everyone. Also the laneway beside the Kiss and Ride is not for parking this laneway helps the traffic move along and keeps a flow to our Kiss and Ride in the morning and afterschool

• We are also asking that you prioritize safety over convenience as we try to keep everyone safe. Please use the sidewalk. We see many parents crossing in front of cars in the Kiss and Ride and this poses a very serious safety risk. Please use the sidewalk to walk your children to their line up

Dates of Significance

June 14 Day of Hajj

Hajj, in Islam, the pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, which every adult Muslim must make at least once in his or her lifetime. The hajj is the fifth of the fundamental Muslim practices and institutions known as the Five Pillars of Islam. The pilgrimage rite begins on the 7th day of Dhu al-?ijjah (the last month of the Islamic year) and ends on the 12th day.

 June 14 Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev

He was the fifth Guru (1563-1606) and the first Sikh martyr executed by the Mughal emperor Jehangir. He built the Golden Temple in Amritsar with doors facing all four directions to emphasize that the Sikh way was open to all, regardless of caste

Sunday June 16 Father’s Day

Father’s Day is a celebration honoring fathers and father figures and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. Many countries celebrate it on the third Sunday of June, though it is also celebrated widely on other days by many other countries.

Sunday June 16 Eid-al-Adha

Eid al-Adha is one of the two blessed Eids that we celebrate as Muslims. It falls in the 12th and final month of the Islamic calendar, Dhul Hijjah.

On Eid al-Adha we remember the sacrifice made by Prophet Ibrahim (AS). In remembrance of his sacrifice and to help the poor and needy, we give our own sacrifice: Qurbani

Eid al-Adha is different from Eid al-Fitr because they happen on 2 separate days and signify different things. Eid al-Adha means the festival of sacrifice and falls on the 10th of Dhul Hijjah while Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan, acting as a time of celebration and gathering to show gratitude towards Allah (SWT) after a month of reflection.

June 18 Neurodiversity Pride Day

On this special day, we reflect solo, or come together, to celebrate the uniqueness and diversity of our neurodivergent identities, and to recognize the value that we bring to our societies. It’s a day to embrace and honor our differences, to stand together in solidarity, and to celebrate the beauty and strength of our shared experiences.

June 19 Juneteenth

Juneteenth, celebrated on June 19, marks the tragedy of enslavement and recognizes the challenges that those who fight injustice continue to face. Juneteenth also marks the full emancipation of African American communities commemorating the humanity of a people. In Canada, Ontario has been the only province to have passed legislation proclaiming August 1 as Emancipation Day. However, this year, 2021, marks the first year that Emancipation Day will be acknowledged federally in Canada on August 1. Emancipation Day is about honouring the past as well as reflecting on our present and preparing for the future.

June 20 Summer Solstice

Summer solstice, the two moments during the year when the path of the Sun in the sky is farthest north in the Northern Hemisphere (June 20 or 21) or farthest south in the Southern Hemisphere (December 21 or 22).

Your Admin Team,

Sharon Knights and Gavin Ruddock