College Heights Secondary School
February 2015 Newsletter
#CHSSHuskies
http://www.ugdsb.on.ca/college-heights/
Building Success!
Principal’s Report
Semester 1 is done! Marks are in and with this newsletter you will find your son/daughter’s report card. In
the news two out of three groundhogs predicted 6 more weeks of winter (of course, one of the two did end
up biting the mayor – might be a sign of a “bitter” end to winter) so we anxiously await the return of spring
and all that spring brings here at College Heights. With the end of semester 1 we say goodbye to Ian Main
our Vice Principal, who has headed to his home town of Orangeville to become Vice Principal at Westside
Secondary School. As well we say farewell for now to: F. McDonald, E. McIntosh, D. Bragg, E. Froates, C. Beatson,
M. Yates, A. Boutin and J. Macerollo. We wish all of them well and expect many of these folks back in the future. For
semester 2 we welcome the following staff: L. Pyke, F. Robinson, H. Slater,T. Slaven and A. Verkley, . We also extend a
very special welcome to our new Vice Principal, Ms. Hayley Warren who joins us after having been head of Mathematics
at John F. Ross Secondary School here in Guelph.
The enclosed report card will show you your son/daughter’s achievements over this past semester. In
many cases our students demonstrated great success, and we join you in celebrating these
accomplishments. In some cases students were not as successful, and we look forward to working with
you and your student to find classes that will engage and motivate them to do their best. If you have
questions or concerns related to reports or current timetables, please contact a resource teacher or
guidance counselor for assistance. As well, Ms. Rivers, our student success teacher can also help set up
credit recovery or ILC options where appropriate.
I encourage you to read this newsletter carefully as there are many upcoming events that you will want to be aware of.
As always, I welcome parents to join us at School Council. The next meeting is Thursday, February 19, 2015 starting at
6:30 pm in the library. Also, there is an important insert (on green paper) included from the Wellington-DufferinGuelph Public Health Unit regarding Immunization During a Disease Outbreak.
As semester 2 begins we begin careful preparations for the upcoming Ontario Secondary School
Literacy Test on March 26. Parents are encouraged to check out www.eqao.com for parent and
student resources to help prepare for this test. If you need information or require additional
support, feel free to contact M. Box or E. Rivers in guidance and resource or Mr. Walker or
Ms. McFadden from our English department. If you are able and willing to assist us the day of the
test please contact Erin Rivers at 519-821-4510 extension 354. The first report of semester 2 is
mailed out on March 13th and parent-teacher interviews will be held on Wednesday, April 1st from 6:30pm to 8:00pm.
Again thanks for your support of our school and we look forward to another great semester. Good luck!
Stephen Gayfer, Principal
Applause….
 Congratulations to the following students who are participating in the Dual Credit program this
semester. They are: Isaiah Burke, Kaitlyn Butcher, Jeremiah Fendley, Izak Ferris, Kyle Francis,
Nicole Gosse, Tristian Shand, Liam Smith and Madison Taran. These students attend Conestoga College
and are placed in a work-related co-op through College Heights. Not only do they earn credits towards
their OSSD, but they also earn college credits!
 Congratulations to all our Semester 1 co-op students, and a big thank you to our employers for their
continued support of our programs. We had a number of students that were offered paid employment or
apprenticeships. Your hard work and skills are paying off!
 From Mr. Waring: It gives me great pleasure to announce the following students have passed their
Canadian Welding Bureau welding test using the Gas Metal Arc Welding Process in the flat
position. They are: Cody Belair, Isaiah Burke, Brett Burrows, Dustin Coleman, Kyle Francis,
Duncan Gresel, Johnathan Prescott, Reid Smith, Levi Vanderlaan, and Sierra Webb who also
received the SMWA. This means that these students now have a Welding Certificate that is
valid anywhere in Canada and will benefit towards gainful employment! Congratulations!
 A special thank you to Melody Timmings and Kaleb Ryder who faithfully hold the
door open and greet staff each day. That's the Husky spirit!
 Semester 1 Library Checkouts were at an all-time high of 2,782. Keep on reading Huskies!
Emphasizing Employability for
our near Graduates: Attendance is a
If you have moved, or
changed your
telephone number at
home or work, please
contact the office at
519-821-4510.
key factor for success both at school and
in the workforce. This semester we are
challenging our soon-to-graduate senior
students to meet typical workplace
expectations around attendance. If your
child is at risk, meetings will be held with
students and parents to look at planning
for success in semester 2. If you have any
questions, please contact Ms. Bowman at
519-821-4510, ext. 356.
From Constable Warren
To all Students: The
Guelph Police will soon
be accepting
applications for the YIPI
program. This is an
8 week summer job with
the Guelph Police Service. Watch
for the poster going up soon
around the school and more
information will be on the
announcements in the near future.
That Call Home...
From the Bakeshop
You will receive an automated
message from us if your student has
been absent from any class whether
or not you have reported the
absence. This call is the parent’s
confirmation of the absence.
The Bakeshop has been busy filling the
Valentine’s Day orders. The next
special order will be for Easter.
The website, which is http://
www.ugdsb.on.ca/college-heights/
has the latest order form and the
weekly features.
You can also contact us by email
chss.bakeshop@ugdsb.on.ca or
call 519-821-4510, ext. 322 to place
your order. Payment is due at the
time of pickup.
Snow Day or Not?
When there is a possibility of a snow day
here are some tips that will help you
determine whether or not the buses are
running and/or the school is closed.
 Call the school 519-821-4510 and
press 8. That will give you the
updated bus and school information
for that day. The phone line is
updated daily between 6:30 am and
7:00 am.
 Listen to the radio. Guelph stations
are MAGIC 106.1 FM or CJOY 1460
AM.
 Check the Upper Grand District School
Board website at www.ugdsb.on.ca
and find the school bus. Click on the
Bus Delays and Cancellations.
If you have NOT sent a note to the teacher confirming
the absence, please send a note or call. If you
suspect you are not receiving these calls, contact the
school. We will verify your telephone number and
connect you with the Attendance Counsellor.
Mark Your Calendars….
 February 16 - Family Day (school closed)
 February 19 - School Council Meeting (6:30)
 March 2 - Grad Photo Day (by appointment only,
Dual Credits students and Co-op students who are not
in the school, call the school to set up an appointment)




March13 - Interim Reports Mailed
March 16-20 - March Break (school closed)
March 26 - Literacy Test
April 1 - Parent-Teacher Interviews (6:30 pm)
Course Selection
Guidance counsellors and resource staff are continuing
to meet with the grade 10, 11 and 12 students regarding
their course selections for next year. If your student has
not chosen his/her courses for next year, he/she needs
to stop by Guidance to make an appointment. Grade 9
students will meet with their guidance counsellor or
resource teacher in February.
A copy of the course selection sheet (printed from My
BluePrint) is sent home for parental approval and then
returned to Guidance.
It is very important that these signed My BluePrint
course selection sheets are returned to the school.
Staff planning for the 2015-2016 school year has
already begun.
Athletes At A Glance
Wrestling
The Huskies Wrestling team has done even more great things since our last update. In January we hosted a
very successful wrestling tournament. Best of all, our Huskies won seven medals in front of our home crowd!
On Friday, February 6 we have our last regular tournament at Our Lady of Lourdes, followed by District 10
final on February 12 at GCVI and then onto CWOSSA finals on Thursday, February 19 in Brantford. Also,
more great news—our wrestling program has attracted even more experienced coaching. Matt Moreau has
joined us as a volunteer coach. He has many years of high school coaching experience and brings great
technical knowledge to our team. Welcome Matt!
Coming Up..
Coming up in Intercity Athletics is our Floor Hockey tournament on February 20th.
Intramurals are already underway so come out and get involved if you would like to
represent College Heights at the Floor Hockey tournament. The Billiards tournament is
scheduled right before the March break. More information will be on the announcements in the first
week of March for more information.
Listen for announcements, check the Phys. Ed. and Intramural board in the
Phys. Ed. Hall for all upcoming events.
Great work HUSKIES, your school is proud of you!!!