Horseshoe Heights P.S. April 2026 Newsletter
Principal’s Message
March was a wonderful month of learning, celebration, and community at Horseshoe Heights. Our students had the opportunity to take part in several engaging events that brought our school together in meaningful ways.
Early in the month, students participated in the Lantern Festival, exploring the traditions of Lunar New Year with their buddy classes. It was wonderful to see students collaborating, creating, and learning alongside one another as they engaged in hands‑on activities connected to this cultural celebration.
We closed out March with an incredible Math and Science Night. It was fantastic to welcome so many families into the school and feel the excitement in every room. A special congratulations goes out to all students who completed Science Fair projects—your hard work and curiosity were on full display, and we are so proud of you.
Our Grade 7 students also led another outstanding Character Assembly, where we recognized students who consistently demonstrate honesty, responsibility, and positive leadership. Their efforts help shape the caring school community we value so deeply.
As we move into April, we look forward to building on this momentum with more opportunities for connection, learning, and celebration. Thank you for your continued support and partnership.
Sincerely,
Dianna Wright-Drzazga
Principal
Upcoming Dates at Horseshoe Heights
April 1 to April 19 Make-it-Sow Fundraiser on SchoolCash Online LINK
April 2 World Autism Awareness Day – please wear Blue
April 3 – April 6 Easter Break
April 7 Grad Photo Retakes
April 8 International Day of Pink
April 23 Coed Volleyball Team vs Staff – game after school
April 24 PA Day
April 28 to May 4 Scholastic Book Fair
May 1 Battle of the Books
May 1 Character Assembly
May 7 Horseshoe Heights P.S. Grand Opening and Arts Night, 5:30 – 7 p.m.
Save the Date! Horseshoe Heights Open House Celebration – May 7
We are excited to officially celebrate the Grand Opening of Horseshoe Heights P.S. on Thursday May 7th.
Families and community member will be invited to join us for this special evening! Doors will open at 5:30 pm and our official presentations will begin at 6:00 pm. Following the ceremony, we will be hosting our Arts Night, where you can explore and enjoy the incredible creativity and talent of our students.
This event will be a wonderful opportunity to come together as a school community, celebrate our journey, and showcase the spirit of our Trailblazers. An official invitation will follow in the next few weeks! Stay tuned for more information.
Make-it-SOW Fundraiser
April Showers bring May Flowers! Please help support our school and the environment by participating in our Make It Sow SEED fundraiser! With every purchase of high-quality vegetable, herb, and flower seed packs, you are not only growing something beautiful at home, you are helping our school raise funds for our outdoor activities and classroom. Bonus, for every 10 packages sold, a tree is donated and planted through Make It Sow’s reforestation initiative. It’s a great way to both green your garden and the planet at the same time! Please visit SchoolCash Online.
April is School Fuel Month
Every two weeks, The Sharing Place Food Centre delivers healthy food to 29 schools in Orillia and area, covering half the food cost. This food is served through your school’s student nutrition program, led by dedicated staff and volunteers. You might know it as Breakfast Club, Eat Well, Snack Club, or something similar. The Sharing Place supplies the food. Schools make it happen.
These programs help ensure students have access to healthy food in a welcoming and accessible way.
Each April, School Fuel Month recognizes this work and invites community awareness and support to help keep programs like this going.
Learn More About School Fuel
Attached is a School Fuel Month activity sheet coming home for your child. It includes fun food activities, a colouring contest, and information about School Fuel Month.
For those who are able and wish to do so, donations to The Sharing Place Food Centre are matched this April by Orillia Home Hardware, up to $20,000. Community support helps sustain student nutrition programs across our region.
Learn more at sharingplaceorillia.org
Free French Enrichment Opportunity
Canadian Parents for French Ontario is offering FREE French enrichment programs funded by the Ministry of Education for FSL students from SK to Grade 12. The program is offered after school in May at 4:00pm, 5:00pm or 6:00pm, featuring a daily 45-minute class over a two-week session. Virtual Programs will be led by OCT certified teachers or Teacher Candidates in an Ontario Bachelor of Education program. Register here for our programs in May today!
Program descriptions:
CPF VIRTUAL “Franco-Fun”: Students in SK to Grade 8 will participate in fun and interactive games and activities, chat with new friends while building their French vocabulary, oral comprehension, and communication skills.
CPF VIRTUAL Reading Circle/Cercle de lecture: Students in SK to Grade 8 will read books, articles, poems and other reading materials with new friends and engage in activities to learn new vocabulary and improve their reading comprehension skills.
CPF VIRTUAL “Vive La Parole”: The program features theme-based games and interactive activities that will have students laughing and communicating with each other in French with ease! Our program leaders are eager to help students make new friends from across the province, learn about French culture, including the contemporary Franco Ontarian pop culture scene! This program is for students in Grades 7-12.
Information and updates from the SCDSB
This month, the SCDSB is sharing information related to the below topics. To read this information, visit the SCDSB website.
- Applications for the SCDSB Umoja Award are open
- Dreams Delayed
- Creating safe and welcoming spaces for students, staff, and visitors
- Learn about cybersecurity and digital well-being at virtual event for parents/guardians
- Prom Glitz 2026
- Spring into new math activities this April
- Say hello to SCDSB Weekly — coming soon!
- Kindergarten registration for September 2026 is open!
- Discover Kindergarten in the SCDSB at a Kindergarten orientation session
- Licensed summer school child care programs
- EarlyON Child and Family Centres
- Supporting your child’s mental health and well‑being
- Feedback, recovery and improvement days (secondary)
- Tick-Talk: Protect you and your child from ticks and Lyme disease
- April PA Day