Dear Parents/Caregivers,

Next Week: March Break

We encourage all students to empty their lockers/cubbies of essential items/food by the end of the day tomorrow. Please make sure to remind your child(ren) to bring home items they may need during the March Break. The office will be closed and the school will not be accessible after this Friday. We look forward to seeing students back on Monday, March 17th!

Elementary Program Review 

By now, you will have received a message from our District about the proposed school configuration and boundary changes for some schools for the 2026-2027 school year. You can find the information here:

Comprehensive Report on the proposed elementary program review 

The School Locator to be effective September 2026

Based on the Proposed Changes, the grade structure at Henry Larsen will change from 

Kindergarten-Grade 8 to a new structure of Grade 4-Grade 8, as of September 2026. We will also offer both Enhanced English and French Immersion Programs for students in Grade 4-8, as well as providing opportunity for students already enrolled in Middle French Immersion to finish their program (thru Grade 8) as the MFI program is discontinued (with no new MFI registrations after this September).

Questions? Want To Share Your Input? The survey is open until March 25th. Please visit, engage.ocdsb.ca

Coffee House

This is a reminder that the HLES Coffee House fundraiser will be taking place on Thursday, March 20th at 7:00 pm in the gym. Join us for an evening of music and entertainment by current and former HLES students while being served delicious baked goods and beverages! Entry is $5 per student/$10 per adult. All funds raised go in support of our HLES bands and school music program. **This is NOT a supervised event. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Although the invitation is open to everyone, due to the nature of the Coffeehouse Style format, the event is geared more towards Junior and Intermediate students (Grades 4 - 8)**

We are looking for donations of baked goods, boxes of bagged tea, and juice boxes for the event. If you are donating pre-made or freshly baked goods, please ensure they are peanut and treenut free. Gluten free, vegan/vegetarian options would be appreciated. Please drop off any donations for the coffee house in the school office by 4 pm on Thursday, March 20th. Thanks so much for your support! Mr. Pretty 

ImmersArt Workshops

During the week of March 17th-21st, all Grade 6-8 French Immersion students will take part in a printmaking workshop with francophone artist, Emily Rose Michaud. This workshop has been funded by an ImmersArt grant for 6-8 Immersion Students. For more information, you may contact your child(ren)’s homeroom teacher.

Messages from your School Council:

RESCHEDULED JK to Grade 5 Valentine's Dance - March 27th!

The snow may have caused a delay, but parent council and DJ Mr. Pretty still want to give the elementary students a chance to dance the night away! The valentine's dance for students in JK to Grade 5 has been rescheduled for March 27th! Come join the party from 6:15 to 7:45pm in the gym. In addition to great tunes, there will be big glow sticks for sale, face painting and tattoos, a raffle, and the opportunity to send a sticker gram to be delivered on Monday, March 31! Admission is $5/kid and adults are free. Please note that ALL children must be accompanied by an adult and wheeled shoes (e.g., Heelys) are not allowed.

If you signed up for the previous date and are unable to help on March 27, please email school council at sc-henrylarsenes@ocdsb.ca. There are also still a few volunteer spots open to help the dance run as smoothly as possible. We are also looking for donations of juice boxes to sell as refreshments.  The full volunteer signup sheet can be found here:   volunteersignup.org/DP4RY\

Fruit for students - March - June signup

We are again looking for volunteers to provide fruit to the front office to ensure there are healthy snacks for any students that need it!  If you are able, please select a week where you will provide two small bags of apples (4-6 lbs, smaller varieties work best for little hands!), one bunch of bananas, and one other shareable fruit (e.g., pears, mandarin oranges). The sign up sheet for the rest of the year can be found here:  volunteersignup.org/WREXY

Trustee visit to Henry Larsen

School council is in the process of confirming a date for Cathryne Milburn, OCDSB school trustee for zone 12, to come to Henry Larsen to answer questions about the elementary program review and proposed changes under this plan. Details of this meeting will be shared as soon as they are confirmed.

Important Dates:

Mar 10th - 14th March Break 

Mar 17th - Rescheduled Pizza Day (replaces Feb 13th)

Mar 18th - Junior Girls Basketball Tournament (at Fallingbrook)

Mar 20th - Junior Boys Basketball Tournament (at Fallingbrook)

Mar 20th - HLES Coffeehouse @ 7:00PM 

Mar 27th - Rescheduled School Council Valentine’s Dance (JK-Grade 5)

2024-2025 Elementary School Calendar

Have a wonderful March Break!

Your Henry Larsen ES Staff