Principal's Message

Good Morning Garth Webb:

I would like to start this week's blog off with a huge congratulations to our spring sports teams!! We are seeing huge success in soccer, lacrosse, baseball, rugby, track and field and it is kudos to our students and our coaches who put in endless hours with our youth before and after school at games and practices. Well done Chargers! I can feel the momentum - keep up the hard work, perseverance and determination and never give up! Sports bring so much to our youth and it is great to see them out there and active in the sunshine. This coming Tuesday, four of our teams (senior girls soccer, senior boys soccer, senior girls rubgy, and junior boys rugby) are going to the Halton Finals. This means that they are competing for first place in all of Halton. Our school is on FIRE!!!  Figuratively of course! Staff and students can you please all wear some Garth Webb spirit wear or something black and gold on Tuesday to support our school. This is amazing Garth Webb - as always you never cease to amaze me.

This past week we also had our end of year robotics celebration which was a huge success and again so many students were involved.  We also had our Coffee House and it was so great to see it come back and watch our students perform.  I think it was great to have our students on stage again, in an informal atmosphere, doing what they love.  

We also have many field trips happening such as Medieval Times and learning  about gaming and business and the list never ends. Our outdoor ed students were out last week for a 3 night excursion. Thank you again to our staff for making it happen for our students. All of these experiences will give our students so many memories that they will never forget. 

We also had our Celebration of Black Excellence evening which was just phenomenal. Thank you to all of our students who attended and our alumni who attended and are acting as mentors for our youth. The energy in the room and amongst our community was such a pleasure to be a part of. Thank you to all for your involvement.

Congratulations to our winners in the Eddies Film Festival. Our very own Daniel Chacon made TV and won a lot of awards.  In watching the videos, I appreciated Daniel's humble and kind interview - he thanked his competitors, his teachers and explained that you have to start somewhere, you have to make mistakes to get to a success.  It was a great interview to listen to and really exemplified our motto of "Learn today to lead tomorrow."

Enjoy your long weekend Garth Webb!

Sincerely,

Pam Jenkins

Equity & Inclusive Education 

Asian & South Asian Heritage Month 

featuring Dr. Jeyanathan

What does your last name mean?: Jayanathan (pronunciation - jey-na-dan). Jeya - victory/success, Nathan - leader/lord. Successful ruler or Victorious leader. A pretty strong last name to have.

Where in Asia are you and your family from?: Jaffna, Sri Lanka, Northern Part. Sri Lanka is a country in south Asia, it is an island just below India.

What are some misconceptions about Sri Lankan culture that you would like to be corrected?: Sri Lankan food is always spicy… it can be, but not all dishes are spicy. There are many different dishes, blended, sweet, mild, it depends on the type of dish you make, and it also varies from region to region. People also assume because Sri Lanka’s main export is tea, that all Sri Lankans drink tea. I personally drink more coffee.

Are there any Sri Lankan learnings you would like our students, staff, and community to learn?: One thing I want people to know is that there is a high level of importance on hospitality. A key part of Sri Lankan culture is that we place a high value on hospitality. Guests are always welcome with open arms. This helps promote a sense of warmth and kindness to help build strong relationships.

Are there any of your family values linked to Sri Lankan and/or Asian culture?: In Sri Lankan culture there is a strong emphasis on family connection and hospitality. We value family more than anything.

Where in the GTA can people enjoy Sri Lankan culture?: The GTA has a vibrant Sri Lankan community. It is more in the East End, Scarborough. It is home to a large Sri Lankan community with several restaurants and grocery stores. Every year in July there is also an Annual Sri Lankan Festival where there is traditional food, music, dance and cultural activities. There are no Sri Lankan grocery stores in Oakville, however there are some shops and restaurants in Mississauga. There is also an Indian restaurant in Burlington called Charminar Indian Cuisine that has some similar Indian foods that are shared with Tamil Sri Lankan foods. 

What does being Sri Lankan and/or Asian Canadian mean to you?: Being a Sri Lankan Canadian, I value Sri Lankan culture within the Canadian culture that shares many other cultures at the same time.

How do you say lead today to learn tomorrow in Tamil? Intriya kalv naalaya thalaimai (pronounced: in-drya kalvi nalia ta-li-may) which translates to: to raise learning, tomorrow leadership.

Anything else you would like our students, staff, and community to know: Just a food fun fact, as everyone always likes to know about food. There are 2 popular Street Foods in Sri Lanka: 

1. Kottu Roti, which is roti sliced, mixed with curries and vegetables

2. Appa, made from flour and coconut milk, cooked in a semi-sphere pot. It’s cooked to be crispy, then taken out to keep the shape of the pot. It is eaten with coconut milk, hot curry, or sugar.

Commencement Info

Date/Time/Location

Commencement will be held on Monday, June 12, 2023 at 4:30 pm at The Meeting House (2700 Bristol Circle, Oakville). With such a large class of over 450 students, tickets will be limited to 2 guests per student.

Extra Tickets

There are a very limited number of extra tickets and students can request one extra ticket through a google form. The window to request extra tickets closes this Monday, May 22, 2023. Here is the link to request an extra ticket and please note that only students will be able to access the form to request an extra ticket as they must be logged in with their HDSB email account. On Tuesday, May 23 we will conduct a lottery where we will randomly choose the names of the students who will be given one extra ticket for graduation. We anticipate that the number of requests will outweigh the number of tickets that are available so unfortunately we will likely not be able to accommodate all requests.

Grad Caps & Gowns

Caps and gowns for our graduates will be handed out to the class of 2023 on Wednesday, May 31 along with their tickets. Please keep your tickets in a safe place and remember to bring them with you to the graduation ceremony. You will not be able to enter the venue without a ticket and each guest (no matter the age) must have a ticket to attend.

Last Chance to Buy Kernel's Popcorn

The Youth in Action club is selling Kernels Popcorn to raise money to support the Lighthouse, an organization in Oakville that supports children dealing with grief. Their mission is to help children, youth and their families who are grieving a death, find a sense of belonging, connection and understanding from others experiencing a similar loss. 

You can support this initiative by purchasing a bag (or more) of Kernels Popcorn from our online cashless system. Bags are $2.50 each. Please place your order by Tuesday, May 30 for pickup in room 2018 at lunch on Wednesday, May 31. The Youth in Action club thanks you for your support! 

Click here to order today.

Celebration of Black Excellence

This past Thursday was the second annual Elevating Excellence - A Celebration of Garth Webb's Black & Biracial Students event.  We had so many current students and families attend with huge smiles on their faces, and we had about 8 graduates return to be mentors for our current students.  It was phenomenal to have so many families and students together chatting, eating, and building relationships.  

A huge thank you to the Black and Biracial parent group who organized the event, and to all the staff, alumni, and families who participated in and attended the event. Thank you also to Director Curtis Ennis, System Principal for Equity and Human Rights Shelita Walker, and Black Graduation Coach Tristan Williams for attending our event.  We are a very lucky community here at Garth Webb to have the support of the board and our community.

SPH3U - Roller Coaster Fair 

Last week, Mrs. Becker's  and Mr. Klos' grade 11 Physics classes hosted a Roller Coaster Fair where students competed in a homemade Roller Coaster competition. This semester, the voting came down to the wire as the eventual winners The Upsidedown beat Tilted Towers by 2 votes! Here are the podium results: 

1st Place - The Upside Down 

2nd Place - Tilted Towers 

3rd Place - The Lightning McQueen

Congratulations to all the participants for a job well done! See you all at next year's competition!

GW Girls Soccer

Our Varsity girls soccer team is headed off to the AAA Halton finals next week after defeating Georgetown 4-1 this past week in the semi finals. This varsity team is competing at the senior level with over half of our team only in junior grades! Sienna Dodgson (grade 9) scored all 4 of the teams goals in their semi finals.

If you want to show your support for them in the Halton finals against Blakelock, their game is at Tuesday, May 23 at 11:30 at Cityview Field in Burlington. Wear your Chargers spirit wear on Tuesday to show your support! Good luck Chargers!

GW Track & Field Update

Congratulations to our 100m, 200m, and Long Jumpers who had a great first day at the GHAC competition in Hamilton this past week. All athletes who finished in the top 16 will move on to the final round this week. 

The highlights include:

Gwenny Yoo finished 11th Novice Girls 100m and 200m

Sofia Henry 7th & Sarah McClure 15th in Jr. Girls 100m

Stephanie Vieriu 7th in Sr. Girls 100 & 15th in 200m

Nathan Omole 6th & Logan Hand 15th in Sr. Boys 100m

Logan 10th and Nathan Omole 12th in 200m

Sienna Sevenpifer 10th in Jr. Girls Long jump

Mirna Eweis 2nd & Cate Draheim 9th in Sr. Girls Long jump

Millen Sidhu 13th in Novice Boys Long Jump

Callum Wheway 13th in Sr. Boys Long Jump

GW Rugby Update

Congratulations to our Junior Boys Rugby team for finishing their HSSAA season undefeated going 9-0! They have a semi final and championship final on Tuesday May 23rd.

Congratulations also to our Varsity Girls team who won their semi final matchup 31-10 vs Georgetown on Wednesday! They play Oakville Trafalgar in the finals on Tuesday May 23rd.

Go Chargers!

From Your Student Services Department

Apprenticeship Training Program

Student Services wanted to share this amazing pre-apprenticeship program.  Sheridan is offering a FREE 24-week program provides hands-on training and paid on-the-job experience to help you secure an apprenticeship as a millwright which starts in July

If you are interested, there are upcoming information sessions.  Further information, can be accessed below:

Industrial Mechanic Millwright Pre-Apprenticeship Training Program

Grade 11 Class Presentation

At the start of the month, guidance counsellors visited all Grade 11 classes, to introduce and discuss the post secondary application process.  This presentation was a quick introduction so students are aware of the various timelines that exist in their Grade 12 year.  Please click here to view the slidedeck.

Summer School

Summer school registration is now open. Students can register through myBlueprint. All information can be found on the Gary Allan website as well as in the communication shared with students and families.

Tuesdays @Ten

On Tuesday, May 2nd we discussed Summer School, the new eLearning graduation requirements, as well as the 40 hours of Community Involvement graduation requirement.  If you weren’t able to join us, a copy of the slidedeck can be accessed here and a recording of the presentation can be accessed here.

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:

YMCA of Oakville - Volunteer Soccer Coaches Needed

We’re looking for values-driven enthusiastic volunteers to help us in our quest to continue building healthy communities. If you have strong personal values, care about people, and want to make a difference, come become a part of something bigger.

Nature & Scope: The soccer league aims to promote active participation in a fun and respectful setting. You will assist in teaching children/youth the fundamental skills including movement, agility, balance, coordination, and field awareness through practices and games. 

Posting closes May 26th, 2023

Click HERE for more information and to apply.

HDSB Hosting Mental Health & Well-Being Information Sessions for Parents/Guardians This Spring

The Halton District School Board is hosting additional Mental Health & Well-Being Information Sessions for parents/guardians this Spring. Covering specific topics based on feedback from parents/guardians, each session will be led by a mental health expert in that area who will share their knowledge and provide helpful information and resources.

Upcoming Sessions: 

• May 23, 2023 6-7pm: Prevention of Disordered Eating - Information & Registration Link

• June 1, 2023 6-7pm: Cyberbullying - Parenting in Today's Online World - Information & Registration Link

Registration is required for these sessions as limited spots are available. Sessions will be held on Google Meet, where closed captioning is available in various languages. Registrants will be emailed a link to access the session. Sessions will not be recorded. 

Parents/guardians will have the opportunity to submit questions when completing the registration form or during the session. The Board’s Mental Health & Well-Being webpage has information for parents/guardians and students on mental health, ways to support positive mental health and well-being, and how to get additional support at school and in the broader community.

Feedback Requested on HDSB's 2022 Long - Term Accommodation Plan

Parents/guardians, students, staff, stakeholders and the broader community are invited to review and provide feedback on the Halton District School Board’s 2022 Long Term Accommodation Plan (LTAP). This plan addresses existing and projected accommodation needs of students in elementary and secondary schools throughout Halton by recommending a number of projects and initiatives including new schools, boundary reviews, enrolment redirections and more.

The LTAP, along with documents and resources outlining key points for Burlington, Halton Hills, Milton and Oakville are available on the Long Term Accommodation Plan webpage on the Halton District School Board website (hdsb.ca).

Before the LTAP is approved by the Board, feedback on the document is welcomed until Monday, May 29, 2023 at 12 p.m. The public is asked to provide feedback using the online feedback form located on the  Long Term Accommodation Plan webpage.

Once feedback has been collected, staff will provide a report for Trustees at the June 7, 2023 Board meeting.

Skilled Trades & Technologies Information Sessions

The HDSB will be hosting two Skilled Trades & Technologies Information Sessions for families.

• For Elementary students (Grade 6 - 8): Thursday, May 25, 2023 at 7 - 8:30 p.m. To access the livestream link for Elementary Skilled Trades & Technologies Student Information Session, visit explorethetrades.ca/parents. 

• For Secondary students (Grade 9 - 12): Wednesday, May 31, 2023 at 7 - 8:30 p.m. To access the livestream link for Secondary Student Skilled Trades & Technologies Information Session, visit hdsb.ca. 

The evening will provide families with information about the skilled trades and pathways to careers in the trades and ways in which the Halton District School Board is providing opportunities for students to explore the skilled trades and technologies. Families will also hear from special guests who both work and actively promote students entering these rewarding and challenging career fields.

The agenda will include:

• An overview of opportunities to explore the skilled trades and technologies in the HDSB

• A keynote address by Shannon Tymosko, Skilled Trades Advocate

• A presentation by Jesse Fram, Program Facilitator at Skills Ontario

• A presentation by Wade Richardson, HDSB OYAP Recruiter

• A presentation by Tiffany Olmsted and Donna Norrie, HDSB SHSM Leads

• A presentation by Alijcia Gibson, HDSB Dual Credit Lead

• Submit questions and have them answered by the presenters by submitting a question through this Google Form: https://bit.ly/23SkilledTradesEveQ 

View the Skilled Trades & Technologies Information Evening flyer for more information. Note: The flyer contains clickable links to access livestream webpages.

Community Engagement Sessions

The Halton District School Board (HDSB) will be hosting Community Engagement Sessions for students, families, staff and community organizations to strengthen the HDSB’s relationship and collaboration with Indigenous, Black, Gender Diverse and 2SLGBTQ+ communities. The sessions will highlight some of the findings from the HDSB Student Census, which was conducted in Spring 2021, and the HDSB’s response to those findings. Attendees will have an opportunity to provide feedback and ask questions. 

The HDSB is committed to providing a supportive, inclusive and respectful learning environment where all students can learn, grow and inspire. To do this, we must truly understand the needs of all students and families. 

Community Engagement Sessions

• Gender Diversity and 2SLGBTQ+ Session (for families, students and community agencies supporting HDSB students): Monday, June 5, 2023 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

• Black-focused session (for families, students and community agencies supporting HDSB students): Monday, June 5, 2023 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

• Indigenous-focused session (for families/caregivers of Indigenous students attending school in the HDSB): Thursday, June 8, 2023 from 6 to 7 p.m.

Please register by May 24, 2023: Community Engagement Registration and Question Form. 

The Gender Diversity and 2SLGBTQ+ and the Black-focused sessions will take place virtually. The Indigenous-focused session will be offered virtually and/or in-person. The virtual sessions will take place through the Google Meet platform. A Google Meet link will be shared with participants closer to the session date. Registration is required for all sessions and individuals will have an opportunity to submit questions before and during the session.

We look forward to connecting with students, families, staff and community members to discuss how we can better serve our HDSB community.

Questions? Please contact hdsbvoice@hdsb.ca.

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.

Upcoming Key Dates

May 22 Victoria Day - School Closed

May 23 Grade 12 Graduation Assembly

May 25 15th Week Report Distribution

May 25 Grade 12 Prom

May 29 School Council Meeting

Jun 1 Spring Concert

Jun 6 Tuesdays @Ten Parent Session

Jun 12 Class of 2023 Commencement

Jun 22 - 28 Semester 2 Exam Block

Jun 29 Exam Review Day - Last Day of School - Early Dismissal

Jun 30 PA Day - No School for Students

Jul 5 OCAS/OUAC FInal Mark Upload

Jul 6 Final Report Card & Diploma Pick Up