January Community Newsletter

January 2026 Community Newsletter

Greetings:

On behalf of our school staff, we are excited to welcome our students back after the winter break! We hope
that students and families were able to find some time to rest, and engage in activities that bring joy, over
the past couple of weeks. As we head into January, we have 12 instructional days remaining before semester 1 final evaluations. In the next few weeks, students will be engaged in end of semester tasks, including
culminating activities. We look forward to seeing students demonstrate their learning and growth from this
past semester.

Sincerely,

Brian Goodram, Principal

Important Calendar Dates:

Date:	Event(s):	Audience:
Wednesday Jan. 7th	Executive Functioning Lunch and Learn for Jr. Students (P. 4; Rm. 1062)	Grade 9/10 students with an Individual Education Plan
Thursday Jan. 8th	Co-Op Career Fair (TF2 and TF3; Library/Learning Commons)	Students enrolled in semester 1 Co-Op
Wednesday Jan. 14th	Quiet Days begin (through Final Evaluations); see Other News for details	All students
Thursday Jan. 15th	Grade 9 Course Selection Information Session	Incoming Grade 9 (Class of 2030)
Tuesday Jan. 20th	Last Instructional Day of Semester 1	All Students
Wednesday Jan. 21st	Period 1 Final Evaluations (9am start)	All Students
Thursday Jan. 22nd	Period 2 Final Evaluations (9am start)	All Students
Friday Jan. 23rd	Period 3 & 4 Final Evaluations (9am start)	All Students
Monday Jan. 26th	Period 5 Final Evaluations (9am start)	All students
Tuesday Jan. 27th	Make Up Evaluation Day   School Council (6:15pm; Library/Learning Commons)	Students requiring an additional evaluation day / opportunity Parents/Guardians
Wednesday Jan. 28th	PA Day (no school)	All students
Thursday Jan. 29th	Future Readiness Day	All students
Friday Jan. 30th	First Day of Semester 2	All students

Shout Outs / Good News:

Gift and Give: The Westdale Way:

Thank you to Ms. Venizelos and Ms. O’Leary for their leadership with the Holiday Hamper / Gift Card initiative in support of Westdale students and families. On Dec. 17th, Holiday Hampers (filled with groceries, toiletries, personalized presents, and gift cards) were delivered to over 50 families. As with last year, our community responded generously with funds and gift cards. Once again, a community donor who wishes to remain anonymous, individually donated $4,000 worth of grocery gift cards. Collectively, our school community raised over $13,000! Thank you to all who donated their time and/or resources to contribute to this impactful program.

Little Women Musical:

Thank you to Mr. Iachelli for his tireless work in promoting and instilling a love of theatre arts at Westdale. This past month, Westdale Theatre performed a number of shows of the musical “Little Women”, including matinee shows for students from Westdale’s elementary associate schools. Once again, the production was a success and created lasting memories for many students and families. Thank you to Ms. Baboudjian for the many hours supporting the front of house, Mr. Wilson for his work behind the scenes with the stage crew and set construction, and to Ms. Vivian for her wonderful decoration of the set. As you can see from the set on the stage, the production was professional quality! We look forward to the 2026 production!

Hamilton Basket Brigade:

Thank you to the Hamilton Basket Brigade for their continued support in providing warm winter clothes (jackets, boots, hats, gloves) for students in need and to Ms. Nicosia for her ongoing work with the charity to identify and advocate for our students. This year, Bernie Custis Secondary, Kanetskare Elementary and Strathcona Elementary Schools were also fortunate to receive this support. Warm clothing is available in our walk-in closet at the school. If there is a student in need, please contact the school and staff will support the student(s) in accessing clothing within the space. As with our other supports (e.g., nutrition program), access is universal / barrier-free.

Unified Sports:

Thank you to Ms. Adachi, Mr. Francis, and the PLF4M1 Leadership Class for organizing a Unified Sport Basketball tournament for student-athletes from Westdale, Bernie Custis, Nora Frances Henderson, and Orchard Park secondary schools. Unified Sports integrates individuals with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities on teams for sport training and competition to promote social engagement and development. As you can see from the photo, the event was joyful and represented the true beauty of sport!

Boys Waterpolo Champions:

Congratulations to the Boys Waterpolo team for winning the City Championship after defeating the Dundas Valley Gryphons in the final. Thank you to Ms. Adachi and community coaches Ms. Tonogai and Mr. Sardo for their time supporting the student athletes. Way to go Warriors!

Other News:

Semester 1 Final Evaluations:

The Ministry of Education document, Growing Success: Assessment, Evaluation and Reporting in Ontario Schools (2010), informs assessment and evaluation practices across the province. Growing Success states that 30% of the final grade of secondary courses is based on a final evaluation administered at or towards the end of a course. Final evaluations are based on evidence from one or a combination of the following: an examination, a performance, culminating activity or task, an interview, essay, and/or another method of evaluation suitable to course content.

As shared in the “Important Calendar Dates” section, Quiet Days begin on January 14th. For the five instructional days before final evaluations and through to the end of the semester, there are no extra-curricular (e.g., athletics) or co-curricular (e.g., clubs) activities during this time so students can focus on their course work, including preparation for, and completion of, final evaluations.

During the Final Evaluation period (Jan. 21,22,23,26), all students will participate in evaluation activities for at least 75 minutes per course, with attendance taken each day. Students are expected to complete a portion of the final evaluation during these days. Educators will determine and communicate in advance, the activities occurring during these final evaluation days. At Westdale, all final evaluations will begin at 9am, unless alternative times are communicated by the classroom teacher to their students. January 27th is reserved as a final evaluation make up day, in the event of inclement weather (e.g., Board wide snow day), or previous individual absences on preceding evaluation days. As well, this day may be used to support student success opportunities (e.g., task completion, assessment re-takes, credit rescue) and will be pre-arranged by the classroom teacher and student/family, as appropriate.

As shared in the calendar and our December newsletter, January 29th is scheduled as a Future Readiness Day. This is a regular instructional day where students will attend their semester 1 classes, with attendance taken each period. During class periods, teachers will review and celebrate learning from the semester with students, including feedback from final evaluations.

Parking:

As shared in previous communications, there is no student parking permitted in the school lot. Additional signage has now been posted throughout the lot to remind students of this restriction, in addition to individual reminders and PA announcements. Beginning this month, By-Law Officers will be contacted and tickets may be issued to any unauthorized vehicles parked in the lot. Students are asked to park in approved areas surrounding the school.

Hamilton Public Health Communication:

The following information and graphics are shared for students and their guardians from the Vaccine and Infectious Diseases teams at Hamilton Public Health Services:

Reporting your child’s vaccines for school:

Did you know parents and guardians need to report their child’s vaccines to public health? Hamilton Public Health Services uses this information to respond to cases and outbreaks of vaccine preventable diseases. Up to date vaccine records helps Hamilton Public Health Services respond quickly and prevent further spread of disease and protect the health of children attending schools. Visit Hamilton.ca/Vaccines to report the following vaccinations: Diphtheria, Measles, Meningococcal, Mumps, Pertussis, Polio, Rubella, Tetanus, Varicella

Respiratory Season:

It’s respiratory illness season in Hamilton! We are seeing an increase in respiratory infections in our community, such as influenza (flu), COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Respiratory illnesses spread easily from one person to another and can make people very sick. Especially at risk, are those with weakened immune systems, seniors, infants, young children, and people who are pregnant.

We ask that you use a multi-layered approach to protect yourself, your family, and our community from respiratory illnesses. This includes ensuring that the whole family is up to date on recommended respiratory vaccines.

Visit Hamilton.ca/ProtectYourself to learn more or call 905-540-5250 for assistance to book an immunization.