The end of a school year brings with it many emotions – excitement for summer sunshine & adventure but also sadness or unsure feelings about change. Over the last week, many notes from families, students and staff have been shared with sweet reflections of the year and the impact people have had on each other. My heart is full as we extend “see you soon” messages to all our community.
Good luck to our Grade 8 Graduates as they embark on the new journey of learning in high school. We wish a number of staff our appreciation for their care as they move onto other schools and opportunities (Mme Bento, Ms. Chen, Ms. Israilov, Ms. Audino, Mrs. Budhrani, Ms. J, Ms. Doan, Mr. Gluck, Ms. Jackson, Ms. Luu, Ms. McIntosh and Ms. Bose). We are thrilled to welcome our new principal, Mr. Anania, vice principal Ms. Burbano, and teachers Ms. Keon, Ms. Lipton, Ms. Weisdorf and Ms. Elkabas. Welcome back Mr. Pabla, Ms. Angilletta and Ms. A Zoltak!
My time at Wilshire ES has been full of joy, growth and love. Thank you for trusting us with your precious children as we serve the community. Have an incredible summer of fun, health and rest. Mark your calendars – the first day of school is September 5, 2023!
How is it that we are coming into our final week of the 2022 – 2023 school year! So many wonderful memories over the last week.
Congratulations to our Gr. 8 Graduates who celebrated their accomplishments at a ceremony, dance and dinner last Wednesday!
Kindergarten teddy bear picnic on Friday
Indigenous People’s Day school wide Read-alouds under the trees
Thank you to our incredible School Council for hosting a staff appreciation breakfast
Regional Track & Field meet on Monday where a few of our Wilshire athletes competed – showing incredible determination and skill. Go Wilshire!
Please take a moment to read a few important details for our upcoming week together:
Friday, June 30 – Last Day of the School Year 1/2 Day (Early Dismissal)
All schools in the York Region District School Board are committed to improving student achievement and well-being. On Friday, June 30, 2022 an early release day will take place to allow elementary teachers and support staff to take part in meetings during the afternoon of that day. These meetings will allow for school staff to engage in culminating activities regarding the review and revision of the School’s Improvement Plan as well as year-end and transition activities that support student success.
As has been our practice in the past, students will attend school during the morning of Friday, June 30, 2023 only. Students will be dismissed early that day at 11:45AM. Arrangements will be made to ensure that students who are normally bused to and from school will receive transportation at this time. Parents/guardians whose children attend after school child care should make appropriate arrangements to address this change in schedule.
Are You Moving Over the Summer or Not Returning to Wilshire ES?
If you are planning on moving, or won’t be returning to Wilshire ES for September, we are sad to see you go. Having said that, if you know that your child (ren) won’t be returning in September, please send an email to both the school wilshire.es@yrdsb.ca
Indigenous Languages and International Languages (ILIL) Program
Online registration is now open and available on the Elementary Program web page. The elementary program will be offered in-person and remotely. In-person learning will offered Tuesday to Friday evenings, and Saturday morning. Remote learning will be offered Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. Teachers will use Google Classroom to provide both synchronous and asynchronous learning opportunities.
Please see this flyer for more information, or Attachment #2.
On the Horizon
Monday, June 26 – Term 2 Report Cards are accessible digitally (gapps email)
Wednesday, June 28 – End of Year Assembly
Friday, June 30 – Last Day of School with Early Dismissal 11:45
June is here and what a start it has been! Thank you to all our Wilshire School Council and volunteers (families, students and staff) at our June End of Year Carnival. It was a fabulous evening of fun and connection. The air quality has improved which means we were able to head outside for recess on Friday which was welcomed by all! Please take a moment to review a few important details for our upcoming week.
PROMOTING RACIAL LITERACY IN SCHOOLS – DIFFERENCES THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Parent and Guardians and Students are invited to attend “Promoting Racial Literacy in Schools; Differences That Make A Difference” with Dr. Howard C. Stevenson. Please see attachment #2. You must register for this virtual event. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.
NATIONAL INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY
June 21 was declared National Indigenous Peoples Day in 1996 by then Governor General Romeo Leblanc. The day was chosen in consultation with some national organizations for Indigenous peoples including the Assembly of First Nations, and coincides with the summer solstice which is significant for some First Nations.
With the ongoing location of graves at Residential schools over the past 12 months the nation is slowly coming to grips with the horrors of the Residential School program. Examining the truths of Canada’s colonial past and present is important work and should continue to drive our examination of bias and what Canadian history has tried to deny for so long. The importance of today, however, is to uplift and affirm Indigenous identities by including positive representations. The 21st has become a day for celebration in many Indigenous communities. It is a day for showing pride in their living cultures and to demonstrate a resurgence of ways of being, thinking and speaking. Join us today in celebrating the diverse cultures of First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities, the original people of Turtle Island.
HOT LUNCHES
Gino’s Pizzais on TUESDAYs. Orders can be made and paid through www.healthyhunger.ca by Thursday at midnight for the following week.
Subway sandwiches are on WEDNESDAYs. Orders can be made and paid through http://www.healthyhunger.ca by Friday at midnight for the following week.
Kids Kitchenwill provide hot lunches to our students on FRIDAYs. Place your orders at www.kidskitchen.ca. Orders can be placed online until 10:00am the previous day!
ON THE HORIZON
June 14 – Junior Intermediate Soccer Team Games
June 16 – Wilshire Spirit Day (wear purple)
June 19 – Regional Track & Field Meet (please not the change in date)
June 21 – Gr. 8 Graduation at Bellagio Boutique Event Venue
June 21 – National Indigenous People’s Day
June 23 – Every Student Counts Survey Deadline
June 26 – Term 2 Report Cards go home
June 30 – Last Day of School for the 2022 – 2023 School Year (1/2 day – more details to follow)
It is quite something to think that we are in the last week of May! Last week was another fabulous one at Wilshire with our Junior and Intermediate Track & Field days, Kindergarten students to Tiny Town, Grade 7s to the Burrlington Outdoor Education Centre and continued planning for upcoming Wilshire End of Year Carnival! Please review important information below for our coming week together.
End of Year Celebration
On June 1, our Wilshire Parent Council will be hosting our End of Year Celebration. All current students and families and future Junior Kindergarten students are invited. Food packages and tickets will be available for purchase via School Cash Online until Monday, May 29th at NOON! In order to make the night a success, our Parent Council is looking for volunteers to help out. It is going to be an evening of family fun and you don’t want to miss out.
Grade 2 & 4 Families Reminder
On Monday our Gr. 4 students and on Tuesday our Gr. 2 students will be heading to the Burrlington Outdoor Education Centre (BORC). They have contacted us to share a reminder to dress for outdoor learning. It is tick and mosquito season: wear a hat, real socks to allow pants to be tucked in (not ankle socks), light coloured, long sleeved shirt/lightweight jacket and pants (avoid leggings, especially black) and no crop tops. The BORC property is beautiful in the spring and it’s best enjoyed when visitors are dressed appropriately. This is going to be a fabulous day for the students.
Bike and Scooter Safety
Bike to School Week is May 29 – June 1st! Join in the fun of being active. We are excited to see our older students enjoying the nice weather and riding their scooters and bikes to school. We would like to remind families that by law in Ontario, anyone 18 years old and younger, must wear a helmet while riding a bike. It is also strongly recommended to prevent head injury that children wear helmets when using scooters.
Class Placement Family Survey
Monday, May 29th is the last day to share any information that you would like considered through the Class Placement Parent Survey 2023 – 2024. Balancing the needs of all students is not an easy task. Placement decisions are made by a team of staff who know your child, their learning strengths and needs, and their peer relationships. Requests for individual teachers should not be made. Please keep in mind that teacher assignments often switch from year to year. We value the input from parents/guardians. This survey allows your voice to be considered in this process. One survey should be completed for each child for whom you wish to provide input. Once you submit the first survey, it will give you a link to submit another response for additional children.
Acorn Card!
Celebrate your child’s creativity by transforming your child’s art into give cards, calendars and more! Keep your eyes out for the order form that will be coming home last week with artwork from your child. All proceeds will go towards bringing incredible guest speakers and arts programming into Wilshire! Monday, May 29th is the last day to place your order!
On the Horizon
May 28 – Class Placement Family Survey Deadline
May 29 – Gr. 4’s to BORC Outdoor Education Centre
May 30 – Gr. 2’s to BORC Outdoor Education Centre
June 1 – Wilshire Carnival!
June 2 – PA Day (no school)
June 21 – Gr. 8 Graduation
June 26 – Term 2 Report Cards go home
June 30 – Last Day of School for the 2022 – 2023 School Year (1/2 day – more details to follow)
Another fabulous week at Wilshire has gone by. We welcomed our new Junior Kindergarten families to our Wilshire Community on Thursday evening at our Discover Kindergarten Sessions. It is exciting to meet all our curious new learners.
Junior & Intermediate Track & Field
It is that time of the year where we start putting together a Wilshire Track and Field team consisting of our Junior and Intermediate students. Our Intermediate students will be competing against each other on Tuesday, May 23rd at Wilshire and the Junior students on Wednesday, May 24th. Our track and field day will be running throughout the day, so students are asked to come prepared for the warmer weather.
Please ensure the following items are at school:
Hat
Water bottle
Sunscreen
Running shoes (crocs are not a safe sporting shoe)
Healthy snack
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact your child’s homeroom teacher.
End of Year Celebration
On June 1, our Wilshire Parent Council will be hosting our End of Year Celebration. All current students and families and future Junior Kindergarten students are invited. Food packages and tickets will be available for purchase via School Cash Online soon. In order to make the night a success, our Parent Council is looking for volunteers to help out. . Please take a minute to sign up as a volunteer here! It is going to be an evening of family fun and you don’t want to miss out.
Class Placement Family Survey
Please share any information that you would like considered through the Class Placement Parent Survey 2023 – 2024 by May 26, 2023. Balancing the needs of all students is not an easy task. Placement decisions are made by a team of staff who know your child, their learning strengths and needs, and their peer relationships. Requests for individual teachers should not be made. Please keep in mind that teacher assignments often switch from year to year.
We value the input from parents/guardians. This survey allows your voice to be considered in this process. One survey should be completed for each child for whom you wish to provide input. Once you submit the first survey, it will give you a link to submit another response for additional children.
Every Student Counts Survey – Extension
Dear Families,
As you may know, York Region District School Board is currently engaging students in the Every Student Counts Survey.
On April 24, 2023, families received an email notifying them that the survey period is open. Families of students in Kindergarten-Grade 3 will have now received an invitation letter from their school, which includes a survey link and survey code to complete the survey at home.
We thank everyone who has already completed the survey. We have made the decision to extend the survey deadline. If you have not yet completed the survey, please consider doing so by May 19, 2023. We appreciate you taking the time to help us better understand our students and their experiences in school.
If you didn’t receive the survey invitation letter or have misplaced it, please contact your child’s homeroom teacher.
Hot Lunches
Gino’s Pizzais on TUESDAYs. Orders can be made and paid through www.healthyhunger.ca by Thursday at midnight for the following week.
Subway sandwiches are on WEDNESDAYs. Orders can be made and paid through http://www.healthyhunger.ca by Friday at midnight for the following week.
Kids Kitchenwill provide hot lunches to our students on FRIDAYs. Place your orders at www.kidskitchen.ca. Orders can be placed online until 10:00am the previous day!
Acorn Card!
Celebrate your child’s creativity by transforming your child’s art into give cards, calendars and more! Keep your eyes out for the order form that will be coming home this week with artwork from your child. All proceeds will go towards bringing incredible guest speakers and arts programming into Wilshire!
On the Horizon
May 22 – Victoria Day (no classes today)
May 23 – Intermediate Track & Field
May 24 – Junior Track & Field
May 23 – Doahl Dance Academy Program (Gr. 5/6 – 7/8)
May 23 – 26 – EQAO Gr. 3
May 26 – Gr. 7’s to BORC Outdoor Education Centre
May 26 – Last day to Sign up for Wilshire Carnival!
May 26 – Kindergartens to Tiny Town
May 26 – Class Placement Family Survey Deadline
May 29 – Gr. 4’s to BORC Outdoor Education Centre
May 30 – Gr. 2’s to BORC Outdoor Education Centre
June 1 – Wilshire Carnival!
June 2 – PA Day (no school)
June 21 – Gr. 8 Graduation
June 26 – Term 2 Report Cards go home
June 30 – Last Day of School for the 2022 – 2023 School Year (1/2 day – more details to follow)
Trust you are having the most wonderful Victoria Day Long Weekend!
On June 1, our Wilshire Parent Council will be hosting our End of Year Celebration. All current students and families and future Junior Kindergarten students are invited. Food packages and tickets will be available for purchase via School Cash Online soon. In order to make the night a success, our Parent Council is looking for volunteers to help out. . Please take a minute to sign up as a volunteer here! It is going to be an evening of family fun and you don’t want to miss out.
Every Student Counts Survey – Extension
Dear Families,
As you may know, York Region District School Board is currently engaging students in the Every Student Counts Survey.
On April 24, 2023, families received an email notifying them that the survey period is open. Families of students in Kindergarten-Grade 3 will have now received an invitation letter from their school, which includes a survey link and survey code to complete the survey at home.
We thank everyone who has already completed the survey. We have made the decision to extend the survey deadline. If you have not yet completed the survey, please consider doing so by May 19, 2023. We appreciate you taking the time to help us better understand our students and their experiences in school.
If you didn’t receive the survey invitation letter or have misplaced it, please contact your child’s homeroom teacher.
Hot Lunches
Gino’s Pizzais on TUESDAYs. Orders can be made and paid through www.healthyhunger.ca by Thursday at midnight for the following week.
Subway sandwiches are on WEDNESDAYs. Orders can be made and paid through http://www.healthyhunger.ca by Friday at midnight for the following week.
Kids Kitchenwill provide hot lunches to our students on FRIDAYs. Place your orders at www.kidskitchen.ca. Orders can be placed online until 10:00am the previous day!
Acorn Card!
Celebrate your child’s creativity by transforming your child’s art into give cards, calendars and more! Keep your eyes out for the order form that will be coming home this week with artwork from your child. All proceeds will go towards bringing incredible guest speakers and arts programming into Wilshire!
On the Horizon
May 16, 18 – Doahl Dance Academy Program (Gr. 5/6 – 7/8)
Wilshire has been a buzz over the last two weeks! We were thrilled to invite families into Wilshire ES for our Spring Spectacular – a night to celebrate the Arts. We were at capacity with over 300 parents and family members to watch the dance, view the art gallery and cheer on all our performers. It was a wonderful night. Over the last weeks we have seen:
Our Junior Girls & Boys Basketball teams compete in the area tournament. The teams brought the heart, skill and fun to the court. Congratulations Wilshire!
Kindergarten Scientists in the Schools was a success as our young scientists explored all sort of fascinating facts about our human body.
Our Library Learning Commons has explore Earth Month, Building Challenges, International Day of Pink
The Gr. 7/8’s in Ms. Angilletta’s class hosted a Poety Cafe event
Our Gr. 5/6 – 7/8 classes have been participating in workshops with Ms. Charlene from Doahl Dance Academy. She has been taking us on a trip around the world to explore the origins, cultural significance, beauty and excellence of dance.
Please take a few minutes to review some important information for upcoming events at Wilshire:
Meaningful May Challenge: A new month has begun and we challenge our students, staff and families with the Meaningful May Challenge. Take a few minutes each day to consider the beauty around you – whether in friendships, nature or simple moments life takes us through. You can access the calendar in many languages here!
School Council Meeting: All families are invited to our virtual School Council Meeting on Tuesday, May 9th from 7 – 8pm. We will be planning our next community event: The End of Year Carnival on June 1st. Mark your calendar. You won’t want to miss this. Please find meeting sign in information below:
Wilshire Food Drive has one week to go. You still have time to donate non-perishable food items to the Vaughan Food Bank to support families in our community. Donation boxes are in the front lobby of the school.
Summer Learning Programs
During the month of July, YRDSB continues to offer credit and non-credit summer school program opportunities for elementary, secondary and adult students. Registration is now open for the following programs:
From April 24 – May 12, 2023, York Region District School Board will be engaging students in the Every Student Counts Survey.
Survey Administration
Students in Kindergarten – Grade 3 will be sent home with an invitation letter and are encouraged to complete the survey at home with their families.
Families with students in Kindergarten to Grade 3 attending EVS will receive a separate communication regarding the survey administration process.
Students in Grades 4-12 will be provided with time in class to complete the survey.
Students whose families chose to opt them out will not receive the survey.
This survey offers students and families an opportunity to share their experiences and valuable feedback. The information collected will help the board continue to meet the diverse needs of students as well as identify and remove barriers to learning.
Information about the Every Students Counts Survey as well as past communications to families are available on the board website.
Thank you foryour support of this important initiative.
Sincerely, Scott Yake (Interim Director of Education)
Social Media Presentation at Thornhill Public School
The Wilshire Community is invited to join a parent presentation on Tuesday, May 9th at Thornhill PS at 6:30pm, featuring Paul Davis, renowned keynote speaker on staying safe online and on social media. Paul was with us at Wilshire ES last year to provide a presentation to our students.
Hot Lunches
Gino’s Pizzais on TUESDAYs. Orders can be made and paid through www.healthyhunger.ca by Thursday at midnight for the following week.
Subway sandwiches are on WEDNESDAYs. Orders can be made and paid through http://www.healthyhunger.ca by Friday at midnight for the following week.
Kids Kitchenwill provide hot lunches to our students on FRIDAYs. Place your orders at www.kidskitchen.ca. Orders can be placed online until 10:00am the previous day!
On the Horizon
May 9, 11, 16, 18 – Doahl Dance Academy Program (Gr. 5/6 – 7/8)
May 9 – School Council Meeting (7pm)
May 9 – Paul Davis Online Safety Presentation at Thornhill PS (6:30pm)
Wilshire Elementary School 