Dear Highwood Families,

As we are now into the last half of the school year, thank you to all families for supporting students with homework, home reading, projects, dictation, and all of the many other things that go into ensuring success at school.  The routines that you set up, the healthy lunches that you pack, and dressing your child appropriately for the weather all make a big difference and they haven’t gone unnoticed!  THANK YOU!

Here are just a few information items and reminders for the month of March:

  • Collecting tabs from cans for donation
  • Lunch utensils and extra food
  • March Parent-Teacher Conferences March 21 & 22- ONLINE ONLY
  • Next Year Intentions (Deadline: March 15)
  • School Development Plan update
  • Important March dates

Collecting Tabs from Cans for Donation

Thank you for collecting tabs from cans and having your child drop them off in the office!  We will continue to do this all year long and next year to help a local charity raise funds for new wheelchairs.  We are asking families to please pull off and collect the tabs off of cans and bring them to school.  The charity will take these tabs to sell at a scrap metal company and the money collected will be used to purchase new wheelchairs.

tabs

Lunch Utensils and Extra Food

A friendly reminder to please pack a fork or spoon in your child’s lunch bag every day.  We are trying to do our part for the environment by not using so many disposable plastic forks and spoons but we give away MANY everyday as students do not have utensils in their lunch bag.  As well, as the year progresses and children grow, we find that students get hungrier and require a bigger lunch and snack.  We have MANY students coming into the office asking for extra snacks and food.

March Parent Teacher Conferences

We will be conducting Parent Teacher Conferences on the evening of March 21 and all day March 22 (no school for students).  The focus of these conferences is for parents and teachers to connect regarding progress since January’s report card and goals/ areas for the last few months of the school year.  If you do not have any concerns or questions regarding your child, you do not need to book a conference.  Since conferences will only be 10 minutes long, it will be online via Microsoft Teams.  Conference bookings start on Wednesday, March 13 at 9:00 am through MyCBE.

Next Year Intentions

We need to start planning for next year!  We require all families to fill out a survey for EACH CHILD with your intentions for next year (i.e. will you be staying at Highwood or moving?).  We know that this is early and your plans may change between now and September, but if you could give us your best guess, that would be appreciated.  The survey only takes a few minutes.  Deadline is March 15, 2024.

https://forms.office.com/r/amF8b2LYH5

School Development Plan Update

This year Highwood’s well-being goal on our School Development Plan (SDP) is to help students develop strategies to improve their self-regulation and mental health through conflict resolution strategies.  The very creative staff at Highwood has come up with 12 problem-solving strategies as they relate to the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac.  We will be exploring and practicing these strategies with students throughout the year.  Feel free to try them at home too!

zen zodiac

Important March Dates

Friday, March 1: Monday/Wednesday Kindergarten attends school

Friday, March 8: Tuesday/Thursday Kindergarten attends school

Wednesday, March 13 (9:00 am): Parent Teacher Conference booking starts (MyCBE)

Friday, March 15: Monday/Wednesday Kindergarten attends school; Next Year Intentions survey due

Monday, March 18: Kindergarten Teacher’s Pet presentation (in-school)

Tuesday, March 19: Kindergarten Teacher’s Pet presentation (in-school)

Wednesday, March 20: Spirit Day: Kindness Day!

Thursday, March 21 (1:10): Monthly assembly (Hosts: Tuesday/Thursday Kindergarten Room 107)

Thursday, March 21 (4:00-6:30): Parent-Teacher Conferences (online)

Friday, March 22 (8:00-12:00): NO SCHOOL: Parent-Teacher Conferences (online)

March 23- April 1: NO SCHOOL- Spring Break

Tuesday, April 2: Classes resume