Dear Parents/Guardians:

This past month's Character Trait Focus enabled classes to engage in conversations of Fairness and we congratulate all of our

students that were recognized by staff. We had a fantastic African Heritage display put together by Ms. Koheil, and Ms. Fox

that honoured African Heritage here at Presteign. While all classrooms took the opportunity to learn and teach each other

about Martin Luther King Jr. through readings and written responses, we have learned as well about Black Canadians that have

contributed significantly to the nation's Mosaic. Thanks goes to Ms. Guercio for leading our African Drumming Club. Thank you

to teachers for all that you do to discuss and nurture a strong sense of character among our young learners. The many cultures

and languages across Canada contribute to its rich Mosaic and such platforms enable us to celebrate their significance.

This month’s activities have been extensive. From the Knitting Club, Gymnastics, Volleyball, Basketball, 100 days of school

celebrations, Valentine’s Day activities, and much more, we had many opportunities for students to grow and learn in school.

We have had professional development with all teaching staff and had opportunities to co-teach together. As a school, we have

chosen the story of the Three Little Pigs to use as the mentor text for our school wide STEM challenge.

Many opportunities or learning included honouring of International Mother Language Day, Pink T-shirt Day and social justice

causes such as the Clothing drive. Thanks to Mr. Cuthbertson on all his efforts to teach empathy, compassion and caring to our

students.

From our wonderful student leaders, from Triple P’s that always lend a hand with directing other students, helping out in the

office, helping parents with pizza lunch or pancake lunch, AV crew, door monitors, to our most recent recruits for Playground

Activity Leaders (PALS), students are always demonstrating leadership. PALS were trained today on how to help in social

situations and how to run various games outside by Public Health Nurses. We are preparing for the nicer weather where

students can join games led by our PALS.

Pink T-shirt Day was rich in learning about how we all have a part to eliminate bullying. The entire school was a sea of pink to

acknowledge the problem in social interactions. We all heard announcements and had conversations about how we all have a

part to play in making Presteign a safe place for everyone. Most significant is the sense of individual growth and pride that our

students demonstrate to us on a daily basis. We will conquer this issue and grow from the experiences. Such growth is a great

tribute to Canadian and TDSB values of Equity and Inclusion.

Ballet Creole came yesterday to perform for us. It was a beautiful demonstration of African inspired dance and ballet from a

cultural perspective. The exhilarating dances open up a world of music and movement that had all of us clapping, shaking and

moving. Student and teacher volunteers made the whole event a symphony of participation and this was echoed in student and

teacher feedback. It was a fantastic way to broaden our understanding of African dance, movement and drumming.

Today’s Dance-a-thon was a huge success. We’d like to thank the many parents for their support with the events and all their

hard work to coordinate such a wonderful event. It was the 11th annual Dance-a-thon and a great way to build community. The

students were filled with excitement and anticipation.

We are pleased to see many of our Grade 1-5 students participating in our Mad Science Program which runs each Monday at

Lunch. Students have explored different themes and areas of focus each week about Nasa- Academy of Future Space

Explorers. The high level of interest in the program has led to a 2nd session about Chemistry entitled “Crazy Chemworks” which

is running now.

Thank you parents for all that you do each day in support of the many events and activities that take place at our school. You

play such a critical role in our collective efforts and success.

It’s truly an honour to serve the students, staff and community at Presteign Heights.

Sincerely, Peppi Kondilis-Minos

March 2018 - Greek Heritage Month 1 PurimJudaism 2 Holi* Hinduism 2 Holla Mohalla Sikhism 8 International Women’s and United Nations Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace United Nations TBA Magha Puja Day/Lantern Festival Buddhism 13 L. Ron Hubbard’s Birthday Church of Scientology 12-16 March break – No school 14 Sikh New Year Sikhism 16 Kuan Yin Birthday (Guan Yin) Buddhism/Taiwanese 17 Saka New Year (Nyepi) Hinduism TBA Holy Cross Day Christianity Orthodox Greek 18 Hinduism New Year (Uganda) Hinduism 18-26 Navratri (Spring) Hinduism 20 Eid-e-Navroz (Persian New Year) Baha’i/Zoroastrian 20 Ostara/Lady’s Day (Spring Equinox)* Wicca/Pagan 21 Spring Ohigan Buddhismto 21 International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination - United Nations Does Not Take Place in 2018 Persian New Year (Iranian National Holiday) https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/iran/norooz Iranian National Holiday 22 World Water Day United Nations 23 TDSB Earth Hour 26 Shri Rama Navami Hinduism TBA Prophet Asho Zarathosht’s Birthday Zoroastrian 30 Good Friday - Canadian Government and Christianity 31-Apr 7 Pesach/Passover* Judaism

March 2018

Presteign Heights Elementary School Proud to be a Platinum Eco-School 2570 St. Clair Ave. East, Toronto, Ontario M4B 1M3

T:416.396.2430 F:416.396.2347

Peppi Kondilis-Minos, Principal

Lucy Giannotta, Superintendent

Sheila Cary-Meagher, Trustee

Email: PresteignHeightsES@tdsb.on.ca

School website:

http://schoolweb.tdsb.on.ca/presteign/

From Ms. Preketes’ Room ….

ON CLOUD 9 IN ROOM 9!! Grade 5 Extended French with Mme. Preketes

If February is meant to be the shortest month, it definitely didn’t feel that way! We have been incredibly busy in room 9! From new experiences, to extending our caring hearts to others, asking questions and learning about the world around us, it has been a very memorable month for us all! Thank you to all of my students for enriching my teaching experience as you have. I look forward to the rest of our months ahead as we continue to ride on cloud 9 in room 9! :) Mme. Preketes Our Trip to Queen’s Park:

Basketball

Throughout January, Mr. C held tryouts for the boys' basketball

team. After a few practices, difficult choices were made and the

team was formed. They practiced 2-3 times a week in preparation

for the season, which began with a 17-16 win over a Grade 6 team at

Wilkinson. On February 6th, they participated in a tournament at

Chester in which they had to finish in the Top 2 to advance. In Game

#1, they beat William Burgess 24-3. In Game #2, they beat Gateway

32-26. And in Game #3, they defeated Chester in a thriller, 18-17, to

win the tournament.

On February 8th, the team faced Diefenbaker in an exhibition

game. Once again, the team played very well and won 26-14.

On February 13th, the boys faced McMurrich in a knockout

game. The winner would continue on and it would be season's end

for the loser. This time, the bounces didn't go our way and we lost in

another exciting game, 20-15.

Congratulations to our team for a great season: Theo, Michael,

Agshchaiyan, Myles, Carter, Alexandros, Dimitri, Ben, Aarez, Bobby,

Nabid, Roussos, Axel, Nivasan & Alex! And special thanks to Nick

Moutafis (Theo's dad) for all his help as co-coach of this year's team!

Terry Fox Foundation In January, we received a letter from the Terry Fox Foundation to thank us for our fundraising efforts to help in the battle against cancer. This year, our community generously raised $1702.15 to be put towards research. This is the most we ever raised in 30 years for the Terry Fox Foundation. Thank you to everyone for helping to show our students that everyone has a part to play in helping by caring. Mr. Cuthbertson

CHILL OUT WINTER CLOTHING DRIVE

In February, as temperatures wildly fluctuated from above seasonal to bitterly cold, our school held its annual Chill Out Winter Clothing Drive. Students and parents were asked to discuss at home if they had any spare winter coats, mitts, snowpants, scarves, etc. that needy kids and adults could use. As usual, the community rose to the occasion and a "Chill Out Mountain" of donations was built outside of Room 5. At the end of the month, the Scott Mission came to fill a mini-van with our donations and expressed their thanks for all our efforts. Thanks to parents for helping us to show our students how great things can happen when we work together. G. Cuthbertson, Charity Co-ordinator

Volleyball The girls volleyball team made it second runner up in their tournament. We are so proud of them and their efforts. Way to go Presteign! African Drumming Club Since Feb, 23 students have met weekly for African Drumming Club. Together we learned many facts about Africa including language, costume, folklore and instruments.

As we were learning about the Queen’s Park fire at the

turn of the 20th century, there was Ms. Wynne coming

down the marble hallway with her entourage! What a

surprise!! Our guide informed us that not every school

gets to actually meet Ms. Wynne, but we must've had

some kind of luck on our side because not only did we

get to meet her and talk to her, we got a class photo as

well!! How kind of Ms. Wynne to pause and take some

time to answer questions and take a photo with our

class! Thank you to all parents who came to make our

trip incredibly memorable and fun!!

On Friday Febraury 23rd, we held a Lunar New Year

Lunch! From spring rolls, to rice, to chow mein and

fortune cookies, we learned all about Chinese New Year

and celebrated the occasion in a very delicious way! Thank you to everyone who contributed!

Hello Presteign parents, teachers, students and community,

They say March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb...here's hoping! As we eagerly await fair-weather days, we've got

a lot of momentous events planned to keep our kids engaged and excited about school.

Our 11th Annual Dance-a-thon was this afternoon and it was a success! While the final numbers are not in yet, we

raised over $8000!! That’s amazing! Thank You to all parents for their generous donations. The kids had a blast dancing

to the 90’s and were super excited about all the possible prizes they could win.

With your support, teachers are continuing to bring in various Scientists in the Classroom for our children to learn from

and enjoy. Also, we were able to sponsor the play Ballet Creole presented at school March 1, 2018 for the entire school

to enjoy. With March Break coming up, continue to use the amazing Mathletics program brought to you by Home &

School.

We wanted to take this opportunity to invite parents and caregivers to join our Facebook community. Found at

(www.facebook.com/groups/Presteign), this community group is a great way to keep informed in real-time and get

useful reminders on important dates. We also encourage a community of sharing and fostering conversation about our

kids' experiences at Presteign. We all share a common goal - the best educational experience for our kids - and this

group is a benevolent forum for questions, advice and does anyone know' kinda stuff! If you're a parent or caregiver of a

Presteign student, we hope you'll join us.

Here are some events to look forward to:

March 12 - March 16 is March Break

Thursday, April 5th is Pancake lunch

SAVE THE DATE: Presteign Heights Annual Spring Fair will be held on Saturday, May 26th from 11-2 pm. There will be

lots of activities for all ages including bouncers, a rock wall, face painting, a photo booth, and much more!!! This is an

amazing school and community event!!

As the date approaches, we will be looking for volunteers to help run the event as well as sponsorship and donations to

help make this event a success! More info will follow in the April newsletter. We look forward to seeing you all there!!!

Last but not least, a reminder about the Rose Reisman Lunch Program. As you may know, the Reisman Lunch program

has been a welcome addition to our school this year. We started off with a solid amount of interest to keep the program

an option for our kids, however, as of late, the interest in this program has tapered and we are at risk of it being

cancelled. This is a reminder to please place your orders by the ordering deadline of Fridays at midnight to ensure that

the program remains viable as an alternative lunch option. We'd love to see this program continue at Presteign.

Wishing you all a fun-filled March (including a March Break full of joyous memories).

Presteign Heights H&S Committee

Home and School Association