Principal's Message

Good Morning Garth Webb:

Welcome back! I hope you had a great and restful holiday. The first week back seemed to fly by as there is always a lot crammed into each week. The Robotics team started early and were already working hard on the last weekend of the holidays up at CKSS. Sports teams picked up where they left off. Snowboarding and skiing finally got some snow in order to compete. The kitchens were fired up with the Iron Chef competitions in class. I was a judge on one of the performance task days and was very impressed with the students' creativity, presentation, and overall taste of the various meals that they had made. Well done!! Students have been focused on their performance tasks in class and they are starting to prepare for their exams.

Last June the students and staff were surveyed about whether to keep the school schedule of periods flipping with Week A and then Week B. It came out as pretty much a 50/50 split on liking the periods flipping or not liking the periods flipping. We have decided to honour the survey and compromise by stopping the morning period flip for Semester 2. This would mean that every morning the periods will be the same with Period 1, then Period 2 no matter if it's Week A or Week B (see example below). The only flip that will remain is the afternoon Periods 4 and 5. This makes sense for a lot of reasons, but it mainly was designed for students who miss a lot of Period 5 class time due to sports. Buses are hard to come by and students need to leave earlier and earlier in order to get to another school for their after school games. Flipping the afternoon periods decreases the amount of time students miss the same class in the Period 5 time slot. 

Week A:          Week B:

Period 1          Period 1

Period 2          Period 2

Period 4          Period 5

Period 5          Period 4

One of the main reasons we wanted to try to keep the Period 1 and 2 static in the morning is for teacher hiring.  Very few schools flip their schedules and we have often found that because our school flipped their periods, this eliminated teachers who could apply to our school for jobs. If they were shared with other schools, their schedules would never line up. We want to have the best teachers in front of students in our classrooms. I currently have job vacancies that this change will help me to hire for.  

Students are getting better and are late less often in the morning. Here's hoping that this trend continues into Semester 2 because you wouldn't want to be late for the same period everyday!! Yikes! School starts at 8:30 am sharp, not after the announcements. Some schools put announcements at the end of Period 1 to emphasize this point. We are not there yet, but we could change that too at any time. 

This change to Week B will start in Semester 2 in the week of February 12, 2024.

Take care,

Jacquie Pece

From Your Student Services Department

Night School Registration

Night School classes are now open for registration on myBlueprint (closing Wednesday, February 14). The course list includes Math, English, and Science classes for semester two and Korean, Spanish, and Japanese classes.

Detailed information can be found here on their website.

OUAC deadline

Applications for university-bound students have been arriving at the OUAC in a steady manner. With the January 15 application deadline quickly approaching, we want to remind those students who have not yet submitted their application to do so as soon as possible in order to avoid the frustration of slower online response times and the chance of delays.

2024-2025 Course Selection

(multilingual assist document)

The course selection period is now open and will close on Thursday, February 8, 2024. Please use the resources below to help you with the process.  Students will be using myBlueprint in order to submit their courses (www.myblueprint.ca/halton).

Please read through the document below as it outlines considerations and key messages for each grade in order to ensure students are making an informed decision.

GWSS 2024/25 Course Selection Information

Parent Course Selection Informational Sessions

On Thursday, January 18 from 6:30-7:45 pm Student Services will be hosting an in-person session in the evening (in the cafeteria).  We will review the key considerations when selecting courses and will be available to answer any questions. 

Tuesdays @Ten

This past Tuesday we reviewed the course selection presentation with those in attendance.  The slides as well as the recording of the session are available for those who were unable to attend.

Slides Recording 

Post Secondary Applications

Applications to Universities (through OUAC) and Colleges (through OCAS) are now open. Students can apply anytime between now and the deadline.

University Application Portal – applications are due prior to Jan 15, 2024

College Application Portal – applications are due prior to Feb 1, 2024

Exam Schedule & Absences During Performance Tasks & Examinations

The semester 1 examination period, as determined by the Halton District School Board’s 2023-2024 Ministry approved school year calendar, is from Thursday, January 25 to Wednesday, January 31, 2024. The exam schedule and the information about what happens in the event of the school’s closure are given below. In addition, we also wanted to remind everyone that examinations are to be written on the assigned examination date, except in the case of illness and/or extenuating circumstances. As soon as you become aware of a circumstance that will conflict with any aspect of the final 30% of course evaluation(s) - please have your student reach out to their alpha Vice Principal.

Semester One Final Evaluation Block

Students will be completing Final Performance Tasks between the period of Monday, January 8, 2024 and Wednesday, January 24, 2023.  Final Performance Tasks must be completed under the supervision of the classroom teacher and should require no significant new learning to be done at home. If a course has both a Final Performance Task and a Final Exam, the FPT will be completed no later than Friday, January 19 in order that there is significant class time remaining for Final Exam review (Monday, January 22—Wednesday, January 24).

Final Exams will begin on Thursday, January 25. All exams begin at 9:00 a.m. and are scheduled to be written in the regular classroom unless a change in location is announced by the teacher. The library will be open each day from 8:30—8:45 am only and the cafeteria will be closed from January 25 - February 2 and will reopen on Monday, February 5. Students are to exit the building immediately after they complete their exam each day.

The exam schedule follows the format of one exam per day based on a Week A schedule:

Thursday, January 25: Period 1 Exams @ 9 am

Friday, January 26: Period 2 Exams @ 9 am

Monday, January 29: Period 4 Exams @ 9 am

Tuesday, January 30: Period 5 Exams @ 9 am

Wednesday, January 31: Extra day if needed due to school closures

Thursday, February 1: Exam Review Day - shortened day schedule (attendance is taken this day)

Inclement Weather Procedure

Cancellation of Transportation - all exams will still be written that day (GW has no buses).

Board Closes Schools - all exams will be cancelled and shifted to the next day in the schedule.

(i.e. If schools were closed on Thursday Jan. 25th - Period 1, Thursday's exams would be cancelled and then written the next day on Friday Jan, 26th.  All exams would shift a day in the schedule).

Fall Math Contest Update

Our Fall Math Contests results are in! 98 Garth Webb Students wrote the Canadian Senior and Intermediate Math Contests from the University of Waterloo, and our Chargers performed incredibly well!

Congratulations go to our students who obtained the top three school scores in the Intermediate Contest. In first place, there was a four-way tie between Adithya Saravanan, Alice Yang, Gavin Zhi, and Henry Zhong. In second place was Seugdon Lee. Third place was Brandon Namgoong. Fourth place was Alex Luo. These students also placed in the top 25% out of 14917 contest writers.

And congratulations goes out to our students who obtained the top three school scores in the Senior Contest. In first place was Max Lu, second place was Alex Lu, third place was Seon Yoon, and fourth place was Carey Cui. These students and Samuel Zhao, Eric Wei, and Ricky Zhuang placed in the top 25% out of 12819 contest writers.

Our scores this year have landed us in 6th for the Senior Contest and 7th place for the Intermediate Contest out of 23 schools in Halton!

Congratulations to our Mathletes!

Thank You Ford Canada!

The Garth Webb Secondary School Transportation Program in collaboration with the Halton District School Board Transportation Subject Council, would like to thank Ford Motor Company of Canada for their very big and generous donation to our program. They were able to donate a wide selection of some of the latest parts, from the powertrain to the accessories that are found in todays vehicles. Some of this fantastic donation consisted of (6) 2.0 liter engine assemblies, (3) 10 speed rear wheel drive transmissions, (4) hydraulic power steering assemblies, and multiple starters, alternators, and AC compressors.

The students are excited to get started as all of this will provide new hands-on learning opportunities for our students to work with cutting edge technology and will enhance their knowledge, skills, and further their possible career path within the automotive sector for years to come. 

We would also like to give a big shout out to Mr. Croxon of Ford Canada for making this happen and taking his time to put this all together from organizing, packaging, and even the logistics of delivering it just before winter break. Thank you!!

Fashion Forward - Donate at GWSS

Donations of clean, current styled formal wear for the HDSB’s Fashion Forward are being accepted until the end of the day on Friday, Jan. 26. The Halton District School Board will host Fashion Forward Open Houses in February and May for students to select, at no cost, donated formal wear for upcoming prom/graduation celebrations.

Students will have the opportunity to view and try on formal wear in a friendly and welcoming environment. Students may select from a variety of new and gently-used attire that has been donated for proms, graduations, and other special events. Many different styles, colours, and sizes of formal dresses will be available as well as suits, shirts, ties, shoes, and accessories.

The Open Houses will be held at W.I. Dick Public School (351 Highside Drive, Milton) from 3:30 - 8 p.m. on the following dates:

• Thursday, Feb. 22 

• Monday, Feb. 26

• Thursday, May 30 

*An opportunity will be made available for gender diverse youth who require a more private shopping experience between the hours of 3 - 3:30 p.m. during the Open Houses.

Formal wear such as party dresses, formal gowns, formal suits, dress shirts, ties, footwear, and accessories can be dropped off at Garth Webb (during school hours) by end of day on Friday, Jan. 26, 2024.

Students are required to bring student identification to the open house they attend.

GWS School Council Meeting January 15

There is a virtual School Council meeting this coming Monday, January 15, 2024 at 7 pm. All Garth Webb parents/guardians are welcome to join us for these meetings. Please use the link in the email that was sent out on Friday to join us.

You can visit the School Council page on the Garth Webb website here to view the meeting agenda as well as to review minutes and other documents from previous meetings.

Volunteer Club

Volunteer club dedicates to provide more volunteering opportunities to our students. Our goal is to make the information more accessible for everyone. We post opportunities weekly with all of the information included in our google classroom! If you want to learn more about our club and wish to find more opportunities, please join our google classroom through code: dtpah5l.

 You can also find us on instagram (@gwss.volunteer), LinkedIn (GWSS Volunteer Club), and Twitter (@gwss_volunteer)! If you have any question, feel free to email us at gwssvolunteerclub@gmail.com.

Opportunity for This Week:

Assistant Coordinator for Youth Badminton

The NCCA Sports organization is looking for volunteers (a friendly coordinator) to assist with running the Monday night youth badminton program. This is a 4-month commitment that runs on or after January 8th to April 30th, 2024.

Commitment:

1 hour per week

Important to Note:

An orientation will be conducted before starting, and a police check will be required (if applicable/necessary).

To sign up, use this link: https://halton.cioc.ca/volunteer/record/V-HVC0492?Number=0 

For more information, you can email Darla Stevens at nccabranthills@gmail.com or use their website www.nccasports.ca.

Tamil Heritage Month

Canada is the proud home of one of the world’s largest Tamil diasporas. The Province of Ontario proclaimed January Tamil Heritage Month on March 25, 2014. On October 5, 2016, the Government of Canada declared the month of January as National Tamil Heritage Month. It is meant to recognize the important contributions that Tamil Canadians have made to Canada’s social, economic, political, and cultural fabric, and to remember, celebrate, and educate future generations about the inspirational role that Tamil Canadians have played, and continue to play, in communities across the country.

The month of January was chosen as it coincides with one of the most important celebrations for Canadians of Tamil heritage, the Thai Pongal harvest festival. This also marks the start of the new year and the first month of Thai in the Tamil solar calendar and falls in the middle of January. Millions of Tamil people around the world celebrate Thai Pongal and offer thanks to the Sun and for the harvest. The Thai Pongal day this year is on Monday, January 15.

More information can be found in the following links:

TCDSB Tamil Heritage Month Information

TDSB Tamil Heritage Month Information

Statement by Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities Khera on Tamil Heritage Month

Tamil Heritage Month Home

Martin Luther King Jr. Day - Jan 15

On Monday, January 15, the USA observes Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  Though it is not a day of observance in Canada, we wanted to acknowledge the day and share more learning with the school community.

While Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a day to remember and celebrate the life and achievements of Dr Martin Luther King Jr., it is also an opportunity to reflect on the ongoing struggle for civil rights, equity, and justice.

This year we wanted to share a timeline created by the King Center that highlights the life and achievements of Dr. King’s wife, Corretta Scott.  Mrs. Scott King worked tirelessly throughout her life to uphold Dr. King’s legacy and was a lifelong human rights activist for social change and peace. 

Click here to see the timeline.

Makar Sankranti - January 15

Makar(a) Sankranti is the only Hindu festival based on the solar calendar instead of the lunar. Makar Sankranti is the celebration of the sun's journey from the Southern to the Northern Hemisphere and is considered an auspicious time. Makar translates as 'Capricorn' and Sankranti means 'transition'. The astrological configuration on Makar Sankranti is called 'Maha-snana-yoga.' Some observers celebrate by bathing in rivers and lakes, especially at the confluence of holy rivers. Makar Sankranti is also a harvest festival. It is a time of celebration and expressing thanks to Mother Earth or nature when winter starts to recede. People give each other presents, especially til, the traditional sweets made with sesame. It is also celebrated with a feast that includes a dish made of green gram, rice and jaggery.

Source

Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti - Jan 17

A time for Sikhs to come together and honor the legacy of their beloved guru, Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti is a Sikh holiday that commemorates the birthday of the tenth and final guru of the Sikh religion and is celebrated with prayer and community throughout the world. 

Source

Reminder from Oakville Transit

In order for students to ride free on Oakville Transit, they must have a PRESTO card. Please visit the Oakville Transit website for further information.  Here is a link to the PRESTO site with information on how you can get a PRESTO card.

Ensure Immunization Records are Up to Date with Halton Region Health

Students in Grades 9 to 12 must have up-to-date immunization records with Halton Region Public Health.

Ontario’s Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA) requires that all children and adolescents attending school be fully immunized against several designated diseases. All immunization requirements for school attendance align with Ontario’s publicly funded immunization schedule. Vaccines required for school attendance are free, safe and effective.

Parents/guardians of all students born in 2006 to 2009 (Grades 9 to 12) must complete the following steps:

1. Review your student's online record at halton.ca/immunize.

2. If your student has missed any vaccines, make an immunization appointment with a health care provider.

3. Report vaccines online at halton.ca/immunize. Every time a health care provider immunizes a student, parents/guardians must report the vaccines to Public Health. Healthcare providers do not report the vaccines they give to their patients.

Students born in 2006 to 2009 must have up to date immunization records (or a valid medical or non-medical exemption) against the following ISPA designated diseases:

• Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis, Polio;

• Measles, Mumps, Rubella; and

• Meningococcal Disease.

Halton Region Public Health is reviewing the immunization records of Halton students born in 2006 to 2009. Parents/guardians will be notified by mail if their student's record is not up-to-date, starting in October 2023. This school year, students in Grades 9 to 12 may be suspended from school in early 2024 if their immunization records are not updated by the December 2023 deadline.

Please note, at this time COVID-19 vaccines are not required to attend school. You cannot report COVID-19 vaccines using the online reporting tool.

If your student is unable to be immunized for medical reasons or if you choose not to immunize your student, you must submit a vaccine exemption to Halton Region Public Health. For more details about this process, please visit halton.ca/immunize.

To learn more about immunizations, including translated resources, visit ontario.ca/vaccines, immunize.ca/resources or download A Parent's Guide to Vaccination at canada.ca/vaccines.

Upcoming Key Dates

Dec 18 - Jan 24 Protected Time

Jan 25 - 31 Exam Block

Feb 1 Exam Review Day (early dismissal)

Feb 2 PA Day - no school for students

Feb 5 First Day of Semester 2

Feb 6 Tuesdays @Ten

Feb 9 Semester 1 Final Report Card Distribution

Feb 13 OUAC / OCAS Semester 1 Final Mark Upload

Feb 16 PA Day - no school for students

Feb 19 Family Day (School Closed)

Feb 20 Semester 2 Photo Day (new students)

Feb 21 CP Day - Classes start at 9:30 am

Mar 5 Tuesdays @Ten

Mar 7 5th Week Report Distribution (grade 9 students)

Mar 11 - 15 Spring Break (School Closed)

Mar 27 CP Day - Classes start at 9:30 am

Mar 29 Good Friday (School Closed)

Apr 1 Easter Monday (School Closed)

Apr 2 Tuesdays @Ten

Apr 17 Last Day of Term 1

Apr 18 First Day of Term 2

Apr 22 PA Day - no school for students

Apr 24 OUAC / OCAS Semester 2 Midterm Mark Upload

Apr 24 CP Day - Classes start at 9:30 am

Apr 26 Semester 2 Midterm Report Card Distribution

May 3 Full Disclosure

May 7 Tuesdays @Ten

May 20 Victoria Day Holiday (School Closed)

May 22 CP Day - Classes start at 9:30 am

May 23 15th Week Report Distribution

May 23 Grade 12 Prom

May 27 - Jun 19 Protected Time

Jun 4 Tuesdays @Ten

Jun 10 Class of 2024 Commencement

Jun 20 - 26 Exam Block

Jun 27 Exam Review Day/Last Day of School (early dismissal)

Jun 28 PA Day - no school for students

Jul 3 OUAC / OCAS Semester 2 Final Mark Upload

Jul 8 Semester 2 Final Report Card Distribution and Diploma Pick up