Recognized Dates of Significance
The Durham District School Board recognizes Indigenous rights are distinct. In the exercise of those rights, Indigenous staff and students shall not be subjected to actions with the aim or effect of depriving these distinct rights.
The Durham District School Board is committed to providing learning and working environments that centre human rights and equity and are safe, welcoming, respectful, equitable, accessible, inclusive and free from all forms of discrimination, oppression, harassment and harm.
The dates listed below are intended to promote inclusive and accessible learning spaces, provide positive and meaningful learning opportunities and cultivate welcoming working and learning environments throughout the DDSB.
When mapping out the year, school and department leaders use dates of significance to work alongside all members of their school and department community to best understand how to represent and affirm identity, provide accessible learning opportunities and supportive accommodations for all.
Types of Recognized Days
- Faith/Creed Days: Significant dates that represent a person's belief, creed and faith and intersectionality. (e.g. Christmas)
- Cultural Recognition Days/Periods: Recognition times that are acknowledged by a group of people based on culture, geography, values, and interests. Recognizing these dates provides cultural understanding, historical learning, cultural unity, interconnectedness, and creates safety, empathy and meaning learning opportunities. (e.g. Black History Month)
- Professional & Socially Recognized: Recognition of socially significant periods and professional occupations/roles to allow for reflection and honoring of individuals and community groups within and beyond our school community. The recognition of these days helps to create awareness, meaningful learning opportunities, that help promote safe and inclusive spaces. It is important that when moving these dates forward, we know who we are serving and we are responsive to them. (e.g. International Transgender Day of Visibility and EA Appreciation Day)
Monthly List View
Statutory Holidays: A statutory holiday in Canada is legislated either through the federal government or a provincial or territorial government. Most workers, public and private, are entitled to take the day off with regular pay. These days will be indicated with an “*”
Protected Dates: are faith based days where we can anticipate staff and students observing to be absent or navigate the work/school day differently. These days will be indicated with an “X”
Dates subject to the sighting of the moon each month and may vary for different members of the Islamic faith will be indicated with a “⬤”
All Jewish and Islamic Holy Days commence on the preceding evening at sunset will be indicated with a “★”
The first two days and last two days of Passover are observed as full Holy Days will be indicated with a “☆”
| September |
|
02 - Labour Day* 15 - Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi (Islamic) ⬤ ★ 22 - Alban Elfed (Druid) 25 - Franco Ontarian Day 30 - Orange Shirt Day 30 - National Day for Truth and Reconciliation X |
| October |
|
Cyber Security Awareness Month; Islamic History Month; Hispanic Heritage Month; National Principals Month; Neurodivergent Acceptance Month; Autism Awareness Month; Disabilities Awareness Month; Dyslexia Awareness Month; Learning Disabilities Awareness Month; Women's History Month; 2SLGBTQIA+ History Month 03-4 - Rosh Hashanah (Judaism) X ★ 02 - Custodian Appreciation Day 3-12 - Navaratri 05 - World Teachers Day 9-13 - Durga Puja begins (Hinduism) 10 - World Mental Health Day 11- Yom Kippur (Judaism) X ★ 12 - Dussehra (Hinduism) 14 - Thanksgiving* 16 - Pavarana (Buddhist) 17 - DDSB Volunteer of Distinction 17-23 - Sukkot (Judaism) ★ 24 - Early Childhood Educators and Child Care Worker Appreciation Day 19-20 - Karwa Chauth (Hinduism) 22-24 - Safety Week 24-25 - Shemini Atzeret (Judaism) 25 - Simchat Torah (Judaism) 25 - Ontario Dress Purple Day 31 - Halloween 31-11/1 - Diwali (Hinduism) X |
| November |
|
Hindu Heritage Month 01 - All Saints Day (Christianity) 01 - Bandi Chhor Divas (Sikh) 1-2 - Dia de los Muertos (Mexico) 02 - Birth of the Bab begins (Bahai) 03 - Birth Of Bahá'u'lláh begins (Bahá’í) 06 - Take our Kids to Work Day 07 - Inuit Day 3-9 - Treaties Recognition Week 4-10 - Holocaust Education Week 08 - Indigenous Veterans Day 11- Remembrance Day 11-15 - Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week 13-19 - Transgender Awareness Week 16 - Louis Riel Day 15 - Guru Nanak Jayanti (Sikh) 20 - Transgender Day of Remembrance 20 - Classroom Support Staff Appreciation Day 23 - Holodomor Memorial Day (schools recognize on the 22nd) 25- International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women (White Ribbon Day) 25 - Day of the Covenant 27 - Ascension Of Abdu'l-Bahá¡ begins (Bahai) |
| December |
|
01 - First day of Advent (Christianity) 02 - International Day for the Abolition of Slavery 05 - International Volunteer Day 06 - National Day of Remembrance and Actions on Violence Against Women 08 - Bodhi Day (Buddhism) 13 - Aga Khan’s Birthday 16-24 - Las Posadas (Latin America) 20-21 - Yalda (Persian festival for winter solstice) 21-22 - Alban Arthan (Druid) 21 - Tohji-Taisai (Shinto) 21 - Yule (Druid) 25 - Christmas Day (Christianity)* 25-01/02 - Hanukkah (Judaism) X 26-01/02 - Kwanzaa X 26 - Boxing Day* |
| January |
|
Tamil Heritage Month 01 - New Years Day* 06 - Guru Gobind Singh’s Birthday (Sikh) 06 - Epiphany (Christianity) 07 - Orthodox Christmas (Christianity) X 14 - Orthodox New Year X 14-17 - Thai Pongal (Tamil) 19 - Epiphany (Orthodox) 21 - Lincoln Alexander Day 27 - International Holocaust Remembrance Day 29 - Lunar New Year (Asia) X |
| February |
|
Black History Month; Psychology Month 02 - Basant Panchami/Saraswati Puja (Hinduism) 03 - Imbolc (Druid) 11 - Women and Girls in Science 12 - Kindness Awareness Week 12-13 - Tu bi-Shevat (Arbor Day) (Judaism) 14 - Valentine’s Day 15 - National Flag of Canada Day 17 - Random Act of Kindness Day 17 - Family Day* 22-25 - Great Prayer Festival (Tibet, Buddhist) 26 - Pink Shirt Day 26 - Shivratri (Hinduism) 28-3/1 - Start of Ramadan (Islam) ⬤ ★ |
| March |
|
Social Work Month 28-3/1 - Start of Ramadan (Islam) ⬤ ★ 3-4/19 - Orthodox Lent (Great Lent) 05 - Ash Wednesday (Christianity) 5-4/17 - Lent (Christianity) 08 - International Women’s Day 8-15 - DDSB March Break 13 – 15 Holi (Hinduism, Sikhism) 14 - Purim (Judaism) ★ 17 - Irish Heritage Day (St. Patrick’s Day) 20 - Eostre (Druid) 20 - Nowruz 21 - World Down Syndrome Day 23 - Crossing Guard Appreciation Day 23 - Earth Hour 26 - Purple Day for Epilepsy 27 - Laylat al Qadr ⬤ ★ 29-30 - Eid al-Fitr (Islam) X ⬤ ★ 31- International Transgender Day of Visibility 31 - National Indigenous Languages Day |
| April |
|
Sikh Heritage Month; Genocide Awareness Month 02 - World Autism Awareness Day 09 - Vimy Ridge Day 12-20 - Passover/Pesach (Judaism) X ⬤ ★ ☆ 13-14 - Tamil and Sinhala New Year (Tamil) 14 - Vaisakhi (Sikh and Hindu) X 18 - Good Friday (Christianity)* ★ 18 - Holy Friday (Orthodox) 20 - Palm Sunday (Christianity) 20 - Easter (Orthodox) 20 - Easter Sunday (Christianity) 20 - First Day of Ridvan (Bahá’í) X 21 - Easter Monday (Christianity)* ★ 22 - Earth Day 23-24 - Yom HaShoah 23 - Administrative Assistant Day 23-24 - Yom HaShoah/Holocaust Memorial Day 24 - Administrative Professionals Day |
| May |
|
Asian and South Asian Heritage Month; Jewish Heritage Month; Speech, Language and Hearing Month 01 - National Principal’s Day 05 - Cinco De Mayo 05 - National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQIA+ Peoples (MMIWG2SLGBTQIA+) 5-6 - Yom HaShoah - Holocaust Memorial Day (Judaism) 6-10 - Children’s Mental Health Week 12 - Vesak 12-18 - Tamil Genocide Education Week 16 - Support Staff Appreciation Day 17 - International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, Biphobia 20 - Victoria Day* 26-6/1 - National Accessibility Week 27-28 - Ascension of Bahá'u'lláh(Bahai) 29 - Red Shirt Day (Accessibility) |
| June |
|
Indigenous Histories Month; Pride Month 1-3 - Shavuot (Judaism) ★ 4-9 - Day of Hajj (Islam) 6-10 - Eid-al-Adha (Islam) X ⬤ ★ 08 - Pentecost (Christianity) 16 - Juneteenth 16 - Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev (Sikh) 18 - Autistic Pride Day 21/22 - Alban Hefin (Druid) 20 - Litha (Druid) 21 - National Indigenous People's Day X 25-26 - Islamic New Year (Islam) 29-7/3 - Gahambar Maidyoshem (Zoroastrianism) |
| July |
|
01 - Canada Day* 5-6 - Ashura (Islam) ⬤ ★ 23 - Birthday of Emperor Haile Selassie I (Rastafarian) |
| August |
|
01 - Emancipation Day 05 - Civic Day* 09 - International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples 09 - Raksha Bandhan (Hindu) |
Request process to have a date added to the calendar
- Community members who wish to have dates added to the calendar must use the Online Submission Form or contact the Communication Department annually by end of day on the first Friday of March each year.
- Submitted dates will be reviewed by the end of March each year by the Dates of Significance Working Committee using the established Selection Guiding Principles.
- The submitters of the successful dates will be contacted no later than the end of April.
- Please see Dates of Significance Procedure for further information around adding new dates.
Recognizing Dates of Significance on Social Media
The DDSB is comprised of a vibrant community of students and their families, and staff who each bring unique identities, experiences, backgrounds, faiths, and perspectives.
On social media we recognize days or observances that hold meaning for DDSB’s diverse communities by:
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Showcasing meaningful student artwork each month, curtesy of the annual Student Art Gallery.
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Listing each date recognized that month.
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Linking back to the Recognized Dates of Significance.
