Principal's Message

Good Morning Garth Webb:

The 80th Anniversary of the D-Day invasion of Normandy, France was recognized by our school last Thursday. I received an email from Peter Webb, Garth Webb's son, and he shared with the school a letter that Garth Webb wrote to his family right after D-Day. What struck me the most, was the calm reassuring manner that Mr. Webb demonstrated as he wrote about the invasion. He was still in the thick of things at that time, busy leading his men through unimaginable horror, yet was more determined than ever to continue to fight for the freedom of Canada and its allied countries until the war was over. Throughout his life, he always had the most optimistic and positive attitude towards everything he did. We thank you, Mr. Webb!

Students in the History classes did a variety of activities for the observation of this day, one of which was the Locker Magnet Memorials. Please read about the project below and take a look at the outstanding student work. They look so incredibly professional!! Thank you to the teachers for leading the way!!   

The Skills Canada National Competition in Quebec City wrapped up last weekend and our very own Jason Li won the Silver Medal in the Computer Engineering event!!! 2nd in the country is an incredible feat!! Congratulations Jason for representing team Ontario and our school so well. Thank you to Rory Sauve for teaching and coaching Jason throughout this season of competitions!!

I am looking forward to the Grade 12 graduation ceremonies on Monday and.... the eight more days of classes before exams!!  Ya baby!!

Take care,

Jacquie Pece

The 80th Anniversary of 

D-Day

June 6, 1944 - June 6, 2024

This week, Garth Webb Secondary School recognized the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion of Normandy, France in World War II. The recognition of June 6 has been a tradition at this school, as we are named after Mr. Garth Webb, a veteran of the D-Day invasion, and founder of the Juno Beach Center in Courseulles-sur-Mer, France. 

As noted by our Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, who stood on Juno Beach on Thursday, June 6: 

"Our way of life didn’t happen by accident, and it won't continue without effort"

Through the Lest We Forget Project, Garth Webb’s Grade 10 History students walk in the path of Mr. Garth Webb, our school’s namesake. This semester, our students also connected with Partners in Time - Kylie Robins and Katie Anderson, from Halton Heritage Services. We learned about their historical work, and how to create effective historical installations and memorials as they guided us through the creation of our new locker magnets. Each memorial captures the story of a Canadian who enlisted in Canada’s military in World War II. Each story is rooted in the individual’s military records from the Library and Archives of Canada, and secondary research completed by our grade 10 students. Their inquiry, curiosity, and empathy became the driving force behind this work. 

Thank you to Sandra Rogers who led this effort, to our history teachers Patricia Clarke Eldridge, Sandi Vander Heyden and Ian Duncan, and to our partners at Halton Heritage for all of their support. 

Below you’ll see pictures of our students and their Locker Magnet memorials. Each tells a beautiful story of service and sacrifice, and shows the pride of our youngest Canadians for the service of our veterans, both past and present. 

Would you like to learn more?

D-Day, narrated by Barry Pepper (Legion Magazine) 

How D-Day Unfolded: Newly restored, rare footage from the CBC Archives

As the survivors fade into history, the world marks a D-Day anniversary like no other (CBC News) 

Lest We Forget

Commencement Info

Date/Time/Location

Commencement will be held this Monday, June 10, 2024 at 4:30 pm at The Meeting House (2700 Bristol Circle, Oakville). 

Arrival

Graduates are asked to arrive at the Meeting House (2700 Bristol Circle, Oakville) at 3:30 pm sharp wearing their caps & gowns. Upon arrival, graduates will go through the EAST entrance and will then be directed to the appropriate location to be marshalled for the ceremony. Guests will park and enter the venue through the WEST entrance. 

Paperless Tickets

All students attending commencement have registered their guests who will be attending. We conducted our lottery for extra tickets and all seats are now reserved. Every person attending (including babies and small children) must be on the list in order to enter the theatre as we cannot exceed the fire capacity and we have given out all available seats.

Important

Students: if anything has changed with your guest list, please let Mrs. Lee in the main office know ASAP. 

Accessible Seating at Commencement

If you require an accessible seat at commencement (e.g. wheelchair seating), please inform Mrs. Lee in the office ASAP.

Commencement Gifts

NEW this year, we will be working with a company that will be offering flowers and graduation teddy bears for sale for anyone who would like to purchase them for commencement. The Commencement Company has an online store where you can order your items ahead and pick them up at the commencement ceremony on June 10. The company will also have a kiosk set up at commencement on June 10 where families can purchase items on the day of if they choose. LINK FOR PRE ORDERS

Canada Skills Silver!

Last week, secondary and post-secondary students from around the country participated in over 40 events which demonstrated their various skills. Students had to win regional and provincial qualifying events first in order to advance to the Skills Canada National Competition. 

Jason Li is a grade 12 computer engineering student here at Garth Webb. After having competed and winning gold in both the Electronics competition at Halton Skills and Ontario Skills, Jason advanced to the national level to represent our province. Team Ontario traveled together to Quebec City for the two day competition with over 130 representatives.

During his competition, Jason had to complete various challenges; breadboarding a circuit, analyzing and troubleshooting a circuit, soldering, desoldering and repairing a printed circuit board, and complete a written theory test. With much anticipation, during closing ceremonies, Jason was presented with the Silver Medal for his event. 

We’re very proud of Jason for all his hard work. A senior programmer on our FIRST Robotics team, this recent accomplishment was just a final capstone of his outstanding academic career.

Thank you to Mr. Sauve for mentoring and chaperoning Jason on this journey.

Important Message from IT for Students Leaving the HDSB

As of July 12, 2024 students who are not:

• actively registered with HDSB (Summer School), or

• Pre-Registered for the 2024-2025 School Year with HDSB

will lose access to the HDSB Network & Halton Cloud / Google Workspace for Education applications, data, and email.

IMPORTANT:  If you have used your HDSB email when applying for post secondary, resume,  job applications, you will need to update your information and change it to a personal email address before access to your HDSB account is lost.

 To retain your Google Workspace data please see one of the options below:

• Transfer email and Drive files to a personal Google Account using Google Takeout Transfer Your Content - see Transfer their content *Personal G Mail accounts only have 15 GB free drive space. All files in your My Drive will count toward your quota. 

• Archive data using Google Takeout - The traditional Takeout is also available to create an archive of all your data in Google Workspace. 

This will enable you to easily retain your email, essays, resumes, science projects and any other files stored on Google Drive before access has been removed to your HDSB account.

This must be completed by July 12, 2024. Please note that the process can take quite some time to complete so don’t delay!

Exam Schedule & Absences During Examinations

The examination period, as determined by the Halton District School Board’s 2023-2024 Ministry approved school year calendar, is from Thursday, June 20 to Wednesday, June 26, 2024. The exam schedule and the information about what happens in the event of the school’s closure are given below. 

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 exam date, please have your student complete this Exam Conflict Request form.

Please note that from Monday, June  17 through Wednesday, June 19 it is very important for students to attend school. Teachers will be using this time to prepare students for their final exams that start on Thursday, June 20.

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. 

Please click here to see the complete exam schedule. 

The library will be closed during the exam period (books can still be returned) and the cafeteria will be closed from June 20 for the remainder of the school year. 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, June 20: Period 1 Exams @ 9 am

Friday, June 21: Period 2 Exams @ 9 am

Monday, June 24: Period 4 Exams @ 9 am

Tuesday, June 25: Period 5 Exams @ 9 am

Wednesday, June 26: Extra day if needed due to school closure

Thursday, June 27: Exam Review Day/Last Day of School - shortened schedule (attendance is taken this day)

If the Board makes a decision to close all schools for any reason, all exams will be cancelled and shifted to the next day in the schedule. (i.e. If schools were closed on Thursday June 20 - Period 1, Thursday's exams would be cancelled and then written the next day on Friday June, 21.  All exams would then shift a day in the schedule).

Leadership Class 

Food Drive

From June 10 - 14 the grade 12 Leadership class will be running a food drive partnered with The Gift of Giving Back Foundation. Students and parents can bring in all packaged or canned non perishable food items! Items such as but not limited to: canned vegetables, canned meats, rice, coffee/tea, baby items, kids snacks, etc, are most appreciated and are most in need. Students can bring donations to their homeroom classes.

Spring Concert

Congratulations to our Garth Webb bands and choirs on an amazing Spring concert! After a semester of hard work in rehearsals, our student musicians put on a fantastic show on May 30. Thank you to the parents and students in the audience who came out to show support!

2SLGBTQIA+ Parent/Guardian Advocacy and Support Group

On Thursday, June 6 the 2SLGBTQIA+ Parent/Guardian Advocacy and Support Group had our final meeting of the school year. It was a great evening coming together in person and we were joined by special guests from Halton Pflag and the GW SAGE group. Thank you to all who joined us!

We are looking forward to reconvening our group in the fall. New members are always welcome to join. Our group is for parents and guardians of children who identify as 2SLGBTQIA+ and/or parents/guardians who identify as 2SLGBTQIA+ themselves. If you would like more information about this group, please email Kerri Lee at leeke@hdsb.ca.

Finally, please see the information below in this blog about the HDSB Multi Year Plan input. It is vital for parents/guardians from our group to provide input to the HDSB to ensure the best interests of all students. Please be sure to take some time to complete the survey. Thank you!

From Your Student Services Department

Tuesdays @Ten

This month our session will be taking place on Tuesday, June 11 in order to accommodate our guest speaker. Matthew Gill, financial aid advisor for Sheridan College will be joining us to talk about OSAP. Topics covered will include: what OSAP is, the application process, considerations, grants vs loans, as well as any questions you may have.  A link to the google meet will be shared prior to the event.

Grade 11 Class Presentation

Guidance counsellors recently visited all Grade 11 classes, to introduce and discuss the post secondary application process.  The presentation was a quick introduction in order to make students are aware of the various timelines that exist in their Grade 12 year and provide them with some considerations as they move into their senior year of high school.

The slides can be accessed here.

Summer School

Summer school registration is now open through myBlueprint. All information around summer school can be found on this document and also on the Gary Allan website. Registration for Summer school will close on Sunday, June 16.

June is Filipino Heritage Month

Statement by Minister Khera on Filipino Heritage Month

June 1, 2024

Today marks the beginning of month-long celebrations of the Filipino heritage, traditions and communities that have contributed to Canada since the early 20th century.

The Filipino community is one of Canada’s fastest-growing populations. With more than 900,000 people, it is the third largest Asian community in the country. Filipinos have made positive and meaningful contributions to Canada. Due to their recognized expertise in nursing and health care, they are strengthening Canada’s health care system and supporting the well-being of Canadian families. Beyond health care, Filipino Canadians have made their mark in various fields including politics, sports, the arts, finance and social justice.

People of Filipino descent continue to experience systemic barriers due to discrimination and racism. Our government is committed to tackling all forms of hatred and discrimination through Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy and Canada’s first-ever Action Plan on Combatting Hate. We are also supporting efforts to build a Filipino cultural centre in British Columbia, which will create a designated space for the Filipino community to unite and celebrate its culture and heritage.

On June 12, Filipino communities across Canada and around the world will also celebrate the 126th anniversary of Philippine independence.

During this special month, let’s learn more about the traditions of Filipino Canadians through the cultural and traditional activities happening across the country. Canada draws its strength and resilience from its diversity. Each day, let’s embrace inclusion and celebrate our diversity.

Mabuhay!

Source

Shavuot June 11-13

Shavout starts on sundown on June 11th. This Jewish holiday is celebrated seven weeks after the second Passover Seder. It began as an ancient grain festival but, in biblical times, it became associated with the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai. Shavuot means “weeks” in Hebrew, which is why it is also known as “The Festival of Weeks” in English. The name is derived from the seven weeks of counting from Passover that culminate in the Shavuot holiday. 

Click here to learn more.

Hajj Pilgrimmage 

June 14-19

One of the five pillars of Islam is that each believer is called, at least once in their lives, to make the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage that starts and ends in the holy city of Mecca located in today's Saudi Arabia. 

The journey recreates Muhammad's own path as the native son returned to his tribal home as the leader of a vibrant new religion. Unlike other sacred sites, Mecca is closed off to believers of other faiths: only Muslims are permitted on the Hajj.

Click here to learn more.

Please Provide Input for the 2024-2028 MYP

The HDSB is coming to the end of our 2020-2024 Multi-Year Plan (MYP) and starting the process of developing the 2024-2028 MYP.

What is the Multi-Year Plan (MYP)?​

Our MYP is our roadmap that guides us in creating the conditions so that students and staff will thrive. It informs the Board’s decisions and allocation of resources while guiding staff’s collective actions for ongoing improvement over the next four years. ​

Providing Input​

Your voice is critical to getting the right plan for us and setting the direction for the HDSB. We care about your child’s experience and want to hear from you. This is an opportunity for us all to come together, curious about what the next four years may hold, and build an even stronger HDSB community as we focus on planning for the future together. ​

Questionnarie

Students, parents/guardians, staff and community members are invited to share their thoughts and identify areas of focus for the HDSB’s 2024-2028 Multi-Year Plan by completing an online questionn​​​​​​aire by Tuesday, June 25.​

Complete 2024-2028 MYP Questionnaire

The questionnaire is completely confidential and will take approximately 5-7 minutes to complete. Participants will be able to access the questionnaire in Arabic, French, Hindi, Punjabi, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Urdu. ​

A Message from the Director of Education

Dear HDSB students, staff and families:

Amy Collard, Chair, and Curtis Ennis, Director of Education, for the Halton District School Board issue a joint message to all HDSB students, staff, parents/guardians and Halton community members.

We encourage you to view this video to understand the HDSB’s commitment to building a respectful and inclusive environment for all students and staff. 

A message to the HDSB community from Chair Collard and Director Ennis

Director's Cut

For the past several years, we have been bringing the HDSB's 2020-2024 Multi-Year Plan into greater focus through our Director's Cut video series.

In 2021-2022, we introduced staff, students and the community to the framework of the Multi-Year Plan and how it drives learning across the system. In 2022-2023, we took a closer look at the classroom level, showing how each of the five areas of focus are integrated and implemented into everyday instruction. In this final year of the MYP, we are digging even deeper by having students show us from their point of view - literally - how the plan is strengthening their learning and making their educational experience successful and engaging. 

Tune in now: EPISODE #15: Director's Cut | MYP - Environmental Leadership: Student Point of View.

Thank you for being a part of this exciting learning journey.

Upcoming Key Dates

May 27 - Jun 19 Protected Time

Jun 10 Class of 2024 Commencement @ 4:30 pm

Jun 11 Tuesdays @Ten (rescheduled from Jun 4)

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 (emailed)

Jul 9-11 Diploma Pick up