Author: earlhaigschoolcouncil

We are pleased to give you an update on our school’s playground expansion project, PlayEH. This plan has been in the works for several years, so we will also include a brief update of the process thus far.

The biggest update is that our playground build is scheduled! TDSB Construction has confirmed that this project is scheduled for Fall 2021. This is (of course) dependent on ability to do construction with whatever COVID-19 rules are in place at that time, but it is as firm an answer as anyone can give at this time.

Earlier this year, TDSB had to update the playground budget by approximately $20K to include Covid-19 regulations and the rise in material costs. Our school staff and school advisory council worked with the TDSB to come to an agreement about the budget because we were concerned about asking our parent community for more donations during a pandemic. The TDSB has stepped up to the plate! They are picking up $17,635.15 in additional COVID-related costs. This is fabulous news and we are grateful that they have taken this burden off of our Earl Haig community. Even though our SAC did vote to fund the extra playground money as needed, it is a huge relief that we don’t have the extra stress of fundraising at this time.

Background timeline of PlayEH

• 2017 – our school community wanted to increase play space for our students.

• 2018 – playground design was developed using consultations with community, SAC, and TDSB Construction.

• 2019 – fundraising started – and was completed – within a school year. The community raised $84,000 for our playground.

• 2020 – construction was postponed due to COVID-19.

• 2021 – TDSB Construction gave us a budget that was approximately $20,000 over the original estimate due to COVID-19 costs.
  
  The Earl Haig staff voted to support the playground with $1,494.37 from their budget. Earl Haig Principal, Vice Principal, and School Council members (past and present) advocated to TDSB Connects to reduce the budget.
  
  TDSB Construction agreed to reduce the budget by $10,000 and then to cover an additional $7,635.15 to complete the construction budget with no additional funds needed from Earl Haig parents and guardians.

Please reach out to our Chair, Polly Vandenberg, if you have any questions regarding this process or the budget.

Join us tomorrow at 7:00 PM for our next School Advisory Meeting. We’ll have an update from Principal Tsakmakas, hear the latest details on our Play EH project revitalization project, and more. Check out the full agenda here.

Here are all the tech-y details you need to log in to the meeting. See you there!

Topic: March Earl Haig SAC Meeting
Time: Mar 24, 2021 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://tdsb-ca.zoom.us/j/98492284764?pwd=dk9hUlhKVFRCL1RrTU82MnowcWJCZz09

Meeting ID: 984 9228 4764
Passcode: 126198

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+16473744685,,98492284764#,,,,*126198# Canada
+16475580588,,98492284764#,,,,*126198# Canada

Our thoughts are with Asian community members following last week’s horrific mass shooting in Atlanta, Georgia, that was rooted in racial misogyny and white supremacy.

Although last week’s attack happened in the United States, anti-Asian racism is pervasive here in Canada, too. Canadians have actually reported more Asian hate incidents per Asian capita than the US (source: project 1907). Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, incidents of verbal harassment and assault have gone up considerably and Asian business owners are also experiencing the financial impacts of declining business.

We cannot be complacent. Together, we all need to support our community members and step in to stop anti-Asian racism when we see it in action.

Here are a few tips from The RepresentASIAN Project on actions you can take:

1. Learn about the long history of anti-Asian racism in Canada including racism specific to Covid-19 (Fight Covid-19 Racism, Events in Asian Canadian History).
2. Report anti-Asian hate incidents.
3. Speak up if you see racism happening in person or online.
4. Support local Asian-owned businesses in the neighbourhood (i.e. Little
   Ones Closet, Cafe Cocoro, Gotamago, Queenie’s Cards, Yanagi Sushi and many more).
5. Donate, if possible, to organizations involved in racial justice work.

The Earl Haig SAC will continue to work towards dismantling systemic racism, gender- and race- based violence and queer and trans phobia.

For resources on talking to your children about anti-Asian hate, here are some good links to get started:

1. Anti-Racism for Kids: An Age-by-Age Guide to Fighting Hate
2. How to Talk to Kids About Anti-Asian Violence
3. Addressing Anti-Asian Racism: A Resource for Educators