College Heights Secondary School
March Newsletter 2014
#CHSSHuskies
http://www.ugdsb.on.ca/college-heights/
Principal’s Report
I’m not so sure but I think spring is right around the corner! Students and staff are excited and
ready for the March break beginning the end of this week (as of this writing). On behalf of the
school community I wish for a restful time off as we look forward to spring and a hectic pace
until June. At the end of Semester 1 we welcomed back Dawn Gray, Stephanie Jones,
Jennifer Woods-Johnson and Brie Worgan and said goodbye to Frances McDonald,
Rachael Fickes, Jesse Lloyd and Gordon Clement. We wish all staff well who have come and gone and
expect a great semester this spring.
With this newsletter you will find enclosed the Semester 2 interim report. This report provides a quick
snapshot of how your son/daughter is doing after the first 5 weeks of classes. If you have questions, I
encourage you to contact your son/daughter’s teacher, resource teacher or guidance counsellor for
assistance. Of course, if you are unsure who to call, you can contact myself, Ian Main – Vice
Principal or Kevin Taylor in the main office. Parent/Teacher interviews for Semester 2 will be
on Thursday March 20, 2014 from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm —no appointment necessary.
Thursday, March 27, 2014 is set aside for the annual writing of the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test
for grade 10 students and students who were not successful in their previous attempt. On this day, only
those students writing the test are to come to school, the remaining students should be using this time to do
volunteer work for the required 40 hours of community service. Information on volunteer opportunities can
be found at http://www.youthengaged.ca. Remember, before engaging in a volunteer opportunity please
make sure the event qualifies; if in doubt, please contact myself of Ian Main, Vice-Principal.
May 5th – 9th is education week across Ontario and with this our school will be holding its annual Spring Sale
from May 8th to May 10th. Please mark this on your calendars and come out. There will be hanging baskets,
planters, seasonal plants, fresh baked goods and, of course, novelty items from our shop programs available
for purchase. On March 5th CTV news (Kitchener) was at the school to do a story on what makes us so
unique. Once again this was another opportunity to showcase what awesome students and staff we have
here. Every day I am thankful for the opportunity to work here alongside great staff and exciting and
enthusiastic students. We wish good luck and congratulations to Christianna Bentley (one of our star
athletes in action) as she represents our school in Brampton at the OFSAA wrestling championships. As
always follow us on twitter @CHSSHuskies and see what is new at Heights.
Stephen Gayfer, Principal
Out and About….
The College Heights
Agriculture Co-op class
has been hard at work
this semester helping at
Green Legacy Tree
Nursery and Blue
Haven farms
transplanting tree
seedlings, cleaning out
the chicken coop,
grading eggs and
taking care of livestock
Huskie Athletes
Wrestling: Christianna Bentley won gold at CWOSSA (Regional level) and will be
representing College Heights at OFSAA (Ontario level). Way to go Christianna!
The Intercity Ice Hockey tournament that was hosted at College Heights ended
with the same excitement as Canada’s Olympic teams!! College Heights went
undefeated and won the tournament! Congratulations; however, their toughest
opponent is yet to come in the staff-student game after March Break!!!
Two weeks later our Floor Hockey team travelled to Waterloo for another Intercity tournament.
Unfortunately, we lost the final by the narrowest margin of 2-1. The team played great and they promise to
be back for revenge next year. Congratulations to the MVP, Brett Burrows, and Coaches Award winner,
Ty Miller!!!
Literacy Test
From the Library
WHEN:






Allegiant by Veronica Roth
An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth by
Chris Hadfield
Black Butler by Yana Toboso
Zom-b by Darren Shan
Doctor Sleep by Stephen King
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Students: On your next trip to the Library,
“Check It Out”.
WHO IS WRITING:
 All Grade 10 Students
 Students who were not successful the previous year
WHO DOES NOT WRITE:
 All Grade 9 Students
 Students who have passed
 Students enrolled in OLC4O (Grade 12 Literacy Course)
NOTES:
 Only students writing need to be at College Heights that day.
 You must attempt the test at least once to be eligible for the
Literacy Course. (OLC4O)
QUESTIONS? Contact Ms. Leach
SHSM Certifications
With the onset of a new semester, we have lots of
SHSM certifications coming up. They are:













A sign of spring from our Green Industries Program
Seedlings
transplanted by
Green Industries
students
CPR and First Aid training
Guitar Repair and Set-up
Make-up Application
Massage Techniques
Arts and Culture Certifications
Lockout/tagout
Scaffolding
Fall Arrest
Scissors Lift
Fire Extinguisher
Large Animal Handling
Pottery Techniques
Fitness Awareness
We offer one the largest number of Specialist
High Skills Major programs within our Board. If
you would like to know about any SHSM, contact
Mrs. Durst, ext. 307.
Get involved… get skilled!
From Constable Warren
Guelph High School Video Contest: The
Guelph Police Service is challenging you to
create an Awareness Video about the issues
faced in your school and everyday life. Topics
may include:




Healthy Relationships
Respect Yourself and Others
Cyber Bullying
Substance Abuse
The maximum length of the video is 4 minutes
and must be submitted by noon on May 1st.
Email videocontest@guelphpolice.ca for more
information and to enter! There are great prizes!
Youth in Policing Initiative: The Guelph
Police Service, in partnership with the
Government of Ontario’s Ministry of Children and
Youth Services, is accepting applications for the
2014 Youth in Policing Initiative. Applications
are available in Guidance. The duration of the
initiative is June 30, 2014 - August 22, 2014.
Some of the eligibility requirements includes
students must be between 15 and 18, resident of
the City of Guelph and must be returning to
school in September 2014. For more eligibility
requirements and details contact
Sgt. Dave Begin, Program Co-ordinator at
519-824-1212, ext.7226 or email
david.begin@police.guelph.on.ca.
Thursday, March 27, 2013 - 9:00 am
Applause
* Our RACHEL’S CHALLENGE group has been busy
fundraising by selling hot chocolate, raifiki bracelets
and bucket drives to donate to local charities
and organizations. They also did a special
bucket drive and raised $350 for the family of
Terry Jay (a former student that died suddenly)
* Congratulations to all students who have taken
part in first aid training this year! There are 85 who are
certified to date… too many to name individually, but
kudos to all! Mrs. Durst
* One of our grade 10 students, Riley Leach, has been
accepted by the Guelph Trillium Rotary Club as their
outboard student in the Youth Exchange program. He
will be leaving this summer and spending a year
attending school and learning the culture and language
in Brazil. Congratulations Riley!
* Every student in Mrs. Furfaro’s hospitality class passed
the Safe Food Handling certification. This test is
issued by a Public Health Inspector from the Health
unit. This is one of the requirements for the Hospitality
and Tourism Specialist High Skills Major. Way to go!
* College Heights would like to extend a huge thank you
to the 60 local businesses who have taken on
co-operative education students this semester. Your
support and participation greatly enriches the lives of
our students!
Mark Your Calendars….








March 20 - Parent-Teacher Interviews (6:30 pm)
March 27 - Literacy Test
Apr 10-11 - Mid-term Evaluations
April 17 - School Council Meeting (6:30 pm)
April 18 - Good Friday (school closed)
April 21 - Easter Monday (school closed)
April 25 - Mid-term Reports mailed
May 8-10 - Spring Sale (various hours)