Teacher Appreciation Week

The NLTA will once again will be holding a social media contest during that week (Feb. 9-14) designed to highlight and celebrate the great work of teachers throughout the province. Stay tuned for more information about that contest and how to enter for your chance to win a prize for CHE school.

THANK YOU CHE STAFF!!!!

Stock the shelves - share the love

On Thursday, February 27, 2025 Cowan Heights Elementary will be having a Breakfast Blitz. The goal of the blitz is to help stock our Kids Eat Smart cupboards. We are asking families for their help by donating food items from the list below. Students can bring items to school with them on Thursday morning and place in the designated area that morning. Donations can also be made online by visiting www.kidseatsmart.ca. Be sure to select Cowan Heights Elementary when donating online so the donations directly help our Kids Eat Smart club. We thank you in advance for your support!

Kids Eat Smart Breakfast Blitz: Feb. 27, 2025

• Yogurt Tubes

• Bags of Yogurt

• Individual Yogurt Cups

• Marble Cheese Blocks or Cheese Strings

• Blue Menu or No Name Whole Wheat English Muffins

• Wheat Thins (Original or Multigrain)

• Chocolate Chip Granola Bars (MUST BE NUT FREE)

• Whole Grain Goldfish Crackers

• Multigrain Cheerios *No Honeynut Please *

• Chex Cereal (Cinnamon, Chocolate or Apple Cinnamon)

• Shreddies

• Frozen Fruit (Strawberries or Mixed Fruit)

• Snack size baggies

• Gift cards

Grade 6 DARE Program

D.A.R.E. IS SUBSTANCE ABUSE PREVENTION EDUCATION AND MUCH MORE!

Our Grade 6 students are taking part in the D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) Program during Term 2.

This year millions of school children around the world will benefit from D.A.R.E., the highly acclaimed program that gives kids the skills they need to avoid involvement in drugs, gangs, and violence.

D.A.R.E. was founded in 1983 and has proven so successful that it has been implemented in thousands of schools throughout Canada and many other countries.

D.A.R.E. is a police officer-led (Royal NL Constabulary) series of classroom lessons that teaches children how to resist peer pressure and live productive drug and violence-free lives.

Early Dismissals

Changes to Early Dismissal Procedures

All K-6 parents must reach out to their child’s homeroom teacher via email on the day of an early closure to ensure that each teacher has accurate dismissal instructions. This communication will help ensure that each student is safely and appropriately dismissed. Family circumstances can change and it is important that your child’s teacher has the most up to date information to ensure all students are dismissed safely. The Early Closure Form filled out at the beginning of the year will no longer be used to determine dismissal instructions.

It is important to note that the school has a limited number of phone lines, and it will be challenging to reach us by phone in the event of an early closure. Email communication to your child’s homeroom teacher is the most effective way to convey your dismissal plans.

Check your email inbox often on early closure days, as your child’s teacher will be sending an email with specific details, including the scheduled time for buses to leave the parking lot. This information will assist you in determining the best plan for your child’s dismissal.

We appreciate your cooperation in helping us ensure the safety of all students during unexpected early closures. Thank you for your cooperation and support during this time.

SCHOOL CLOSEOUT DATES

Each year there are 6 Professional Learning Days for Staff throughout NLSchools.

Below is a list of CHE Closeouts. Please note the 1 day NLSchools wide close has not been scheduled yet.  Some topics covered will be: School Development, New Curriculum, First Aid/CPI, Reporting, Data Analysis, Deep Learning, Indigenous Education, etc.

Below are the dates for CHE. Please note that after school programs may operate on these days.

October 7, 2024

November 1, 2024

November 18, 2024

February 10, 2025

March 10, 2025

June 9, 2025

Early Dismissal Days - December 5 and March 27 - All students dismissed at 11 a.m. for Family/Teacher Conferences.

Ronald McDonald House Pull Tab Collection 

We have started a Pull Tab Collection Program here at Cowan, to support the Ronald McDonald House in St. John's.  Just another little way for our students to contribute to a meaningful cause while also caring for the environment.  By collecting pull tabs from cans, we help RMH provide a home away from home for families with a sick or injured child.

This does not take away from our recycling drives - tabs must be removed from the cans.  Families can save up their tabs in a container or ziplock bag and then just drop off their tabs in our LLC.  At the end of the year we will deliver the collected tabs to the Ronald McDonald House.  

We almost have our first container filled!!!

Kiss and Ride

After careful consideration, the new busing announcement from NL Government, and our June Pilot

we have decided to suspend Kiss and Ride services for this school year.

We ask families to:

1. Utilize the Bus System: All students are now eligible for bus transportation (please note you must be in our school zone and register with on the Parent Bus Portal). We encourage you to take advantage of this convenient and safe option.

2. Utilize Family Parking: You may park in one of our two lower parking lots and either let your child out to walk to their entrance or walk with them.

Our main goals are to:

• Improve Safety: Reduce the risk of accidents and ensure a safer environment for everyone.

• Improve Time on Task: Ensure staff and students can start their day on time and with minimal delays.

• Reduce Traffic: Alleviate congestion on the surrounding streets for smoother traffic flow.

We understand that many of you cherish the daily interactions during the Kiss and Ride service, as we do. Rest assured, we will continue to be present at the main entrances to greet students each morning once the buses have cleared the lot.

Thank you for your understanding and support as we strive to enhance the safety and efficiency of our school operations. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us directly.

ALLERGIES

We are a scent-free school. Please be mindful when using hair products, hand sanitizer, perfumes etc.  Please note that there maybe more items added to the below allergy list.

We have many students with severe, life-threatening allergies and we must ensure our school is free of:

Nuts (including peanuts, tree nuts and nut products)

Eggs

Peas

Sesame Seeds (including products containing sesame oil, seeds, tahini, and hummus)

*Please alert your child’s teacher as soon as possible if your child has any serious medical conditions or life threatening allergies. There is also a place for this data on the student data sheet.

We ask that families refrain from sending in food items which contain any of the above products. The district has determined that given the similarities in appearance, texture and taste of Soy Butter products, they are also restricted in our schools where a student has a peanut allergy.

Please help keep everyone safe by following this policy.