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Cootes Paradise

Halloween

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Halloween

Hi families,

On Friday, October 29th Halloween festivities will be taking place at Cootes Paradise. Students will be participating in a cohorted dance in their outdoor pods for a specified amount of time. In addition, the following activities which align with our COVID protocols will also be permitted:

  • Students can wear costumes to school as per prior years practice (e.g., no cultural appropriation – please see below, no offensive and insensitive costumes, no weapons, no costume masks that might impede vision, no inappropriate images, etc.)
  • Costumes are not mandatory and students can choose to wear black and/or orange or their regular clothing.
  • Students choosing to wear a costume should come to the school already wearing the costume and keep the costume on for the duration of the day.
  • Student costumes must be able to accommodate a face covering as per COVID requirements.
  • A costume mask is not a substitute for a face covering. A costume mask should not be worn over a non-medical mask or face covering because it can be dangerous if the costume mask makes it hard to breathe.
  • If classes would like to include treats for students during activities, these must only be purchased and individually packaged treats (no home baked foods).

Cultural Appropriation and Costumes: Cultural appropriation means taking or borrowing a look or trait from a culture that is not your own.

Costumes that are based on people’s culture are offensive, harmful and insensitive. The following are suggested questions, to reflect on when choosing a costume:

  • Is my costume making fun of a group of people, their culture, religion and/or belief systems?
  • Does my costume reinforce jokes and stereotypes about certain groups, cultures, religions and/or belief systems?
  • Am I altering my skin color, facial/body features to make it like a particular race, ethnicity, or cultural group?
  • Am I dressing up as a culture or borrowing from a religion that is not my own or is not part of my background?

We thank you for your cooperation and wish you a great weekend!

Updated on Friday, October 22, 2021.
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