News from the Den- April 17, 2025

This week was a bit chilly outside, but we are happy to see things are starting to warm up again! We know that our Grade 5 & 6 students will especially be happy with warmer weather since they have started to dress in shorts, t-shirts and sandals. We have reminded them to have hoodies or jackets this week as they were a bit chilly waiting outside in the morning.

This week we were able to have RunWild host a pep rally at our school. The students were amazing during the assembly and showed the RunWild crew how great our students are. We were so proud of them! We have quite a few students from HHE signed up for the run. If your child is interested, you can find more information below under Opportunity. 

We are also thrilled to let you know that next year both of us will be staying on at Heritage Hills as your principal and assistant principal. We are so excited that we get to continue to work at this amazing school, with such great staff, students and families!

Have a wonderful Easter weekend!

Kyla Harding & Carla Kokotailo

Principal/Directrice & Assistant Principal/Directrice Adjointe

Table of Contents

WEEK AT A GLANCE

ACTION

• Get Ready for Kindergarten
• Lost & Found

OPPORTUNITY

• Class Considerations
• Values in Action Survey
• Art Show- Save the Date
• 2024-2025 Heritage Hills Yearbook
• RunWild
• Volunteer Tea- May 9

INFORMATION

• Junior High Information Nights: Running April and May
• A big THANK YOU to EIPS Volunteers

WEEK AT A GLANCE

ACTION

Get Ready for Kindergarten
Do you have a child registered in kindergarten next year? If so, make sure to attend Heritage Hills Elementary's upcoming Kindergarten Information Night on May 15. You’ll get to:

• tour the school;
• meet the teachers;
• gain insight on play-based learning; and
• see what a typical day looks like.

Kindergarten Information Night 2025:
Date: May 15
Time: 5:00-6:00 p.m.
Location: Heritage Hills Elementary, Gym

To make the transition to school as smooth as possible, Elk Island Public Schools has put together a toolkit for families. The kit includes information about registration, important dates, programming options, what to expect, eligibility, finding your designated school, transportation and more.
Additional information about Heritage Hills Elementary’s kindergarten program is available on the school website.

Lost & Found
We have all of our Lost & Found items currently on display in the foyer. If you are missing anything, please remind your child(ren) to look for it. We are having classes look and are reminding students on the announcements, because we want the items to go back to their owners. We will leave the items out until next Friday, April 25 and then will donate them to a local charity.

OPPORTUNITY

Class Considerations
In the coming weeks, we will begin the process of creating class lists for the next school year. This is a carefully planned and thoughtful process that requires considerable time and attention to detail. We work hard to balance a variety of factors, including academic needs, social-emotional considerations, and class sizes, to ensure each student is placed in the most supportive environment for their learning. If there are any extenuating circumstances that may impact your child's educational learning, that we may not already be aware of, please send an email to Mrs. Harding at kyla.harding@eips.ca by April 25. Please note that while we do our best to create balanced and effective groups, we are unable to accommodate individual friend requests. Thank you for your understanding as we work to create a positive and productive learning environment for all students.

Values in Action Survey
In December, Ms. Carruthers launched a school-wide initiative to strengthen and celebrate the core values of Heritage Hills Elementary. Parent input has played a key role in shaping this work, and many of you shared your thoughts in our first survey about our six school values: kindness, accountability, respect, collaboration, well-being, and integrity.

Since then, these values have been woven into our daily school life—through classroom lessons and discussions, morning announcements, featured books in the Learning Commons, posters throughout the school, and digital displays in the front foyer. Students have also been recognized for living out these values with certificates, kindness bingo, high-fives, and collaboration chains.

We’ve now explored five of the six values and would love to hear from you again in this follow-up survey. Your feedback will help us reflect on our growth and guide how we continue to nurture these values in our students moving forward.

Art Show
Save the date! On Thursday, May 15 from 5:00-7:00 p.m. families can come walk through the school to check out the amazing art at HHE. We are looking forward to an amazing evening showcasing all our student artists. There will even be a glow in the dark art room!

2024-2025 Heritage Hills Yearbook
Sales for our 2024-2025 yearbook are now available through your PowerSchool account. We are excited to offer softcover ($22) and hardcover ($27) options again this year. The yearbook is an option and not mandatory for purchase.

RunWild
RunWild is a fun-filled racing event supporting local charities, giving our youth a chance to focus on fitness, fun and philanthropy. It is a 1.2K race with a twist! Our Run Club is training for the race if families want to register them. If your child(ren) is interested in the race, which is on May 3rd, you can register at runwild.ca. 

Volunteer Tea
Save the date! On Friday, May 9 at 2:30 p.m. we will be hosting a volunteer tea. If you have volunteered in any capacity, we hope that you will be able to make it. We are so grateful for all of our volunteers! Our school is a better place because of all you do.

INFORMATION

Junior High Information Nights: Running April and May
Junior high schools across EIPS are hosting information nights for all Grade 6 students and their families—taking place in April and May. Make sure to attend to learn everything you need to know about the junior high programs at your child’s school. Those who attend will also have a chance to:

• meet the teachers;
• tour the school and classrooms;
• learn about the upcoming curriculum; and
• ask questions.

For specific dates and times, see: EIPS Junior High Information Sessions 2025

A big THANK YOU to EIPS Volunteers
National Volunteer Week takes place April 27 to May 4. On behalf of the Board of Trustees at Elk Island Public Schools (EIPS), I want to say a giant thank you to all EIPS volunteers. This year’s theme is Volunteers Make Waves, and that’s certainly true in our Division. No matter whether you’ve chaperoned a field trip, helped out at a hot lunch day or provided support in a classroom—every time you’ve stepped in a school—you’ve made a ripple effect that washes over your community. These waves of positivity, hard work and dedication build up and make a momentous impact on a student’s experience at school.

So, thank you again for being a part of our ocean at EIPS. The waves you’ve made—and will continue to create—all contribute to our collective goals of ensuring learning and working environments sustain student learning and amplifying the importance of public education in our province. This National Volunteer Week, I encourage everyone to celebrate the hundreds of volunteers and thousands of hours put into supporting student growth and achievement at schools across the Division.

Cathy Allen
Chair, EIPS Board of Trustees