Dear Parent/Guardian,
As Parent/Teacher interviews are upon us, we encourage you to take
this opportunity to find out about
your child’s progress, not only by
reading the Progress Report, but by coming in and
seeing the teacher, at least once during the year and
more frequently, if necessary. You can, and are encouraged to meet with the teacher at any time
during the school year by contacting the school or
your child’s teacher directly. Even if your child is
doing well, it is important for your child to hear all
the positive feedback because they are working hard and need to feel that their accomplishments are
celebrated by everyone – the school and home
included. Even with an excellent report, there is
always room for growth and next steps. The
Elementary Progress Report Cards will be sent home
on Monday, Nov. 14th. Interviews are scheduled for Thursday, November 17th in the late afternoon and
evening and on the morning of Friday, November
18th. November 18th is a PA day for the students.
Regular parent-teacher communication is an
important part of student learning. Parent-teacher interviews are scheduled throughout the year, after
report cards are sent home.
Talking about the need to celebrate student
success…Wonderful news! Join me in congratulating
Nishtha P. ( Grade 6 ) who participated in and stood first in the Mathletics contest which was conducted
by the Professional Engineers of Ontario. This contest
took place on Saturday, October 22, 2016 at the
Scarborough Civic Centre. Mathletics is a competition
designed by engineers to demonstrate the application of mathematics in everyday life. The questions show
the significance of mathematics in science and
engineering. The contest is for juniors (grade 4-6) and
for seniors (grade 7-8).
The new Student Leadership Council (SLC) for 2016-2017 has been formed. Congratulations go to our
new student executive: Erin P. (President);
Mohammed A. (VP); Venkat M. (VP); Samuel C.
(Treasurer); Sohail P. (Treasurer); Jonathan S.
(Secretary); Evelyn W. (Secretary).
Below are some questions and tips that you may find
useful for the interview. Interpreters are available if
you need one. Please indicate your requirements on
the parent-teacher interview form which will be sent
home in early November.
Great Questions to Ask
What skills does my child need to work on? What activities can we do at home to strengthen
those skills?
Does my child complete his/her work and
assignments efficiently and conscientiously?
Is my child facing any struggles in class not related to his/her schoolwork?
Interview Tips
Speak with your child about school before the
interview. Ask how they think they are doing and how the teacher can help them meet their goals.
Get an idea of what the curriculum is like, the level
your child is working at and areas where they are
struggling.
Make a list of what you want to know before you go
into the interview. You can even prepare questions
ahead of time if it will make you feel more at ease.
Knowing what you want to know and writing it down
ensures that you don’t forget anything and that you
C
Churchill Heights P.S. Newsletter November 2016
Message from the
Principal
Co- & Extra-curricular Activities
Mondays Music Practise—lunch Tuesdays Wednesdays Music Practise—Lunch
Thursdays Fridays Music Practise—Lunch Please see the attached school calendar for other upcoming events.
749 Brimorton Drive, Scarborough, ON, M1G 2S4
Principal T. Dillinger / Vice-Principal J. Stamatopoulos 416-396-6160 / Fax 416-396-6164
Superintendent S. Chan 416-396-9178 Trustee D. Smith 416-393-8809
School Website http://schoolweb.tdsb.on.ca/churchillheights School Council Email [email protected]
Toronto Public Health
get the information you need.
Be open and honest. Feel free to add your own observations around your child’s behaviour,
strengths and weaknesses.
Find out what they’re learning. Ask curriculum
questions; find out what your child has learned and
what is coming up in the term ahead. Know the skills your child will need to be successful in the term
ahead (i.e. knowing how to multiply and divide
fractions).
Ask about strengths and weaknesses and possible problems. Find out about problems before they
happen. This information will allow students to get
help before they fall behind.
Find out how often and how much homework is being
assigned as it relates to the TDSB’s Homework Policy. Also ask if your child is completing his/her
homework regularly, how long the work assigned
should take to complete and does the teacher check
the homework regularly and provide feedback. The
answers to these questions will help you better monitor your child’s work habits.
Ask what you can do at home to help your child.
Make a commitment to support your child’s learning.
Staff Changes
We have had some new allocations to our classroom
organization. We obtained a new grade 5/6 teacher, a
grade 1 teacher, and a .5 prep teacher in the
afternoon. Mr. Jackson Ho is our gr. 5/6 teacher, Ms. Aida Su is in grade 1 and our home school teacher
and afternoon prep teacher is Ms. Neomi Majmudar.
Ms. Smith is on leave. Her substitute is Mr.
Christopher Cashman. Welcome to all our new
teachers!
In addition, we were able to obtain a new allocation
for a lunchroom supervisor. Her name is Mrs. Nahar
Ashrafun, who has also moved to our community.
Welcome to her as well!
Unfortunately for us, but mixed emotions for her, Ms
Nadia Allen, our SNA in the morning, has obtained a
full-time position at another school as an Education
Assistant. We would like to thank her for all her hard
work here at our school and wish her all the best at
her new school in the west end, Second Street Junior Middle School. We’ll miss her dedication and
commitment to not only our students in the primary
gifted class, but to all the students in our school. All
the best in your new position, Ms. Allen!
The School Council meetings are underway. Do come out the first Thursday of the month, at 6:00 pm in
the staffroom, to find out all about the school
activities that are going on and how you can support
the Council’s initiatives. See you on November 3rd! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call the
office at 416-396-6160.
Happy Hallowe’en, everyone…
Sincerely,
T. Dillinger
Free Flu Shot Clinics
Scarborough Civic Centre 140 Borough Drive
November 10th
2:30—7:30 p.m.
Agincourt Mall 3850 Sheppard Avenue East
November 18th
1:00—6:00 p.m.
For more information and
locations, go to Toronto.ca/health.
Practise Hand Washing
Q: What’s the best way to wash hands with soap and
water?
A: Wet hands with warm water and apply soap.
Lather for 15 seconds. Scrub entire hand, including
back of hands, between fingers and under nails.
Rinse well under running water. Dry hands well with
paper towel or hot air blower. Turn taps off with paper towel, if available.
Q: When can I use hand sanitizers instead of soap
and water?
A: Hand sanitizers are very useful when soap and
water are not available. If your hands are not visibly
dirty, then alcohol-based (minimum 70%-90%) hand
sanitizers, gels or rinses will reduce germs. If hands
are visibly dirty, wash
with soap and water. People who are
preparing food should
wash their hands using
soap and water rather
than using hand
sanitizers.
Ms. Siva’s class enjoyed a day at Whittamore’s Farm
along with Mrs. Burch and Ms. Allen.
“My trip to Whittamores' Farm was exciting because
who doesn't like a farm. I liked the trip to the farm
because I picked a pumpkin. The best part of the
farm was the strawberry slide because it was big and slim. I saw the robotic chicken show at the farm. I
learned about pumpkins. I learned that pumpkins
grow on vines. One thing I didn't know was that
pumpkins grow on vines.” Tristan G., grade 2
“ “My trip to Whittamores' Farm was fun because I got
to play on a playscape. I liked the trip to the farm
because I rode pretend horses and played on a
hayscape. The best part of the trip was the playscape
and the pretend horses. I saw the robotic
chicken show. I learned about pumpkins. I learned that pumpkins have vines. The most interesting part
of the trip was the wagon ride. One thing I didn't
know was a pumpkin vine was prickly. At the end of
the trip I was sad because the trip was over.” Graham
F., grade 3
This fall we had 75 students from grades 2-8
participate in the East Area Cross Country meet at Thompson Park on October 14. Of those students, we
had 25 students move onto the East
Finals! Congratulations to Alexandra Boyadjieff who
is moving onto the City Finals at Centennial Park this
week, good luck! All of the runners showed
perseverance and a commitment to their sport by practising regularly. They showed great
sportsmanship while representing Churchill Heights
at the meets.
On September 29, staff and students at Churchill Heights (and around the country), participated in the
annual Terry Fox School Run to raise awareness and
funds for cancer research. It was a wet and chilly
afternoon, but our school
persevered through the wind and rain to show our
support for this
cause. Thank you to all
those who participated
and brought in
donations. Our school raised over $1000 to go
towards cancer research,
education and support for
those fighting this
disease.
Ms. Mui and Ms. DeGuzman’s class had an adventure at Evergreen’s Brickworks.
Brickworks
Cross Country
Terry Fox Run
Whittamore’s Farm
On October 19, 2016, Mrs. Ifejika, Mr. Woodrow, and
a few other students attended WE Day at the Air
Canada Centre, representing Churchill Heights
Public School. WE Day is an amazing event, all about
empowering youth to take a stand on what they are passionate about, and to change the world. Today,
there are countless issues that people in Third World
countries face. WE Day encourages youth to be
leaders, and to lead with compassion to transform
people’s lives for the better. Together, we can strive to impact the world both locally, and globally.
The whole day was filled with inspiring stories about
how remarkable people made a change in the world today. Some of these people included famous
celebrities, Youtubers, and social activists such as
Jason Derulo, Macklemore, Zendaya, Lily Singh,
Spencer West, and many others. They did a great job
keeping everyone entertained and motivated at the same time. They discussed alarming social problems
that many people face today, such as cyber bullying,
poverty, discrimination, and many other important
issues. Entertaining events also took place, such as
the WE Day dance, which really brought everyone
together, and gave us something we could all connect to.
WE Day was an incredible and inspiring experience.
It taught society to embrace their differences, and
work together to solve social problems. It also taught
youth that no matter what your age is, everyone
should take the opportunity to make a difference in
the world. As fortunate individuals ourselves, we should give back to our communities. Afterall, a little
goes a long way at Churchill Heights Public School!
Sabriya H.
Congratulations to our own Erin P., our
SLC President, who presented a speech
in front of all the people at the ACC
about how she is living WE at Churchill Heights P.S.. Great job!
Writing Club Tackles NaNoWriMo
This November students in grades 6-8 at Churchill
Heights are invited to join the Writing Club. This
year’s focus is NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). Our team will be joining over 431,626
participants, including 80,137 students and
educators all over the world. This is a fun, creative
writing event where the challenge is to complete the
first draft of a novel in 30 days. It's sort of like sport or a marathon for writers.
The novel-writing season begins November 1st and
ends by midnight, November 30th. Adult participants
in this program write 50 000 words during the event, but children choose their own age appropriate goals.
Members of the writing club will chart their progress
and have weekly writing sessions together.
There is an online component at
http://ywp.nanowrimo.org/. Students are not
required to participate online but this is a fun place for students to read pep talks by professional authors
and learn more about writing.
I have participated in NaNoWriMo before and think it
benefits anyone who wants to learn how to write better or develop a growth mindset. Participation
helps build skills in planning and time management.
Students will cheer each other on as they persevere
with this challenging project.
Happy writing.
Mrs. Wentz
The next School Council meeting will be held on
Thursday, November 3rd from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. All
parents/guardians are encouraged to attend.
Babysitting will be available.
School Council will be hosting
our annual fundraising bake
sale on Thursday, November
17th from 3:00 to 7:30 p.m.
Please see the flyer for more
information and how you can help.
We Day
School Council
Writing Club