May 22, 2020
Hello Everyone! Welcome to our school website.
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT
Grey Highlands Secondary School is very pleased to announce that
Mr. Andrew Riddick will be returning to GHSS in September as the principal.
After working in Meaford, Owen Sound and Hanover as vice principal and principal, Mr. Riddick is happy to be returning to Grey Highlands where he was a science teacher, guidance Counsellor and vice-principal for over 13 years. Having lived in Grey Highlands for 17 years with both of his children graduates of GHSS, he is excited to be back in the Lion’s Den and will strive to continue to support the staff, students and parents who are the heart of our community.
SUMMER SCHOOL 2020
Registration for Summer School 2020 is now available. Summer school is on-line for all students this year. This allows for greater flexibility for students with summer jobs. Here is the brochure: Summer School 2020
This is a great opportunity to reach ahead for a credit or take a credit a second time. This year, a wider range of senior courses are available from the Ontario eLearning Consortium. Please email Ms. Perry or Ms. Trudell for assistance with registration.
REGISTERING AT GHSS
Bluewater District School Board
School Registration Guide
New to the area? Moving Schools?
Have a child starting Kindergarten in September 2020?
Please Visit www.bwdsb.on.ca
Click the “Registering Your Child During School Shutdown” button to locate the registration guide.
GHSS SPIRIT-RAISING VIDEO
Grey Highlands Secondary Staff and Specialist High Skills Major students in Digital Design and Marketing overcame the shortcomings of rural internet to collaboratively produce a video meant to boost morale for the entire school community.
The transition to distance learning has been difficult and challenging in many ways, and we wanted to remind everyone that we are "in this together".
Video Link: We Are All In This Together!
Trustee Newsletter - Spring 2020
Please use this link to view Mr. Jim Dawson's spring newsletter: Jim_Dawson-Spring2020.pdf
GHSS LEARNING COMMONS
The GHSS Learning Commons (library) is also an excellent resource and can be reached here: library website is http://www.ghsslibrary.ca/resources (links to citation software, on-line learning, teacher websites, databases, O365, etc).
A Note About Marks, Report Cards and Credits
For graduating students, mid-term marks will be uploaded to the Ontario College and University application centers. These marks will be the mark the student earned as of March 13, 2020 or a higher mark if students have completed work on-line. Report cards will not be printed for any students. Final marks will also be recorded, but not distributed yet, for students taking the half credit Careers and Civics courses. Students may inquire about their marks with each teacher.
Please note that if a student was not passing a course on March 13 and has not completed more work on-line, credit will not be earned in June without further work. Teachers will be contacting parents if any student was failing a course on March 13.
Every student who was passing a course on March 13, will earn that credit in June. However, we hope that your family circumstance will allow students to participate in on-line learning. We know that it can be challenging to encourage teenagers to get work done but hope if parents and teachers work together, we can make it happen! It is important for students to continue learning for several reasons.
-A sense of normal routine and expectations as well as the opportunity to be part of a larger community, albeit an on-line community, helps all of us stay mentally well during this stressful and unusual time.
-Students have an opportunity to improve their achievement and, if they were not passing on March 13, to earn the credit.
-Students will need to learn as much as they can to be prepared for our possible return to school and for the course that comes after the ones they are in this semester. For example, learning to write an essay this spring in grade 9 English will lead to better essays in grade 10 English. This is also critical for students heading to post-secondary destinations to be as well-prepared as possible.
We hope that your family circumstance will allow students to participate in on-line learning.
Also, I am here if you need assistance. My email is Andrea Tang <andrea_tang@bwdsb.on.ca> Please reach out if you are needing support and I will try to connect you with services.
We will continue to keep you updated during these fluid times. As we continue to move forward in these unprecedented times, we recognize that every family is experiencing a different reality right now. We will work on this plan together and learn together. The staff members at Grey Highlands are committed to providing your children with the best education under these conditions and we look forward to our journey together. We will get through this together.
You are also encouraged to monitor our school and board’s Facebook and Twitter pages, and our board website at http://www.bwdsb.on.ca/
Take care.
Andrea Tang, Principal GHSS
Mental Health Resources and Referrals
Our mental health lead, mental health workers, and mental health and addiction nurses have been, and will continue to reach out to connect with students who currently have a support plan. We are also able to make new referrals if needed. Please contact your child's teacher(s) for assistance.
The following link has some mental health supports from the Canadian Mental Health Association. Jackie Ralph, who is often at GHSS to support mental health initiatives, put this together and we appreciate the work the CMHA does to support our community. Please check it out for more information.
CMHA_presentation-March.2020 (1).pdf
The Kids' Help Phone is also a great way to reach out for support. You can connect with counselors via phone, text and live chat. Here is the link to their website: https://kidshelpphone.ca/
The staff at the Student Health Clinic want students to know that you can still reach them by calling the South-East Grey Community Health Centre at 519-986-2222. Heather, Melissa and Lisa are available if you need telephoe support.
And, courtesy of the CMHA here is a journal you can download and complete:
Take home journal for intermediate children.pdf
Signing up for School Messenger.docx
Minister Letter to Parents - March 31 2020 EN.pdf
BWDSB DOE Parent_letter-March_31_2020 (002).pdf
March 31, 2020
Please see this link for contact information for various community food programs in Grey and Bruce. If you are in need of food, please reach out to these supports:
https://povertytaskforce.files.wordpress.com/2020/03/community-food-program-list-external_24-march-2020.pdf
To help stop the spread of COVID-19, all Bluewater District School Board school outdoor playground structures are closed until further notice. This means that no person is to come in contact with any of the structures, effective immediately.
Please help limit the spread of COVID-19 by:
- Staying at home as per the Provincial and Federal requests
- Avoiding gatherings
- Practicing adequate physical distancing
- Washing your hands for 15-20 seconds with soap and use hand sanitizer
- Coughing or sneezing into your arm
- If you have any symptoms, self-monitoring and self-isolating, and contacting a health care professional if symptoms persist
- If you have travelled outside Canada recently, ensure you self-isolate for 14 days
For more information, please see the following:
Bluewater District School Board: http://www.bwdsb.on.ca/Parents/COVID-19_Updates
Grey Bruce Health Unit: https://www.publichealthgreybruce.on.ca
Province of Ontario: https://www.ontario.ca/page/2019-novel-coronavirus
Health Canada: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health.html
World Health Organization: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
School Community Advisory Council Meeting Minutes
Bluewater District School Board Adult Education Program
Need your high school diploma? You’re closer than you think.
Adults, 18 years of age and older, who have been out of school for at least a year, may be eligible for credits based on life experience. Up to 26 credits of the required 30 may be granted through an equivalency process. The remaining 4 credits must be earned.
Students can earn their last 4 credits through hybrid night classes, co-operative education through their paid employment, on-line courses, and dual credit courses at Georgian College.
To find out more or to schedule an appointment with a Guidance Counsellor:
Phone: 1-800-288-4403 ext. 2169
Email: AdultEd@bwdsb.on.ca
Website: www.adulted.bwdsb.on.ca
School Administration Team: Ms. Andrea Tang (Principal, x527) and Ms. Jennifer Gunion (Vice-principal, x525)
Attendance: Ms. Linda Price x522
Student Success: Mr. Brent Fraser and Ms. Meredith Christie-Short, x514
Guidance: Ms. Laurie Trudell, x529 and Ms. Mina Perry, x528
Learning Resource Teacher: Ms. Kelly Roehrig, x511
Librarians: Ms. Tammy Hayman and Mr. Shaun Perry, x510
Cooperative Education: Ms. Cindy Bryans, Mr. Sean Roehrig and Ms. Jehanne Finlay
Office Manager: Ms. Lianne Marret-Enns, x524
Head Custodian: Mr. John Giancos, x531