To Huron parents/caregivers:

Due to the continuing poor conditions in our school yard and in the neighbourhood parks caused by last weekend’s ice storm, we have decided to postpone our “Earth Day Clean-up” activities until Friday April 27th, 2018 (instead of doing them tomorrow).

On Friday April 27th, all classes will be participating in School Clean-Up Day. As a school community we will be cleaning our school yard as well as going to some of the local parks and playgrounds to lend our support

to clean-up activities happening in those locations.

We would love to have parents/caregivers helping us – please speak to your child’s teacher for the specifics of when and where their class will be cleaning. Everyone needs to remember to dress appropriately for the weather that day as everyone will be outside at some point. All the activities that were planned for tomorrow will be happening next Friday (April 27th) instead.

We are hoping you can join us in these activities or by participating in other Earth Day activities or actions with your family. For more information about School Clean-Up day, and how you can also get involved in Community Clean-Up events, please visit:

https://www.toronto.ca/311/knowledgebase/kb/docs/articles/environment-and-energy/clean-toronto-together-corporate-and-school-clean-up-day-community-clean-up-day.html

To our Huron School Community:

Although it may seem early, it’s time to start thinking about summer plans and programming. As you know, our on-site daycare, Superfriends, offers summer camp programs – please see the attached flyer for more information.

Remember that Superfriends Summer Camps are available for anyone interested – children do not need to attend Huron Street School nor do they need to be in the daycare program from September to June. The Summer Camp Programs are for everyone.

Space is limited so register early.

EARTH WEEK AT HURON

April 16th to April 20th is “Earth Week” at Huron, with events all week long leading up to “Earth Day” celebrations at school on Friday (and Earth Day being celebrated internationally on April 22nd). One of the programs that will be in place next week is a return of our “WASTE FREE LUNCH WEEK”. This means that next week there will be no landfill, recycling or compost containers in the gym or Kindergarten classrooms at lunchtime. Everything that comes to school next week will go home again – we will be having true ‘boomerang lunches’ next week. We are encouraging students to bring no waste lunches – through reusable containers, water bottles, whole fruits and other waste free snack and lunch ideas. This initiative has been shared by our Eco student leaders on the morning announcements. We hope to catch many students being waste-free or as waste-reduced as possible. Another focus at school during Earth Week is on reducing plastic. Our students will be learning about plastic waste (like plastic water bottles or bags), its environmental impact and ways to reduce the amount of plastic we use. This is part of the larger worldwide Earth Day week focus on ending plastic pollution (more on this at https://www.earthday.org/). We are also encouraging students to make a plastic pledge for reducing plastic waste. Then on Friday April 20th, all classes will be participating in “School Clean-Up” Day. As a school community we will be cleaning our school yard as well as going to some of the local parks and playgrounds to lend our support to clean-up activities happening there. We would love to have parents/caregivers helping us – please speak to your child’s teacher for the specifics of when and where their class will be cleaning. Everyone needs to remember to dress appropriately for the weather that day as everyone will be outside at some point. We are hoping you can join us in these activities by learning more about plastic pollution with us, or by participating in other Earth Day activities or actions with your family. For more information about School Clean-Up day, and how you can also get involved in Community Clean-Up events, please visit: https://www.toronto.ca/311/knowledgebase/kb/docs/articles/environment-and-energy/clean-toronto-together-corporate-and-school-clean-up-day-community-clean-up-day.html

PLAYGROUND REVITALIZATION MEETING # 2

Additional information about this has already been sent in a separate email, so please make sure your calendars are marked for Tuesday, April 17th at 6:00pm in the Gym, where we’ll be holding our Schoolyard Revitalization Community Meeting #2. We’ve collected the online survey results from Huron families, Annex community members and staff members. We’ve also collected student input from the classrooms. We want to share what we’ve learned and put key ideas forward. Ward 10 Councillor Joe Cressy and School Board Trustee Ausma Malik will be in attendance again. We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday at 6:00pm – please come and participate!

SIGHT and SOUND CLINIC

For families that are registered, a reminder that the Sight and Sound Clinic (Vision and Hearing Screening) will be at Huron on Monday April 16th.

DENTAL SCREENING

Another reminder that the Dental Screening conducted by Toronto Public Health will be happening at Huron on April 19th, 20th, and 23rd. More information about this has already been sent to all families in a separate email.

SCHOOL COUNCIL MEETING

Our next School Council Meeting will be happening on Tuesday April 24th, 2018 at 6:00pm. Babysitting and pizza will be available for children – all parents/caregivers are welcome to attend the meeting and be a part of the discussions.

Again this year we are pleased to let you know that a Sight and Sound Clinic (Vision and Hearing screening) will be held here at Huron – we have sufficient numbers of families who have returned the registration form for the clinic to run at Huron. The Toronto Foundation for Student Success (TFSS), an independent, registered charitable foundation of Toronto District School Board (TDSB) is offering their vision and hearing screening services at our school. The vision screening includes tests for visual acuity, colour blindness, depth perception and strabismus (eye turning in/out). The vision and hearing screenings are conducted by trained International Medical Graduates (IMG). A nominal fee is charged to cover the services administrative costs. Please note that this is only a screening and NOT a complete vision and hearing examination. If a problem is detected at the screening, a note will be sent home to direct you to a health care professional(s) for further evaluation and assessment. The vision and hearing screening services are optional however a minimum of 25 students have registered and our vision and hearing screening is scheduled on April 16, 2018. Please also note that OHIP covers the cost of full eye examination by an Optometrist once a year for children 19 years and under.

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PINK

April 11, 2018 marks the International Day of Pink. It is a day where communities across the country, and across the world, can unite in celebrating diversity and raising awareness to stop homophobia, transphobia, transmisogyny, and all forms of bullying. The International Day of Pink was started in Nova Scotia when 2 straight high school students saw a gay student wearing a pink shirt being bullied. The 2 students intervened, but wanted to do more to prevent homophobic & transphobic bullying. They decided to purchase pink shirts, and a few days later got everyone at school to arrive wearing pink, standing in solidarity. The result was that an entire school took a stand and began working together to prevent homophobic & transphobic bullying. The message was clear: anyone can bully, any can be victimized by bullying, but together we can stop it. Each year on the second Wednesday of April, millions of people wear pink and take a stand. The Day of Pink is a symbol, a spark, that empowers and inspires youth across Canada to create amazing social change! For more information about the International Day of Pink please visit: http://www.dayofpink.org
We encourage everyone in our Huron community to wear something pink on Wednesday April 11th.

ENTRY INTO THE SCHOOL IN THE MORNINGS

It seems a reminder is needed please, that unless students need to come into the office in the morning, all students and their families should walk around directly to the schoolyard and be prepared to meet classes when the bell rings. Students and their families should not be coming into the school unless there is a reason to do so. Families please be conscious of the fact that the office is a very busy place in the mornings and it’s not always possible for us to answer the buzzer immediately when it rings. Please support Ms. Vallely with this and let’s try and reduce the number of people coming into the building unnecessarily. Of course no changes for families coming to Superfriends in the morning.

ACORN FUNDRAISER

If you forgot to return your Acorn order by last Friday the good news is that last-minute orders can still be accepted first thing on Monday morning (April 9th). Please make sure all Acorn art orders are in the office by 9:00am on Monday – and thanks to everyone for your support of this wonderful fundraiser.

AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS

Please see this information below, as well as the attachment, for information about a new after-school program that is hoping to start here at Huron this spring. Minimum registration numbers are needed – if you’re interested in more information or to register please contact Codezilla Kids directly. If your child is already involved in an after-school program on Mondays, but you might be interested in Codezilla for next year please make that information known to Codezilla Kids as well.

Tech Toys Code + Play (Gr 1-6)

Kids learn coding fundamentals without ever touching a computer! Children play with a variety of award-winning tech toys, apps and robots that introduce them to early computational thinking and Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM) in a fun and engaging way. This is one of Codezilla’s most popular programs, with 500+ children enjoying our educational tech toys at multiple schools, camps and weekend workshops.

See videos and photos of Codezilla’s school programs here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/147426644@N04/sets/72157689672098662/

See videos and photos of Codezilla’s Tech Toys program here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/147426644@N04/sets/72157662902345807

PIZZA LUNCH

A reminder that Wednesday April 4th is our next Pizza Lunch. The pizza has already been ordered for Wednesday – if there are any, extra slices will be available for $3.00 each but please make sure your child also has a lunch on Wednesday as extra slices cannot be guaranteed.

ACORN FUNDRAISER

Please be advised that we are launching another Acorn School Fundraising campaign to raise money for classroom materials Acorn provides a fun and fulfilling experience for our students. Using your child’s artwork, Acorn can reproduce the art on items such as cards, calendars, placemats and more. All their items are of the highest quality and built to last, but more importantly, they will make a wonderful keepsake of your child’s school year. Be on the look out for artwork completed on an Acorn order form. The form provides a description and pricing for the 6 items available. If for any reason you do not like the art, Acorn allows for a replacement to be glued onto the form over the existing art. Ensure your order is legible and accurate, as the information provided appears on your products. Also, if you are paying by cheque make sure the cheque is stapled to the cover sheet and not to the artsheet. Leave the cover sheet on the form and return it to the school with your payment by our APRIL 6 DEADLINE. We encourage you, as part of the school community, to support this endeavour. Remember all the money raised goes directly back to our school. In return, you will receive something of value, something that is as useful as it is unique and can be kept as a memento for years to come.

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PINK

April 11, 2018 marks the International Day of Pink. It is a day where communities across the country, and across the world, can unite in celebrating diversity and raising awareness to stop homophobia, transphobia, transmisogyny, and all forms of bullying. The International Day of Pink was started in Nova Scotia when 2 straight high school students saw a gay student wearing a pink shirt being bullied. The 2 students intervened, but wanted to do more to prevent homophobic & transphobic bullying. They decided to purchase pink shirts, and a few days later got everyone at school to arrive wearing pink, standing in solidarity. The result was that an entire school took a stand and began working together to prevent homophobic & transphobic bullying. The message was clear: anyone can bully, any can be victimized by bullying, but together we can stop it. Each year on the second Wednesday of April, millions of people wear pink and take a stand. The Day of Pink is a symbol, a spark, that empowers and inspires youth across Canada to create amazing social change! For more information about the International Day of Pink please visit: http://www.dayofpink.org We we encourage everyone in our Huron community to wear something pink on Wednesday April 11th.

HOLIDAY WEEKEND

A reminder to everyone that next Friday and Monday – Friday, March 30th, 2018 and Monday April 2nd, 2018 – the school will be closed for the holiday weekend.

ACORN FUNDRAISER

Please be advised that we are launching another Acorn School Fundraising campaign to raise money for classroom materials. Acorn provides a fun and fulfilling experience for our students. Using your child’s artwork, Acorn can reproduce the art on items such as cards, calendars, placemats and more. All their items are of the highest quality and built to last, but more importantly, they will make a wonderful keepsake of your child’s school year. In the next few weeks be on the look out for artwork completed on an Acorn order form. The form provides a description and pricing for the 6 items available. If for any reason you do not like the art, Acorn allows for a replacement to be glued onto the form over the existing art. Ensure your order is legible and accurate, as the information provided appears on your products. Also, if you are paying by cheque make sure the cheque is stapled to the cover sheet and not to the artsheet. Leave the cover sheet on the form and return it to the school with your payment by our April 6 deadline. We encourage you, as part of the school community, to support this endeavour. Remember all the money raised goes directly back to our school. In return, you will receive something of value, something that is as useful as it is unique and can be kept as a memento for years to come. Thank you for your support.

HURON HOODIE & WINTER HATS – DELIVERED NEXT WEEK!

The winter order for Huron Spiritwear will be delivered next week. Apologies for the delay – there were a few production & shipping issues. We look forward to the winter jackets disappearing and hoodies being worn in their place!

AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS

Chess Club at Huron! The Chess Institute of Canada is bringing its popular and rewarding after school chess club back to Huron Public School this spring. All levels of chess players are welcome – beginners will be gifted with the universal language of chess knowledge, and advanced players will be challenged and raised to new levels. All players will have a lot of fun and will benefit from the experience of chess club in profound and meaningful ways. While learning or expanding their chess knowledge, students also gain important values and life skills such as goal setting, creative analysis, resiliency, respect for others, responsibility for decisions, taking risks, dealing with unexpected and disappointing outcomes, reflecting critically, realizing there are choices in every situation, etc.

Our instructors are all skilled chess players, experienced teachers and engaging personalities who will appeal to and elevate your child’s natural abilities through this ancient mental martial art. Chess Club will be held after school on Tuesdays starting on April 17th for 9 weeks, and is open to students in Junior Kindergarten to Grade 6. The cost of the 9 week program is $117 and funding assistance is available.

Online registration is available at https://www.chessinstitute.ca/register/ Just click on “Chess Clubs” and search for the school in the “Club Look-up” section beneath the buttons. Please feel free to reach out to CIC Operations Manager Marcus Wilker (marcus@chessinstitute.ca) or Outreach Coordinator Katya Rudzik (katya@chessinstitute.ca) if you have any questions and they will be happy to help you.

Additionally, TAC Sports is once again offering their after school SOCCER program on Thursdays and Fridays. Please see the attached flyer for more information and remember that interested families should contact TAC Sports directly for registration information.

WELCOME BACK

We look forward to seeing everyone back at school again on Monday March 19th and we hope that everyone had a happy and healthy March Break holiday.

HURON EARTH HOUR

Our Huron Earth Hour for March is going to be held on Friday March 23rd from 2:00-3:00pm. All schools in the Toronto District School Board are holding an Earth Hour at this time, in advance of Global Earth Hour which is on Saturday March 24th, 2018. As part of our commitment to being a Platinum Level Eco-School, this is an opportunity for our school community to focus on ways we can reduce our energy consumption. We turn off as many lights as we can and power down/turn off as many electronics as possible. Classrooms use this time for discussions and planning. We would encourage Huron families to think about engaging in similar activities at home as well, and to participate in the Global Earth Hour on Saturday. For more information about Global Earth Hour please visit: https://www.earthhour.org/

Dear Huron School Community:

Want to make a difference at Huron?

Want to have fun while doing it?

You should be a part of Huron’s biggest fundraiser of the year!!

This year’s Picnic for the Arts is on June 15th, 2018 – and we really need your help!

We are in the planning stages and NEED to fill the following important positions:

Food Leader: coordinate pizza, hot dogs, burgers and homemade food for the event

Auction Leader: online for the first time, coordinate the website and items to bid on

Support Roles: lend a hand to other chairs and pitch in as needed up to the event

Canvassers: visit local stores to request donations for our auction – it’s easy!

And more…..

Please come to our Volunteer Night on Tuesday, March 27 at 6:30pm in the library

We have many jobs that need to be filled – both big and small – any effort is welcomed and appreciated. We want this year’s Picnic to be the very best one yet! We really need your help to make it a success. The Picnic depends on the Huron community’s involvement.

We hope to see you on March 27th!

Meg Gardner (Picnic Chair) and Amy Khan (Volunteer Leader)

MARCH BREAK HOLIDAY

Just a reminder to everyone that the school will be closed from Monday March 12th to Friday March 16th, 2018 inclusive, for our March Break holiday. The last day of school before the holiday is Friday March 9th, and school will resume again on Monday March 19th. We hope everyone in the Huron community has a happy, healthy and safe holiday.

PIZZA LUNCH

A reminder that Wednesday March 7th is our next Pizza Lunch. The pizza has already been ordered for Wednesday – if there are any, extra slices will be available for $3.00 each but please make sure your child also has a lunch on Wednesday as extra slices cannot be guaranteed.

DANCE-A-THON

Huron’s annual, fundraiser, DANCE-A-THON, will be happening on Thursday, March 8th, 2018. All classes, Kindergarten to Grade 6, will be involved and parents/caregivers are very welcome to come and spend some time dancing as well. Please check with your child’s teacher about when their class is scheduled to be in the gym.

Information about pledges/donations via School Cash Online, cash and cheque has been sent out to parents/caregivers and will be sent again shortly. Keep working on collecting those pledges and let’s make this our most successful Dance-A-Thon ever!

Thanks to everyone for your support.

LOST AND FOUND

As the weather changes we know from experience that the amount of clothing in Lost and Found seems to increase dramatically, as outdoor clothing is removed when the students get hot playing outside…and then not always reclaimed. This week we have 3 pairs of snow pants in Lost and Found, and as always a great collection of boots, coats, shoes, hats, mittens/gloves, scarves, water bottles, lunch bags, and the list goes on. Please remember to check our Lost and Found structure in the front foyer frequently and take home items that belong to you.

A reminder also that ALL ITEMS in Lost and Found will be donated to a charity during the March Break holiday. The last day for you to ‘find’ items that belong in your household will be Friday March 9th – when we come back to school again after March Break (on Monday March 19th) Lost and Found will be empty!

KID’S KITCHEN

Please see the attached flyer from Kid’s Kitchen about their March specials. Remember that Kid’s Kitchen comes to Huron on Tuesdays and the deadline for ordering is always noon on the Monday before.

Highlights for March: March Specials

Chicken shawrma in a whole wheat pita (Halal option available)

Falafel in a whole wheat pita

Chicken pot pie with caesar salad