Garth Webb Secondary School registration – Feb 8, 2012

Registration day set for students not currently attending schools within the Halton District School Board

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A special registration day is scheduled for parents who do not currently have students attending schools in the Halton District School Board, but are interested in registering their child/children for Garth Webb Secondary School in Oakville. Garth Webb Secondary School is currently under construction and scheduled to open in September 2012. The registration day will be held:

Wednesday, February 8, 2012 – 2:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Emily Carr Public School, 2255 Pine Glen Road, Oakville

Administrative staff for the new school will be on hand during the registration day so parents can learn more about the school, its programs, and plans for the upcoming year.

The boundary for the school is posted on the Halton District School Board website www.hdsb.ca. See links from the home page under “Program and Accommodation” or under “Schools” and click on Garth Webb Secondary School.

The Eddies are back – enter now!

Input requested on the 2011-2012 Long-Term Accommodation Plan

Parents and community members are invited to review and give feedback on the Halton District School Board’s 2011-2012 Long-Term Accommodation Plan (LTAP). This plan addresses the existing and projected accommodation needs of students in elementary and secondary schools and identifies new capital project initiatives, such as the need for new schools.

Web videos outlining the Long-Term Accommodation Plan for Burlington, Halton Hills, Milton, and Oakville are available online at www.hdsb.ca.

The Long-Term Accommodation Plan is posted on the Board’s website. Follow the “Long-Term Accommodation Plan” link on the home page.

Please provide your input to the Planning Department by February 2, 2012:

• telephone – (905) 335-3663 ext. 3256
• e-mail – plan@hdsb.ca (subject line: LTAP 2011-2012)
• mail – PO Box 5005 STN LCD 1, Burlington, ON L7R 3Z2

Feedback will be reported back to the Board in February 2012.

Special Ed Coffee Chats, Jan thru May 2012

news

January 12, 2012

Special Education Advisory Committee hosts coffee chats
Four sessions planned between January and May 2012

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The Halton District School Board’s Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) has organized four coffee chat sessions for parents of students with special needs. These sessions are open to everyone, are free of charge and do not require registration. Parents can simply drop-in, learn, ask questions and meet other parents.

The guest speaker for the first two sessions is Graeme S. Treeby of The Special Needs Planning Group. It offers advisory services to parents of children with special needs to help with obtaining Ontario Disability Support Plan (ODSP) funding, setting up Henson trusts and Registered Disability Saving Plans (RDSPs), as well as advice on life insurance and wills. The group is comprised of lawyers and accountants who are parents of students with special needs, whose goal is to help parents arrange finances to provide the best possible support for their children. Agendas for Sessions 3 and 4 are still being prepared.

Session 1

Financial planning for parents of children with special needs by Graeme S. Treeby
Tuesday, January 17, 2012 – 7:00-9:30 p.m. at Abbey Park High School, 1455 Glen Abbey Gate, Oakville

Session 2

Financial planning for parents of children with special needs by Graeme S. Treeby
Thursday, February 2, 2012 – 9:45-11:15 a.m. at Gardiner Public School, 14365 Danby Road, Georgetown

Session 3

Topic to be announced at a later date
Friday, April 13, 2012 – 9:30-11 a.m. at M.M. Robinson High School, 2425 Upper Middle Road, Burlington

Session 4

Topic to be announced at a later date
Thursday, May 10, 2012 – 7:00-9:30 p.m. at Tiger Jeet Singh Public School, 640 Yates Drive, Milton

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For additional information, contact:

David Boag, Superintendent of Education-Student Services
Halton District School Board
905-335-3663, boagd@hdsb.ca
Amy MacKenzie, SEAC Chair, amy@mkz.com
Jason Bartlett, SEAC Member at Large, bartlett.jason@gmail.com

French Immersion Info Evenings, January 2012

news

December 20, 2011

Halton District School Board hosts information evenings
for French Immersion programs in January

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The Halton District School Board takes pride in offering Early French Immersion and Extended French programs to the students in their communities with a set entry point in Grade 1 (Early) and Grade 7 (Extended). In these bilingual programs, elementary students attend one of the Board’s French Centres where they receive half of their instruction in English and the other half in French. This gives students the opportunity to achieve a working command of French and to acquire the personal growth, knowledge and skills expected in the regular program at the same time.

In preparation for September 2012, Halton District School Board has planned information sessions at various French Immersion centres where parents will receive specific information, as well as answers to frequently asked questions about Immersion programs. Parents will also receive a French Immersion Program Registration Form.

Deliver or mail your application for Grade 1 Early French Immersion and Grade 7 Extended French Immersion to your child(ren)’s home school as soon as possible, but no later than 9 a.m. on January 20, 2012. Information evenings in Oakville will be held at the following French Immersion Centres:

Wednesday, Jan. 11
• 6:30 p.m. Sunningdale Public School, 1434 Oxford Avenue, Oakville
• 6:30 p.m. Munn’s Public School, 1511 Sixth Line, Oakville
• 6:30 p.m. Sir Earnest MacMillan Public School, 1350 Headon Road, Burlington (For Late Immersion Program – entry point: Grade 7)

Thursday, Jan. 12

• 6:30 p.m. Pineland Public School, 5121 Meadowhill Road, Burlington (For students living in Samuel Curtis Estates)
• 6:30 p.m. James W. Hill Public School, 2860 Kingsway Drive, Oakville
• 6:30 p.m. Palermo Public School, 2561 Valleyridge Drive, Oakville
• 6:30 p.m. École Forest Trail Public School, 1406 Pine Glen Road, Oakville

Wednesday, Jan. 18

• 7 p.m. École Pine Grove Public School, 529 Fourth Line, Oakville

Thursday, Jan. 19

• 6:30 p.m. E.J. James Public School, 338 Cairncroft Road, Oakville

For more information, contact:

Renée B. Meloche, Acting FSL Coordinator
Halton District School Board
905-631-6120, ext. 437

Garth Webb SS on the web

Garth Webb Secondary Shool is on-line. Bookmark this page: http://chatt.hdsb.ca/~gwshs/!

Boys and Girls Learn Differently, Michael Reist, 25 Jan 2012

Boys and Girls Learn Differently

 
The Oakville Parent Education Network Invites you to attend the following event about how gender differences influence learning and behaviour.

• Wednesday, January 25, 2012
• 7 – 9 p.m.
• Holy Trinity Secondary School 2420 Sixth Line, Oakville  view map
• Free Admission!

Description

Boys’ and girls’ brains develop and operate very differently, and understanding the implications of what that means will help both teachers and parents. You’ll learn strategies to raise and teach either gender to help them succeed in school and in life.

Guest Speaker: Michael Reist is a teacher with over 30 years of experience in the classroom.  He is a frequent speaker to parent groups and education conferences across Canada where his workshops on gender differences and learning have drawn large crowds and enthusiastic responses. Michael’s work has been featured on CBC, TV Ontario, Today’s Parent Magazine, The National Post and the Toronto Star. Michael is the author of the forthcoming book Raising Boys In A New Kind Of World. His first book was entitled The Dysfunctional School: Uncomfortable Truths and Awkward Insights on School, Learning and Teaching. He has published over 70 articles on topics ranging from education, spirituality and parenting to movies, books and popular culture.

To RSVP:

• Online
• Call 905-825-6000
• E-mail accesshalton@halton.ca

American Sign Language-English Interpreters available upon request no later than Wednesday January 18, 2012.If you need to cancel, please let us know by contacting:

• Halton Region Dial 311 or call 905-825-6000 TTY: 905-827-9833

In the event of poor weather conditions, please call Halton Region for cancellation information.

Parent Info Evening, Brookdale PS, Thu 19 Jan 2012

Brookdale School Council Special Presentation – Parent Information Evening

Thursday, January 19th, 2012 – 6:00 PM
Brookdale Public School
1195 Bridge Road Oakville, Ontario L6L 2C3

• Food and beverages will be served
• No charge to parents
• Open to parents in the community
• Three fantastic guest speakers
• Andrea Ramsay Speers -Psychotherapist & Parent Coach
• Joe Coltson – Former Police Officer, specializing in computer forensics
• Constable Hatanaka – Halton Regional Police Service
• Relevant and interesting subject matter
• Positive parenting
• Cyber bullying
• Internet safety

Please RSVP by Friday, January 13th, 2012 – brdchair@hdsb.ca

January 2012 Grade 9 & 10 Info Evenings

Parents of Grade 8 students who will attend Oakville high schools in September 2012 are welcome to come and learn more about Grade 9 programs, services for students, and diploma requirements. Parents should attend the Parents’ Information Night at their home school (the school designated for their community). For more information, please contact the school office.

Abbey Park High School Thursday, January 12 at 6:30 p.m. 905 827-4101 http://aph.hdsb.ca	T.A. Blakelock High School Thursday, January 12 at 7 p.m. 905 827-1158 http://tab.hdsb.ca
Oakville Trafalgar High School Thursday, January 12 at 7 p.m. 905 845-2875 http://oth.hdsb.ca	Iroquois Ridge High School Thursday, January 19 at 6:30 p.m. 905 845-0012 http://irs.hdsb.ca
White Oaks Secondary School (South Campus) Thursday, January 12 at 7:00 p.m. 905 845-5200 http://wos.hdsb.ca

Garth Webb Secondary School

New Secondary School Opening in September 2012

Parents of Grade 9 students currently attending Abbey Park High School or White Oaks Secondary School designated to attend Grade 10 at Garth Webb Secondary School, are invited to a Grade 10 Information Night on Wednesday, January 18 at 7:30 p.m. at White Oaks Secondary School.

Parents of Grade 8 students designated to attend Grade 9 at Garth Webb Secondary School in September 2012, are invited to attend a Grade 9 Information Night at one of the locations listed below. Parents may attend any of the meetings.

West Oak Public School 2071 Fourth Line, Oakville Tuesday, January 10 at 7 p.m. 905 469-6119 http://wes.hdsb.ca	Captain R. Wilson Public School 2145 Grand Oak Trail, Oakville Tuesday, January 17 at 7 p.m. 905 465-3881 http://crw.hdsb.ca
Emily Carr Public School 2255 Pine Glen Rd., Oakville Wednesday, January 11 at 7 p.m. 905 827-3928 http://ecs.hdsb.ca	Palermo Public School 2561 Valleyridge Drive, Oakville Thursday, January 19 at 7 p.m. 905 469-1138 http://palps.hdsb.ca

Inquiries regarding the new secondary school can be forwarded to: Mr. Larry O’Malley, Principal of Garth Webb Secondary School at 905 335-3663 ext. 3205 or omalleyl@hdsb.ca.

Reading – Don’s December 2011 Picks

The last month or six weeks have found schools and communities at odds over supervision, responsibility, authority and liability. Psychotherapist and parenting expert, Alyson Schafer, and columnist, speaker and common sense parenting pundit, Lenore Skenazy have been given a little airtime to comment.

Listening to their words of wisdom has done what they probably hoped and caused me to purchase their books: Schafer’s “Honey, I Wrecked the Kids” and Skenazy’s “Free-Range Kids”.

Both authors spoke regarding the recent Toronto public school ball ban, and their interviews are available online. Schafer can be heard on CBC’s Ontario Morning from Friday November 18, 2011: ontariomorning_20111117_89567.mp3 (it may take a minute to load, the interview is about half way through), and Skenazy can be watched on SunNews at Free Range Kids (be prepared for Charles Adler’s irreverence).

I’m hoping to get through both these books before the new year. If you pick up either, I’d be interested in hearing what you think.

Give Respect Get Respect 2012 Halton School Challenge

Students in Halton are getting the message out: Understand the impact of bullying and take responsibility. Standing by is part of the problem. Speak up! Be the solution.

The message can be seen on buses, at the movies, and all around us thanks to Police Service’s, the Region’s and the School Boards’ joint “Give Respect, Get Respect” campaign.

The Halton Regional Police Service, Halton Region, Halton District School Board and Halton Catholic District School Board recognize the profound impact and long-term effects bullying can have on our youth, their families and friends. As such, they united to develop a multi-faceted Give Respect, Get Respect – Join the Movement bullying awareness and prevention campaign that began in November 2010 and continues this year.

The “Words Can Hurt But They Also Can Heal” bus poster is one of the winning entries from the 2011 campaign. The 2012 “Give Respect Get Respect – Join the Movement” program will focus on the power of students to create a respectful positive environment to prevent bullying. The challenge has been extended to include Grades 6-12 Halton students.

Additional information on the program is available on the Halton Regional Police Service “Give Respect Get Respect” webpage.

View three of the four award-winning 2010-2011 challenge submissions:

• Lester B. Pearson High School Bullying Awareness Poster
• T.A. Blakelock High School Bullying Awareness Calendar
• Milton District High School Bullying Awareness Video

French Classes for Parents – January 2012

French Classes for Parents by CPF at Two Oakville Locations

If you are interested in Parent French classes for this winter please email right away: slee@cpfont.on.ca and tell them your name, choice of school location for classes, level (beginner/intermediate/advanced), CPF membership number (if you have one) and your email address and phone number; they are making arrangements now.

Your Choice of Location:

•  Palermo Public School, Wednesday, January 11th, 2012
•  École Forest Trail Public School, Tuesday, January 10th, 2012

Duration:

•  10 weeks

Cost:

•  $125 for CPF members/$150 for non-CPF members (This includes 1 year CPF embership)
• There may be a small additional fee for materials
• Please bring payment by cheque to the first class; sorry but they are unable to accept credit cards

Special Board Meeting – Boundary Reviews, Audited Financials, 30 Nov 2011

A Special Meeting of the Halton District School Board will be held on Wednesday, November 30, 2011 at the J.W. Singleton Centre in Burlington to receive two reports:

• Report 11175: “Accommodation Pressures and School Boundary Review Initiatives”; and
• Report 11177: “2010/2011 Financial Statements and Accumulated Surplus Balances” (page 7 of the linked agenda package).

The 2010 Long Term Accommodation Plan (LTAP) provided enrolment projections for the years 2011 to 2020 for each Elementary and Secondary Review Area (ERA and SRA) in the Board as well as for each elementary and secondary school within the system, and is available on Board’s Planning webpages at www.hdsb.ca/AboutUs/Planning/Pages/LongTermAccommodationPlan.aspx. Along with the capital projects, the 2010 LTAP identified the need for school boundary studies and outlined issues related to enrolment occurring in various review areas throughout the board.

Report 11175 identifies two areas in Oakville and two areas in Milton where boundary reviews need to be initiated sooner than anticipated:

1. OAKVILLE – Captain R. Wilson, Emily Carr and Palermo Public Schools
2. OAKVILLE – Abbey Lane, Forest Trail, Heritage Glen, Pilgrim Wood and West Oak Public Schools
3. MILTON – Bruce Trail, Chris Hadfield, Hawthorne Village and Tiger Jeet Singh Public Schools
4. MILTON – Escarpment View and PL Robertson Public Schools

Regarding Halton’s Milton enrolments, the report notes:

These school projects were submitted to the Ministry of Education for funding under their Capital Priorities Template. The Ministry of Education did not approve funding for these two projects. The timing and development of these schools in future years will be contingent upon the Board obtaining capital funding from the Ministry of Education.

With PL Roberstson PS in Milton projected to exceed its site capacity by fall 2012, and Palermo PS in Oakville projected to exceed it site capacity in 2013, the Ontario Government’s failure to fund the HDSB’s capital priorities is creating significant challenges. The impact will be more clearly deliniated in the 2011 Long-Term Accommodation Plan coming out shortly.

Table 2 in the report summarizes other accommodation issues in the region identified in the 2010 LTAP, including Oakville Wards 1&2, Lakeshore Woods, Samuel Curtis Estates, Ward 4 and Palermo.

Our Kids Network – Halton Report Card 2011

Thanks to the SWO School Councils and Home & Schools for making me welcome at your meetings. It is valuable to me to hear what’s going on in your schools and communities, and to give you a glimpse of what’s happening at the Halton District School Board board table.

At some of your meetings this month I mentioned that the board had just heard a presentation about the Halton Our Kids Network “Report Card 2011, A Vision for Children in Halton” given by OKN Director, Elena DiBattista. Our Kids Network is a partnership of organizations in Halton to help support children, youth and families in our community. Here’s an excerpt that describes the purpose of their third report card since 2004:

• Provides halton-specific information that will enable community members, professionals, service providers, and organizations to identify
  areas of vulnerability and strength in the population of young children, reveal gaps, indicate changes needed, and implement those changes;
• Paints a clearer picture of the neighbourhood environments in which our children and youth (from 0 to 18 years old) are growing;
• Is a Planning tool for providers to meet needs and fill gaps;
• Is a measuring tool to track improvement in the well-being of children and youth over time and to help promote and guide further research;
• Initiatates ongoing collaborative efforts among people and organizations involved in child development;
• Builds awareness of the needs of Halton Children and youth;
• Stimulates community action to help young people get the best possible start in life.

So rather than go on at length, I will suggest that their website: www.ourkidsnetwork.ca is a much better resource. I believe the 2008 report is posted there, but I haven’t seen this year’s in digital format except on sites like our neighbour’s, the Halton Catholic District School Board. I have one paper copy, but it is tough to lend out to everyone for its intended use. So click here to download a copy of the Report Card 2011 (PDF 40.1MB!) or the Executive Summary (PDF 5.5MB). Go digital, I say, and save a tree. I don’t want to waste my printed copy though, so if you really need it, let me know.

Can Sleep Improve Marks? 21 Nov 2011, 8:00PM

Can Sleep Improve Marks?

The Facts about Sleep and Teenagers

David Posen MD is one of the top rated Stress and Change Management speakers today and focuses on Stress, Burnout, the elusive balance between work and life, and his latest focus the impact of Sleep on Teenagers.

Dr. Alan Brown is the Chief & Physician Program Director for the Dept. of Psychiatry, Oakville – Trafalgar Memorial Hospital. Dr. Brown has also been the consulting psychiatrist to both the Halton Board of Education and the Peel Board of Education.

When: Monday Nov. 21 at 8:00 pm
Where: White Oaks Secondary School
South Campus Cafetorium
1330 Montclair Dr., Oakville, ON

Presented by White Oaks Secondary School Council
FREE ADMISSION

Laurel Broten Speaks at People for Education Conference

Watch Minister of Education, Laurel Broten’s inaugural speech at this year’s People for Education Conference on November 5.

Introducing Garth Webb Secondary School

Halton District School Board selects names for new public high schools in Oakville and Milton

At the November 16, 2011 Board meeting, trustees of the Halton District School Board selected names for the two new high schools currently under construction in Oakville and Milton. The names for the new schools were selected from a shortlist of names collected on-line and in ballot boxes in neighbourhood schools and public libraries.

The name chosen for the new Oakville high school located at 2820 Westoak Trails Blvd. is Garth Webb Secondary School.

Garth Webb is a Burlington resident and World War II veteran of the D-Day Normandy campaign. Mr Webb spearheaded the establishment of a non-profit organization, called the Juno Beach Association, and began raising the $10 million necessary to build an interpretation centre as a lasting memorial to sacrifices and contributions of Canadian soldiers. Mr Webb spent years relentlessly raising money for the centre, ultimately securing money from the Government of France, the Government of Canada, provincial governments, schools, businesses and from Wal-Mart Canada. The Juno Beach Centre and Museum opened on June 6, 2003 at Courseulles-sur-Mer, France with more than one thousand Canadian Veterans in attendance. Since it’s opening, more than 660 school groups and hundreds of teachers and educators have visited the Juno Beach Centre.

The name chosen for the new Milton high school is Craig Kielburger Secondary School. The school, which will replace E.C. Drury High School, is currently under construction at 1151 Ferguson Drive in Milton.

At the age of twelve, Craig Kielburger started a school-based club to raise funds and awareness about child labour. Today, that club is “ Free the Children” – an international non-profit organization that empowers North American students to become global and active citizens.

Since its founding, the organization has built more than 750 schools in developing countries, provided education to more than 55,000 children every day, established 23,000 alternative income programs and provided clean water and medical programs to hundreds of thousands of families. Free the Children runs events and youth leadership training conferences that encourage and inspire young people to get out into their local communities and ‘be the change’. Kielburger is also co-founder of “Me to We”, an innovative social enterprise, which challenges the notions of consumption and redefines the relationship between business and charity. Today, Free the Children is the world’s largest network of children helping children through education, with more than one million young people involved in programs in 45 countries.

TAB TIPS: Drugs and Teens, Tue 29 Nov 2011, 7:00PM

The Informed Parent Series (TIPS)

Drugs and Teens

T. A. Blakelock High School Parent Council presents guest speaker Claire Langridge, R.C.Y.W., Addictions Counsellor, Know The D.E.A.L. Program, ADAPT Halton, to talk about drug use in teens and her role in the school.

Joining us for questions will be Constable Mark Vegso, High School Liaison Officer, Halton Regional Police.

When: Tuesday, November 29
7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Where: T. A. Blakelock High School
1160 Rebecca Street, Oakville

RSVP to Sandy McDonald at sandyMc0883@gmail.com
Or contact T.A. Blakelock at 905-827-1158

New NW Oakville high school naming 16 Nov 2011

At last night’s board meeting, the Halton District School Board received Report 11160 – Naming New Schools for consideration at our next meeting on November 16. The 100-plus name suggestions for the new NW Oakville high school received from the community between September 23 and October 14 are listed in the report. The SRA 103 naming committee met October 21 and the following shortlist of names was selected:

• Garth Webb High School
• Joyce Burnell High School
• Oak Trails High School
• Oakville Concordia High School

The process the board uses to select a school name is described in detail in our administrative procedure for Naming New Schools. The name that appears in the recommendation to the board is determined in the following manner:

1. Trustees nominate names from the shortlist;
2. Trustees consider the merits of the nominated names;
3. Trustees vote for one name by secret ballot;
4. If no name receives a majority of the votes, the name receiving the fewest votes is removed from the ballot and the vote is repeated;
5. If two names remain and both receive an equal number of votes, both names are “put into a hat” and one name is drawn;
6. The name chosen through this process is then entered into the resolution “Be it resolved that the Halton District School Board name the new secondary school located at
   2820 Westoak Trails Blvd, Oakville (SRA 103), _______________________.”

Trustees vote on this resolution by show of hands.

Halton District School Board meetings are open to the public and begin at 7:00PM. They are held in the Board Room at the J.W. Singleton Education Centre, 2050 Guelph Line, Burlington, ON L7P 5A8. Board Agendas and Minutes may be found at: www.hdsb.ca/BoardroomTrustees/Pages/BoardAgendaMinutes.aspx.

People for Education “Making Connections” Conference, Nov 5-6, 2011

Last chance to register Our conference on Saturday Nov. 5th and Sunday Nov. 6th at York University is going to be amazing! There are a limited number of tickets left. So if you haven’t reserved one yet, act now! >> Register now. >> View the full program of workshops and panel discussions. Be among the first to hear from our new Minister of Education, Laurel Broten.  Find out what’s in store for the coming year. Connect with others who care passionately about our schools. Share ideas and learn so much.

Or join us online: Saturday 1:15 p.m TUNE IN SAT. NOV. 5 TO WATCH THIS SESSION LIVE! LIVE STREAMING 1:15 to 2:15 PM on your computer, from the home page of TVOParents website. What makes a great teacher? This panel discussion will be moderated by Cheryl Jackson, host TVOParents Panel: Dr. Ben Levin, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto Lucille Nathan, Teacher, Toronto District School Board Dr. Dennis Shirley, Professor, Lynch School of Education, Boston College Tim Workman, Interim Director, Advanced Learning and Technology, University of New Brunswick You can participate from home via Twitter! Watch the discussion online. You can send us your comments and questions for the panelists via Twitter. Simply including this code in your tweet: #p4e2011  (It is called a hashtag).