Principal's Message

Good Morning Garth Webb:

I am very grateful and honoured to have been promoted as the new Principal of Garth Webb Secondary School. I am also filled with excitement and a deep sense of responsibility as I embark on this journey of learning, growth, and servitude.  I look forward to getting to know each of you—students, parents/guardians, teachers, and staff—and working together to support our students in achieving potential. I truly believe that only together we can foster this sense of community and mutually support our students grow and develop their learning. 

The whole administrative team is looking forward to a fantastic school year!

Robin Toffolo (She/Her) - Alpha A-F

Welcome back Chargers! I have been a Vice Principal with the HDSB for 8 years and I joined the admin team at Garth Webb last February. I am very excited to begin a new year with the Garth Webb community. Our school is robust in our course offerings and extra-curricular activities. Our students are energetic, talented, and committed to excellence in all that they strive to do. I can’t wait to watch their success as the year unfolds.

Nancy Annibale (She/Her) - Alpha G-M

Happy New School Year! I’m so jazzed to share another school year as your Vice-Principal. This is my 10th year as a VP and over 30 years as an educator both in Canada and Internationally. I can’t say enough about how fortunate I am to have been placed here 2 years ago. Garth Webb Secondary School is by far above the rest academically, athletically, and co-curricularly with a staff who is committed to excellence in everything they plan and do for our students. I am looking forward to another great year. Let's Go Chargers! Be Well!

Sahar Monzavi-Bacon (She/Her) - Alpha N-Z

I am thrilled to be joining the Garth Webb community as your new Vice Principal. I come to you with experience and passion for education, academics, athletics, the arts,  equity, student success, student safety, and well-being. I look forward to bringing this passion with me everyday as I serve this community while learning from and growing with all of you. Please know that my door is always open to you and that I am here to help however I can.

Thank you to our teachers have been busy preparing and are ready to welcome all students back to school where we can learn together. I am excited about this school year and meeting everyone on September 6 for the first day of school. Thank you also to the following people for helping to get our school ready to open for students: Vice Principals, our Business Manager, Guidance staff, administrative assistants, and custodial staff. 

Luisa Botelho

Student Engagement Fees

Each year in September, we ask families to purchase the Student Engagement Fee option through their School Cash Online account. Garth Webb is an active and inclusive place to learn. The Student Engagement Fees generate start up and operating funds for student run clubs including but not limited to environment issues, global issues, student newspaper, philanthropy, wellness council, etc. The fees also supplement the cost of school wide spirit events, LINK Crew transition, leadership training, motivational speakers, and student recognition awards and events. In addition, student engagement fees fund Student Council events such as assemblies and anti-bullying initiatives. 

In September alone, the fees will go towards supporting our Grade 9 Welcome BBQ, our Link Crew activities, our Terry Fox Colour Run, and our whole school assemblies. We will have many more activities and events throughout the year that the money collected through these fees will support. 

Our school fee is $30 per student and although it is optional to purchase, we greatly appreciate and depend on the support from our families. We remain aware of the social economic constraints in our present day lives and are working hard to keep these fees low. Please visit School Cash Online today to pay the Student Engagement Fees. Thank you so much for your support in advance!

First Day of School—Grade 9 Orientation & Tour for New Grade 10-12 Students

On Wednesday, September 4, 2024 we will be starting the day with the Grade 9 Orientation. Grade 9 students should arrive at the school at 8:00 am and meet in the front foyer. We will end the morning with a complimentary BBQ lunch from 11:00 am—12:00 pm. 

We will also be conducting a tour of the school for students who are brand new to Garth Webb and in Grade 10, 11, or 12 starting at 10 am in the front foyer. Please note that this tour is only for students who are new to GWSS.

All returning students in Grades 10, 11 & 12 should plan to arrive at the school at noon and classes will start at 12:10 pm with dismissal at 2:45 pm.

The first day schedule for classes will be:

Period 1 12:10 - 12:45 pm

Period 2 12:50 - 1:25 pm

Period 4 1:30 - 2:05 pm

Period 5 2:10 - 2:45 pm

On Thursday, September 5 we will be back to our regular daily schedule and all students are to be in classes by 8:30 am for morning announcements and attendance.

Photo Days

Photo days this year are Thursday, September 5 and Friday, September 6. We will have students in all grades being photographed on both days.

Grade 9 students will have their photo taken with their period 1 class

Grade 10 students will have their photo taken with their period 2 class

Grade 11 students will have their photo taken with their period 4 class

Grade 12 students will have their photo taken with their period 5 class

The schedule is linked here so that students and parents/guardians can check to see which day they will get their photo taken (Thursday or Friday). Teachers will be taking their class down for photos at the allotted time so students do not require an appointment.

Mobile Devices & GWSS Guidelines

The Ministry of Education announced changes regarding cell phone use and social media access in schools that will take effect in the new school year (2024-2025). Please click here to read about how these changes will begin to be implemented at Garth Webb S.S.

Weekly School Schedules

Week A and Week B

This year we are continuing our “Week A” and “Week B” schedules. This means that every other week, our afternoon classes will flip (i.e. switch places). We will also have 4 Collaborative Planning days for staff each semester (“CP” days). On CP days, students will start school one hour later at 9:30 am, our periods will be shortened slightly, and lunch time is from 11:40 am—12:40 pm.

We are starting the school year with Week A and you will find the Week A and Week B schedules as well as the CP schedule and dates are on our website here and in the school calendar for your reference. Please put these dates into your calendar.

Cafeteria

Please be aware that there will be no cafeteria service on Wednesday, September 4. Our school cafeteria food service will be open starting Thursday, September 5. Students can make purchases before school and at lunch time with cash or debit/credit.

Class of 2025 Grad Gear

The online store for Grad Gear for the Class of 2025 is available online from now until September 23, 2024. Orders should arrive at the school in early November 2024.

Click here to access the online store for ordering.

Stay tuned for a link to order GW spirit wear coming soon!

Football Tryouts on Tuesday

Anyone interested in trying out for the Varsity Football team is highly encouraged to come out to our first tryout. In order to tryout, prospective players must have completed and signed this permission form (hard copies can be picked up in the main office). Signed forms must be handed into the coach at the first tryout.

The first tryout is Tuesday, September 3 at 2:00 pm on the main field. If you cannot make it, but are interested in playing, please contact Mr. Anderson.

Go Chargers!

GWS School Council 2024-2025

We would like to thank our current School Council for their support over the past year. For the families who are new to Garth Webb, our school council meets 4-5 times per year and any parent/guardian can attend school council at any time - you do not have to be a voting member on school council to attend and share ideas.

Every year, we do reach out to the community to see if others would like roles on the council. To be on council as a voting member, it is required for you to attend all meetings and if you are the PIC representative you are required to organize parent involvement events for our school.

If you are interested in being a voting member of council, please complete this google form. If there is more than one nominee for the executive roles, then it will be determined if a school wide election is needed. Self nominations are open until 3 pm on Thursday, September 12, 2024.

Student Senate Opportunity

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN A LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITY? 

DO YOU WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

DO YOU HAVE LOTS OF IDEAS TO PROMOTE SOCIAL CHANGE?

Then apply to be considered for the position of Student Senator for Garth Webb Secondary School.

The position of Student Senator is one that requires hard work, dedication to your community, and commitment to attend a couple of meetings per month.

For more details, please access the Google Form or check out our social media! 

The application is due Monday, September 23, 2024. 

You can also check out the HDSB Student Senate Website for more information.

Also, our HDSB Student Trustees have created a support document following their presentation at the Leadership Conference taking a more in depth look at their goals for the 2024-2025 school year: Student Trustees Presentation at the Leadership Conference. 

From Your Student Services Department

STUDENT SCHEDULES

Schedules with room numbers were sent out to students this past Thursday at the end of the day so check your HDSB email. For students who are new to the HDSB, parents/guardians were sent information on how students can access their new HDSB email accounts. 

​​​​​​​COURSE CHANGE PROCESS

Wednesday, September 4 will be reserved for students who require a course change for the following reasons only:

1) they have already completed the course in summer school

2) they need to repeat a course based on their June report card

3) they are missing a compulsory course

Students are asked to come to Student Services starting at 10 am and we will see them as soon as possible.

All other course change appointments will begin on Thursday, September 5.  Students will have an opportunity to request a timetable change by booking an appointment with their Guidance Counsellor. The link to book an appointment was shared with students in the email with their timetable.

Please note that many courses are at capacity and we may not be able to accommodate all requests.

The last day to make a change to a semester one course will be Friday, September 13.

TUESDAYS @TEN

Guidance Counsellors will be hosting our first Tuesdays @Ten session of the year on Wednesday, September 4 at 8:30 am (special day/time for this session only). This session is geared specifically towards parents/guardians who are new to Garth Webb. This session will take place in person in the school library. If you are a new parent/guardian to Garth Webb, please join us as we welcome you to our school and answer some frequently asked questions.

Click here to visit the Tuesdays @Ten webpage for more information and to view previous sessions.

LATE ARRIVALS/STUDENTS NOT RETURNING TO GWSS

If your student will not be starting school on September 4, or is not returning to Garth Webb this year, please complete this quick form to inform us.

Youth Settlement Worker Intro

Garth Webb S.S. is very fortunate to have Uzma Kazi as our Youth Settlement Worker. Here is a little introduction for our new families:

I am excited to support the new families at Garth Webb Secondary School for another school year. I have been a Settlement Specialist at Garth Webb since it opened in 2012. My role is to provide school based settlement services for newcomer families to meet their immediate settlement or ongoing needs after they arrive in Canada, connecting newly arrived families to services and resources in the school and community. I am in the school every Monday and Wednesday. I want to warmly welcome all the new families joining our Garth Webb School community, and I look forward to working with you.

Locker Distribution

Starting next week on Monday, September 9, Grade 9 and 10 students will have the option of selecting a locker within the school. Grade 9 students are assigned to only the second floor and Grade 10 students can choose a locker on the third floor. Students will then let their Period 1 (homeroom) teacher know their locker number and the combination (for safety reasons). 

Grade 11 students will have the option of selecting a locker on the first floor starting Wednesday, September 11, followed by Grade 12 students on Friday, September 13. More information will be shared via morning announcements during the week.

Students should remember to bring a lock to secure the locker. There is a limited supply of lockers due to the large number of students at Garth Webb, therefore we ask that you please only select a locker if needed. We also remind students to never put items into a locker without a lock to secure those items. Students must have a working lock in order to claim a locker.

Student Attendance

SchoolMessenger is the application for student attendance and notifications from the school, please sign up if you have not already. This application is used to report all absences from school as well as late arrivals and early departures. You can report using the app on your smartphone (recommended) or by calling 1-877-409-6310.

 Please note that the attendance system does contact parents/guardians during 1st period (the period that starts at 8:30 am) when a student is away from school and the absence/late arrival has not been reported through the SchoolMessenger system. There is a second communication sent to parents in the evening for any unexplained absences throughout the rest of the school day.

 If students are arriving late to school, they should proceed directly to their class and the teacher will update the attendance to reflect the late arrival (students do not come to sign in at the main office). If students are signing out early with parent/guardian permission, they will be dismissed directly from their class. Please remember to enter the early departure through SchoolMessenger so your student’s teacher will see that they have permission to leave at the appropriate time.

 If you have any trouble connecting to the SchoolMessenger system, or if you need any clarification on how our attendance system works, please contact the main office so that we can assist you.

Extended Absences

 Students are expected to be in attendance on school days, unless unable to attend by reason of illness, medical appointment, bereavement, or other circumstances beyond their control. Parents who withdraw students during school time are advised that, depending on the timing and length of the absence, academic performance of your student may be affected. It is the student’s responsibility to catch up on missed work.

In secondary school, any absence that is longer than 3 consecutive days is referred to as an extended absence. If you know ahead of time that your student will be away for more than 3 consecutive school days, please print this form and fill it in with the information requested (hard copies are available in the office). Students should ask their parent/guardian and teachers to fill in the form and once it is complete, the form should be handed in at the main office 2 weeks prior to the planned absence. The Vice Principal will then review the form and it will be given to the attendance Administrative Assistant for attendance to be entered (absences longer than 3 days are not able to be entered into School Messenger by parents). 

If you have any questions about this process, please reach out to the main office at 905-847-6875.

Parking Lot Safety

Please be aware that our parking lot is very busy at school entry and dismissal times. It is preferred that students walk to school whenever possible. However, if you do end up driving your student to school (or for students who are driving themselves), please note that once you enter our main parking lot from the driveway to the west of the stop lights, it will be one way traffic only. You cannot exit the school parking lot from the same place you entered it; you can only exit through the stop lights onto Westoak Trails or Stratus Drive. 

Please drive slowly and always look around carefully for pedestrians who are crossing the parking lot. We advise that people arrive early to avoid delays especially during the winter months and on inclement weather days. Come before 8:15 am if you need a parking spot. Please do not park in “no parking zones” and never park your vehicle in the fire zone at the front of the school.  If you are a student or you are visiting our school, please park in the lot closest to the front entrance of the school only.

Many vehicles enter the east parking lot of our school at the end of the school day. Please note that the east entrance is ONE LANE ONLY. There are two exit lanes, but the entrance is only for one lane of cars at a time. It is preferred that you enter the school parking lot via the main driveway just to the west of the stoplight. DO NOT ENTER THE PARKING LOT THROUGH THE STOP LIGHTS—IT IS AN EXIT ONLY. 

Thank you for helping us to keep everyone safe!

Student Parking Passes

Students who will be driving to school must have their vehicle registered with the main office and must display a school parking pass in their vehicle while it is parked on school property. Read below for more info.

Town of Oakville Parking Lot

The parking lot that is by the playground area is owned by the Town of Oakville and when it is open, students are permitted to park there. Students parking there should still have their vehicle registered with the main office.

Student Parking Passes

Students who will be driving to school on a regular basis must register their vehicle with the main office and must have a school parking pass displayed in their vehicle at all times while it is parked on school property. 

Please use this form to request a parking pass. You will need to have your vehicle make/license plate information to register for a parking pass. The office will contact you via email when your pass is ready.

Students are permitted to park in the lot closest to the front entrance to the school ONLY. Please note that having a parking pass does not guarantee you a parking spot. You must arrive early (before 8:15 am is recommended) to be sure to get a spot as it’s first come, first served.

Free Transit for Students

If students have a PRESTO card, they can use Oakville Transit free of charge. Please visit the Oakville Transit website for further information. Be sure to register your PRESTO card online so balances can be transferred to a new card in the event that you lose your PRESTO.

Garth Webb is a “walk to” school and therefore, we do not have any school busses. However, Oakville Transit has a "School Special" bus route for Garth Webb that runs before and after school. Please click here for more information.

Bicycles, Scooters & Skateboards

Many students at Garth Webb ride bicycles, scooters, and skateboards to school daily. Bicycles and scooters must be locked up outside at the bike and scooter racks on the west side of the school (near the main entrance). Please be sure that students have a working lock and remind them to use it EVERY time they park their bike or scooter. There have been unfortunate instances of theft when items are not locked up. Please note that scooters can no longer be parked in the main office due to health and safety protocols. We will be installing separate racks for scooter parking outside the front of the school in September. Until they are in place, students can use the bicycle racks for parking scooters. Skateboards can be stored in lockers or on the skateboard rack in the main office.

It is also recommended that students use the 529 Garage app to register their bicycles. The Halton Regional Police Service has partnered with 529 Garage to introduce their bicycle registration app to residents of Halton. 529 Garage is an application that connects you, other cyclists, police, and local bicycle shops in the event your bicycle is stolen. Registration is easy - simply download the app, input your contact information and bicycle serial number, and upload photos of yourself and your bicycle. Registrations can also be made on the 529 Garage website if you do not have a smart phone or tablet. Once you have registered your bicycle on the app, if it is stolen or goes missing, you can notify 529 Garage and they will issue an alert from the app that is sent to other local cyclists and bike shops alerting them to the missing bicycle. Once an alert for your bicycle has been posted, the app will also direct you to the HRPS online reporting tool where you can report it to police. By registering, if a bicycle is recovered, it is easier for police to identify and return the bicycle to the proper owner.

Please remind students that bicycles, scooters, and skateboards should not be used on school property. Finally, when traveling to and from school in the designated bike lanes, students are reminded that they are to travel in the same direction as the vehichles on the road. This is important and helps to keep everyone safe.

Wear a helmet!

Nut Free School

We wanted to remind GWSS families that nut products should not be brought into the school. Please read the following excerpt from this document from the HDSB:

We are asking ​ALL​ students, families and members of our school community to adhere to the

following requests regarding peanuts/tree nuts:

• Lunches and snacks are free of peanuts and tree nuts​, as well as products that may contain peanuts/tree nuts such as donuts, granola bars, etc.

• Read food labels, checking for peanut/nut ingredients​ prior to sending them to school.

• Ensure ​food from takeout restaurants is free from nuts​, AND free from cross-contamination of nuts.

• If peanut butter is eaten at home before school​, ensure lips, mouth, and hands are washed thoroughly before attending school (​this is truly an​ ​essential action to prevent cross contamination​).

Thank you for helping to keep the school safe for everyone!

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:

Are you a high school student who studies or lives in Oakville North - Burlington? Become an advisor to the MPP Effie Triantafilopoulos. Join the MPP’s Youth Council and share your voice on behalf of youth in Oakville North - Burlington. 

We're looking for young people who want to shape the future, identify the challenges facing youth, and work with the MPP to overcome them.

Applications will open from June 1 to September 30, 2024. Please use this google form to sign up.

Upcoming Key Dates

Sep 2 Labour Day

Sep 3 Professional Activity Day – No Classes

Sep 4 First Day of Semester 1 Classes

Sep 4 Tuesdays@Ten at 8:30 am

Sep 5 & 6 Photo Days

Sep 18 CP Day (late start @9:30 am)

Sep 19 Grade 9 Program Evening

Oct-1 Tuesdays@Ten

Oct-10 5th Week Progress Reports Emailed

Oct-11 Professional Activity Day – No Classes

Oct-14 Thanksgiving Day – No Classes

Oct-15 Photo Retake Day

Oct 16 CP Day (late start @9:30 am)