Bennett’s Blog by Mr. Brian R. Bennett

FEBRUARY 2016

January has been an incredibly busy month! The school just finished participating

in a week-long of activities and events focusing on Literacy. A very exciting

school-wide spelling bee competition for both Heather Heights and the VMA was

held on Thursday February 28th. Congratulations to our Heather Heights and VMA

students who competed and won first place for their grade level. See who they

are on Page 3.

Our Family Literacy Night on Thursday January 28th was a huge success. It was a

fun and informative evening of interactive literacy activities, a Book Swap, Book

Basket Raffles and lots more! The evening provided parents with an abundance of

information and helpful tips and strategies to engage their children in rich literacy

activities at home. Thank you all staff for organizing this wonderful event and to

the Heather Heights School Advisory Committee for supporting the event with the

various raffles and concession stands.

Now, that February is upon us, the 1st Term Provincial Report Card will be sent

home with your child on Wednesday February 10th. The Report Card will provide

you with information about your child’s academic progress and learning skills/

work habits development. Hopefully, you will be able to sit down together to

review and discuss the Report Card with special attention given to the Next Steps

that are provided by the teacher. Teacher-Parent-Student Conference meetings will

take place on Thursday February 11th beginning at 3:30 p.m. and Friday February

12th beginning at 8:30 a.m. This meeting provides a wonderful opportunity to dis-

cuss your child’s progress with the teacher.

Another exciting happening in February is our 2nd Annual Valentine Dance-a-thon

which is being held on Thursday February 11th. Our goal is to raise $5,000 to pur-

chase lap tops and ipads for our two mobile tech carts. These carts are shared

between the classroom to support student learning. At the moment, we share 15

laptops among all the students in our two schools. To reach our goal, we are chal-

lenging each student to raise at least $20 for our

Dance-a-thon event! We are hoping for 100% partici-

pation from all of our students. We are reminding our

students not to collect pledges door to door. Students

should collect pledges from family members and

friends.

As Family Day is just around the corner, I hope you take

the time to enjoy some fun family activities. We are

very fortunate to have a number of family attractions in

the Toronto area including the Toronto Zoo, Pioneer Vil-

lage, Ripleys Aquarium and the many city ice rinks, but

to name a few. Regardless of your choice of activity,

enjoy your time with your family and loved ones.

BookNook 2

Spelling Bee 3

What We Are Doing 4

News and Reminders 9

Monthly Worksheet 11

Calendar 12

Inside this issue:

Principal: Brian Bennett

Office Administrator:

Diane Mascherin

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Brrrr….it’s cold out there!

Looking for a great winter

read? February is a great

month to make some won-

derful book purchases right

here at school. The Scho-

lastic Book Fair will be run-

ning from Monday Febru-

ary 8 to Friday February 12.

Each class will be assigned

a visiting time and a buying

time, making it easier to

browse and purchase.

Additionally, the Fair will run

Thursday after school until

5pm, and Friday (P.D. Day)

until 11a.m.

In the next several weeks,

we will be starting our For-

est of Reading programme

here at school. Older stu-

dents from the Ben Hep-

pner Vocal Music Acade-

my will be selecting, prac-

tising, and reading their

favourite Forest nominees

to our younger Heather

Heights students from Kin-

dergarten to Grade 3. This

was a great success last

year, and we hope to get

as many older students in-

volved as possible.

Four Neat Facts…….

Now, for some fun facts

about one of my favourite

all-time authors, Charles

Schulz, the creator of

Peanuts and Charlie

Brown.

1. Charles Schulz dis-

liked the name

“Peanuts” and he

wanted his cartoon

to be called “Li’l

Folks”.

2. In high school, the

original Snoopy

drawings were re-

jected by Schulz’s

yearbook. Now, that

school has a 5-foot

statue of the dog.

3. Originally, CBS TV ex-

ecutives didn’t want

to release the now-

classic “A Charlie

Brown Christmas”.

4. Fergie (yes – the

singing star!) was

the voice of Sally

Brown in the ‘80s.

My favourite Charlie

Brown quote: “I think I’ve

discovered the secret of

life – you just hang

around until you get

used to it.”

Cheers! (Mrs. Hamouth-

Jones)

Book Nook by Mrs. Hamouth-Jones

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Congratulations to the following students who competed and won first place

for their grade level:

Aarkesh, Grade 1, Room 104 Kieran, Grade 2, Room 106

Holland, Grade 3, Room 106 Sparsho, Grade 4, Room 107

Delaney, Grade 5, Room 204 Sarina G., Grade 6, Room 202

Indrajeet, Grade 7, Room 207 Hanna M., Grade 8, Room 207

Because reading with them encourages them to become readers!

Because when you hold them and give them attention, they know you love them!

Because until they learn to read themselves, they will think they are magic!

Because reading books are one way of passing your moral values on to them!

Because every teacher and every librarian they encounter will thank you!

Because for that short space of time, they will stay clean and quiet!

Because if you do, they may then let you read in peace!

Because you will build special memories and create nostalgic moments!

Because when you read together, you can engage in rich conversation!

Because when you read together, you can hook them on books for life!

MR. BENNETT’S 10 REASONS TO READ WITH YOUR CHILDREN!

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What We Are Doing: Mr. Boyko’s Class Public Service Announcements

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What We Are Doing: Mr. Boyko’s Class Public Service Announcements

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What We Are Doing: Mr. Boyko’s Class Public Service Announcements

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What We Are Doing: Ms. Bloomfields’s Class

Created social awareness posters advertising government-funded organizations. (Deklan's poster on Surrey Place Centre)

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What We Are Doing: Ms. Bloomfields’s Class

Created watercolour scenes to explore colour and space. (Hope's painting)

Created foldables packed with information on the Physical Regions of

Canada. (Shakti's foldable)

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February is Kindergarten Registration Month

Kindergarten is the first step in a lifelong journey that will see your child learn, grow, and succeed at the Toronto District School Board. At the TDSB, we know early learners learn best through doing; so our four and five year olds are introduced to math and science through play as part of k-12 STEM programming. To inspire a love for learning, kindergarten classrooms are bustling with inquiry and exploration through science activities, math games, art projects and more. Visit your local school during February to register. To attend Junior Kindergarten in September, children must turn four-years-old by December 31. To register for Senior Kindergarten, children must be five-years-old by December 31. All of our schools now offer Full-Day Kindergarten where students will attend Kindergarten for the entire school day. This includes a morning and afternoon schedule and a lunch break. Visit the Kindergarten website to learn more about this program and learn how to prepare your child for school.

TDSB Welcomes New Director of Education John Malloy

The Toronto District School Board is pleased to welcome John Malloy as the Board’s new Director of Education. John brings with him a wealth of experience in public education, having served as Director of Education for the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board and a Superintendent of Education with the York Region District School Board and the Durham Catholic District School Board. Most recently, John was an Assistant Deputy Minister and Chief Student Achievement Officer with the Ontario Ministry of Education. As Director, John’s key priorities include improving student achievement and well-being. He is focussed on increasing student engagement, ensuring learning environments are supportive, and providing equitable access to opportunities for all students. John also believes very strongly in the importance of collaboration, especially with parents and the community. For more information about John Malloy, visit www.tdsb.on.ca/AboutUs/DirectorofEducation or follow him on Twitter @malloy_john.

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THE BOYS’ & GIRLS’ CLUB OF EAST SCARBOROUGH

A BEFORE & AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMME!

The Boys’ & Girls’ Club of East Scarborough is now offering a before and

after school programme for the students in Heather Heights and the VMA.

The morning programme will run from 7:30-8:30 a.m. and the after school

programme will run from 3:15-6:00 p.m. The Boys’ & Girls’ Club pro-

vides a stimulating programme for students lead by trained leaders. The

programme includes a homework club, educational/curriculum activities,

games and sports and a healthy snack. The cost is minimal and you may

choose how many days you would like your child to attend.

Reminder!Reminder!Reminder!

Please Do Not ParkPlease Do Not ParkPlease Do Not Park

in the Drop and Drive areain the Drop and Drive areain the Drop and Drive area (or leave your car running) and (or leave your car running) and (or leave your car running) and

Do Not Park in Do Not Park in Do Not Park in

Reserved Parking.Reserved Parking.Reserved Parking.

This area must be kept clear forThis area must be kept clear forThis area must be kept clear for emergency vehicles.emergency vehicles.emergency vehicles.

City of Toronto has put up No Parking Signs. City of Toronto has put up No Parking Signs. City of Toronto has put up No Parking Signs.

Parents and visitors will be ticketed.Parents and visitors will be ticketed.Parents and visitors will be ticketed.

Thank you for helpingThank you for helpingThank you for helping

to keep students safe!to keep students safe!to keep students safe!

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