March Community Newsletter

March 2025 Community Newsletter

Greetings: 

As we have settled into semester 2 and have passed the 100th day of the school year overall, our staff are continuing to create and revise instruction and assessment practices to support student achievement. As you will see in this newsletter, there were many opportunities for students and staff to connect, learn, and celebrate with one another. We are looking forward to supporting and recognizing continued learning and growth over the coming months!

Sincerely,

Brian Goodram, Principal

Important Calendar Dates

Date:	Event(s):	Audience:
Friday March 7th	Student Immunizations Due	Students without updated immunizations with Public Health
March 10th-14th	March Break (no school)	All
Tuesday March 25th	Preliminary Reports sent home School Council (6:15pm; Library/Learning Commons)	All Parents/Guardians
Tuesday April 1st	Family-Teacher Interviews (5-7pm)	All
Wednesday April 2nd	School Council PRO Grant Event (Evening; Auditorium)	Parents/Guardians

Shout Outs / Good News

Welcome to Westdale!

This semester, we are welcoming some new teaching staff to Westdale: Ms. Brissett (ESL), Mr. Dewar (Technologies), Mr. Eckart (Science), Ms. Elliott (Humanities), Ms. Lint (French Immersion), Ms. Miller (French, Math), Ms. Murray (English, Learning Resrouces), Mr. Toma (English), Mr. Weatherburn (Canadian and World Studies). As well, we are excited to welcome back Mr. Misuk (Canadian and World Studies) and Mr. Moore (Technologies) this semester. On our Caretaking team, we are happy to welcome Mr. DiFederico and Ms. Serafin, who are assigned to the afternoon shift.

Caretaking:

Thank you to our Caretaking team for their ongoing work in providing safe access to the building and for keeping our school clean. As you can appreciate, the past month presented a challenge with the abundance of snow and wet footwear in the school and the team has been up to the task. We appreciate you!

Junior Girls Volleyball:

Congratulations to the Junior Girls Volleyball team for earning the Silver Medal after a tough, highly-contested, 5-set loss to Waterdown in the City Championship game on February 12th. The team showed great spirit and resilience throughout the game. Thank you to Coaches Ms. Spadafora and Ms. Adam for their time with the team and for modeling composure, positivity, and sportsmanship to the student-athletes throughout the season. Way to go, Warriors!

Valentine’s Day Dance:

Some students from our Graduated Support Programs and students receiving Special Education Services travelled to Ancaster High School on February 14th to attend a Valentine’s Day Dance and Social. This event provided our students with the opportunity to meet and connect with over 150 peers from across HWDSB and practice their social skills. Thank you to our teaching and EA staff for their support of this important event. Our students had an amazing time!

Hamilton Basket Brigade:

Thank you to our Office Administrator, Ms. Nicosia, for her advocacy and to the Hamilton Basket Brigade for their generous donation of new winter jackets and boots to our Westdale school community. Should your student require any warm winter clothing, please have them connect with a caring adult (e.g., teacher, guidance counsellor, EA) at the school or you may contact our main office directly  (905-522-1387) for support with items. We are very grateful to our community partners for their thoughtfulness, generosity, and care!

John C. Holland Awards:

Congratulations to Mahmud M. on earning the Connection Award and to Yahya A. on earning an Empowerment Award at the John C. Holland Awards banquet on February 22nd. We are proud to have Mahmud and Yahya’s Black excellence, as well as the accomplishments of other Black youth from our Hamilton community, recognized at this event. Thank you to Mr. Abraham for his ongoing mentorship and leadership of our Westdale students. Mr. Abraham and his Grad Coach colleagues from across HWDSB are continuing to make impactful and lasting change in the lives of a countless number of students, as shared in the student acceptance speeches and in conversations with families!

Black History Month:

During the month of February, our students learned of the accomplishments and contributions of some Black Westdale graduates (e.g., Kareem Anthony-Ferreira, Harrison Kennedy, Myles Misener-Daley), Black Hamiltonians (e.g, Haydain Neale, Neville Nunes, Eleanor Rodney) and other prominent Black Canadians. Thank you to student leader, Daniel Wesley, for organizing an event on February 26th to allow students the opportunity to hear stories and success of Black small business owners. The event was inspiring to many!

Asian Heritage Month:

In the month of February, we celebrated and learned during Asian Heritage Month. Thank you to Ms. Lu and our student leaders for their work in providing Chinese Heritage experiences the week of February 17th, in the Cafeteria. There were several activities that brought our school community together while students and staff engaged in learning more about Asian culture. Amazing work!

Student Vote:

Thank you to Mr. Murchie, Mr. Outlaw, and his Civics class for their leadership in running the Student Vote on February 25-26. Over 1,000 of our Westdale students were able to participate and learn more about our democratic process through this event! The Hamilton Spectator was at Westdale to report on the success of the initiative and to speak to some of our students about their learning and aspirations for their community, as shared in the February 27th edition of the Hamilton Spectator.

Student Vote:

Thank you to Mr. Murchie, Mr. Outlaw, and his Civics class for their leadership in running the Student Vote on February 25-26. Over 1,000 of our Westdale students were able to participate and learn more about our democratic process through this event! The Hamilton Spectator was at Westdale to report on the success of the initiative and to speak to some of our students about their learning and aspirations for their community, as shared in the February 27th edition of the Hamilton Spectator.

Other News

Public Health Immunization Clinic:

Our school continues to request and receive updated lists of students who do not have their immunization records updated with Hamilton Public Health. Last week, our PVP (Principal and Vice-Principals) team met with impacted students in person to remind and provide them with information to receive and/or report their vaccinations to Public Health. The suspension date for non-compliant secondary school students is March 7th. This is in accordance with the Immunization of School Pupils Act (IPSA). Additional information is provided at the end of this memo, for reference, as needed.

Family-Teacher Night:

On the evening of March 27th, we will be hosting Family-Teacher Night for semester 2. Additional information for sign-up (through the Parent Interview platform) will be shared soon. We look forward to connecting with many of our families on this date. Given the size of our school population, we recognize that not all families will be able to secure an interview with every teacher. With that being said, home-school communication should not be limited to a singular event and we know that ongoing two-way communication is important in supporting student achievement and well-being. Our complete staff list, including phone and email contact information, is shared on our school website: hwdsb.on.ca/westdale/ in the “About” drop down menu.

Ramadan and Religious Accommodations:

Ramadan Mubarak to our Westdale students, staff, and families who are observing Ramadan from February 28th to March 29th! In HWDSB and at Westdale, we recognize, support, and honour the various lived experiences, cultures, and celebrations of all Westdale families. As such, we are committed to taking reasonable steps to accommodate students. More information about HWDSB’s Religious Accommodation Procedure can be found on the Boards website: www.hwdsb.on.ca, in the “Policies” section.

School Council PRO Grant Event:

As shared on the calendar, our School Council, through Parents Reaching Out (PRO) grant funding, are providing an event to parents/guardians on the evening of April 2nd to inform and equip parents in supporting teen mental health. The School Council has secured Dr. Jean Clinton (child psychiatrist / knowledge translator) to present to parents/guardians and provide a follow up Q&A session, on this evening. Additional promotional materials and details will be shared with our families in the coming weeks. Thank you to our School Council Co-Chairs, Claire Rivlin and Catherine Roberts, and the rest of our School Council, for their thoughtfulness and efforts in bringing this event to Westdale!