Dear Parents/Guardians:

As we look at back at the final month of 2017, we want to congratulate the many students that were recognized

for demonstrating Kindness and Caring at our Character Assembly. Many students were Caught You Caring

during our campaign. For some of our Kindergarten students, this was a first experience at performing in front of

a large audience and we were so proud to see them shine.

Presteign demonstrated Kindness and Caring in a variety of ways in December and we are proud of the ongoing

work of staff and students. The whole school was busy collecting toys for donation while Ms. Preketes’ class

visited a local Seniors Centre to sing carols for the holidays. Kindergarten students caroling, our winter concert,

Cards of Kindness and cookies sold echoed songs of peace and friendship. The students were delighted in return

to receive a warm turkey lunch prepared by parent volunteers as part of the 23rd

Annual Turkey Lunch. Our first

and final Cookie Sale of 2017 was sold out in 2 days. All such acts of kindness exemplify the sense of compassion

and care that the school community holds and we were truly moved by these efforts. We need to continue

accepting all students regardless of where they come from, what they believe, or what they wear. Tolerance,

acceptance and inclusion will be our work for 2018.

On December 11th

, Presteign held I Can Day to honour International Day of Persons with Disabilities in support

of creating an equitable and inclusive environment for all. We were honoured to have Sharon Brant and Dawn

Campbell from the Rick Hansen Foundation as well as staff from Variety Village on hand to support many

activities throughout the school (e.g. Wheelchair Basketball, Pillow Hockey and communication games). Our

ongoing work in this area will continue to broaden our understanding of persons with disabilities and ensuring

that the school is proactive in providing an inclusive and barrier free environment.

As part of our ongoing focus on physical education, and healthy minds, the children have been so happy to play

in the snow. They have been very creative and problem solving. January’s character attribute is teamwork and

there is no better of showing teamwork then through forming the biggest balls of snow.

As 2018 is upon us, we look forward to the developments of the Master Grounds design. Thank to our school

community for your patience with this project. The new playground spaces will include great features for

everyone. We are excited to see the project nearing its bidding stages and potential start. Please join us at the

next parent council meeting on January 22nd

, where an update will be shared with the community.

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

Sincerely, Peppi Kondilis-Minos

1 Gantan-sai New Year Shinto 1 New Year’s Day International

Public Holiday

5 Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh

Sikhism 5 Twelfth Night Christianity

6 Feast of the Epiphany/Dia de los

Reyes Orthodox & Western

Christianity

7 Feast of the Nativity

(Christmas) Orthodox

(Julian Calendar) Christianity 7 Ethiopian Christmas Rastarfari

8 Baptism of Jesus Orthodox

Egyptian

8 Pausha Putrada Ekadashi

Hinduism

8 - 15 Theravada Days of

Mindfulness Buddhism

12-15 Mahayana New Year**

Buddhism

13 Punjabi Lohri Hinduism

(Punjabi)

13 Maghi Sikhism

14 Makara Sankranti Hinduism

14 New Year Eastern Orthodox

15 World Religion Day Baha’i

16 Martin Luther King Jr. Day

U.S.A. Fed. Holiday

16-20 No Name Calling Week Gay,

Lesbian and Straight Education

Network

17 Community Skate at Victoria

Village Arena

18 Pizza Lunch

19 P.A. Day – No School

21 Feast of the Wedding of Cana at

Galilee Orthodox Ethiopian

TBA Birthday of Lord Zoroaster

(Khordad Sal) Zoroastrianism in

Pakistan

22 Parent Council 6-8pm

27 International Day of

Commemoration in

Memory of the Victims of the

Holocaust UN

27 St. Sava Devine Service

Orthodox Serbian

28 Mehergan (1st Full Moon)

Zoroastrianism

28 Lunar New Year (Spring

Festival) Confucian, Daoist,

Buddhist

29 Jashan-e-Sadeh Zoroastrian

January 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: Presteign@tdsb.on.ca

School website:

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

Google Cardboard Workshop On Wednesday November 22, Mr. Tzortsis came into Mme. Jebb’s class to talk to us about Google Cardboard. Google Cardboard is cardboard goggles that you put around a smartphone to experience virtual reality. You have to connect the phone to the google expedition app. The app controls what you see. Mme. Jebb’s class visited Paris, space and the Grand Canyon. It was so cool! Mme. Jebb’s class had an amazing experience! Thank you Mr. Tzortsis! By Katerina Demakopolous

Learning about Equity at Presteign

Presteign continues to learn about various

cultural backgrounds. In September we

learned about Indigenous Residential

Schools on Sept. 28th. In October we

learned about Islamic Heritage Month. In

November, students learned about

Indigenous peoples, and Bullying

Prevention Week. Now we are learning

about Tamil Heritage Month. X-movement

taught us different dances from around

the world that we learned together.

Abilities in Motion/I Can Day! – I CAN DAY @Presteign was

inspired by Sharon Brant who attended school as a blind student

herself. Presteign was ignited by the strong conviction of Sharon’s story

who shared her struggles and experiences with our students. Through

the Rick Hansen Foundation, Presteign learned how a visually impaired

person attend to her children, dress, and work. Who would have

thought that Sharon would be the person to spark the inner spirit of K-

5 students to be more aware and tolerant of differences. Sharon

showed us all the things that she can do and how they might just look

different.

Our kids asked her about her guide dog, how she eats, plays games,

and even walks. The day was set for deeper understanding of physical

disabilities and how able-bodied people have to be more inclusive and

supportive. From Sharon’s inspiring presentation in the morning to

ongoing activities throughout the school (Wheelchair Basketball/Seated

Hockey/Communication Games) and continued work in classes, we

have raised a tremendous amount of awareness on how we can make

our school and community more accessible and inclusive.

Thank you to our committee members, Ms. Grassi and Ms. Alexiou for

their work and Ms. Minos for pulling together such valuable individuals

and resources from The Rick Hansen Foundation and Variety

Village. Our learning will continue well beyond this inspirational

day.

….from Ms. Jebb’s class

23rd Turkey Lunch: A Community Affair

This incredible school event is a traditional parent and community event. Without the countless parents, grandparents and volunteers, this feat could not happen. A huge thank you goes out to Ms. Roussakis for the tremendous effort to host a turkey luncheon. It was very well received by parents, staff and students.

We look back with fond memories about the event. Ms. Minos still can’t get over how co-ordinated, involved and helpful everyone was. Students helped with the potatoe and carrot peeling, parents roasted, and cooked, prepared decorations and gifts to bring in the beautiful season of the holidays. Santa Claus’ arrival was a true highlight.

Recess During Cold Weather

Elementary school students are kept indoors for recess

and lunch times for a number of weather conditions

such as rain, lightning in the area, extreme winds and

extreme cold. When temperature and wind chill

measure -28C or lower, students are kept indoors.

Recesses and lunch hour may be shortened if the

temperature and wind chill reading is between -20C and

-28C.

If a student's medical condition requires further

consideration due to weather conditions, or if parents

have other questions or concerns about how and when

weather conditions affect your child's school day, please

contact the school office.

February is Kindergarten Registration Month

Registration for all TDSB Kindergarten programs begins in February. We look forward to welcoming you and your child at our school in September! To attend Junior Kindergarten in September, children must turn four-years-old by December 31. To register for Senior Kindergarten, children must be five-years-old by December 31. You may choose to register in person at the school or begin the process online. For more information about the Kindergarten program and registration requirements, please visit www.tdsb.on.ca/kindergarten.

Please register on-line as of Feb. 1st, 2018 at:

http://www.tdsb.on.ca/EarlyYears/KindergartenMonth

Winter Weather and Student Transportation

From time to time, it may be necessary to cancel student transportation, classes and/or programs due to severe weather. On rare occasions, severe weather makes it necessary to close schools, administrative offices or sites. With approximately 246,000 students in our schools and sites each day, any decision to cancel buses, classes and/or programs or to close sites can have a significant impact on thousands of families across Toronto. This decision is not taken lightly. When schools remain open on days with inclement weather, parents/guardians make the final decision on whether to send their children to school and they can keep children home from school if they so choose. Should a cancellation or closure be necessary, information will be posted on the TDSB website, TDSB social media and provided to local media by 6 a.m. For more information, please see the TDSB's Procedure for Severe Weather: http://www.tdsb.on.ca/About-Us/Detail/docId/242

Happy New Year Presteign parents, teachers, students and community,

2018 has arrived and we're excited to get back to school.

Our 23rd Annual Turkey Lunch was a success! A big thank you to Anna Roussakis and to all the grandmothers who

volunteer every year. Thank you to all volunteers who dedicated their time, helped prep and buy food and donated

money to make the lunch come together. Without all your help, this event would not be possible. Seeing the kids'

excitement and the contributions from the community is why the luncheon has been at Presteign Heights for 23 years!

Another annual event to look forward to is the community skate this Wednesday, January 17th at Victoria Village

arena from 4pm-5pm, sponsored by Susan Gucci. It's always a great way to get active as we kick off the New Year.

Here are some other events to look forward to:

Pizza lunch is January 18th

H&S / SAC meeting is January 22nd @ 6pm. Childcare is provided.

Pancake lunch is February 1st

Staff Appreciation lunch is February 2nd

On an educational note, we are receiving great feedback about our new Mathletics program, available to each and every

student at Presteign Heights. Thanks to your support and dedication, we were able to make this happen. Also, with your

donations, transportation was provided to all students who attended Casa Loma. What a great experience!

Last but not least! One of our favourite events is just around the corner. The Dance-a-thon arrives in March! We are

looking for any new, unopened toys to be donated to our school. Stay tuned for more information.

We want to hear from you! You may email us at presteignhs@gmail.com and check out our website regularly for events

and news updates at www.presteignheights.com

Look for more updates soon...

Presteign Heights Home & School Association

Home and School Association