College Heights Secondary School
November Newsletter 2015
http://collegeheights.ugdsb.on.ca
@CHSSHuskies
Principal’s Report
What a great fall we have had! Warm, a little wet but not really cold yet. We are at the halfway point in
Semester 1 and now is the time for mid-term reports. This is another excellent opportunity for parents to
sit down with their student and develop a plan for success. I encourage parents to get in touch with their
student’s teachers, resource teacher or guidance counselor, if there are issues in this report that require
attention. As always student success is a priority for us and we look forward to working with you to
maximize the success of all our students.
It has been a very busy fall for us at CHSS. Just two weeks ago our grade 10’s and leadership students headed out to
Camp Ki-Wa-Y, for our annual CELE camp. The weather was terrific and the students and staff had an excellent time. As
I write this today we are preparing for our Remembrance Day ceremony on November 11. In light of recent events in our
country, Remembrance Day is a significant event at our school as it is across our country. Make no mistake that we
remember not to glorify war and violence but to draw attention to the privilege we have to live where we do and the
sacrifice that was made to secure this privilege. Many young men and women, including those who would be the age of
our current students, paid the ultimate price and we honour their service in hopes that by doing so we can prevent any
global conflict down the road. Our anti-bullying day is approaching. As a school we work hard to create a safe and caring
school environment and hope that by focusing on bullying we can address issues that lead to this and prevent bullying
from occurring in our school. Once again our school has been selected to build dog houses for Northern Communities and
we are excited to take part in this excellent project.
I suggest that now is a great time for students and families to review course selections for semester 2 and beyond. Our
course selection process for the next school year is fast approaching as well as recruitment for potential SHSM
students. If you have questions related to pathways or career options down the road, please contact the
school and make an appointment to explore areas of interest. A counselor will be able to help your student
choose the appropriate courses to open the door to potential career or post-secondary opportunities. Work
experience for grade 10’s Career students happens this fall. This provides a great mechanism for students to
discover for themselves what they want to do or become down the road. If you have questions related to
SHSM, please contact Caryl Durst at the school and if you are wondering about work experience or co-op,
please feel free to contact Barb Omland in our Careers and Coop department.
Please be sure to mark December 16th on your calendars as we host our annual Holiday Luncheon – without a doubt one
of my favourite events! As we rocket towards December, please remember to follow us on twitter @CHSSHuskies or get
involved with School Council; new members are always welcome. School council meets the First Monday of each month
at 6:30pm in our library. See you there!
.
Class of 2015
Stephen Gayfer, Principal
Applause….
From the Bakeshop
 On October 22 we celebrated the graduation
of 103 students from College Heights. We
had 51 students who received the Specialist
High Skills Major diploma, 6 Ontario Scholars
and 11 students who were on the Honour
Roll. There were many staff members who
helped to make this event very special and successful.
Congratulations to those students!
 Student Recognition 2015 was held on October 23. This
assembly recognized 40 students who made Honour Roll and
also 29 awards of excellence were presented. Keep up the
good work!
 Thanks to all our community sponsors who help make our
Commencement and Student Recognition possible. They are:
APC Auto Parts, Atkinson Family, Children’s Foundation of
Guelph and Wellington, College Heights School Council,
Document Imaging, D & W Auto Body, Dodge Family, Elliott
Coach Lines, Guelph Historical Society, Guelph Horticultural
Society, Guelph Little Theatre, Guelph Master Gardeners,
Guelph Police Association, Guelph Wish Fund, Homelife
Realty, Lion’s Club, Cynthia Macleod, Oskam Welding &
Machine Ltd, Ray Scapinello, Retired Staff of College Heights,
Rotary Club of Guelph, Rotary Club of Guelph-Wellington,
Thomasfield Homes, Thompson Family,
Upper Grand Learning Foundation, United
Way, Victoria Chapter IODE, West End
Women’s Institute, and Doug Wilson.
 Ms. Parks’ class continues to do a great job on the
recycle program at College Heights! Our Waste Audit is
approaching.
 To date there have been 1,400 books signed out of the library
 Great work Green Industries students on your fall landscaping
projects. Congratulations to those SHSM Horticulture and
Landscaping students who have successfully completed their
Tree Planting Certification!
The Bakeshop is now taking orders
for Christmas items. Orders need to
be placed by Friday, December 6,
3:30 pm. All orders must be paid at
the time of pick-up. Either call your
order into 519-821-4510, ext. 322 or email the
bakeshop at chss.bakeshop@ugdsb.on.ca The order
form may be picked up in the bakeshop or in the main
office. We will not be accepting orders that are
faxed to us.
Holiday Luncheon
On December 16 we will be serving our
annual Holiday Luncheon. In the past our Hospitality
and Bakeshop students have prepared and served
over 500 at this wonderful luncheon. Students won’t
want to miss this event! Tickets will be available soon
at a low cost to students. Listen to announcements
for upcoming ticket sales.
Holiday Boutique
Open to the public: After picking up your
baked goods on either
December 15 or 17, be sure
to visit the Green Industries
HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE in
C103, right across from the
bakeshop. Buy a lovely, fresh
holiday centerpiece or
arrangement made by our
talented students.
Contact shelley.peterson@ugdsb.on.ca or call
519-821-4510, vm 408 to leave a message if you
want to pre-order something specific or more info.
Volunteer Hours
If you still need your 40 Community Hours, now is a good
time of year to get them. Here are a few ideas:
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Thanks to all of the students from Ms. Peterson’s Green
Industries classes, Ms. Kumagai’s Exploring Technologies
class and Mrs. Johnston’s Science classes for doing such a
great job planting daffodils and crocuses throughout our
school’s landscape. Look for these bulbs to be blooming in
the spring. Way to beautify your surroundings Huskies!
Community Groups at the mall wrapping presents
at the food bank
shoveling snow for seniors
helping with your neighborhood
community ice rink
If you need a form or for more
opportunities, see Ms. Rivers in
Guidance.
On-line Bully Reporting Tool
Did you know that in the majority of cases, bullying stops within 10 seconds when peers
intervene or don’t support the bullying behavior?
The Upper Grand District School Board takes all incidents of bullying seriously. That’s why we
developed an online bullying reporting tool. Stop a Bully gives students and parents 24/7
access for reporting bullying. You don’t have to identify yourself – just your school – and your
message gets sent directly to your school principal for follow-up. We will follow up on your
report.
You’ll find the Stop a Bully button on our school’s website and the board’s
website https://www.ugdsb.on.ca/reportbullying
If your child is the victim of bullying or sees bullying behavior at school, please encourage him/
her to speak with someone at school or use the Stop a Bully tool. For more information, contact
the school.
Anti-Bullying Awareness Week November 16-20
Course Selections
Beginning the week of November 30th , Grades 11 & 12 students will be choosing their
courses for next year. Students will meet with either their guidance counselor or their
resource teacher to do this. We will be using My Blueprint Education Planner to
complete choices this year.
A worksheet of the online course selection process as well as a printout of student course
selections will be coming home for your parental perusal and signature. For more information,
check out http://www.myblueprint.ca/uppergrand. Your student will need to login with his/her
school account.
NOTE: Grade 10 student choose their courses for next year in JANUARY.
NOTE: Grade 9 student choose their courses for next year in FEBRUARY.
Concept by
Sheldon Dallaire
Arranged by
Ms. Peterson’s
Green Industry
students
Poppies made by
Ms. Devlin-Muir
grade 9’s
Backdrops painted
by Kirsten Rex and
Adriana Shaw
Mark Your Calendars
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November 18 - Stand Up To Bullying Day (wear pink)
November 27 - PA Day (school closed to students)
November 23-Dec. 4 - Work Experience (some Gr.10-12)
December 4 - Bakeshop Orders* Due by 3:30pm
*(subject to product availability)
December 16 - Holiday Luncheon
December 18 - Last day of classes before break
December 18 - Interim Reports mailed
December 21- January 1 - Winter break (school closed)
January 4 - School Council Meeting (6:30 - 7:30 pm)
January 13 - Grade 8 Parent Night (6:30 - 8:30 pm)
January 28–February 3 - Exams
February 4 - PA Day (if there are no exams rescheduled)
A great time
was had by all!
Huskies on the Prowl
On October 16th, we hosted the Intercity Soccer tournament. On the same day, students from CHSS
participated in the Intercity Bowling tournament. It was a terrific day for all!
With winter fast approaching, a new season of sports begins. District 4 girls volleyball is
underway and games will be starting soon. It's not too late to come out for District 4/10
wrestling; the first tournament is coming up but will continue until the new year. If you want to
join the wrestling team, see Ms. Leach, or listen to the announcements for practice times.
Intercity Volleyball is happening right now and in just a few weeks the Intercity Dodgeball tournament
will take place at Tollgate in Brantford. Also listen to announcements about tryouts for the Intercity
Ice Hockey team that will begin before Christmas.
Get out and get involved! Please speak to Mr. Skerritt if you want information on any school
teams. We want you on our team!