Friday October 29th Spirit Day

Dear Parents, Guardians and Care Givers of Eastdale Students,

As we approach Halloween, our school staff are looking to engage students in Halloween activities while at school. At Eastdale, we will be following practices listed below to ensure safety for students and staff during COVID times. On Friday October 29th we will be having a spirit day. Students can participate by wearing a costume to school following the guidelines outlined below, or wear orange and black on Friday. The costume will be worn for the duration of the day, there will be no changing at school.

• Students can wear costumes to school as per prior years practice (e.g., no cultural appropriation, no offensive and insensitive costumes, no weapons, no costume masks that might impede vision, no inappropriate images, etc.)
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 to avoid being disrespectful or offensive:
• 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?
• 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.

We will not be having a parade through the school as students must stay within their cohort. However, we will take pictures of the classes in their classrooms and have a virtual parade that teachers can share at some time during the day. If the teachers are arranging for food to be brought in then it will be a “party in the bag” where the treats are for your child ONLY.

We look forward to having a “Spooktacular” spirit day on Friday!
Sincerely,
Richelle Bratuz and the Eastdale Staff.