Immunization Clinic – December 12 at Westside SS

Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health will be visiting Westside Secondary School on Tuesday, December 12^th, 2023 to provide vaccines to students who recently received an immunization notice for overdue vaccines.

As well, any students who would like to receive or complete their Hepatitis B, HPV, &/or Varicella vaccine series are welcome to attend this school clinic.

To book an appointment please visit: https://wdgpublichealth.ca/clinics-classes/2022-23-high-school-immunization-clinics.

If the required vaccines have already been received, please submit a copy to Public Health to ensure your record is up to date.  You can report your vaccines in many ways:

• Bring a copy of your record to the school clinic
• Online: immunizewdg.ca
• Email: [email protected]
• Call: 1-800-265-7293 ext. 4396

 

Thank you!

 

Grad Photos – December 4-8th

Attention grade 12s!

Time slots are now available online for booking your Grad Photos on the Pegasus website, at the link below..

https://pegasus-si.com/school-appointments/wssch3577/?ct_bot_detector_event_token=a4fc6726de465100b07cdff0ad92e524fbb31565c1b8d97ecf42e7f5d1835f8c

Grad photos will be taken December 4-8th in the cafeteria. Make sure to reserve your time slot !

Warm Winter Wishes Donations

Winter can be a difficult time for many families and students, but you can make a difference by donating to the Westside’s Warm Winter Wishes. Donations will be used to purchase gift cards & essential items that are tailored to the needs of the recipient, ensuring that each gift is meaningful and uplifting. Your contribution, regardless of size, will have a powerful impact on our community and create a ripple effect of kindness that lasts well beyond the holiday season. Please consider making a donation to Warm Winter Wishes and spreading joy to others in the Westside community. We will be collecting donations until December 15th. Donations can be made through School Cash online at the link below or in person at Westside.

https://ugdsb.schoolcashonline.com/Fee/Details/73899/64/False/True

Thank you so much!

Parents/guardians invited to complete WHY Survey to help improve well-being of youth

All parents/guardians in the Upper Grand District School Board are invited to complete the 2023 WHY Survey, in partnership with Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health.

The purpose of the Well-being Health and Youth (WHY) Surveys is to collect information from youth, parents, and school staff about youth health and well-being. These surveys will identify issues that could be addressed by schools, school boards, and local service providers. The information will be used to inform planning decisions, including Board Improvement Plans. Because the surveys are conducted every two years, we can also monitor trends over time.

The WHY Surveys include questionnaires for students, parents and school staff. Grade 4 to 12 students at schools within the UGDSB and Wellington Catholic District School Board will be asked to participate in the student survey. These grades were chosen so that we have a full picture of how students are doing throughout their time in school. All school staff and parents will also be invited to complete a survey.

Participation is voluntary. Students, parents and staff do not have to answer every question and may choose to stop at any time. Additionally, the survey will not collect identifying information from students or parents and all information collected will be strictly confidential. Only aggregated data will be reported publicly to ensure anonymity for individual students, teachers, parents, schools, and boards.

The surveys will run from November 13 to November 24, 2023. Parents/guardians can complete the parent/guardians survey at https://is.gd/2024parentwhy.

Thank you for supporting this survey and our efforts to place students’ well-being at the centre of everything we do!

School Council Meeting Presentation

Thank you to Rob Marchildon for speaking to School Council about applying to post-secondary programs.

A link to his slides can be found here.

 

 

It’s that time of year again – everything you need to know about UG Inclement Weather Procedures

GUELPH, ON – It’s that time of year again and we wanted to share a refresh with our school community about Inclement Weather Procedures.

BUS DELAYS/CANCELLATIONS:

In the event of bus cancellations, all schools will remain open for students and staff who can get there safely.

If parents/guardians do not feel it is safe to bring their child/ren to school, the decision to keep their child/ren home is theirs to make. Just be sure to let your child’s school know that they will not be attending that day.

Bus cancellation days have the potential to significantly impact student learning for students who are unable to attend in-person. Students affected by bus cancellations will be supported in their learning through activities provided by their teacher in their Google Classroom.

Please note that school bus delays and cancellations are NOT posted to Upper Grand District School Board websites or social media. This information is shared by Service de transport de Wellington-Dufferin Student Transportation Services (STWDSTS).

The STWDSTS website will always contain the most up-to-date information on school bus delays and cancellations.

Parents/guardians can sign up for cancellation/delay alerts through the STWDSTS website by clicking HERE.

SCHOOL CLOSURES:

On the rare occasions when schools and board sites are closed to staff and students (e.g. power outages, weather closures), students are to shift to remote learning, where possible. Staff should not report to work in person and should shift to remote working where possible.

Remote activities for the day may include teachers posting activities to Google Classrooms, which can be accessed by students. Teachers will plan for the possibility of emergency school closures and will be prepared to pivot to remote learning.

Consideration will also be given to providing or assigning work and/or devices ahead of time that supports students who do not have internet access from home, where possible.

If the decision is made to close schools, an alert will be posted on the board and school websites, information will be posted on the UGDSB Twitter page and UGDSB Facebook page, Instagram (stories only), and local media will be alerted.

Make sure you check in the early morning for closure information.

For more information about UGDSB Inclement Weather Procedures, visit the board website.

Professional Activity Day Description – Nov. 24, 2023

Date: November 24, 2023

Length: Full Day

Topics:

• Elementary Topic: Parent-Guardian / Teacher Interviews
• Secondary Topic 1:  AM – Curriculum PD and Workshops
• Secondary Topic 2:  PM – Workplace Violence Prevention Training as per the Collective Agreement

Entity Hosting: Upper Grand DSB

Presenter(s)/Facilitator(s): School Administrators and Online Modules

Description: 

Elementary Staff will spend the full day communicating with parents/guardians about student progress after the Progress Reports go home this November.

Secondary Staff – will spend half the day on Literacy and STEM learning as outlined below.

• Literacy
  • Implementation of the new curriculum and effective practices for supporting students in the new Grade 9 de-streamed English course to consolidate foundational knowledge and skills
  • Literacy across the curriculum and subject courses 
• STEM
  • Supporting student improvement in K-12 Mathematics through high impact instructional approaches and alignment with curriculum
  • A focus on high-impact instructional practices to support students in the Grade 9 de-streamed math course
  • Breaking down barriers to tech education
  • Understanding Skilled Trades the Apprenticeship Pathway
  • STEM across the curriculum and subject courses

Secondary Staff will spend the afternoon completing mandatory Workplace Violence Prevention Training on the board’s Online Learning Platform. This is self-directed learning made of online modules for staff to work through independently.

Entity Hosting: Upper Grand DSB

Presenter(s)/Facilitator(s): Independent / Individual

School Council Meeting Nov. 7th

Please join us for an information session with Rob Marchildon, Program Leader of Guidance about applying to post-secondary school.  The information session will be held in person in the Learning Commons (library) on Nov. 7th at 7:00 p.m.

Applications being accepted for trustee vacancy in Orangeville

The board is accepting applications to fill the vacant trustee position representing the Town of Orangeville.

Message for School Councils and Families..

The Upper Grand District School Board is accepting applications to fill the vacant trustee position representing the Town of Orangeville. This position is for the term of December 2023 to November 2026.

About School Board Trustees..

The UGDSB has ten elected trustee members who represent the municipalities within the counties of Dufferin and Wellington. Trustees are accountable to UGDSB communities and to the province for continuous improvement in the level of student achievement in their schools.

School board trustees hold no individual authority. Individual trustees are given no authority through the Education Act. Once the Board of Trustees has voted, individual trustee members are legally bound by the majority decision, regardless of whether they supported it during debate or voted in opposition.

Trustees are responsible for setting board policy and priorities. They are for responsible ensuring that the board’s funding allocation is spent in keeping with the board’s budget and within the framework of provincial legislation and policy.

For more information on the application process, see the posting on the UGDSB website.

Your Future/Your Choice Event – Nov 15th

The Upper Grand District School Board and the Career Education Council welcome school communities to attend Your Future/Your Choice on November 15! This event is a great opportunity for students and families to speak to representatives from colleges and universities, as well as local employers and community organizations.

Please see the link for more information –>  Your Future Your Choice Event Information

Attendance Support Week 4

This week, let’s discuss some things to do if all the strategies you’ve tried so far to encourage regular attendance at school with your child haven’t worked.

• Be consistent! Don’t give up. And know that there are supports for parents if you need them. “Put on your own oxygen mask, before others.”
• There are resources available within schools and community supports if there are other barriers to attendance such as having enough food for lunches.
• Here’s a great resources with existing handouts and evidence based information: https://www.attendanceworks.org/

For more information, please visit the UGDSB website: https://www.ugdsb.ca/parents/student-attendance-at-school-tips-and-strategies-for-families/

Purdys Chocolates

Want to know the most DELICIOUS way to support us? Order Purdys chocolates from our fundraiser!

This year, we’re hoping to raise $1000 for Westside 2024 Prom, and we need YOUR help!

From now until Novemeber 28^th, you can order Purdys treats from our fundraiser by joining our campaign and browsing the tastiest selection of Holiday chocolates online. Shop gifts for family, friends, neighbours AND yourself in one convenient place. After all orders are submitted, we’ll sort, distribute, and let you know when you can collect your goodies.

What you’ll need to order:

1. Our campaign number: 66484

2. Go to our fundraising website: https://fundraising.purdys.com/1705239-109118

3. Click “Join Campaign”

4. Shop, shop, shop away!

Thank you EVERYONE for your support. Even if you can’t buy chocolates from us, it would mean the world if you could share this fundraiser link to everyone you know!

Happy chocolating!

FlipGive

Hello Westside Community,

This year, fundraising for Westside Secondary School is going to be so much easier with FlipGive, a free team funding app.

We earn cash back on every purchase we make all year long! All you have to do is shop anytime with the brands you already love through the FlipGive app. It is completely virtual, contactless and easy to use.

Join our team now and you’ll get a $5 bonus the first time you shop: https://flipgive.app.link/teams/join?joincode=CSNGZ9

Or enter this code: CSNGZ9

All proceeds go towards Westside’s Prom Committee. Join the FlipGive team now to contribute to fund an unforgettable Prom for our 2024 Grads!

Want to learn more? Check out this 2 minute video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vTO_Qg4n80

Provide your feedback on UGDSB draft policies

At the October 24th Board meeting, the following policy items were approved. All updates have been made on the board website (www.ugdsb.on.ca/board/policy).

The following updated policy was approved:

• Policy 208 – Smoke and Vape-Free Environment

Policy Feedback Opportunities

The following policies were released for public consultation:

• Policy 200 – Community Use of Schools
• Policy 317 – Student Fees (New name)
• Policy 420 – Recruitment and Selection (New)
• Policy 519 – First Nation, Métis, Inuit Self-Identification and Education

You are invited to review the policy drafts and submit online feedback at www.ugdsb.ca/board/policy. The deadline for public input is December 8, 2023 at 4 pm EST. Persons without internet access may call 519-822-4420 (or toll-free 1-800-321-4025) ext. 544 to request a printed copy of the draft documents.

PINK DAY – Friday October 27