Hawk Highlights

Good afternoon, Nighthawk Families!

We have had a fantastic start to the school year! It has been wonderful to see our hallways filled with energy, laughter, and students eager to learn and reconnect. As we settle into the weeks ahead, we look forward to a year of growth, strong collaboration, and great memories together.

Pet safety reminder

For the safety and comfort of all students, please keep dogs off the school pavement during drop-off and pick-up times. This helps ensure a calm, safe, and allergy-aware environment for everyone. Thank you for your cooperation!

Fall fun fair - Silent auction basket donations

We are hoping to collect some additional items to put our themed baskets for this year's Fun Fair silent auction! Last year these baskets raised over $2500 to support school initiatives, and your generosity makes a huge difference.

If anyone has any last minute donations for our silent auction baskets, please have them dropped off in the office before September 25, 2026. We are collecting new, unopened items that match any of the themes listed below.

Basket themes:

• Arts & Crafts — markers, paints, sketchbooks, craft kits, stickers

• Movie Night — popcorn, candy, DVDs, movie gift cards, cozy blankets

• Animal Lover — plush toys, books, pet supplies, puzzles, animal‑themed games

• Cooking & Baking — mixes, utensils, cookie cutters, aprons, cookbooks

• Sports & Beach Day — balls, frisbees, sunscreen, water bottles, towels

• Gardening & Outdoors — seeds, gloves, tools, bug catchers, solar lights

• Game Night & Books — board games, card games, puzzle books, novels

• Spa & Wellness — lotions, bath bombs, candles, face masks, wellness journals

• Coffee & Tea Lovers — gourmet coffee, tea blends, mugs, gift cards, treats

• Home Care — dish detergent, laundry detergent, cleaning supplies

If there are any community members who would like a vendor table or would like to contribute to the fun fair, please reach out to Krista Kukkonen at krista.kukkonen79@gmail.com for additional information.

Thank you so much for helping us make this year's event a success!

School Council nominations

Please consider joining our School Council! If you are interested, please submit your Nomination Form Link by Thursday, September 24th at 4:00 PM.

• Elections (if needed): Virtual meeting on Tuesday, September 29th at 6:00 PM (link will be sent to nominees).

• First Meeting: Monday, October 5th, from 6:00 – 7:00 PM in the Library.

• Note: Regular meetings occur on the first Monday of every month. For details, view the HDSB School Council Handbook.

School start-up forms

A friendly reminder to complete your annual start-up forms if you haven't already. You can get a head start online using the C.H. Norton Public School 2026/27 September Start-Up Forms Google Form. Separate hard-copy forms were also sent home with students on Sept 8th. All forms are due by September 24, 2026 . Information regarding Student Verification Forms will be available later in September. 

Terry Fox run 

We are proud to keep Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope alive! Our annual Terry Fox School Run will take place on Monday, September 28th, during Period 5, and we would love for parents to join us. Please help us support life-saving cancer research by making a donation on our CH Norton Terry Fox School Fundraising Page.

There will be a brief assembly for students at 2:00 PM, followed by a walk through our community. Families are welcome to join us, and we are looking for parent volunteers to help guide students along our route.

If you're able to volunteer, or have any questions, please contact Ms. Vandenbarselaar -  vandenbarsel@hdsb.ca. 

Safety drill notice

As we start the new school year, we will be practicing our safety routines so students and staff feel prepared and confident in our responses.

In accordance with Ministry of Education policies requiring two practice lockdown drills per school year, our first lockdown drill will take place on Tuesday, September 22nd. We will also be practicing fire drills in the coming weeks. Spreading these practice runs out over time helps us build calm, familiar habits for everyone.

School schedule & supervision hours

Please note our daily schedule below. To avoid disruptions, we kindly ask families to refrain from picking up students during outdoor nutrition breaks whenever possible.

Questions or concerns?

We value open communication with our school community. If you ever have a question or concern, please refer to the How to Resolve Issues and Concerns webpage on hdsb.ca. 

Help 400 HDSB students start school with confidence

As students across our community head back to school, some will arrive without the basics they need: a backpack, school supplies, or even lunch. The Halton Learning Foundation (HLF), thanks to our generous community, is here to help.

HLF launched its Back-to-School campaign, with the help of its cheerful helper, Carrie the Backpack, to support 400 HDSB students by September 30. Families are counting on this support, and HLF is asking our generous community to step in urgently so they can continue to say “YES” to every request for emergency support they receive.

Here's what one parent shared about what saying “YES” meant to her family:

Just wanted to say how grateful I am for this support. I’m a single mom, and because of your help, I’m able to get what my daughter needs for back-to-school and food, and I’m so unbelievably grateful for the support.

Make a gift for a student in need today: Donate Now

Together, we can give students not just supplies, but confidence, dignity, and hope.

Learn more about Carrie’s Back to School mission and how you can help at GoBack2School.ca.

Upcoming important dates

• Sept 22: Practice Lockdown Drill

• Sept 28: School Terry Fox Run (Period 5)

• Sept 30: National Day of Truth and Reconciliation

• Oct 5: First School Council Meeting (6:00 PM)

• Oct 7: Cross Country Meet @ Sherwood Park

• Oct 8: Open House & Fall Fair (5:30 PM)

Tech-Assisted, Human-Approved: This newsletter was curated by C.H. Norton staff with creative and editorial support from AI.

Good afternoon, Nighthawk Families!

We are so excited for the school year to begin Tuesday!  We can’t wait to see our hallways filled with energy, laughter and students and staff eager to learn and connect.  As we welcome everyone back next week, you will notice some great updates to our outdoor spaces, including landscaping in the Kindergarten area and fresh blacktop painting. A special thanks to Houston’s Painting Plus and Colour Land Paint & Decor Graymondi Colour Collection for donating the materials and their time to refresh our main exterior walls and doors!

First day procedures

• Teachers will meet students starting at 9:00am.  Grades 1-8 classes will be on the blacktop; Kindergarten will be at the enclosed playground.

• Additional staff will be there to help connect students with their teachers.

• Families are asked to communicate how their child will be going home (e.g., Today’s Family, walk, bus) to the homeroom teacher. 

• Teachers will have signs identifying themselves and their class code.

• At dismissal students in Grades 1-8 will exit through the Primary or Junior/Intermediate doors leading to the blacktop. Kindergarten students will be dismissed at the Kindergarten playground.

• A reminder that furry friends are to remain just off the blacktop (edge of blacktop/grass). 

School hours

 Getting to/from school safely

To ensure our buses can move safely and to keep our students out of harm's way, please remember that our parking lot is closed to cars during entry and exit times. We will be using large pylons to close off the back lot and exit areas from 9:00–9:15 am and 3:30–3:50 pm each day.

We encourage all students to walk, scooter (not electric), or bike to school to help limit congestion. If you are dropping off your child, please use the quiet neighboring streets and remind students to stay on the sidewalks. We’ve included a map of our crossing guard locations below and strongly encourage families to use these supports on Cleaver rather than crossing mid-street. Thank you for your help in keeping our CHN community safe!

Bussing

Check in with HaltonBus regularly before school starts for eligibility, bus routes and transportation information.  

Technology Policy at CH Norton

Please read the Technology Policy at CH Norton and review with your child our expectations around technology use at school.

Welcome coffee & tea for new CHN families

Are you new to the CH Norton community this year? Once the bell rings and your child is settled in class, please join us in the library at 9:25 AM for a warm welcome! This casual drop-in is strictly for new parents and caregivers to grab a cup of coffee or tea, connect with other new families, and meet our resource staff, admin team and some of our community members. We’d love to say hello and help you feel right at home in the Nest!

Welcome new staff to CHN

We would like to welcome the following staff who are new to CHN.

• Ms. Britt - DECE

• Ms. Cardenas (LTO for Ms. Jacobs)- Gr 1

• Ms. Nakamura - Gr ⅘

• Ms. Faizi (LTO for Ms. Frieday)- Gr 6/7 

• Mr. Marshall (LTO for Ms. Scully)- Gr 8

• Mr. Forani - Coverage/Phys Ed

• Ms. Milosavijevic - French

• Ms. Franchuk - ESL/ELD

• Ms. McDonald - Social Worker

We are also welcoming back to CHN:

• Ms. Cowie (LTO for Ms. Colling) - FDK

School start-up forms

 A key task for the start of the year is completing our annual start-up forms. You can get a head start online using the C.H. Norton Public School 2026/27 September Start-Up Forms. Separate hard-copy forms will also be sent home with students on Sept 8th. Please return all completed forms by September 24, 2026 . Information regarding Student Verification Forms will be available later in September. 

Hearing and vision clinic

It’s Hearing and Vision Screening time! A School Screening Association clinic will be at C.H. Norton PS on: September 15th, 2026.

Register your child and complete the payment through this Online Registration link.       

The deadline for registration is September 14th, 2026 at 9 a.m. and the duration at the school may be adjusted based on student participation.

A fee of $25.00 is collected to help offset the cost of bringing this clinic to our school.

Important reminder: we are a nut free school!

We want to remind all families that we have students and staff with severe, life-threatening allergies to peanuts and tree nuts. To help keep our school community safe, please do not send snacks or lunches that contain nuts, nut products, or labels that state "may contain" nuts.

We also kindly ask that you remind your children not to share or trade food at school. Thank you so much for your cooperation and for helping us keep all of our students safe and healthy!

Follow us on Instagram 

We are excited to launch our official Instagram page! Follow us @chnortonps to catch glimpses of student learning, upcoming events, and all the wonderful things happening at CHN.

Mark your calendars

September 7th- Labour Day

September 8th- First day of school, Coffee in the library for new families (parents or caregivers) at 9:25 am

September 15th - Hearing and Vision Clinic

September 28- Terry Fox

September 30th- National Day of Truth and Reconciliation

October 8th - Open House & Fall Fair

Have a wonderful weekend and see you on September 8th!

Tech-Assisted, Human-Approved: This newsletter was curated by C.H. Norton staff with creative and editorial support from AI

Good afternoon, Nighthawk Families!

We hope you are having a relaxing summer enjoying the outdoors and creating memories with loved ones. As we prepare for a brand-new school year, we are thrilled to welcome our returning and new families to the Nest!

Class Lists

Class lists will be emailed on Friday, September 4th at 4:00 PM. Our staff have taken great care in creating balanced learning environments where every student can thrive, and we truly appreciate your trust and partnership in this process. At this time, we will not be making changes to class placements. We appreciate your understanding and support as we work to ensure a positive start to the school year for all students. 

Weekly Friday Updates

Check our school website every Friday after 5:00 pm for important news and announcements. Next week's update will cover essential start-up details, including first-day procedures, and key calendar dates. Taking a few moments each week to review these posts will help keep our whole community connected.

Here’s to a fantastic year ahead!

Tech-Assisted, Human-Approved: This newsletter was curated by C.H. Norton staff with creative and editorial support from AI