Good afternoon HCI,
February has flown by and we are now just two weeks away from March Break! Thank you to everyone's effort to complete course selection on myBlueprint. Counsellors will be reviewing to ensure students have made appropriate choices based on graduation requirements. This is important data to have as accurate as possible, as this is what is used for the school staffing and scheduling process that begins in the near future.
Do you know where your child eats lunch? Did you know that our halls and cafeteria are full of students enjoying their lunch time break. In general, our HCI students are great at picking up after themselves; however, there is the odd time that administration and caretaking are left to pick up some hallway and cafeteria garbage. It's always a good time to remind your child what it means to be a citizen of HCI Community! It takes everyone in the community to do their part to keep a clean and critter free school!
Week at a Glance
HCI Whole School Calendar
|
Monday, March 2nd
|
-Day 2
|
|
Tuesday, March 3rd
|
-Day 1
|
|
Wednesday, March 4th
|
-Day 2
|
|
Thursday, March 5th
|
-Student Council Drop By Office Hours @ Lunch (Student Council Office - Basement)
|
|
Friday, March 6th
|
-Day 2
|
Save the Date
March 16th - March 20th --> March Break
March 23rd --> Informal Mark Update
March 25th --> 4th Annual Greek Kafenio (cafe)
March 26th --> Parent/Guardian - Teacher Interviews
Humberside Celebrates
Each February, people across Canada participate in Black History Month events and celebrations that honour the legacy and contributions of Black people in Canada and their communities. HCI's Black Heritage Association will be providing a spotlight for our HCI Celebrates on some of the many accomplishments from the Black community that, deserve to be honoured, throughout the month of February.
Elijah McCoy was born in Colchester, Ontario, in 1844. At that time. At age 3, Elijah's family moved to the United States. He was forced to go to low-quality segregated schools. But despite these inequities, Elijah's parents saved money and sent him to school in Scotland. He returned home as a certified mechanical engineer, but could not find a job because of the racism against Black people.
He created and invented many things — 57 inventions in total! One of his inventions was a device to help lubricate (to grease) machinery. It became so popular that people began to copy it. The imitations did not work as well as Elijah's original. And people demanded to use nothing but "the real McCoy”.
Black History Month Assembly --> This week our BHA (Black Heritage Association), along with the staff advisors, put in many hours to create our Black History Month Assembly. The theme this year was 'Our Stories, Our Voices'. The school community got to hear from our own students through a moderated panel discussion; we got to hear about some exciting research our students have collaborated on with other schools; we participated in some fun trivia and we were privileged to hear an original spoken word. Please take a moment to read the original work of two of our BHA students:
Academic Info
- Mark Update --> Please expect to have an informal mark update communicated to you and your child leading up to March 23rd. This could be through a variety of methods: email, phone calls, online learning platforms, print outs provided to the student. This is not an official reporting period; rather a check in to ensure families and students are clear on their progress to date. Should a student be at risk of failing at this early stage, please expect a call from the subject teacher to develop a plan to provide support. This informal mark update can also help you determine if a Parent/Caregiver interview should be booked. If your child is thriving academically and social-emotionally, we would ask you to consider not booking an appointment. There are limited spots available, and teachers would like to prioritize partnering with families to create a success plan where needed.
HCI Peer Tutoring --> The Peer Tutoring Program at HCI continues to offer support and is welcoming new learners! Tutors and learners meet every Thursday at lunch in room 216.
Students should complete this google form - LINKED HERE to be matched with a tutor. After completing the form they should come to room 216 Thursday at lunch and meet their matched tutor in person.
Student Support - TDSB Central
EQAO Math Resources --> Here are some links for Math support at home:
EQAO Questions and Supports on the TDSB website
TDSB Mathematics for Families & Caregivers page
Free Math Help Available at TVO Mathify, a free online tutoring service for grades 4 to 12
Special Education --> Special Education and Inclusion is pleased to offer various sessions for parents/caregivers this March. Please find additional information in this flyer. All parent engagement sessions for the 2025-26 school year can be found on the TDSB website.
HAC Highlights of the Week
Winter Sports Update--> Congratulations to our Varsity Girls Indoor Soccer team on an outstanding season, finishing as West Region finalists, and to the Varsity Girls Hockey team for a strong finish to their season. A huge shoutout to our 24 swimmers and 2 wrestlers who have qualified for OFSAA this coming week—an incredible accomplishment! Best of luck to our Junior Boys Indoor Soccer, Junior Boys Hockey, and Curling teams as they continue their playoff runs next week. We also want to wish the Junior Girls and Senior Girls Volleyball teams the best of luck as they compete in the City Finals today. Be sure to check out all team recaps on Instagram @hci_hac. Go Huskies!
New! Spring Raffle Fundraiser--> From Tuesday March 3rd - Thursday March 5th, HAC will be running a Spring Raffle Fundraiser in the main foyer at Humberside to raise money for our annual Huskies VS event. Raffle prizes will include the following:
2 tickets to the Toronto FC home opener on March 14 + TFC Jersey
2 tickets to the Toronto FC home opener on March 14
2 tickets to the Toronto Argos home opener on August 6 + Argos Jersey
2 tickets to the Toronto Argos home opener on August 6
To enter the raffle, students can purchase one raffle ticket for $3 or two raffle tickets for $5. Winners will be announced on Friday March 6th.
Dodgeball Intramurals--> Week 3 of Dodgeball Intramurals is bringing the energy! Check out the dodgeball schedule to see when your team is playing next! Reminder that all games are played in the Upper Gym from Tuesday-Friday at lunch.
Parent Engagement
Social Media & Safety--> A Parents’ Roadmap is an engaging evening for parents and caregivers to better understand the digital world that young people are navigating. We will talk about online exploitation, sextortion and AI, and harmful digital behaviours, while keeping the focus on practical, realistic ways to support children’s safety and well-being online. This session is about building confidence, not fear. You will leave with clear strategies, conversation starters, and tools to help your child make safer choices, set healthy boundaries, and know when and how to ask for help.
Food will be served, childcare is available, and community partners will be present. We hope you will join us for an evening of learning, connection, and shared care. Questions? Contact mentalhealthandwellbeing@tdsb.on.ca.
Happy Friday!
