School Spirit was alive and well this week at Forest Hill! Many students and staff made great efforts to don our school colours, pajamas, neon, and beachwear! As part of our Spirit Week, classes participated in our Terry Fox Run/Walk! It was great to see the students running, walking, dancing and cheering! Thank you to Ms. Homatidis, Ms. Ibe, our school mascot and the Athletic Council for inspiring school spirit!
Our Commencement Celebration was a total hit on Friday. Over 120 students dropped by to take photos and pick up their diplomas, awards and more. It was lovely to see so many of our staff in the courtyard cheering on the graduates and their families! Thank you to Mr. Conley, Ms. Neumann, and our Prefects for the wonderful backdrops and beautiful decorations – which are now on display in the foyer! A special shout out to Ms. De Jesus who was the main planner and organizer of the event!
Happy Thanksgiving to all that celebrate.
Sincerely,
Yvette Duffy, Principal Joseph Ghassibe, Vice Principal Anita Love, Vice Principal
In this issue:
- Next Two Weeks at a Glance
- Student Council – Speeches on October 12 & Elections on October 14
- Parents and Caregivers as Partners - Virtual Conference - October 16 & 17
- Current Grades Shared with Students – October 18 to 21
- Student Lunch as the Weather Changes
- Personal Phone Usage During Class Not Permitted
- Take Our Kids to Work Day – November 3
- Message from Guidance – Booking Appointments
- Message from Music – Wind Instruments
- Message from School Council – Chair Tracy Kowal
- Trustee Laskin’s Weekly Updates
- Worth Mentioning Again – Reorganization & Extracurriculars
Next Two Weeks at a Glance
Please check the right sidebar on the landing page of this website for the must up-to-date calendar events.
Student Council – Speeches on October 12 & Elections on October 14
School Council recorded campaign speeches will be shared with students through a link that will be provided in their TDSB email on Tuesday, October 12. Elections will take place online on Thursday October 14 and our elected Student Council members will be announced on Friday, October 15 during our morning announcements. Good luck to all our candidates!
Thank you to Mr. Ghassibe, Ms. Pawlowski and all our staff who are supporting the campaign
Parents and Caregivers as Partners - Virtual Conference - October 16 & 17
The TDSB is committed to parent, caregiver, and community engagement as an essential element in our shared efforts to improve outcomes for children throughout their lives.
The Parents and Caregivers as Partners Conference 2021 provides an opportunity to highlight innovation and high-impact strategies for partnering, collaborating, and nurturing parents and caregiversʼ partnerships and alliances. These two days will be filled with workshops, networking opportunities and keynote speakers Dr. James Makokis and Cherry Rose Tan. Further details and information about registration can be found at: www.parentsaspartners.ca.
Current Grades Shared with Students – October 18 to 21
All teachers will share an up-to-date electronic grade breakdown with all students in their Week 1 and 2 classes between October 18 to 21. This will be shared with students via their TDSB email. This will allow parents, guardians and students to prepare for our upcoming Parent-Guardian-Teacher Interviews. More information about Parent-Guardian-Teacher Interviews will be coming soon.
Student Lunch as the Weather Changes
The beautiful fall weather has allowed many of our students to continue to sit outside on the grass to eat lunch. As the temperature begins to drop and winter arrives, more students will be moving inside to eat their lunches. Given that our cafeteria can only safely accommodate up to 100 students when physically distanced, students are welcome to eat their lunch on the ground floor in the hallways. Students are reminded to keep their masks on when not eating.
We are encouraging students who live close to the school to go home for lunch. Students are also welcome to go into the local community to purchase a lunch if parents or guardians are comfortable with this option.
Personal Phone Usage During Class Not Permitted
Just a reminder that student personal phones should only be for educational purposes while in class. Please encourage your student to refrain from taking personal phone calls or writing personal texts during class time as this can be very disruptive to our learning environments. Parents and guardians who need to communicate with their student are requested to call or text their student before 9:00 a.m., at lunch between 11:30 a.m. and 12:15 p.m., or at the end of the day at 2:45 p.m. If there is an emergency and a parent or guardian needs to communicate during class time with their student, please call the Main Office at (416) 393-1860 and our staff will support you to make contact with your student. Please note that students who are experiencing challenges around self-regulating their phone use may be referred to the administration. Thank you in advance for your support with reducing disruption and promoting a positive learning environment for all our students and staff.
Take Our Kids to Work Day - Wednesday November 3, 2021
As you know Take Our Kids to Work Day is an opportunity for grade 9 students to explore careers that may be of interest to them. This year’s grade 9 Take Our Kids to Work Day will be hosted within our grade 9 classes with live streamed opportunities for our students.
Message from Guidance – Booking Appointments
Our standard practice is to see students through an appointment scheduled using our booking system on a first come first served basis – unless of course a student is in crisis or needs immediate assistance.
Students are expected to book an appointment online by completing this form: FHCI Guidance Appointment Booking 2021/2022 which is located on the landing page of the Forest Hill Guidance website. Our booking system is regularly monitored and students will receive an appointment time through their TDSB email.
Message from Music – Wind Instruments
Our Music Department has been working on a plan this week to support the safe and gradual re-entry of wind instruments which has been approved by Toronto Public Health (TPH). As with all other activities, our first priority is ensuring that appropriate health and safety measures are in place.
At this time, wind instruments are permitted for playing within a cohort indoors with distancing requirements. Wind instruments are permitted outdoors in mixed cohorts with physical distancing, and outdoor playing is recommended wherever possible. We have already begun to re-introduce our wind instruments and were excited to hear our students playing wind instruments last week.
Thank you to Ms. Simas for all she is doing to support the safe return of wind instruments! And, thank everyone for your continued patience and understanding as we work to get things running smoothly.
Message from School Council - Chair Tracy Kowal
This season, fundraising for FHCI is going to be so much easier with FlipGive, a free team funding app. Our School Council can earn cash back on every purchase you make all year long! All you have to do is shop anytime with the brands you already love, such as Home Depot, Walmart, Sport Chek, Indigo, Old Navy, Apple, Esso, and Loblaws. No more going door-to-door selling chocolate bars - it’s completely virtual and contactless.
Join our team now and you’ll give FHCI a $5 bonus the first time you shop: FHCI Flip Give Team. Or enter this code: 2GFKE5. Want to learn more? Check out this 2 minute video: What is FlipGive?
Also, please mark your calendars and save the date of Monday, November 1st at 7:30 p.m. for our next School Council meeting.
Any questions, reach out directly to Tracy Kowal at tracy.kowal@yahoo.ca.
Trustee Laskin’s Weekly Updates
Learn more about upcoming events and keep informed by linking to Trustee Laskins Weekly Newsletter.
Worth Mentioning Again
Reorganization to Reduce Large Class Size
Given the large size of one of our grade 12 Advanced Functions classes, our need to align with contracts, and our to desire to better support students, we are reorganizing three current classes: Learning Strategies (GLS1O8-1A), English as a Second Language (ESLD/E08-4A) and Advanced Functions (MHF4U1-3A). The reorganization will affect 36 students and will take effect on Tuesday, October 12. Students who are affected and their families received direct communication about the reorganization this week via email. Students in these classes are encouraged to check their TDSB Connects App for an updated student timetable.
Extracurricular Clubs Are Back!
Our Virtual Club Fair is now live! A Google Drive has been shared with all students, showcasing the 20+ Clubs currently being offered, along with information as to on how to join club. Please note that the Drive is only accessible by students using there TDSB credentials. If you’d like to view the Clubs being offered, please ask your child to share this with you. Asking your child to view the Virtual Club Fair is a great way to help us stress the importance of joining a Club, getting involved in our school community, and promoting school spirit!
Thank you to over twenty teachers who have eagerly agreed to act as staff sponsors for our clubs!
Download and print a copy of this: View From the Hill - Issue 7 - Week of October 10, 2021