The Halton District School Board welcomes more than 62,000 Kindergarten to Grade 12 students to the first day of school on Tuesday, September 8, 2015, with the opening of one new elementary school in Oakville highlighting the start of the 2015-16 year.
The Board’s approximately 4,081 elementary and secondary teachers, approximately 2,176 non-teaching and support staff, and 215 Principals and Vice-principals have been busy outfitting classrooms, tending to sports fields, cleaning buildings and preparing schedules to welcome students.
Director of Education David Euale welcomes back students, parents and staff members to another year of student achievement, and staff and student engagement.
"Every preparation, from bright and polished hallways to attractive wall displays and engaging lesson plans, readies our schools for student learning," he said. “We appreciate all the work staff members do to prepare for the arrival of students.”
Included in the excitement of a new year is the opening of one new elementary school as the Board continues to experience a growing student population: Oodenawi Public School in Oakville. Oodenawi Public School references the Ojibway term ‘community’. The Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation is part of a much larger civilization of people known as the Anishinabe. They are the original people who resided on the traditional territory of what we now know as Halton. The Oakville land was part of the 1805 Toronto Purchase and 1806 Head of the Lake Purchase between the Crown and the Mississaugas. Mississaugas speak the language of Ojibway. This new two-storey, 82,000-square-foot elementary school will accommodate approximately 800 students. The budget for construction of this school, including furniture and equipment, is $15.6 million.
To help make the transition smoother for newcomers to the Halton District School Board, the Board has opened its new Welcome Centre in Milton, which will provide a central location to assist newcomer students and their families. Services include registration, academic and language assessment, and resources about the Ontario school system. Settlement services are also available including resources about community groups, opportunities for volunteering, and community connections. Contact the
Welcome Centre at 905-335-3665, ext. 3440 or [email protected]. The Welcome Centre is located at 215 Ontario Street South in Milton, inside Gary Allan High School (the former EC Drury High School).
Also, the Board welcomes Jacqueline Newton as Superintendent of Education, whose appointment – approved by Trustees in June – fills the vacancy created with the departure of Yaw Obeng. Newton will have responsibility for Milton elementary and secondary schools.