*THERE IS NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS TOMORROW (FEB 28) BECAUSE OF A PD DAY**
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!
CUPE 40 Strike
Members of CUPE 40 are currently on strike. This includes facility operators, cleaners, and ground maintenance staff. As a result, there is no facility operator and cleaner at the school during the day, until the strike ends. The CBE has continued with at-school learning and doing their best to maintain safe and clean schools. For the most up-to-date information about measures being put into place at schools, please refer to CBE’s website.
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 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 wheelchairs.
March Parent-Teacher Conferences
We will be conducting Parent Teacher Conferences on the evening of March 20 and all day March 21 (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 Thursday, 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 14, 2025.
https://forms.office.com/r/NrUUA5kNEd
School Development Plan Update
This year Highwood teachers have been working to improve student oral language in English and Mandarin, by focusing on speaking in full sentences and using key and relevant vocabulary to solve problems via the Zen Zodiac. All students were given a pre-test, engaged in specifically designed tasks and role play scenarios, and then were given a post-test. Throughout this process, students showed significant improvement in their Chinese and English oral language skills as well as their ability to independently solve problems using specific strategies. During the month of March, we will be focussing on Respectful Rooster- taking turns when sharing items, playing a game, and talking through a problem.
Important March Dates
Friday, March 7: Monday/Wednesday Kindergarten attends school
Tuesday, March 11: Teacher’s Pet (in-class workshop) Grade 2 Zhu and Grade 2 Jones
Wednesday, March 12 (9:00 am): Parent-Teacher Conference booking starts (MyCBE); Teacher’s Pet (in-class workshop) Gr 2 Kim
Friday, March14: Monday/Wednesday Kindergarten attends school; Grade 1 vaccinations
Tuesday, March 18: Grade 4 fieldtrip to the Confluence; SPIRIT DAY: Jersey Day; 1:15 monthly assembly HOSTS: Tues/Thurs Kindergarten
Thursday, March 20 (4:00-6:30): Parent-Teacher Conferences (online)
Friday, March 21 (8:00-12:00): NO SCHOOL: Parent-Teacher Conferences (online)
March 22- March 30: NO SCHOOL- Spring Break
Monday, March 31: Classes resume
Sincerely,
Highwood School