News & Upcoming Events

September 3, 2024

Updates on Tracking Community Involvement Hours

Dear HDSB families,

We are writing to provide you with information regarding student accumulation of community involvement hours. As you may know, it is a graduation requirement that all secondary students in Ontario complete 40 hours of community involvement. 

As always, students are encouraged to continue their engagement with community involvement activities above and beyond 40 hours for the many benefits that this brings including:

New in the 2024-2025 school year: Students who complete more than 40 community involvement hours are encouraged to maintain their own record of completed community involvement hours. Secondary schools will no longer track and collect documentation for the completion of community involvement hours beyond the 40 hours required. Students can maintain a record of completed involvement hours by:

Further information, including eligible and ineligible activities, can be found on the Community Involvement Hours webpage on the HDSB website (hdsb.ca). 

Please contact your school Guidance Office if you have any questions or concerns. 

August 23, 2024

Ontario Ministry of Education Updates

Dear HDSB students, families and staff,

As we prepare to welcome students to a new school year, we are writing to provide you with information on recent updates from the Ontario Ministry of Education.   As you may recall, the Ministry of Education announced changes regarding cell phone use and social media access in schools, and enhanced restrictions on youth vaping that will take effect in the new school year (2024-2025). We are writing to inform you of how these changes will be implemented at the Halton District School Board. 

Background information

Updates to the Provincial Code of Conduct and School Board Codes of Conduct (Policy/Program Memorandum (PPM) 128) were announced by the Ministry of Education in April. The HDSB, along with all school boards in Ontario, will be updating our Code of Conduct and other relevant policies and procedures to align with these Ministry updates.

It is important to note that the HDSB is already in compliance with many of the changes announced by the Ministry of Education. The below information explains expectations already in place at HDSB schools which will be familiar to students, families and staff, and what expectations will be implemented this year to ensure alignment with Ministry direction.

Changes announced by the Ministry of Education include: 

The HDSB has a strict anti-vaping policy in all schools. Parents/guardians are immediately informed and any vaping-related products in student possession are disposed of. The HDSB has existing procedures in place to support the enforcement related to alcohol, tobacco, electronic cigarettes, recreational cannabis and illegal drugs. The HDSB Positive School Climate and Suspension and Expulsion administrative procedures detail the education and progressive discipline options and resources available to school administrators when responding to these incidents.  

The HDSB works closely with Halton Region Public Health and are updating and revising education programs to support student learning, parent/guardian awareness and teacher training to help prevent students from vaping.  

The HDSB’s existing procedures are in compliance with the changes announced by the Ministry of Education when it comes to the use of cell phones during instructional time. Please view our Code of Conduct and the Technology & You webpage for specifics related to social media and cell phone use in HDSB schools. 

NEW: Starting in September, students in Kindergarten to Grade 6 will be required to keep phones on silent and out of sight for the duration of the school day. 

All of our schools will share school specific guidelines aligning with Ministry of Education expectations to facilitate the effective, safe and respectful use of technology within classrooms and schools. 

NEW: The changes announced by the Ministry require the HDSB to restrict access to all social media platforms on school devices and networks. The implementation of this filtering is under development. Once implemented, social media platforms will only be used by students at school for educational purposes, as directed by an educator and in accordance with the HDSB’s exception protocols. 

Next steps: Revise HDSB Code of Conduct and related policies and procedures

The HDSB is committed to gathering input and feedback from students, staff, parents/guardians, community groups and partners as we update our policies and procedures to ensure alignment with the Ministry’s announcement. The HDSB will conduct a full review of our Code of Conduct including extensive consultation with various groups (e.g., parents/guardians, staff and students) from September to December 2024. 

As we head into September, we are asking for your support and collaboration to hold conversations at home about these expectations and the importance of a focused learning environment.

Thank you for your continued partnership. We look forward to welcoming students, families and staff to a new school year on Wednesday, Sept. 4. 

Halton District School Board

August 21, 2024

The following message is sent on behalf of the Halton Learning Foundation (HLF) 

Dear HDSB parents and guardians,

Going back to school can be difficult for some kids and is especially challenging for more than 6,000 students in the Halton District School Board whose families cannot afford the basics they need to fit in and focus on learning.

Halton Learning Foundation (HLF) is launching its 2024 Back to School campaign to provide emergency support to students and their families needing food, school supplies, clothing and other necessities. You can donate to help students like Emma and Ethan at goback2school.ca.

“Emma was coming to class wearing her mother's clothes and had very little food.”

“Ethan outgrew his clothes and shoes over the summer, but his mom couldn’t afford new ones. Ethan already struggled with his confidence and didn’t always fit in with classmates.” 

Last year, HLF provided Emma, Ethan and more than 2,800 other HDSB students with the resources they needed to feel confident and be successful in class. We need your help to send hundreds of kids back to school next month ready to learn.

“Thanks to your generosity, my children have the resources they need and I am profoundly grateful for your help during this challenging time.” - A grateful HDSB parent

Can you help one student, possibly in your own child’s school? Donate Now

You can help two students through donation matching!

If you make your gift monthly or upgrade an existing monthly gift, donations up to $15,000 will be matched by our friends at belairdirect.

Become a Back to School Champion! 

HLF is inviting Halton businesses to join us in making a lasting impact and becoming Back to School Champions. To become a Back to School Champion, you can support the campaign by:

Are you an HDSB parent who could use some help?

Please contact your child's teacher, principal or social worker and let them know you need HLF's support to send your child back to school. The process is simple and confidential.  

Please note: HLF only accepts financial donations, not goods. Tax receipts are provided for all donations of $20 or more. 

August 16, 2024

Virtual Support Groups for Students in September

Dear parents/guardians of Elementary students,

We hope you are having a wonderful summer. 

We are writing to let you know that the HDSB is offering four psychoeducational virtual groups in September for elementary students (at Aldershot this is students in Gr. 7 & 8) who would like to learn new skills and enhance their well-being. 

These programs will be delivered virtually through Google Meet by HDSB Child and Youth Counsellors (CYCs). Sessions in each program will be offered during the weeks of September 9, September 16 and September 23 for one hour, twice a week.

TRAILS for Wellness: This programs help students strengthen their well-being by learning coping strategies to manage worrying, stress, low mood and other common mental health difficulties.

PEERS® (modified): The Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS®) is an evidence-based, social skills intervention program for motivated students who are interested in learning ways to help make and keep friends in conventional ways. Research has shown that students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other social communication challenges or neurodivergence have made positive gains from this program. Diagnosis not required. 

How to register: To register for these programs, parents/guardians must complete the Registration Form and request which group the student would like to attend by September. 2. You will receive an email from one of our Child and Youth Counsellors with an intake date and time. Spots are limited. Please register your child for one group only. Please note these times are subject to change based on registration numbers with time slots to be confirmed during intake.  

These programs and others are also available to students during the school year (in person during the school day). If you are interested in learning more about these programs, please contact your school principal or the Special Education Resource Teacher (SERT) at the school for more information. 

Mental health information 

Mental health and well-being information and resources for parents/guardians and students can be found on the Mental Health & Well-Being page of the HDSB website. 

We look forward to welcoming you and your family to school on Wednesday, September 4. 

Partnering Aldershot Community Newsletter

Please read our Partnering Aldershot article, highlighting the successes of our 2023-2024 School Year.

Have a safe and happy summer!