70 Guelph Street, Georgetown, ON L7G 3Z5

T: 905-877-6966 F: 905-873-9689 gdhs@hdsb.ca

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Friday February 19, 2021

Hello GDHS families,

Thank you for your continued support of our COVID-19 protocols, including the daily COVID-19 screening. The saying goes “Many hands make light work”, and your support and cooperation have made these protocols and procedures both effective and as painless as possible.

HDSB Student Census

The HDSB is conducting a Student Census which will confidentially gather identity-based data to help support student success and well-being and improve learning environments. GDHS students will complete the HDSB Student Census on Monday February 22nd.

Learn more about the HDSB Student Census and view Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on the HDSB Student Census webpage. You may also contact Dr. Rossana Bisceglia, Ph.D., Research Specialist, at studentcensus@hdsb.ca.

How will the Student Census be conducted?

Students will receive an email to their HDSB account containing a secure link to the Student Census for electronic completion during class time. The Student Census will take approximately one class period to complete and will include questions that ask students about their identities (e.g., race, religion/faith, gender identity, etc.,) and their experiences in school (e.g., safety, sense of belonging, extra-curricular activities, etc.,).

Practice Literacy Test

Next week, all students in grades 10 and 11 will participate in a practice literacy test in preparation for the OSSLT field trial which is currently scheduled to take place between March 23 and May 21, 2021. The practice test will take place during the afternoon block on a day determined by the teacher.

Grade 12 students who are not eligible to graduate this year will also write the OSSLT this year and should prepare by writing the practice test. These students will write the practice test independently from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 24th and can access a Practice Test Google Meet if they have questions. The link to this meeting will be sent to individual students with the link to the practice test.

Students will be able to consult the Student Tip Sheet for Short Answers, Multiple Choice Tips and Opinion Writing while they write the practice test. We want students to feel comfortable and prepared for the actual OSSLT, so we will encourage them to ask questions during the practice.

After the tests have been completed, a team will be assessing results of the practice test and inviting students to participate in an after school Literacy Camp to help prepare them for the OSSLT. Students who may require additional literacy support will be contacted with an invitation.

COVID-19 School Screening Requirements Reminder

A reminder that GDHS students attending school in-person must present daily confirmation that they have completed the Government of Ontario’s online COVID-19 school and child care screening to their teacher on arrival to school. Be assured that no student’s personal information is retained while completing the provincial online screening tool or when confirmation is presented to the school.

Please note that this screening tool has been updated to direct students to stay home if they report any new or worsening symptom of COVID-19 (even those with only one symptom).

Schedule for the Week of February 22nd

Next week students have period 1 in the morning and period 2 in the afternoon. Cohort A will be in the building on Monday and Tuesday mornings, and Cohort B will be in the building on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday mornings. Period 2 will be done from home virtually each afternoon next week. The HDSB has confirmed the amended Quadmester 3 calendar, which can be found on our Key Dates page, or directly linked here.

-Your GDHS Admin Team