Principal's Message

Hello Garth Webb Families!

Thank you to all of the staff members and administration for making the semi formal happen on a snow day! So many students thanked me for not cancelling and that was very much appreciated. It was nice to see all of the students enjoying themselves. Thank you to Ms. Tolton, Ms. Murphy, and Ms. Hull for organizing. 

I would like to wish our swimmers all the best in OFSAA next week in Windsor and thank you to the coaches, Ms. Morley and Ms. Hosany for making it all happen. Thank you to Mr. Faulhafer as well for chaperoning the trip with the coaches.

We had another great PD day last week. We had a panel of students from our 2SLGBTQIA+ speak with us on how to make our classrooms inclusive and just to help us learn and grow as a staff. We also had sessions run by our staff members around modern classrooms, new teacher support, thinking classrooms, understanding learning disabilities, staff wellness, ungrading, etc. There was lots of dialogue and human connectivity amongst staff which is something that we are rebuilding and you can see the professional learning communities developing again. Thank you to all staff for your engagement in the learning.

I would like to thank our Youth in Action group and our MSA for organizing the collection of items for people in need in Turkiye and Syria. The support has been overwhelming and we thank everyone. Friday was the last day for bringing anything in, and given the volume of items collected, we do need to bring the relief effort to an end as we are now challenged on getting all of the donations to the right places. Thank you again.

I hope the students enjoyed the snow day and family day. Hopefully next week we can have a 5 day week and get back into the groove.  

Take care,

Pam Jenkins

Equity & Inclusive Education

Black History Month

This past week all period one classes participated in a virtual experience “Journey to Africville”. We encourage all families to ask their students about this experience and any new learnings that came from the experience.

Synopsis: 

The program virtually transports students in Grades 9-12 to Nova Scotia, where students will see, hear and learn about the once-prominent Black settlement on the shores of the Bedford Basin, Africville. For over 150 years, 400 families lived free and independently until the city’s decision to bulldoze their community in the 1960s. Through the power of storytelling, students will gain a deeper understanding of the severe hardships endured by Black migrants to Canada throughout the centuries. 

Students will be challenged by thought-provoking questions and answers from voices in the Black community. Does racism still exist in Canada? What responsibility do we each have toward ending it? This 40-minute digital presentation utilizes music, dance, and storytelling to engage and inspire.

We highly recommend that you take some time to view this at home to further your own learning. The video is linked here.

Prom Tickets Now Available

Grade 12 Prom will be on Thursday, May 25, 2023 at the Oakville Conference Centre (2515 Wyecroft Rd, Oakville, ON L6L 6P8). Tickets are now available on School Cash Online. Tickets are $90 and will need to be purchased no later than Thursday, May 11, 2023. Everyone attending will need to have a ticket.

All students must complete a prom contract and submit it to the main office once their ticket has been purchased. Blank contracts can be picked up in the main office. If students are bringing a guest, a second ticket will need to be purchased and the guest will need to complete their portion of the contract as well. Please allow time for the guest's school administrator to fill in their section. 

All ticket purchases and contracts must be in by Thursday, May 11, 2023.

Save the Date - Graduation

Grade 12 Graduation will be on Monday, June 12, 2023 at 4:30 pm at the Meeting House (2700 Bristol Cir, Oakville, ON L6H 6E1). Students will be given 2 tickets each for guests to attend.

Put this date into your calendar and more details will be coming soon.

Order Your Yearbook Today

Don't forget to order your copy of the 2022-2023 yearbook before it's too late. Yearbooks are available to order on School Cash Online only. We do not order extra copies so you must order online before the deadline to be able to get a copy of the yearbook.

If you don't see the fee available on School Cash Online it is most likely because you have already purchased the yearbook for this year. Please check in your purchase history to confirm. 

Don't miss out on ordering this keepsake!

Fashion Forward - Donate at GWSS

This is the last week to bring donations to Garth Webb. 

What is Fashion Forward?

Variety of formal wear available for students to browse at drop-in sessions in March and April; clothing donations accepted until March 3. 

The Halton District School Board will host open houses in March and April for students to select, at no cost, donated formal wear for upcoming prom or graduation celebrations.

Called Fashion Forward, 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. There are many different styles, colours, and sizes of formal dresses available as well as suits, shirts, ties, and shoes. 

The dates to browse for formal wear are:

• Saturday, March 25 - 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. at New Street Education Centre (3250 New Street, Burlington)

*An opportunity is available for gender diverse youth who would prefer a more private shopping experience between the hours of 10-11 a.m. on this day

• Monday, April 17 - 2:30 - 6:30 p.m. at Elsie MacGill Secondary School (1410 Bronte St. S, Milton)

• Thursday, April 20 - 2:30 - 6:30 p.m. at Elsie MacGill Secondary School (1410 Bronte St. S, Milton)

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

From Your Student Services Dept

Community Service Hours

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been adaptations made to the community involvement hours including increased flexibility with regards to what activities would fulfill the requirement.  For a detailed summary, please review the document below:

Community Involvement Hours During Adaptive Learning and/or School Closure

Students aged 14 years and older can count up to a maximum of 10 hours from paid employment towards their earned hours at the discretion of the principal. Students counting paid employment towards their graduation requirement will be required to complete a reflection exercise indicating how their work contributed to the service for others. 

Paid Employment Reflection form 

Resources

Community Service Hours Submission Form

Community Service Recording Sheet

For volunteer opportunities please visit the following sites:

Volunteer Halton

Spark Ontario

Virtual Volunteer

If you are unsure how to complete this graduation requirement, please contact your guidance counsellor and we will be happy to brainstorm ideas and create a plan with you.

Scholarships and Awards

Community Awards (Rotary, Halton Learning Foundation, Maycourt, CFUW, Lion's club, Chinese Canadian Association).

It's that time of year when applications open for the various community awards.  All information can be found on the online awards hub.  Please take a look at the site and direct any questions you may have to your guidance counsellor.  Students are encouraged to create an account and review the various award criteria.   Please note that most application deadlines are in the Spring.

Awards Hub

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:

Volunteer with Friends of the Oakville Public Library

The Friends of the Oakville Public Library (FOL) is a group of volunteers dedicated to enhancing library programs and services within the community. Through book sales and other fundraising activities, the FOL helps develop and enhance various programs and services offered within the library.

Volunteer opportunities are available for youth (age 14 and above) for the following roles:

• Future Book Sales - sorters, event setup, event logistics, cashiers and event teardown. (adult and youth)

Apply HERE

*Note: When you apply for a volunteer position at Oakville Public Library or with the Friends of the Oakville Public Library you will be prompted to set up a volunteer account. We will respond to your application as soon as possible. Book sale volunteer opportunities will be listed when available. For more information about FOL, visit opl.ca/friends. 

Local Event to Show Solidarity & Support for Turkiye & Syria

There is an event at Oakville Town Hall on February 28, 2023, from 6:30 to 8:00 pm to show solidarity and support for victims of the recent earthquakes in Southern Türkiye and North of Syria. The event is hosted by AC Vote Earthquake Taskforce, Oakville Regional Councillor Nav Nanda, and Town Councillor Scott Xie. This show of solidarity will be attended by a number of MPs and MPPs, Consul General of Türkiye, a number of Canadian relief organizations, and local community groups. If you can, please join in showing support and send a message of hope to those who are affected by this massive tragedy.

HDSB Hackathon

HDSB Hackathon, is a new student-organized hackathon-style event, which provides students across the HDSB with the opportunity to demonstrate, elevate, and celebrate their technological prowess. 

In a hackathon, students develop technology-based projects (software or hardware) adhering to a central theme over a weekend. Students will use their own equipment to develop software and hardware projects and prototypes and will be able to compete individually or in teams of up to four students. Students have the opportunity to win exciting awards and prizes while showcasing their technological prowess!

The event will take place virtually on March 3-5. March 3 will be the virtual kickoff, March 4 will be a day to work, and March 5 will be the deadline to submit your team’s project. Further information will be provided to registrants.

If you are interested in participating, please complete the Google Form attached in the linktree no later than March 1: https://linktr.ee/hdsbhackathon2023.

If you have any questions, contact student organizers Girik Setya (1setyagir@hdsb.ca) or Manasva Katyal (1katyalman@hdsb.ca), or staff-lead Stephanie Briggs (briggsst@hdsb.ca), Instructional Program Leader for the HDSB.

Online COVID-19 Screening Tool

 It is recommended that students continue to complete the Government of Ontario’s online COVID-19 school screening tool prior to attending school each day. Please be sure to read all questions carefully as they do change on occasion. Please carefully follow the instructions that you get at the end of the screening telling you whether to stay home or attend school. Thank you to our families for doing the daily self assessment to help keep everyone safe. For information on COVID-19 health and safety procedures for the 2022-2023 school year, please click here: COVID-19 information page.