HYLAND
HEIGHTS
E.S.E.S.
HAWK
TALK
HYLAND
HEIGHTS
HAWK
TALK
DECEMBER NEWS, 2013
Dear Parents & Guardians,
It is hard to believe that the winter holiday is only three weeks away.
If you take a look at the attached calendar, you can see that the pace at
Hyland Heights remains at full steam ahead right up until the day before
holidays begin. One of the biggest events of this school year takes place this
Thursday, December 5th. Our own Parent’s Council is hosting a Holiday
Celebration Event at the school between 6-8pm. Please remember to pick up
your MacMillan order on this evening. In addition to opportunities for families
to make Xmas crafts, decorate cookies, have their family photo taken with
Santa, listening to the Primary choir, participating in caroling, and checking
out some special animation designs by our Gr 5 & 6 students, a silent
auction will be taking place, right up until 8pm when the auction closes. If
you’ve not had a chance to participate in a silent auction before, this involves
placing bids on a large selection of amazing prizes by writing your name and
phone number on bid sheets. Part of the fun is in outbidding your friends, all
for the benefit of raising money that Parent Council will put towards the
playground fund. We are so fortunate to have such an enthusiastic and hard
working Council who has worked tirelessly to organize this Holiday Event.
Special appreciation also goes to Pioneer Energy for their $1000 donation
and many local businesses (to be shared in January), as well as a fast
growing number of parents who are giving their all to ensure that this special
event will be a huge success even before it has started.
We also look forward to the morning of December 18th, when the
Centre Dufferin high school band will perform some of their favorite concert
and holiday songs. December 19th will mark our final gathering as a whole
school prior to the New Year, as students enjoy some carol singing and time
together in the gym.
Wishing everyone a very safe and happy holiday. May you enjoy
some special time with family and dear friends as you look forward to
welcoming a brand New Year!
Sincerely,
D. Heaslip
Principal, D. Heaslip
519-925-3745, Attendance: Ext. 100
* Press ‘0’ to connect with the office
Wishing you
and your family the very
best this holiday
season…..
A reminder that the last
day of school before
Winter Break is Thurs.
December 19th
& the 1st day back to
school is January 6th,
2014
Upcoming
School Council Meetings
Our next School Council
meetings will be held on
December 2nd @ 6pm
Please note that all parents
are welcomed and
babysitting is available.
Library News
Congratulations goes to the author of
Augustine which was crowned the
winner of our tenth annual Hyland
Heights READS book at a school-wide assembly
on Thursday, November 7th. Additional
congratulations go to the twenty lucky students who
received copies of the five nominated books, which
were purchased by our very generous Parent
Council.
On Thursday, November 21, we were delighted to
have guest author Dustin Milligan visit with
us. Dustin made two very educational
presentations to our Grade 5-8 students about his
series of books, The Charter for Kids which focuses
on the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
UG2GO
UG2GO is the Upper Grand’s student website
where students can safely access a rich selection
of online resources. In case you didn’t know,
students can access UG2GO from home:
1. Visit https://www.ugdsb.on.ca/ug2go
2. Have your child enter the same Windows
username and password he/she uses at school.
3. Click on the “Elementary Go” box.
4. Click on any of the resources. Explore and
enjoy!
If you have any questions, or have any difficulty
accessing UG2GO, please contact Mrs. Bannon.
LOST & not yet FOUND
Our collection of lost & found
items continues to grow.
Please stop by the school
and see if any of these items
might belong to your family.
Items remaining in the lost
and found over the holidays
will be packed up and sent off
for clothing donations – so
please check for missing items prior to December
19th.
Math Attitude is Important
How do you as a parent feel about math? Your
feelings will have an impact on how your children
think about math and themselves as mathematic
ians. Take a few minutes to reflect on these
questions:
Do you think everyone can learn math? Do you
think of math is useful in everyday life? Do you
believe that most jobs today require math skills?
If you answer "yes" to most of these questions,
then you are probably encouraging your child to
think mathematically. Positive attitudes about math
are important for your child's success.
Mathematics as Problem Solving,
Communication, and Reasoning
Helping your child learn to solve problems, to
communicate mathematically, and to demonstrate
reasoning abilities are fundamental to learning
mathematics. These attributes will improve your
child's understanding and interest in math concepts
and thinking.
A problem solver is someone who questions,
investigates, and explores solutions to problems.
They stick with a problem to find a solution and
understand that there may be different ways to
arrive at an answer and attempt different ways to
get there. You can encourage your child to be a
good problem solver by involving him or her in
family decision making using math.
To communicate mathematically means to use
words, numbers,or mathematical symbols to
explain situations; to talk about how you arrived
atan answer; to listen to others' ways of thinking
and perhaps alter their thinking; to use pictures to
explain something; and to write about math, not just
give an answer. You can help your child learn to
communicate mathematically by asking your child
to explain a math problem or answer. Ask your
child to write about the process she or he used, or
to draw a picture of how he or she arrived at an
answer to a problem.
Reasoning ability means thinking logically, being
able to see similarities and differences about math
concepts in different domains and make choices
based on those differences or similarities. You can
encourage your child to explain his or her
reasoning behind answers and encourage them to
ask themselves, “Does this make sense?” As you
listen, you will hear your child sharing his or her
reasoning.
Look forward to next month’s newsletter more
about how you can help you child/children further
develop these attributes of a strong mathematician.
Winter Weather & Bus Cancellations
A decision to cancel transportation is made by 6:30
a.m. This decision is based on a number of factors
including, weather and road conditions, checked
first-hand by designated bus operators in each area,
weather predictions made by Environment Canada,
and information on road conditions from the local
Road Superintendent. During times of inclement
weather, please listen to: 1460
AM CJOY,106.1 MagicFM,
99.1 FM CBC, NewsTalk 570
AM, 96.7 FM CHYM, 98.1 FM
CHFI, 680 AM CFTR, 92.5
KISS FM or watch the A
Channel News or CKCO-TV television news for
school transportation cancellations.
Parents can also check the Transportation website
(http://www.stwdsts.ca/)
When buses do not run, Hyland Heights will remain
open. Bussed students who are driven to school
will also need a ride home at the end of the day.
If your child walks to school and you do not feel the
weather is safe to send him/her, please call the
attendance line (ext. 100) prior to school start if
possible, to inform the office of their absence. This
saves valuable time making phone calls to verify
the safety and whereabouts of all students.
Attendance calls are not necessary for bussed
students. We appreciate your efforts with this at all
times during the year, but especially on no-bus
days!
Head lice is not Nice
We would like to remind parents to please check
your child’s hair regularly for these pesky critters.
No one is immune to lice and if we all do our part to
keep on top of it, they won’t have a chance to get
out of hand. A reminder to students that sharing of
hats, helmets, or combs/brushes is not
recommended. Thanks for your continued support!
Anti Bullying Week!
To kick off our Anti Bullying week
at Hyland Heights, motivational
guest speaker Andy Thibodeau
presented to grades 1 to 8,
powerful messages about how
students can support each other and maintain a
positive attitude when challenges arise. He
modeled responses to negative comments and
reactions from others, while having students in
stiches through his use of humor and keen sense of
observation about student interactions. Students
left feeling positive and smiling after a loud round of
applause for Andy’s message!
Throughout anti-bullying week, our Me to We group
designed a graffiti wall in the front foyer and invited
classes to write on the bricks to share some of the
ways they have demonstrated that sharing is caring
in the Hyland Heights community.
The Me to We also shared anti bullying messages
during morning announcements and posted
throughout the school. We know that bullying
happens and we want to be able to teach students
the importance of standing up, not being a
bystander or a bully.
Arriving Late to School
A reminder that our school day begins with the
entry bell at 8:45. Morning transitions are an
important time for students to say ‘hello’ to friends,
make recess plans for the day, listen to school
announcements, and prepare for
new learning. It can be really
disruptive to the class and difficult
for late students to settle when
they have missed the morning
entry with classmates. Yard
supervision begins at 8:30. Please encourage your
child to leave home with extra time to arrive
between 8:30 - 8:45. Your efforts to support this are
greatly appreciated!
PARKING AND STUDENT DROP-OFF
 No student drop-off or parking is
permitted at the front of Hyland
Heights Elementary School
 Entry to this area is reserved for
busses and staff only
 Elementary student drop off is confined to the
Kiss & Ride area at the north end of the (shared
with CDDHS) parking lot, located beside the
Kinderpac.
 Parents needing to walk younger students to
their classroom are asked to use the 5-minute
drop off area along the easterly side of the
(shared with CDDHS) parking lot.
 Parents, CDDHS staff and students who require
longer term parking are asked to only park in
the middle parking spaces of the (shared with
CDDHS) parking lot.
 Traffic flowing through the (shared with
CDDHS) parking lot is “one-way” to reduce
congestion and ensure that all parents,
students and busses are able to safely use this
area.
The Mitten Tree
While out completing your Christmas shopping,
please consider purchasing an extra pair of
mittens to donate to our HHES Mitten Tree.
Donated mittens will be made available
throughout the winter to students who do not
have or who have misplaced their mittens, or
they are in need of a warmer, drier pair. Please
use the clothes pins provided to attach your
donated mittens to the tree. The mittens will act
as our colourful Christmas ornaments. Thanks
so much for your generosity and for supporting
our HHES students.
Food Drive & Staff-Student Hockey Game!
Hyland Cares!
Me to We are excited to promote our second
food drive this year. From Dec 9th to Dec 17th
we are asking students to bring in nonperishable food items. With the help of
Shelburne Police, the teacher of the class who
brings in the most food will be arrested and put
in jail at our Christmas assembly! We look
forward to helping the Shelburne Hamper
program with our non-perishable food items,
and the excitement of putting teachers behind
"bars" for the assembly!
We also look forward to another staff-student
hockey game on Dec 16th @ 1:30 and
encourage all students to bring either a
donation to the food bank or a toonie to go
towards the Hyland Heights breakfast club!
Consent forms to come home this week!
Recently, the Me 2 We group
attended We Day in Kitchener along with 270
Ontario schools.
WE DAY:
 is an initiative of Free The Children, an
international charity and educational partner,
with an 18-year history of youth engagement.
 is a stadium-sized educational event and the
movement of our time, involving young people
leading local and global change.
 connects world-renowned speakers and
performers with thousands of elementary and
secondary school students and educators in an
inspirational setting to learn about some of the
most pressing local and global issues. Past
participants include Archbishop Desmond Tutu,
Martin Sheen, Nelly Furtado, Hedley and many
others.
 enhances a school's existing service learning
initiatives or sparks new ones.
 is one of the world's largest charitable causes
on Facebook with more than 3.3 million fans.
Hyland Heights students had a great time at We
Day and found it to be very inspiring. We hope to
bring some of this kind of energy back to our own
school community!
News from Parent Council
Can you Help?
Way to go Hyland Students!
We would like to express our sincere thanks
to all the students who participated in our
MacMillan’s Fundraiser. Because of your
efforts we were able to raise $1051.50 that
will go directly towards our Playground Fund.
Thank you so much for your hard work and
we hope you enjoy the items you purchased.
 DON’T FORGET to come and pick up your
items on December 5th from 6-8pm
during our Holiday Celebration. Due to
the nature of the items we are unable to
store unclaimed items.
We are still in need of a few parents to help
fill some volunteer roles. Parent Volunteers
are a very necessary part of many of our
programs. We are currently looking for:
 Parents who are available to help run
events during our Holiday Celebration.
 A Parent to fill the role of Secretary to
help with some minor administration.If
you feel you can help please contact us
at: SC.Hylandhts@ugdsb.on.ca any and
all help is welcomed and appreciated
Holiday Celebration Night
Santa and his elves have been very busy preparing for our upcoming Holiday Celebration. The
event will run on Thursday December 5th from 6-8pm. We have many events planned for the
evening so bring the family and join us for a night of holiday fun! Planned events include:
• Free Cookie Decorating and Hot Chocolate
• $2 Photos with Santa
• Free Crafts
• Raffle Room
• Silent Auction
• Choir Performance
• Make your vote on the Door Decorating Contest
We looking forward to seeing many of you there and remember that all money raised will go
towards our playground fund. Many local businesses have contributed to our event and we thank
them for helping us get into the holiday spirit and helping us towards our goal!
Treasurers Report
This month we added $204. from our Pita Days and $1051.50 from our MacMillians Fundraiser towards
our playground fund which is currently at $2986.39. We also raised $855.25 from our pizza days this
month and this money will go to help support things like Hyland Reads, our Breakfast Club, Grade 8
Graduation, Scientist in the Classroom and other school programs.
Next Meeting Dates
Do you want to know more about what is happening in our school and what we as a parent council are responsible
for? Attending meetings are a great way to find out more without a commitment. Meetings are not just for formal
members, but for all parents who have children attending Hyland Heights.
As always there is free babysitting.
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CONSTANT CONTACT & ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTERS:
Constant Contact allows us to send a mass email with a copy or link to our monthly newsletter and other
school updates. We are working towards reducing the number of paper copies that are sent each month.
Please help by completing the bottom tear off and send in with your child so we can include you.
Email address: __________________________________________________________
Child/ren’s Name: ______________________
Teacher Name/s:_____________________
DECEMBER EVENTS CALENDAR
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
2
Pita Day
3
Gr 6 DARE program
4
Pizza Day
6
Gr 6 DARE program
KA & KC walk to the
library
Boys Volleyball @ HHES
5
HOLIDAY
CELEBRATION EVENT
@ 6-8pm
Parent Council @
6pm in the library
(babysitting
provided)
*MacMillan Orders to
be Picked Up!
Girls Volleyball @
Laurelwoods
KB walking trip to the
Post Office
Boys Volleyball @
Mono-Amaranth
9
Smoothie Day
Boys Volleyball @
Grand Valley
10
KA walking trip to the
Post Office
Gr 6 DARE Program
11
Pizza Day
KB walking trip to the
Library
Girls Volleyball @ CHES
12
KC walking trip to the
Post Office
13
Grades 1, 2, & 3 Skating
at CDRC
Girls Volleyball @
Mono Amaranth
Girl Volleyball @
Glenbrook and Boys @
HHES
Grade 6 DARE Program
MADD presentation for
Gr 7 & 8’s
16
Pita Day
Staff-Student Hockey
Game at CDRC
@1:30-2:30
Boys Volleyball @
Laurelwoods
Tucker C is Principal
for the Day!!
17
Grade 4, 5, & 6’s to
Theatre Orangeville
Rotary Club to pick up
Hamper Donations
Gr 7 Trappers &
Traders Day Tri to
Island Lake
18
Pizza Day
Gr 6 DARE Program
19
Caroling Assembly in
the gym @ 9:45
20
Winter Holidays Begin
Gr 6 DARE Program
2pm CDDHS Band
performance in the gym
23
24
25
26
27
30
31
1
2
3
6
7
8
9
10
16
17
PA Day
(no school for
students)
HAPPY NEW YEAR
AND WELCOME
BACK TO SCHOOL!!
Smoothie Day
13
Pita Day
Pizza Day
14
15
Pizza Day