May Community Newsletter

May 2025 Community Newsletter

Greetings:

We are now in the last quarter of the school year and are looking forward to supporting continued student learning and growth as we head into the month of May. As we plan for the final couple of months of this school year and look ahead to 2025-26, we are committed to supporting the progression plans of many graduates, improving program and opportunities for our returning students, and creating opportunities for our incoming Class of 2029 to connect with one another. As a staff, we are here to partner with our families to help students realize their academic and pathway goals!

Sincerely,

Brian Goodram, Principal

Important Calendar Dates:

Date:	Event(s):	Audience:
Thurs. May 1st	Canadian Cancer Society Relay 4 Life Event (3:30pm; Sports field)	All students
May 5th-9th	Mental Health Week (activities planned all week)	All students
Tues. May 6th	Career Conversations Day (Periods 1 and 2; see Other News)	Grade 10 students
Thurs. May 8th	International Baccalaureate Exam Period Begins (through May 21)	Students enrolled in IB
Mon. May 19th	Statutory Holiday—Victoria Day (no school)	All
Mon. May 26th	Grade 8 Day (rain date May 30th)	Incoming Grade 9’s
Tues. May 27th	School Council (6:15pm; Library/Learning Commons)	Parents/Guardians
Wed. May 28th	Prom (5pm; Liuna Station)	Class of 2025 and Guests
Fri. May 30th	Grad Breakfast (Period 1-2; Cafeteria/Courtyard)	Class of 2025

Shout Outs / Good News:

Semi-Formal:

Thank you to Mr. Paskinov for his continuous leadership and support of Semi-Formal and to the student leaders for planning and executing this event. This was, once again, another wonderful evening for our students to connect and express joy with one another.

Bay Area Science and Engineering Fair (BASEF):

Last month, a group of IB Science students represented Westdale at the BASEF. The team of 10 students won the G.H. Gildea Memorial trophy for being the top scoring school at the fair! In addition, the following students won individual awards:

• Lara M: BASEF Inspiration Award and Silver medal for the project “How do varying concentrations of Dawn dish soap in water affect the germination rates of beans?”
• Junnah A: Bronze medal for the project “The difference in effectiveness of neutralization of HCL between different brands of antacids”
• Shayaan A: Bronze medal for the project “How do hypoxia scores and age impact survival of PAAD cancer patients, and what patterns emerge?”
• Zabel S: Bronze medal for the project “How does the type of flour fed to sourdough starter effect the volume growth after 24 hours?”
• Alyssa A: Chemical Institutes of Canada (Hamilton Section) award for the project “How does baking time impact the Vitamin C concentration in red bell pepper?”
• Diana N: Chemical Institutes of Canada (Hamilton Section) award for the project “What is the effect of changing the colour of bell peppers on their Vitamin C concentration?”

Thank you to Ms. Lepischak and the Science department for their support of this event and for continuing to provide authentic, inquiry-based learning opportunities for our students. Amazing work!

PRO Grant Event:

Thank you to Westdale’s School Council and Co-Chairs Catherine Roberts and Claire Rivlin for their work in bringing a presentation from Dr. Jean Clinton to Westdale last month. This event was made possible through PRO Grant funding and collaboration with Ancaster and Dundas Valley School Councils. The presentation on adolescent mental health and well-being was informative and engaging for the 150+ parents in attendance!

Tastebuds Funding:

In April, Westdale received another generous donation of funds to support our nutrition program here at Westdale. This funding comes from Tastebuds, made available through the National School Food Program, for the purchase of food and consumable supplies. We are grateful for the ongoing support of this program as it helps to support our students health and readiness for learning each day. Thank you to Ms. Venizelos for her ongoing leadership of our nutrition program and to the team of staff (Ms. Brissett, Ms. Francisci, Ms. Khalid, Mr. Paskinov) who volunteer their time to serve breakfast to students each week!

Earth Week:

Thank you to our EcoWarriors 4 Wellness club and Ms. Linton and Ms. Hanowski for organizing a variety of Earth Week activities during Earth Week, including our Courtyard Cleanup event. Many students chipped in to clean garbage and debris from our Courtyard to prep it for our collective use. We are fortunate to have access to nature and an outdoor gathering space in the heart of our school!

City Champions!

Congratulations to the Grade 9 Boys Basketball team and Coaches Mr. Meyer and Mr. Francis on winning the City Championship. The Warriors defeated the Westmount Wildcats in the championship game to claim the title. Way to go, Warriors!

Other News:

Parent Involvement Committee (PIC):

The Parent Involvement Committee (PIC) is currently receiving applications for the 2025-26 school year. The application deadline is May 29, 2025 at 11:59pm. PIC acts as an advisory body to HWDSB and provides an important link between parents, School Councils and the Board’s Trustees and Director of Education. As a member of PIC, parents have an opportunity to become part of a dedicated team committed to helping every student achieve. Please visit our Parent Involvement Committee page at www.hwdsb.on.ca to learn more (Elementary/Secondary—Get Involved—Parent Involvement Committee). The application form can be found on the Parent Involvement Committee website. We encourage our Westdale parents to get involved and share their insight and ideas!

Focus On Youth:

Since 2008, Focus on Youth has provided students, including many underrepresented and underserved students, with the opportunity to develop leadership skills, gain work experience, and give back to their community. Focus on Youth is a 7-week employment program, consisting of one week of pre-employment training and six weeks of a community placement. The goal of Focus on Youth is to hire students who will benefit most from this experience. HWDSB is thrilled to announce that new this year, each student hired with Focus on Youth will also earn summer co-op credits. The application window is now open to apply through the Focus on Youth webpage and will be open until 5pm on Friday May 23rd. Students will need to upload a cover letter and resume to apply and Westdale staff are here to support with this process. Additional information is shared on the poster (right):

Career Conversations Day:

As shared on the Calendar, Grade 10 students will be participating in Career Conversations day during periods 1 and 2 on Tuesday May 6th. This is part of a Ministry of Education initiative where students will have opportunities for access to career coaching by the end of Grade 10. On this day, students will be connected to session conducted by guest speaker recruited by the Hamilton Industry Council based on surveys students have completed. Thank you to our many community partners for bringing this learning to our students and to Mr. Meyer for his leadership of the event. We look forward to providing Grade 10 students to with this opportunity connect with professionals and learn about their career journeys!

IT Reminders for Students:

At Westdale and HWDSB, we are fortunate that each student is provided with a 1:1 device to support their learning. Laptops are used by our grade 9 and 10 students while our grade 11 and 12 students are equipped with iPads. For the laptops specifically, our Library/Learning Commons staff frequently remind students to have their laptop software updated, including “optional” updates. Students must restart their computer to push out the updates properly. AUTOMOX is automatically pushed out to all student laptops and will ask students to restart their computers. Students are reminded to use their OneDrive account for saving all school related work. Videos and Laptop Hospital are available to students on the Westdale Library / Learning Commons Hubpage.