Message from Administration
As we mentioned in our last newsletter, we have so much to celebrate in our school community! Our students have continued to shine over the past few weeks, and we would like to take a moment to congratulate them on their latest accomplishments. We also want to extend our continued gratitude to the dedicated DCPS staff who volunteer their time to guide and support them.
Our musicians have been hitting all the right notes! We are thrilled to share some fantastic results from the recent Kiwanis Music Festival. On February 24, our Concert Band performed alongside four other schools from across the GTA. The band played wonderfully, beautifully showcasing all their hard work and dedication over the past few months, and proudly brought home a Silver rating. On February 26, our Junior/Intermediate Choir took the stage and absolutely shone! They earned First Place overall and achieved an incredible Platinum score. A heartfelt thank you goes out to our amazing music teacher, Ms. Quach, for her dedication to the students, as well as to Ms. Tang and Ms. Grant for accompanying our talented performers to these events.
On February 24, students soared in part two of The Great Recycled Airplane Contest! Congratulations to our flight distance winners: Ms. Moon’s Grade 4s (1st), Ms. Iaboni’s Grade 6s (2nd), and Ms. Lung’s Grade 5s (3rd) for the Junior division; and Ms. Kameka’s Grade 7s (1st), Mr. Wills’ Grades 7&8s (2nd), and Ms. Bouroukis’ Grade 7s (3rd) for Intermediates. Top honours for incredible plane design went to Ms. Iaboni, Ms. Tzogas, and Ms. Grant’s classes for Juniors (1st-3rd), along with Mr. Tredree, Mr. Wills, and Ms. Kameka’s classes for Intermediates (1st-3rd). A special shout-out to Ms. Saxton’s Eco Reps for placing 4th against the Juniors! Ms. Ducheck and the Eco team would like to say, “thank you to all who competed, and remember to always use both sides of your paper before reusing or recycling!”
The Boys’ Intermediate Basketball team had a fantastic showing at the Area tournament on February 20! After starting strong with two decisive wins, they bounced back from a close loss to win their next two games and finish at the top of their pool. Though they narrowly lost the semi-final by a single point, the team finished an impressive 4th overall in the area. Their coaches, Mr. Mueller, Ms. Lung and Ms. Ducheck are incredibly proud of your hard work, individual growth, and teamwork and thank you for a great season.
The Intermediate Girls’ basketball team played with immense skill and determination at their Area tournament on February 25. The girls dominated their pool, securing first place with all wins - including two incredible shutouts! After a tight victory over Stonebridge P.S., they fought hard in the finals but ultimately took home 2nd place overall (their first and only loss of the entire season!). The coaches, Mr. Murray, Ms. Lung and Ms. Ducheck are so proud of how well this team grew and represented Donald Cousens P.S. Congratulations on an amazing season!
We continue to be incredibly proud of our students and all their hard-earned achievements. Let's keep up the great work. Go Dragons!
Sean Yao Joanne Trim
Principal Vice Principal
Kindness…Pass It On!
Inspired by their learning for Pink Shirt Day, the Grade 5 students in Mrs. Tzogas’s class have started a beautiful "Kindness Wall" upstairs, right outside Room 216!
They want the entire school—both students and teachers—to be a part of this initiative. Please help them spread positivity and build community by adding a message to the wall. You can contribute:
- a favourite quote about kindness;
- a note of gratitude for someone special;
- a shout-out recognizing a random act of kindness.
The Grade 5s are so excited to see the wall grow with your contributions. Remember: Kindness is free, let’s pass it on!
Pink Shirt photos from Ms. Ahmad and Ms. Iu's classes.
Celebrating Black Excellence at DCPS
This month, our school community came together to honour Black History Month and learn about and share examples of Black Excellence through many student-led projects.
The Grade 7 students in Ms. Ducheck’s class produced a comprehensive digital slide deck, "Learning About Black Artists." From the vibrant collages of Romare Bearden and Mickalene Thomas to the historic sculptures of Edmonia Lewis and the storytelling quilts of Faith Ringgold, students explored how art can be a powerful tool for social change. Their reflections focused on how these artists use their creativity to advocate for equality and visibility. Their slides were shared with the rest of the school on our TV in the main foyer. We are so proud of the curiosity and respect our students showed as they celebrated these stories of excellence!
DCPS Library Learning Commons
There was lots to celebrate in the Library Makerspace during February! Students created origami hearts and paper heart envelopes for Valentine’s Day.
We also had so much fun celebrating the Olympics! Students enjoyed Olympic-themed colouring pages and activity sheets, and they explored building materials to create Olympic-inspired images.
Thank you for your continued support!
- Ms. Channa
March is Water Month at DC
by Hazel, Grade 8
World Water Day has been held on March 22 every year since 1993. It is an important day that focuses on the importance of freshwater. The day was officially established by the United Nations to encourage countries around the world to protect water resources.
World Water Day celebrates water and raises awareness of the 2.2 billion people living without access to safe water. It is about taking action to tackle the global water crisis. A core focus of World Water Day is to support Sustainable Development Goal 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030, which aims to ensure everyone has access to clean drinking water and proper sanitation.
The world is facing a serious water crisis due to pollution, climate change, and population growth. Rivers, lakes, and groundwater are becoming contaminated by waste, chemicals, and plastic, making water unsafe to drink. Climate change is causing droughts in many regions, reducing the amount of available freshwater. At the same time, growing populations and industries are using more water than ever before. As a result, billions of people struggle to access clean and reliable water sources every day.
The World Water Day theme for this year is water and gender - it is focused on how water issues especially affect women differently around the world. In many countries, women and girls are mainly responsible for collecting water for their families. This often means walking long distances every day, which can take hours and prevent girls from going to school.
The theme highlights the importance of equal access to clean water and sanitation for everyone. When communities have safe water nearby, women and girls have more time for education, work, and personal development. The United Nations promotes gender equality as part of solving the global water crisis.
DC Students are creating "water Drops" showing their commitment to water conservation and protection. All of our droplets together lead to a bigger change, The Great Gulp! The students will participate in the Great Gulp on Friday, March 27th, at 11 am. The Great Gulp is an annual Canadian environmental campaign held in March to promote drinking tap water and reducing single-use plastic waste. Schools and workplaces participate by organizing a synchronized, community-wide sip from reusable bottles.
March is Nutrition Month
Youth Space members are promoting good nutrition in March!
Parents can promote healthy eating by modelling nutritious habits, eating together without screens, and involving children in meal planning and preparation. Offer a variety of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, while avoiding food as a reward. Keep healthy snacks accessible and establish a predictable, positive, and pressure-free meal routine.
Key Strategies for Promoting Healthy Eating
- Model Healthy Behaviours: Children are more likely to adopt healthy habits if they see their parents eating fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
- Create a Positive Environment:
- Eat Together: Regular family meals away from the TV encourage better nutritional habits.
- No-Pressure Zone: Avoid forcing, bribing, or punishing children regarding food intake, as this can lead to picky eating.
- Neutrality: Do not label foods as "good" or "bad" or use food as a reward.
- Involve Children:
- Meal Planning: Let kids help plan meals and choose vegetables during shopping trips.
- Cooking: Encourage children to participate in preparing meals, which increases their interest in trying new foods.
- Make Healthy Foods Accessible:
- Stock Up: Keep nutritious snacks like fruits, vegetables, and yogurt readily available.
- Serve Regularly: Offer vegetables and fruits at every meal.
- Establish Routines:
- Schedule: Maintain a predictable schedule of 3 meals and 1–3 snacks per day.
- Hydration: Offer water or milk instead of sugary drinks.
- Foster a Positive Body Image: Focus on healthy eating for health, rather than weight, and teach children to be skeptical of media-driven, unrealistic body ideals.
Box of Cards Fundraiser - Orders are In!
A huge thank you to our amazing DCPS School Council for organizing all the Big Box orders today, and to all our families for your incredible fundraising efforts. The campaign was a massive success!
Important Pick-Up Information: Orders will be sent home with students tomorrow, March 10, after school.
Reminder: If your family ordered several items, please make arrangements to ensure your student has help carrying their entire order home safely!
Lunchtime Paid Programs (Grades 1 - 6) - We Need Your Input!
The DCPS School Council is looking into the possibility of offering paid programming for students during the lunch hour at school. The price range is $142 - $162 + HST for 6-8 sessions. The options are as follows:
“Engineering for Kids” Public School Lunchtime Program (Grades 1-3)
- NEW! Robotics + Aerospace Engineering
- Join Engineering For Kids Lunchtime classes in your school! Build a science rover and code your robot to explore other planets! Step into the role of an aerospace engineer as you dive into exciting aircraft and spacecraft engineering concepts. Design and construct robots, rocket launchers, parachutes, and more while learning how real-world engineers tackle challenges in space exploration.
“Engineering for Kids” Public School Lunchtime Program (Grades 4-6)
- Robotics/Coding + Hands-on Mechanical Eng.
- Students learn how to create and operate their Mechanical robots and learn to program their robots by using a coding platform. This Robotics & Mechanical engineering class introduces the youngest engineers to fundamental concepts of energy, material and movement through open and focused exploration. Students explore and construct mechanical machines such as levers, Gears, Roller Coasters, etc....
If you are interested in one of these opportunities for your child(ren), please take a moment to fill out this Google Form so that we can determine price, dates and the number of sessions. Please complete the form by Friday, March 20.
School Assistants Wanted
We are looking for additional School Assistants to support the supervision of students during the lunch hour (12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.). This is a paid position and requires a Vulnerable Sector Screening to be obtained from the York Regional Police.
The role of School Assistants is to provide supervisory support to ensure the safety and well-being of students during peak or critical periods of the school day, such as lunch time and recess.
As a School Assistant, your responsibilities may include:
- Yard duty supervision
- Supervision of lunch hour activities
- Additional tasks assigned by the school administrator
If you are interested, please email the school at donald.cousens.ps@yrdsb.ca.
Hot Lunch Program
Don’t miss out! Orders for Session #3 (April to June) are now available on School Cash Online until March 24.
Kome Shokudo | Pizza Pizza | Mother’s Deli | Sushi Sushi | ChaTime |
Session # 2 - January - March | ||||
March 2, 6, 13, 23, 27, 30 | March 10, 24, 31 | March 11, 25 | March 12, 26 | March 27 |
Kindergarten Registration
Kindergarten registration for the 2026/2027 school year is now open.
Families can register using the following options:
- Online - Families can access the online Kindergarten registration information at www.yrdsb.ca/kindergarten > Registration. It is recommended that families use a laptop or a desktop computer, rather than a mobile device, to complete this registration. This is the preferred method for registration.
- By email - Families can download the Elementary School Registration Form at www.yrdsb.ca/kindergarten and email the completed form to their school email address.
- By phone - Families can request support to complete the registration form on their behalf by collecting the required information by phone. Families can request an interpreter if needed.
- In-person at the school - Families may visit the school office to drop off or complete a registration form on Friday, January 30, 2026. To register in person on any other day, please contact the office to make an appointment.
From the YRDSB:
