Winter Celebration: A Day to Remember

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Winter Celebration—it was truly a day to remember! The event kicked off with a fantastic assembly, where each grade presented their community outreach initiatives, and our incredible musical ensemble, led by Ms. Whitehead, set a festive and joyful tone for the day.

It was wonderful to see so many parents and community members participating in the classroom activities, helping their children with their grade's outreach projects. A special shout-out goes to our School Council members and parent volunteers who kept the hot chocolate flowing, and to our talented "student buskers" who entertained us with music, jokes, and so much more.

Thank you to everyone—students, staff, families, and volunteers—who helped make this year’s Winter Celebration such a meaningful and successful event. We’re always looking to improve, so if you attended, we’d love to hear your thoughts. Please take a moment to share your feedback with us here: https://forms.office.com/r/gQvYA5uULS

Let’s keep the spirit of giving and community alive as we head into the holiday season!

Final Call for The Giving Tree Donations

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has participated in The Giving Tree this year! The generosity of our Capitol Hill School community has been incredible, and the beautiful ornaments on our Giving Tree truly reflect the spirit of giving this holiday season.

As we prepare to distribute the gifts to our families next week, we kindly ask that all donated items be brought to the school by Monday. If you’ve signed up to participate but haven’t yet sent in your items, we greatly appreciate your efforts to have them to us on time so we can ensure everything is ready for our families.

Your kindness and support make a huge difference, and we are so grateful for the thoughtful contributions shared so far. Thank you for helping us make the holidays brighter for those in our community!

Final Call for Veterans Food Drive Donations

As our Veterans Food Drive wraps up, we wanted to share that donations will be picked up on Wednesday, December 18. A huge thank you to everyone who has contributed so far - you’ve made a tremendous difference for veterans and their families this holiday season!

In the spirit of friendly competition, Ms. Rojas’ Grade 3 class has been recognized as having brought in the greatest number of items for the food bank. Way to go, Ms. Rojas’ class - you’ve truly shown the spirit of giving!

We are still accepting donations until Wednesday, so if you have any last-minute items to bring in, there’s still time. Thank you to our entire Capitol Hill School community for your generosity and support. We’re so lucky to have such an amazing group of families, students, and staff behind this important cause!

Get Ready for Festive Winter Spirit Days!

Let’s bring some holiday cheer to Capitol Hill School as we count down to Winter Break with Festive Winter Spirit Days! From December 16–20, we’ll have a fun theme each day to celebrate the season and spread joy throughout the school. Here’s what’s coming up:

• Monday, Dec. 16: Festive Sweater Day
  Pull out your nicest (or ugliest!) holiday sweater and show off your festive style.
• Tuesday, Dec. 17: Festive Decorate Your Door Day
  Classes will be decorating their classroom doors with holiday creativity. Which door will be crowned the most festive? Let the decorating begin!
• Wednesday, Dec. 18: Festive Hat/Headband Day
  Whether it’s a Santa hat, reindeer antlers, or a sparkly holiday headband, today is the day to rock your festive headgear!
• Thursday, Dec. 19: Festive Candy Cane Day
  Dress up in red and white to channel that sweet candy cane energy!
• Friday, Dec. 20: Festive Pyjamas Day
  Cozy up in your comfiest, most festive holiday PJs as we wrap up the week and head into Winter Break.

We can’t wait to see everyone’s creativity and holiday spirit shine next week. Let’s make it a fun, festive way to end December together!

Last Call for Lost & Found: Claim It Before It’s Gone!

Attention, Capitol Hill School families: the Lost & Found is overflowing, and it’s time for a good old-fashioned clean-out! A few times a year, we donate unclaimed items to local organizations in need, but we always make sure to give students and families plenty of chances to reclaim their missing treasures first.

Next Thursday, all unclaimed items will be packed up and donated, so this is your final call! While many items found their rightful owners during the Winter Celebration, we still have a collection of mystery belongings waiting to be claimed. From water bottles and lunch kits to shoes and all sorts of clothing, our Lost & Found has it all.

Parents are welcome to drop by and take a look - just check in at the main office before perusing the collection. Next week, classes will also tour the Lost & Found, giving students one last opportunity to spot their missing gear.

A friendly reminder: label everything that comes to school with your child’s name. You’d be amazed how quickly we can reunite items with their owners when they’re labelled! Don’t let your child’s favourite hoodie, hat, or water bottle end up as a donation - come claim it before it’s gone!

Updated Report Card Comments Coming This January

This January, you might notice some changes to the comments on your child’s report card, aimed at making them clearer, more consistent, and more meaningful. Like all CBE schools, Capitol Hill School will be implementing these adjustments. Whether your child is in elementary or junior high, you can expect report card comments to follow the same standardized format.

All teachers will now focus on identifying specific “Areas of Strength” and “Areas for Growth,” with evidence tied directly to curricular learning outcomes. This refreshed approach ensures that feedback is both concise and actionable, helping families better understand their child’s progress and next steps.

An intentional focus on literacy and numeracy will also be reflected in the report cards, emphasizing these foundational skills. Comments will follow a consistent structure across grades and subjects, making it easier to track your child’s development over time.

These changes are part of the CBE’s commitment to meaningful communication about student learning. We look forward to sharing more information with you in January as we continue to celebrate and support student success.

Upcoming Dates

Dec. 16 – Festive Sweater Day

Dec. 17 – Festive Decorate Your Door Day

Dec. 18 – Festive Hat / Headband Day

Dec. 19 – Festive Candy Cane Day

Dec. 20 – Festive Pyjamas Day

Dec. 20 – Last Day of classes before Winter Break

Jan. 6 – Classes Resume