June 23, 2024
WEEK A
Principal's Message
Good Morning Garth Webb:
I would like to take a moment to thank everyone for the outpouring of kind words and warm wishes these past 2 weeks. It has really meant a lot to me and it has filled my heart!! The year end assembly was a lot of fun too!! It was filled with GW celebrations of all we had accomplished this year!!! I will miss the daily interactions with students and staff the most, and whatever help I could have provided to them and their Charger families.
Below is a message from the incoming principal Ms. Luisa Botelho. Ms. Botelho comes to us from Elsie MacGill Secondary School in Milton. Please join me in welcoming her to the Garth Webb community.
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. Since the announcement, I have only heard amazing things about Garth Webb and how it is a very strong, dedicated, and inclusive school community. This year, I entered my 24th year in education and I am coming from Elsie MacGill Secondary School in Milton where I have been a Vice Principal for the past 3 years. I have been a Vice Principal for the past 9 years and I have been committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment where every student can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. I believe that educating the heart and the mind is a journey in which we need to take action in making the necessary and adequate changes in the system for positive, encouraging, and challenging learning to happen. I am committed and dedicated to providing all of our students, families, and educators with the necessary tools and support to make learning an engaging and successful experience within our school. I look forward to getting to know each of you—students, parents/guardians, teachers, and staff—and working together to uphold the rich traditions of excellence that define Garth Webb! - Luisa Botelho
All the best!!
Jacquie Pece
Students not Returning to GW or Students Starting after September 4, 2024
If your student is not returing to Garth Webb in September or if your student will be arriving at school after the first day on Wednesday, September 4, 2024, it is very important that you fill in the form linked below.
Please note that this form is not for students who are graduating this year and leaving Garth Webb after completing grade 12.
Thank you for your help!
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. 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.
The library will be closed during the exam period (books can still be returned) and the cafeteria is now closed 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:
Monday, June 24: Period 4 Exams @ 9 am
Tuesday, June 25: Period 5 Exams @ 9 am
Wednesday, June 26: Exam Make Up Day @ 9 am
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 Monday, June 24 - Period 1, Monday's exams would be cancelled and then written the next day on Tuesday, June 25. All exams would then shift a day in the schedule).
Exam Review Day - June 27, 2024
Thursday, June 27 is the last day of school for the 2023-2024 school year. It is exam review day and attendance will be taken. Students will follow a modified schedule and have early dismissal as follows:
Period 1 - 8:30 - 9:00 AM
Period 2 - 9:05 - 9:35 AM
Period 4 - 9:40 - 10:10 AM
Period 5 - 10:15 - 10:45 AM
Period 3 (lunch) - 10:45 - 11:45 AM
Guidance Counsellors
Ms. Tolton (A-E)
Ms. Mactaggart (F-L)
Mr. Sanderson (M-Q)
Ms. Hosany (R-Z)
Google Classrooms
Grade 9 - euk4ho6
Grade 10 - bix3yen
Grade 11 - krgiixa
Grade 12 - reyclkl
From Your Student Services Department
Schedules for 2024/2025 School Year
Schedules for the 2024/2025 school year were shared via email earlier this week. If students require a course change, they should refer to the instructions in the email with their timetable. Schedules with teacher and room assignments will be shared prior to the first day of classes at the end of the summer.
Tuesdays @Ten
This month our session took place on Tuesday, June 11. Matthew Gill, financial aid advisor for Sheridan College joined us to talk about OSAP. Topics covered included: what OSAP is, the application process, considerations, grants vs loans, as well as answering questions.
If you weren't able to join us, the recording of the presentation can be accessed below
Class of 2024 Award Slideshow
We will send a link to our graduates and their families for the end of year awards in early July.
Grade 12 Diploma Pick Up
Diploma pick up for our graduating students is on Tuesday, July 9 and Wednesday, July 10 from 9 am to 2 pm in the main office. If you are a graduating student who received an award these will also be available for pick up at that time.
Please be sure to come and pick these items up on July 9 or 10 between 9 am - 2 pm. If you are unable to pick up your own diploma, please complete this form to give permission for another individual to pick up on your behalf.
Thank you!
Report Cards
Report cards for all grades will be emailed home on Monday, July 8 by 4 pm.
Summer Office Hours
June 28 Early Closing
Please note that on June 28 the office will close at 1:30 p.m.
Summer Office Hours
The summer office hours will be 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Please note that the office will be closed on Monday, July 1 and Friday, July 5. The last day that the office will be open before the summer closure is Thursday, July 11. The office will be closed for the summer from July 12 to August 16 inclusive.
The office will open on Monday, August 19, 2024 from 7:30 am - 3:30 pm.
Staff Thank You
Thank you to all of our wonderful staff members from the 2023-2024 school year. We appreciate the contributions of each and every one of you. We wish all the best to the staff members who are leaving Garth Webb and we look forward to seeing our returning staff members and welcoming some new staff members in September.
A big thank you and farewell to our Principal Jacquie Pece. We wish you all the best in your much deserved retirement and are so grateful for your contributions to Garth Webb this past year. We will miss you.
Welcome to our new Principal Luisa Botelho. We look forward to working with you in the upcoming school year.
Thank You School Council
Thank you to the members of our School Council for all of their work and efforts on behalf of our students and school this past year. School Council was able to fund many initiatives for the students and staff of GWSS. Thank you to all families who were able to contribute!
Thank you to Craig Lemon (Chair), Navia Sharma (Treasurer), Coskun Dolanbay (Secretary), Augusto Rosa (PIC Rep), Tanya Monteith, Virginia Nsitem, Erica Ramey, Tamika Ramsay, Sahar Said, Sri Santhanam, and Ellen Wang as well as student representatives Maryam Siddique and Carter Wang. Thank you to all of the GWSS parents who volunteered their time to attend School Council meetings and help out this school year.
We look forward to the final meeting of the 2023-2024 school council on Monday, September 16, 2024 when we will also welcome any new members for the 2024-2025 School Council.
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.
GWSS Architecture Highlights
Our Grade 11 Architecture & Interior Design class recently completed their house design projects. It is a new program at Garth Webb and the Grade 11 course (TDA3M1) has students learning how to design a small residential dwelling from the ground up while also learning cutting-edge modeling software such as Revit and Enscape.
Through creative space planning techniques and researching municipal zoning bylaws and building code requirements, students will produce floor plans, elevation drawings, renderings and a 3D conceptual model of their project. Using architectural realization software, students then have the ability to check out their projects through an immersive augmented (AR) and virtual reality (VR) experience!
Check out the work from Garth Webb’s top future architects, Nathan Weng and Carter Wang! If you would like to experience the spaces these students have created, click on the links below. You can even use your smartphones for your very own augmented reality experience, enjoy!
Architect: Nathan Weng
3D Walkthrough Tour (available on PC only)
Architect: Carter Wang
3D Walkthrough Tour (available on PC only)
Co-op Students of the Week
Student: Claire Middleton, Grade 11
Placement: Palermo Public School (Grade 2/3 French Immersion classroom)
Co-op Thank You
We had some amazing Co-op experiences this semester! Students explored placements in areas such as hairdressing and aesthetics, auto service, law, physiotherapy, health care, engineering, and education just to name a few. Our semester two Community Partners were very supportive in providing enriched learning opportunities. A great big THANK YOU to all of them listed below.
A Garg CPA Professional Corp.
Mynt Hair Studio
Adults in Motion Oakville
Nature's N.E.A.R.
Amica Bronte Harbour
OakMed Family Health Team
Canada Post - Crown Corporation
Oakville Art Galleries
Captain R. Wilson Public School
Oakville Rehab Centre
Chellsey Institute of Beauty and Health
Oakville Toyota
Collins Aerospace
Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital
Dogtopia
Palermo Physio and Wellness Centre
Elsie MacGill Secondary School
Palermo Public School
EMCO Burlington
Perri's Cabinetry
Emily Carr Public School
Plank Restobar
Film.ca Cinemas
Porsche Centre Oakville
GGS Law
Pro-Fit Construction Development Corp
GWSS Tech Design Studio
Procor
In Salon
PTR Carpentry
JML Electric
Reynolds Street Cafe & Nutrition
Kane Law Professional Corporation
Shoppers Drug Mart
Kingsgate Construction
St John Paul II Elementary School
Mardon Construction
Technoid Inc
Mercedes-Benz Oakville
The Firehall
GWSS Music Department
Trafalgar Oaks Child Care and Learning Centre
Unique Alterations
Our students were fantastic representatives of Garth Webb SS as evidenced by the placement supervisor comments they received. Some examples are below:
He did a great job creating meaningful connections to students (especially in our self-contained classroom). He led a few classes and set a goal to teach a lesson which he did :) During our weekly Manie Musicale he brought enthusiasm and got the class engaged and the students were sad to see him go.
Her co-op stint assisting Canada Post's Real Estate Project Team was marked by her strong work ethic and outcomes. Her research and proactive approach contributed significantly to the projects she was involved in. Her time at Canada Post not only provided her with valuable hands-on experience but also proved her to be a promising talent in the field of engineering.
He has had an exceptional semester with us and has contributed and assimilated well. I encourage him to continue to stay on his career path to becoming a plumber!
It has been a pleasure to have her at our clinic. She has a strong work ethic and has been a big help. She picked up very quickly on how to set up patients on IFC and doing ultrasounds. She went above and beyond and we have offered her a job here at the clinic. Looking forward to having her join us this summer.
It has been an absolute pleasure having her join me in the classroom this term. She has proven to be a useful resource for my students, providing an additional set of eyes and another perspective that students can relate to. She has been able to develop Art lessons and Science lessons that have truly interested my students. She has shared her experiences with the class and helped to answer any questions/concerns they may have had in regards to their transition into high school next year. She is a unique and special individual and I consider myself very lucky to have had the opportunity to work with her again.
Way to go Chargers!
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!
GWSS Math Department Helps You Get Ready for Next Year’s Math Class
Have you signed up for a math class next school year? Are you a grade 9 student looking to get ahead and prepare for grade 10 math? Are you looking to start preparing for grade 11 math? Or maybe you want to review your skills before you start a grade 12 math course? The GWSS Math Department has created several resources to help you get ready before starting your next math adventure.
Here you will find a chart organized by grade and course with corresponding review packages and solutions, and/or extra help videos to help you start preparing for next year!
Have a safe and wonderful summer!
GWSS Math Department
Volunteer Club
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:
Kerr Street Volunteers
Seeking groups of 5-12 volunteers (aged 14+, under 18’s need adult supervision) who are available for:
Weekly Family Night – Help us build community by serving and dining with our clients on a Monday night. Host a family meal by purchasing, preparing, and serving dinner for up to 42 people. Make it fun for parents and children of all ages with decorations, themes, or a kid friendly activity.
Available dates for 2024: July 15 and 22, December 23
Weekly Adult Activity Social Night – Help us build community by serving and dining with our clients on a Wednesday night. Host a dinner by purchasing, preparing, and serving dinner for up to 42 people. Dine with and host an activity for our adult social night.
Available dates for 2024: July 3, August 21, September 4, November 6
Saturday Breakfast – Help us build community by serving and dining with our clients. Host a fun and healthy breakfast by purchasing, preparing, and serving up to 42 people on a Saturday morning.
Available dates for 2024: July 27
General meal guidelines are available and we have meal plans available for all days.
Please contact us at meals@kerrstreet.com for further information and available dates.
June is Italian Heritage Month
According to the 2021 census, Canada is home to more than 1.5 million people claiming Italian heritage, making it one of the largest Italian diasporas in the world. The history of Italian immigration to Canada dates back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when immigrants looked to find better economic opportunities and to flee political turmoil. Italians arrived in two main waves, creating ethnic neighbourhoods known as “Little Italys”.
While major cities like Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver are known for their large Italian communities, smaller towns and cities also have significant Italian populations. In Oakville alone, 15,315 residents claim Italian ancestry.
Italian-Canadians have made significant contributions to various fields, including art, music, cuisine, and sports. Dante Alighieri societies throughout Canada provide Italian-language courses, films, and lectures with the goal of preserving Italian culture. Other societies such as the Oakville Italian Club seek to give back to the community with events such as their Charity Poker Tournament for the Oakville Hospital.
Happy Italian Heritage Month!
Nativity of St. John the Baptist
The Catholic Church annually commemorates the birth of John the Baptist on June 24, recognizing his unique role as the precursor of Jesus. The solemnity held on this day honors John as an exemplary follower of Christ, and what it means to follow Him.
A solemnity is a feast which holds the highest significance in the Church, surpassing ordinary feast days. While other saints are remembered on the anniversaries of their deaths, St. John the Baptist, alongside the Virgin Mary, is celebrated with solemnities marking both his birth and his death. Why do John and Mary receive such distinguished honors? The Church commemorates Our Lady’s nativity as a recognition of her birth without sin, but what about John? Through the feast of his nativity, the Church suggests that John, too, was born sinless, although there is no definitive teaching on this matter.
Trustee Newsletter
Thank you to School Trustee for Ward 4 Joanna Oliver for all of her work with and advocacy on behalf of our family of schools this year and for joining us once again at our Commencement Ceremony.
Please click here to read the annual Trustee Newsletter that Joanna has asked us to share with the GWSS community.
Please Provide Input for the 2024-2028 Multi Year Plan by June 25
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 questionnaire 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.
Links to Community Resources
School Calendar & Sports Schedule
Important Dates for Your Calendar
Upcoming Key Dates
Jun 20 - 26 Exam Block
Jun 27 Exam Review Day/Last Day of School (early dismissal @10:45 am)
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 9-10 Diploma Pick up
If you have any questions or suggestions for improving the school, our virtual door is always open. Please feel free to contact our admin team by email anytime.
Jacquie Pece, Robin Toffolo, Nancy Annibale, Eric Keunne
This is the last Principal's Blog for the 2023-2024 school year.
We will be back again in the fall. Have a safe and happy summer break Chargers!
