Principal's Message

Good Morning Garth Webb:

Congratulations to The Prom Committee for creating such a wonderful event last Thursday night! It was a huge success!!! The venue was perfect, the food was amazing, there was even a pizza bar and fruit bar after dinner. The photo booth was fun, the awards had students cheering, and the DJ had the kids dancing right from the start. We sure hope that the Prom lived up to the students' expectations. The Grade 12s were the most polite, well dressed, and well behaved group ever!!! I love these Gr. 12s.... I don't want them to leave!!!  

I was fortunate enough to catch some of the Junior Boys Rugby games on Wednesday here at GW. They won all their matches that were played in tournament format with 10 min halves and remain undefeated in their season!! The last game against Abbey Park, we outscored them 36 - 7.  That is pretty impressive considering the short games.  Good luck to both the Jr. & Sr. Boys teams next week for their Semi-Final and Halton Championship games!!  

The Junior Boys Soccer team suffered a tough loss in their Semi-Final game. They were tied 1-1 and then lost in those dreaded penalty kicks. Uughhh! Hold your heads high, you made us proud!!  A huge shoutout to our Lacrosse team for an amazing comeback and overtime win against Aldershot last week. Way to finish off the season with a BIG win!! Our Cricket team is still going strong, as are Baseball and the Track & Field teams. Gooooo Chargers!!

The debate team competed this past weekend against 70 teams from across the GTA. Special recognition goes to Yonina Wu for her outstanding performance, securing two 1st place and two 2nd place finishes in the 5 rounds!! She narrowly missed advancing to the finals!! Way to go!!

And this was a short week!! I look forward to what next week will bring for our Garth Webb students!!

Take care,

Jacquie Pece

GWS School Council Meeting May 27

There is a School Council meeting this coming Monday, May 27, 2024 at 6 pm at Garth Webb S.S.. All Garth Webb parents/guardians are welcome to join us for these meetings.

You can visit the School Council page on the Garth Webb website here to view the meeting agenda as well as to review minutes and other documents from previous meetings.

Congratulations!

Massive congrats goes out to Sam Levac for her commitment to play softball at Westminster College, in New Wilmington, PA, starting in the Fall of 2024.

We can’t wait to follow your post secondary career, Sam! Congratulations!

From Your Student Services Department

Graduation Assembly

On Wednesday, May 22 Student Services met with the Grade 12 cohort to share some information around the commencement ceremony, commencement awards, as well as the Valedictorian nomination speeches.

If you weren’t able to attend, please review the slide deck below as it contains relevant information with regards to the ceremony.

Grad Rehearsal

Grade 11 Class Presentation

This week, guidance counsellors visited all Grade 11 classes, to introduce and discuss the post secondary application process.  The presentation was a quick introduction in order to make students are aware of the various timelines that exist in their Grade 12 year and provide them with some considerations as they move into their senior year of high school.

The slides can be accessed here.

Summer School

Summer school registration is now open through myBlueprint. All information around summer school can be found on this document and also on the Gary Allan website.

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:

The Canadian Food Truck Festivals Organization is looking for volunteers for their Burloak location to greet festival attendees and help raise funds for the Joseph Brant Hospital Foundation. 

Over the summer, Canadian Food Truck Festivals produces five food truck festivals across the GTA: Hamilton, Burlington, Toronto, Pickering and Brampton. Each festival will feature live musical performances, artisan vendors, a children's area and 30-50 food trucks showcasing diverse and delicious menus in beautiful green parks. 

Click here for the poster with more details.

Polish Heritage Month

Statement by Minister Khera on the first-ever Polish Heritage Month in Canada

OTTAWA, May 1,2024

Today marks the start of the first-ever Polish Heritage Month in Canada. Throughout May, we will be celebrating the many contributions of Polish communities. Since the 18th century, people of Polish descent have enriched our country’s cultural diversity, while promoting social justice and solidarity.

Today there are 1.2 million people of Polish descent in Canada. They were among the first ethnocultural groups to come here. The first immigrants arrived from Poland starting in 1752, most of them settling first in Ontario. In fact, Toronto is now home to the largest Polish festival in North America.

Polish Heritage Month is also an occasion to highlight the enduring bonds Polish communities across Canada have maintained with their homeland. Every year, Polish communities in Canada and around the world come together to celebrate Polish Constitution Day, commemorating the historic Polish Constitution of May 3, 1791. Moreover, this inaugural Polish Heritage Month offers a chance to honour Polish National Flag Day, which will take place on May 2.

Throughout May, we are recognizing the many contributions Canadians of Polish descent make to our communities, actively participating in associations and charities while achieving remarkable feats in diverse fields such as the arts, business, politics, education, science and sport.

Canada’s strength lies in its diversity, in the acceptance of all communities and in equality for all. In May, I invite all Canadians to learn more about the heritage and contributions of people of Polish descent in Canada.

I wish you an excellent Polish Heritage Month!

Source

National AccessAbility Week: Forward Together: Accessibility and Inclusion for All

Join us from May 26 to June 1, 2024, to celebrate:

• the valuable contributions and leadership of persons with disabilities in Canada

• the work of allies, organizations, and communities that are removing barriers

• ongoing efforts to become a more accessible and disability inclusive Canada

This year, the theme for National AccessAbility Week is "Forward Together: Accessibility and Inclusion for All," emphasizing the need for collective efforts to create a barrier-free Canada. Our country's strength lies in the diversity of its people—all its people—and we can all contribute to this vision.

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook

Source

Ascension of Baha'u'llah - May 29

From the evening of May 28, 2019 through May 29, 2019, Bahá’ís around the world will celebrate the Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh. The holiday commemorates the anniversary of the death of Bahá’u’lláh, the founder of the Bahá’í Faith. Baha’u’llah was seventy-five years old when he passed away on May 29, 1892.

At the age of 27, Bahá'u'lláh became a follower of the Báb, a Persian merchant who began preaching that God would soon send a new prophet similar to Jesus. The Báb and many of his followers were executed by the Ottoman authorities for their beliefs. Bahá'u'lláh was exiled for the same reason, despite this, in 1863 he declared that he was the expected prophet the Báb spoke of. Since then, Bahá'ís have seen Bahá'u'lláh to be a Manifestation of God.

Source

2SLGBTQIA+ Parent/Guardian Advocacy and Support Group - Next Meeting on June 6

Our next meeting for the 2SLGBTQIA+ Parent/Guardian Advocacy and Support Group will be on Thursday, June 6, 2024 at 7 pm in person at Garth Webb. New members are always welcome to join. Our group is for parents and guardians of children who identify as 2SLGBTQIA+ and/or parents/guardians who identify as 2SLGBTQIA+ themselves.

🏳️‍🌈 At the June meeting we will be joined by special guests from our SAGE group and Pflag Halton. 🏳️‍🌈

Please use this link to RSVP for the meeting. All attendees must RSVP in order to attend. Parents/Guardians are welcome to bring students with you to the meeting this month - you can bring the whole family! 😊

If you would like more information about this meeting or the group, please email Kerri Lee at leeke@hdsb.ca.

Have Your Say!

HDSB Multi-Year Plan Input

Your School Council wishes to ensure that you are aware of the opportunity to provide direct feedback to HDSB on the Multi Year Plan which is open right now and closes on June 3. The Multi-Year Plan (MYP) is the roadmap that guides the Board in creating the conditions for students and staff to 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. 

HDSB Multi-Year Plan Page: https://www.hdsb.ca/our-board/Pages/Multi-Year-Plan-2024-2028.aspx

Parent/guardian engagement is fundamental to student achievement and well-being and the success of our schools.  We encourage you to participate in the Have Your Say Survey. View a message from Amy Collard, Chair, and Curtis Ennis, Director of Education for the Halton District School Board, on why community feedback is important.

The Have Your Say Survey will take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. Participants will be asked to respond to questions related to learning and instruction, safety and well-being, school-home partnership, etc. The surveys are confidential, voluntary, and students and parents/guardians can skip any question they do not wish to answer. The survey is accessible using a mobile device. Surveys are available in the following languages: Arabic, French, Hindi, Punjabi, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, and Urdu.  

Click Here to Have Your Say!

Students in Grades 4 to 12 will receive a link to access the survey through their classroom teacher and will complete the survey during the school day. 

For more information including Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), please visit the Have Your Say webpage or email haveyoursay@hdsb.ca. 

Upcoming Mental Health Information Sessions

ADAPT Presents...

Problem Gambling and Behavioural Addictions Program

Problem Gaming Workshop (4 Evenings)

Monday May 27, June 3, 10, and 24

6:30pm – 8:00pm via ZOOM

Problematic gaming refers to the compulsive and harmful engagement with video games, often resulting in distress, suffering, and/or negative life consequences.

Gaming can be accessed through phones, tablets, gaming consoles, and PC’s. Over time gaming addiction can lead to changes in the brain that compromise our ability to focus, prioritize, regulate our moods, and relate to others.

Individuals struggling with gaming commonly experience prolonged gaming sessions, unsuccessful attempts to cut back, inability to stop despite awareness of consequences, negative impacts on offline life enjoyment, reliance on gaming to escape problems and emotions, strained relationships, academic or career setbacks, and feelings of shame and isolation.

This workshop is tailored for individuals seeking to achieve a healthier balance in their gaming use.

Our 4-day workshop will explore:

• Evolution of Gaming

• Benefits and Motivations of Gaming

• Problematic Gaming, Consequences, and the Gaming Industry

• Building a Healthier Relationship with Gaming: Developing Skills

• Wellness, Mindfulness and Self Care

• Resources and Support

If you are interested in registering for this workshop, please contact Priya via email priyac@haltonadapt.org or telephone (905)875-7924

Upcoming Key Dates

May 27 - Jun 19 Protected Time

Jun 4 Tuesdays @Ten

Jun 10 Class of 2024 Commencement

Jun 20 - 26 Exam Block

Jun 27 Exam Review Day/Last Day of School (early dismissal)

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 9-11 Diploma Pick up