Rosedale Heights P.S. is a Healthy School and partners with various organizations, such as York Region Public Health, in the interest of student health and well-being.  The Ontario Health and Physical Education Curriculum includes many expectations that emphasize young people selecting healthy foods, developing food literacy skills, and educators reinforcing healthy eating habits.  Consistent with these overarching goals, our school snack program typically offers healthy snacks for students each and every day, and we have established as commonplace, students snacking on items ranging from carrots to cheese, from clementines to yogurt.

For the second year in a row, will be bring our healthy eating effort to scale across the entire school.  On Friday, March 7^th Rosedale Heights P.S. will be participating in the Great Big Crunch program, where our entire school is going to make a conscious effort to choose a healthy snack and count down together, biting into apples at the exact same time, making a … Great Big Crunch!

How might you help?  Consider talking to your child about their own food choices and eating patterns, and encourage them to opt for healthier snacks whenever possible, such as those available at school.  Working together, we hope to develop our students’ food literacy skills and prepare to enshrine our healthy eating commitment with a school-wide Great Big Crunch!

For more details visit the Coalition for Healthy School Food (linked).

Our School Council is excited to share about an upcoming lunchtime program that will be starting on March 17th, Sphero Robotics and Coding 101. This lunchtime program is being offered to students in Grades 1 to 4 over seven Mondays, from March 17th through May 5th (with no class on April 21).

The program is designed to have students learn how to program, code, customize and control seven different robots using basic, intermediate and advanced coding techniques. Students will also have a chance to participate in a variety of coding challenges and even compete with other participants in a variety of coding activities from Robot Soccer to a Robot Obstacle Course!

For more information on this program, including details on how to register, please visit the linked flyer.

We hope you enjoy this program offering. We thank our School Council for their efforts in organizing the program.

Our School Council is proud to announce Rosedale Heights Public School’s March Madness Fundraiser.  Your child will be coming home today with an envelope for this year’s School Council Fundraising effort.  To be sure, our school’s commitment to fundraising supports our students.  Fundraising enables us to do great things at our school and there’s no question – we do need your support. 

With fundraising proceeds from last year we:

• purchased 20 new Chromebooks and 3 new projectors
• organized numerous special community events including Bingo Night, our End-of-Year Community Soirée, and the upcoming Skate with the School event at no cost to families;
• purchased new outdoor recess equipment activities for students;
• funded many, many school enhancements for students including our ‘Imposter’ Mystery and Party, the ‘Almost Eras’ Tour event, Intermediate Jeopardy and numerous cultural activities, and;
• subsidized the cost of our grade 8 graduation.

We only fundraise once throughout the year – and this is it.  We need your help. Among other things, we are looking to raise funds for technology items (with ongoing growth expected, we will invest additionally in increasing our inventory of Chromebooks and iPads), community evenings, subsidies for supplemental learning opportunities for students, and many other program enhancements for students from extracurricular activities through Grade 8 Graduation.  We are also looking to raise money this year for a new, full-sized scoreboard for our gym.

Make no mistake, your contributions make a genuine difference directly for our students!

With March on the horizon, we are looking to celebrate active students and students’ love of sports.  Drawing on the ‘March Madness’ excitement of collegiate basketball, in the weeks ahead, students will have a chance to participate in a variety of activities culminating in a March Madness celebration the last week of March.  Our goal this year is for every student to raise a minimum of $30 in donations.  Tax receipts will be issued for individual cash or cheque donations of $25 or more. Donations may be collected from family members, extended family members or friends; no door-to-door solicitation is permitted.  Students who contribute will also have opportunities to participate in a prize giveaway … the more money the student raises, the more chances to win!  (In the interest of maximizing the number of winners, students are limited to winning only one prize each.)

But in this fundraiser, everyone is a winner because all the money raised goes to support the very best cause of all, our students.

Please help the school and submit all cash and/or cheques inside your child’s March Madness donation envelope by Monday, March 17th, 2025.  (Please note, donations can also be made on SchoolCash Online.  Instructions for doing so can be found here.  Under the ‘Message to the School Board’ section, please include your child’s name and teacher.  Donations made online are subject to a 3% online fee.) 

We thank each and every Rosedale Heights P.S. family for their generous support of the school and for helping us meet our fundraising goals this year! 

Fostering wellness at home supports emotional growth and resilience. Families already play a key role in promoting mental health, and small, meaningful moments can make a big impact. Helping children recognize emotions, spending quality time together, and actively listening all strengthen connections.

Simple routines, fun activities, and open conversations contribute to well-being. School Mental Health Ontario offers Easy and Fun Mental Health Activities for Home, with ideas on managing stress, nurturing relationships, and staying positive. By creating a supportive environment, we help children, teens, and caregivers feel confident and ready to succeed.

In the February newsletter, YRDSB has introduced various workshops, programs, and additional resources for caregivers in York Region. Be sure read the full newsletter for more details including a listing of helpful resources, community mental health events and caregiver supports.

Looking for something fun to do on Family Day?

You are invited for a free community skate on Monday February 17, 2025 at Garnet A. Williams Community Centre (501 Clarke Avenue West) from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. (first hour Kindergarten to Grade 4; second hour Grade 5 through 8). The ice is all ours! And when you’re done skating, warm up with a hot chocolate, and enjoy a treat. Join us and skate with the school! Please note, all student participants must wear a CSA approved helmet. Adults are not required but are strongly encouraged to wear helmets. We look forward to seeing you there.

Though it’s only February, Rosedale Heights P.S. has already begun planning for the 2025-2026 school year.  In many respects, the work we do now is particularly important, because our accuracy with anticipated enrollment helps us better plan, and optimistically, minimizes the need to move students across classes (‘reorganize’) in September.  This is especially the case given the imminent closure of new residential dwellings in our school’s catchment area. We are asking you for your help!

First and foremost, if you know you will be moving out of the area in the months ahead or you know your child will be attending a different school next year, please let the office know as soon as possible, to help us be accurate with our enrollment estimates.  Similarly, if you have a child who will be joining us at the school for the first time in junior kindergarten (or any other grade) and you have yet to register, we would kindly ask you to do so at your earliest convenience.  And if you meet someone moving into the community, or have a neighbour with kindergarten-aged children, please encourage them to register sooner rather than later!  To update any information or get the registration process started, simply email the school at rosedale.ps@yrdsb.ca.

We aim to be as meticulous as possible in our preparations for next year, so we thank everyone in our community in advance for their support with our school planning.

Welcome to the start of the second half of the school year. 

Congratulations to secondary school students who have completed exams and culminating activities and are ready to start a new semester, and to elementary school students for all their hard work in the first term. I want to remind families that when report cards are available, you can now access your child’s report card through the Family Dashboard. 

For students looking at course selection for next year, the Experience YRDSB pages on our website will let you explore the areas that interest you and learn more about the courses, programs and opportunities available in your secondary school. 

At the end of January, we recognized Lunar New Year, commemorating the first day of the Lunar calendar. Throughout the month, we also recognized Tamil Heritage Month. In February, we recognize Black History Month, I encourage you to check the Board calendar for upcoming events to celebrate Black excellence and recognize the contributions made by Black Canadians. You can also find information about other upcoming significant dates and events for families. 

The Student Trustee election process is underway for the 2025-2026 school year. Student Trustees play an essential role in our system, representing student voices at the Board table when we are making important decisions, and we greatly appreciate their contributions to our discussions. I would like to congratulate all of the students who put their names forward for the position and encourage all students in Grades 5-12 to take the time to vote. 

I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank current Student Trustees Hayden Lai and Mitusaan Kugathasan and Indigenous Student Trustee Natalie Pitawanakwat for their hard work, leadership and commitment to student voice. 

As a Board of Trustees, we have several important roles that affect the daily life in our schools and Board. 

One of those responsibilities is to set the policies that govern the operation of schools in YRDSB. Policies cover important topics, such as assessment and evaluation, field trips, homework, dress code, caring and safe schools, health supports, student leadership and more. 

We regularly review Board policies to ensure they are updated and reflect the current context, priorities and needs of our community and system. An important part of this process is inviting feedback from the community, including families. You can find a list of all policies and those currently out for comment on our Board website and I encourage you to take a look. 

Trustees are also responsible for setting the Board budget. As we prepare to plan for the 2025-2026 school year budget, we will be once again reaching out to families and inviting you to share your input and feedback. Please take the time to review this information when you receive it; your voice is an important part of the process. 

We are also working through the District Action Plan to reflect and align with the new Multi-Year Strategic Plan. This plan outlines how we will achieve the priorities set out in the Strategic Plan and focus on serving all students. 

I wish everyone all the best as we go into the second half of the school year.

Estelle Cohen, Trustee, Vaughan Wards 4 and 5