Our School Council is excited to share about the return of a lunchtime program that will be starting on January 19th with Northern Karate. This lunchtime program is being offered to students in Grades 1 to 3 over six Mondays, from January 19th through March 2nd (no class on February 16th).

The program is designed to introduce students to the benefits of martial arts training, covering karate basics (stances, punches and kicks) as well as various martial arts drills, pad work and karate games. Students participate in classes taught by professional Northern Karate instructors during the lunch hour!

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.

As trustees, it is a privilege to work alongside families and schools. Every day, we see incredible successes – big and small – taking place in classrooms and learning spaces across our Board. We are committed to celebrating those achievements and supporting families as you navigate the system to access the resources, programs and information you need. 

Our schools and the Board host many events throughout the year for families—from information nights to cultural celebrations and community activities. These events provide wonderful opportunities to connect, learn and engage with the community. We encourage you to check your school’s calendar and the Board calendar regularly so you don’t miss these opportunities.

There are also some important registration dates coming up, including Kindergarten and French Immersion in January. Course selection also takes place in the coming months, which is a great time for students entering or currently in secondary school to explore the many options available to them. 

Visit our school programs page for deadlines, details and to learn more about the many programs available to YRDSB students. These programs allow students to explore their interests, gain valuable experience and build transferable skills for the future. 

We meet regularly as a Board of Trustees through monthly Board meetings and at regular committee meetings. Agendas and minutes are posted publicly so community members can stay informed. 

A highlight of each monthly meeting is the Applause Awards, where we celebrate students, staff and community partners who are making a meaningful difference in our schools. These inspiring stories showcase student achievement, perseverance, and the power of communities coming together to support student learning and well-being 

We also take time during our meetings to recognize Heritage months that reflect the diversity of our region and honour the identities of students, staff and families. This month, we recognize Christian Heritage Month; in January, we will celebrate Tamil Heritage Month, and in February, Black History Month. These observances give us an opportunity to pause and reflect on the contributions of these communities.

As we go into December, we want to take this opportunity to wish all families the very best for the holiday season and to wish you a safe, restful and enjoyable winter break. 

Estelle Cohen, Trustee, Vaughan Wards 4 and 5

We are reaching out to the Rosedale Heights P.S. community as we begin collecting donations of non-perishable (mainly food) items in support of the Richmond Hill Community Food Bank.

The Richmond Hill Community Food Bank is an independently run, non-profit, non-government agency, founded to provide temporary assistance to alleviate food insecurity for Richmond Hill and Thornhill community members.

Regrettably, Ontario has seen a 134% increase in food bank usage over the last five years with overall usage increasing for eight consecutive years. What’s more, 57% of clients accessed food banks for the first time last year. The Richmond Hill Community Food Bank gives temporary emergency food assistance to local residents, so if you’re able to make a donation, it will be helping someone in our own greater community.

Among the items appropriate to donate include any in-date and unopened canned food items, dry packaged items, packaged toiletry items, sealed glass items in jars and baby diapers and formula. They have currently identified the following items as most needed: boxed cereal, all varieties; cookies; granola bars; crackers; canned meat and fish; baking, cake and muffin mixes; Jello and instant puddings; flour; sugar; large size and individual juice boxes; condiments and salad dressings, and; small bags and boxes of rice.

We will collect items starting on Monday and throughout the lead up to the Winter Break. Donations should be made no later than December 15th. There will be donation boxes in the foyer and you or your child can drop off items directly. If you have numerous items or heavier items to donate that cannot be sent with your child, simply bring them to the front door of the school and press the intercom button, and we will help have the items brought in.

We welcome and thank all members of the Rosedale Heights P.S. community who are able to participate in this campaign of giving.

The Scholastic Book Fair is once again returning to the Rosedale Heights P.S. Library!

From Monday, November 17th through Thursday, November 20th the Book Fair will be open. There will be opportunities throughout that week for classes to visit, and the Book Fair will also be open after school on Thursday, so parents can drop by during parent-teacher interviews. We’ve sourced a wide range of high-interest books for students, including many discounted titles!

This is an exciting time as our school library continues to add to its growing collection of favourite books!  All proceeds from the Book Fair support our purchasing of additional resources to enhance our Library.

Let’s continue to spread a love of reading. Books make great gifts!

We wanted to share with our community regarding the upcoming School Council Meeting on Thursday, November 6th at 7:00 p.m. in the school library. We welcome everyone’s involvement and encourage all those interested to attend. Minutes from the previous School Council meeting can be found here. You needn’t be an elected member of the School Council to get involved. Simply come out and lend a hand!

We thank you for your continued support of our school.

Our staff and students have been back at it again, showing some amazing seasonal creativity with the Rosedale Heights P.S. Pumpkin Decorating Contest. Class pumpkins will be awarded prizes in the days ahead. But there is one special award, the People’s Pumpkin Choice Award! So we now turn the job over to … you! Review the photos of the pumpkins below and help by casting your vote for the People’s Pumpkin Choice Award for the Best Pumpkin.  You can vote as often as you like, but this year, we won’t be showing a running results summary until the winner is revealed.  Voting closes Sunday, November 2nd.

Have your say … be sure to cast your vote now at bit.ly/RHPSVOTE25. The pumpkin with the most votes wins a special prize!

All pumpkins are on display in the school foyer if you’d like to take a closer look … before nature takes its course and they have to be composted!

Our School Council is excited to announce that brand new school spiritwear is now available for purchase!  You can browse and order items through the linked online store now!  This year, you can choose from two brand new school designs to customize your gear. Whether you’re looking for a t-shirt, cozy hoodie, sweatpants or winter toque, there’s something for students and parents to show their school pride.  Wear your spirit wear proudly on special school days, on field trips and at school events … or any time you’d like to show your Rosedale Heights P.S. spirit!

What a great gift for the holidays!  Spiritwear helps build community and generate enthusiasm for our school.  When students and families are wearing Rosedale Heights merch, everyone feels part of the team.  Join us in celebrating a sense of belonging with some new, stylish fashion!

Simply visit the linked online store and select the items you’d like.  There are both youth and adult sizes to choose from.  (Check size guide charts carefully; if you’re ordering for younger children, you may want to size up so they can wear the items longer into the year.)  We anticipate having orders arrive at the school mid December to distribute, just in time for the holidays!

The online store is open now and will remain open only until Monday, November 24^th.  Be sure to put your order in … before it’s too late!

We encourage all families to take a moment to browse and pick something they’ll enjoy wearing.  We hope you’ll join in and help us show off our Rosedale Heights spirit!  We thank our students and community in advance for their support and enthusiasm.

How would you like to join us for a fun, free, family event?

The Rosedale Heights P.S. School Council cordially invite all families to join us at the school once again for Bingo Night!  (Given community support from last year’s fundraiser, the event is entirely free!)

Bingo Night will be held on Thursday, November 27th, with Kindergarten through Grade 4 students (a parent must attend with the student) participating from 5:30 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. and Grades 5 through 8 students (a parent is welcome to attend with the student) participating from 6:30 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. While there is no cost to participate, parents must register their child below using the appropriate link below, submitting one registration per child (to ensure enough bingo cards are prepared).

Register (linked) a Kindergarten to Grade 4 Student (November 27th, 5:30 p.m. start)
Register (linked) a Grade 5 to Grade 8 Student (November 27th, 6:30 p.m. start)

Registration will close on November 17th at 3:00 p.m.

So come join us for a night of fun … and even some prizes! Please note, all students are required to bring something to mark their bingo cards with (e.g. highlighter, bingo dabber). Pizza, snacks and drinks will be available for purchase at the event, cash and carry.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Rosedale Heights P.S. is officially declaring Monday, October 27^th Blue Jays Spirit Day!

Sure, the Blue Jays managed to make it to the World Series on their own, but now they really need our help.  This Monday, we are inviting all students and staff to come wearing Blue Jays gear—or simply wear anything blue—as a show of support for our hometown team.  We’ll be preparing a huge card signed by the entire school to share with the Blue Jays and we’ll be hosting a special seventh inning (ok, seventh period!) stretch during the day.

Together we’ll help the Blue Jays return the Commissioners Trophy back to Canada for the first time in 32 years!

Each year, many students choose to show off their Halloween spirit by dressing up in costumes that meet our school’s dress code.  Students will be able to dress up on Friday, October 31st.

Please note that on October 31st, the focus of the day remains on instruction, any Halloween related activities are optional, and students will have a choice to participate in alternative activities.  Students will be allowed to dress up but they must follow Board Protocol.  York Region District School Board’s Safe Schools Policy #668.0 in accordance with the Education Act, includes the following: “during a school-related activity or event, the principal will suspend the student and shall consider expulsion [for infractions including]: possessing a weapon or replica weapon, including possessing a firearm.” Students celebrating this occasion in costume at our school must comply with this policy.  Costume accessories including, but not limited to, toy guns, knives, axes, swords, etc. are not in compliance with York Region District School Board’s Safe Schools Policy #668.0.  Similarly, costumes should be respectful of others. For example, if something is representative of a person’s culture or religious beliefs, then it should not be worn as another person’s costume. We ask all students to reserve coming to school in costume to Friday, October 31st, only.

As always, we wish to promote healthy eating at our school, and strongly discourage students from bringing candies that are in abundance around Halloween to school.  We kindly ask our community to be especially mindful that nut and nut products —often found in Halloween candy—are not brought in to the school, as well.  Rosedale Heights P.S. has a very popular healthy snacks program, where preferred options for snacking, such as a fruits, vegetables and dairy products, are regularly available for our students to enjoy.

We hope all our students who celebrate have a fun, safe, and healthy Halloween!