Principal's Message

Good Morning Garth Webb:

I think that the beautiful weather last week helped our Cross Country runners qualify for OFSAA. We have three athletes moving on because they came 1st, 3rd, and 9th at GHAC respectively.  Good Luck next week!!!

Speaking of the weather, it is about to get a lot colder and messier this fall. I notice each day that there are about 200 students late for school in the morning (some are late from lunch too!!) My point here is that I think as a school we need to do better! Let's go Chargers!!!!  Westoak Trails Blvd is busy enough with two schools practically side by side, so if you are driving to school to drop off, try to arrive closer to 8:15 to avoid the big traffic congestion.  When the weather gets worse.... the parking lot and drop off will get worse. Start the day for success by being on time. This is important for your student to learn. It is also a more respectful, less disruptive way to begin class for everyone. To avoid congestion at the end of the day.... pick up at 3:00 or later.  Students love talking to their friends anyway at the end of the day.  Or perhaps .... let them walk to and from school!!!

A big shout out to the Guidance Department and Grade 12 teachers who took 10 bus loads of students to the College and University fair last week at Sheridan College. It sure is a meaningful field trip when well over 400 students participate in a day of exploring careers through post secondary destinations! They were all buzzing with excitement when they came back!

There are fun things planned for Spirit Week starting on Monday!! Go Chargers!!!!

Thank you,

Jacquie Pece

Fall Spirit Week This Week

The Student Activites Council and the Arts Council are putting together a fun spirit week at Garth Webb this week. 

Monday, October 30 - Fall Colours & Pumpking Painting @ Lunch

Tuesday, October 31 - Halloween Costumes & Contest @ Lunch

Wednesday, November 1 - PJ & Comfy Clothes Day

Thursday, November 2 - Fall Fair & Food Trucks @ Lunch

Friday, November 3 - Flannel Friday & Scavenger Hunt @ Lunch

Be sure to bring your fall spirit Chargers!

From Your Student Services Department

Tuesdays @Ten

Please join us on Tuesday, November 7 for our next parent engagement session. Our session for the month of November is geared towards families of students in Grades 9 and 10. We will be covering the various graduation requirements and programs available in the HDSB.

A link to the virtual meeting will be shared on the Monday prior.

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

National Scholarships - Grade 12 students

Information around scholarships will be shared via the google classroom throughout the year. Most National Scholarship deadlines are in the fall. Please feel free to investigate these Scholarships to see if you are eligible.

Deadlines:

Queen's - Dec. 8

Lester B. Pearson - School Nomination Nov. 30

Schulich - School Nomination Jan. 30

Western National - TBD but usually mid-February

Take Our Kids to Work Day

On Wednesday, November 1 ALL Grade 9s will be participating in Take Our Kids to Work Day. If you haven’t returned the permission slip, please do so as soon as possible.

Please click on this link for more information on the day.  An electronic copy of the permission form can be form here.

Graduation Photos - Book Now

Graduation Photo Bookings Are Now Open!

To be included in the GRADUATION COMPOSITE PHOTO and the GRADUATION SECTION of the yearbook, please be sure to book your photo during this Fall Grad Photo Session. Once this fall photo session closes, students can book a photo at the studio in Burlington, but we cannot guarantee that photos taken in Burlington will be included in the composite and/or yearbook.

Please click here to book your photo sitting ASAP (School Code is GWE). Please put your booking date/time into your calendar and students should plan to arrive 5-10 minutes before their session already dressed in the clothing you will be wearing for the photo.

Way to Wellness: Managing Anxious Emotions Group

The HDSB social workers will be running a new group that is available to students of all genders in grades 9-12 at our school.

Are you having feelings of stress, worry, and anxiety? Do you want to learn some skills to help cope with these feelings? If you would like to connect with other HDSB students and learn different ways to manage your anxious feelings, you can join our Way to Wellness: Managing Anxious Emotions Group run by our Group Social Workers.

The group will take place at school once per week for 4 weeks. We are hoping to start this group in November 2023.

Click on the link below to sign up for more information:

Ways to Wellness - Managing Anxious Emotions

HDSB Group Social Workers

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:

HMC Connections

We are looking for a high school student who wishes to volunteer as a co-facilitator of French Conversation Circle for Youth. Please see the details below.

• Qualities we are looking for/details:

• Can speak and understand French / French speaker

• Willing to commit to volunteer from November 6 to December 4, 2023

• Is enthusiastic

• Must appear objective and neutral in his/her opinions

• Need to use effective questioning (open-ended questions) to stimulate conversation.

•  Actively listens to and values each participant’s point of view

• Creates an environment that allows everyone to participate in the conversation.

• Co-facilitation time: 5:00 – 6:00 pm

• Volunteer will gain 3 hours each week

Youth French Conversation Circle

• 5-week program (Nov. 6 – Dec. 4, 2023)

• Participants ages are from 12-17 (10 participants registered as of now)

• Basic French level

• 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm (Arleen will facilitate from 4:30 pm – 5:00 pm for games)

• On Zoom

Youth volunteer registration/application link is below.

https://hmcconnections.com/youth-volunteer-registration/

2023-2024 GW School Council Fundraising Campaign is Here!

This is the second week of our annual fundraising campaign designed to help supplement a series of projects enhancing academics, athletics, the arts, and student engagement and achievement at the school. 

Did you know, every year, GWS School Council funds the Poppy Awards that are given to graduating students who embody the values and vision of Garth Webb and financial need is also considered. School Council has funded these awards since our first graduating class in 2015 and for the first several graduating classes they were able to sponsor two Poppy Awards. Starting in 2020, thanks to the generosity of our families through this annual fundraiser, School Council was able to start giving these awards to four students each June. Each award is $500 which helps students with the costs of post secondary education. Receiving this award is also an honour for the students as it is not based on any academic criteria, which so many other awards and scholarships are. To date, GWS School Council has funded $13,000 worth of Poppy Awards!

We appreciate all donations to this annual fundraiser and we look forward to continuing to recognize deserving graduates from the Class of 2024 with the Poppy Awards.

Donations can be made online through this link (please choose “School/Parent Council” in the Initiative drop down field). The recommended donation is $30 per student. A tax receipt will be issued automatically for any donation over $20.

Thank you for your contribution!

Grade 9 Value Drawings Art Project

Ms. Ward's grade 9 Art classes have been working hard on their Value Drawings and the results have been amazing.  We first started by learning how to make appealing compositions using compositional theories of art, then students were taught how to "see" using sight size (sizing using a pencil or measurement tool), and by using the "squint test" to look for shapes in the highlights and shadows. 

Here are a few examples, however all students should be extremely proud of the work they have done in this unit! They have produced amazing results.

Karwa Chauth

Karwa Chauth, also known as Karak Chaturthi, falls on November 1 this year. During this Hindu festival, married women observe a difficult nirjala vrat (fasting without food and water) for their husbands' safety and prosperity. They keep the fast from sunrise till moonrise. 

Women worship Lord Ganesha, Maa Parvati, Lord Shiva, and Lord Kartikeya on Karwa Chauth and break the fast by sighting the moon. After looking at the moon through a sieve, married women eat a morsel of food and a sip of water from their husbands' hands to break the fast. The Karwa Chauth vrat is an important ritual of the festival.

In modern North India and Northwestern India society, Karva Chauth is considered to be a romantic festival, symbolizing the love between a husband and wife.

All Saints Day

All Saints’ Day, also called All Hallows’ Day, Hallowmas, or Feast of All Saints, in the Christian church, a day commemorating all the saints of the church, both known and unknown, who have attained heaven. It is celebrated on November 1 in the Western churches and on the first Sunday after Pentecost in the Eastern churches. In Roman Catholicism, the feast is usually a holy day of obligation.

The origin of All Saints’ Day cannot be traced with certainty, and it has been observed on various days in different places.

Source: https://www.britannica.com/topic/All-Saints-Day

Descending Day Lord Buddha

This year the Descending Day Lord Buddha will be recognized on November 4. The day marks the return of Lord Buddha to earth from the heavenly realm after three months of teaching.

On the sacred day of Lhabab Duchen, followers of Buddhism throng to monasteries to light butter lamps, burn incense and offer special prayers to Lord Buddha.

Monks and lamas spend the day reading the holy scriptures and purifying the air with their chanting of mantras.

An important highlight of this holy festival is marked by placing freshly painted ladders on the rocks by the monasteries to symbolize holy descent of Buddha from Trayastrimsa (The Heaven of Thirty Three).

Source: https://www.officeholidays.com/holidays/descending-day-of-lord-buddha

Indigenous Veterans Day

The First Nations, Inuit, and Métis of Canada have a long and proud tradition of military service to our country. While exact statistics are difficult to determine, the rate of Indigenous participation in Canada's military efforts over the years has been impressive. These determined volunteers were often forced to overcome many challenges to serve in uniform, from learning a new language and adapting to cultural differences, to having to travel great distances from their remote communities just to enlist. The challenges they faced often extended to their post-service life. Many Indigenous war Veterans would not receive equal treatment compared to other Canadian Veterans. 

The story of Indigenous service in the First and Second World Wars, the Korean War and later Canadian Armed Forces efforts is a proud one. While exact numbers are elusive, it has been estimated that as many as 12,000 First Nations, Métis and Inuit people served in the great conflicts of the 20th century, with at least 500 of them sadly losing their lives. 

Honouring Contributions

This rich heritage has been recognized in many ways. The names given to several Royal Canadian Navy warships over the years, like HMCS Iroquois, Cayuga and Huron, are just one indication of our country's lasting respect for the contributions of Indigenous Veterans. This long tradition of military service is also commemorated with the striking National Aboriginal Veterans Monument in Ottawa. This deeply symbolic memorial features a large bronze eagle at its top, with four men and women from different Indigenous groups from across Canada immediately below. A wolf, bear, bison, and caribou—powerful animals that represent "spiritual guides" which have long been seen by Indigenous cultures as important to military success—look out from each corner. Remembrance ceremonies are held at this special monument, including on Indigenous Veterans Day which is observed each year on November 8.

Source: https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/people-and-stories/indigenous-veterans

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

Nov 1 Take Our Kids to Work Day (Grade 9)

Nov 6-Dec 1 Grad Photos

Nov 7 Tuesdays @Ten

Nov 9 First Day of Semester 1, Term 2

Nov 10 Remembrance Day (Observed)

Nov 11 Remembrance Day

Nov 15 OUAC / OCAS Midterm Mark Upload 

Nov 15 CP Day - Classes start at 9:30 am

Nov 16 Grade 8 Information Night

Nov 17 Midterm Report Distribution

Nov 24 PA Day - no school for students

Nov 27 Full Disclosure

Dec 5 Tuesdays @Ten

Dec 13 CP Day - Classes start at 9:30 am

Dec 14 15th Week Report Distribution

Dec 18 - Jan 24 Protected Time

Dec 22 Early Dismissal

Dec 25 - Jan 5 Winter Break (School Closed)

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