Graduation Ceremony

Monday, June 27^th

Doors open at 5:45 p.m.

Ceremony starts at 6:30 p.m.

Paradise Banquet and Convention Centre

7601 Jane Street (south of Hwy. 7), Vaughan, ON

GRADUATION VENUE DETAILS and TIPS

Parking:  There is LOTS of parking. 

Please drive around the banquet hall to the south side and park at the “NCI Vaughan IcePlex”.

Entering the banquet hall:

Students – Please use the “Classic Entrance” at the North side of the building

Family and Guests – Please use the “Queen Mary Entrance” at the west side of the building.

(All doors at the venue are labelled)

IMPORTANT REMINDERS

•  Doors open at 5:45 pm.  The ceremony will begin at 6:30 pm

•  Wearing a mask is strongly recommended

•  Please follow self-screening protocol

•  Every person in your party must have a ticket, this includes small children

•  Your party must arrive together if you wish to sit together

•  Accessibility seating – there will be a limited area reserved for accessibility seating due to space restrictions in hall

•  You must wear your cap and gown

•  Please do not alter your cap in anyway

•  For “what to wear” suggestions – lighter clothing (the gowns can be hot to wear). If you’re thinking of wearing high heels, it could be difficult to navigate the stairs and stage

•  Do not bring any personal belongings. There is no coat check.  Teachers are unable to hold purses or other items

•  A professional photographer will be taking photos

•  There will be flower sales at the venue (see below)

•  Your official diploma, photo, and any other applicable paperwork will be available for pick-up after July 18^th to July 28^th in the main office of the school. Please note: Office hours during the summer are 9am to 3pm from Monday to Thursday. 

FLOWER SALES

We will have The Commencement Group on-site at graduation. To further contribute to a safe and efficient environment for your graduates, guests and faculty, they are strongly encouraging customers to take advantage of their online pre-order service. We will have a contact-free customer experience for guests who are simply picking up their pre-purchased and reserved product. This will also increase overall physical distancing measures.

The pre-order link for Convocation is: https://www.thecommencementgroup.com/westmountci/.  The cut off for the online orders is the night before the graduation at 6:00pm.  

We will have all the same products you see online, on-site the day of the event! We will have a contact-free customer experience for guests who are simply picking up their pre-purchased and reserved product. This will also increase overall physical distancing measures. Guests can of course purchase directly from our on-site staff as well, however pre-ordering does ensure specific sizing, colours etc.

Important Reminders To Students

With the school year coming to an end, there are a few reminders for students that need to be done before the last day of school.

• Students who were lent out Chromebooks from the Main Office for the school year, please return them to the Main Office by end of the day June 29th. The equipment should be placed in a plastic bag with the students name on it.

• SEA computers need to be returned to the Special Education Department in room #231 by the end of the day June 29th.

• Students are expected to return all school items including textbooks, school library books, musical instruments and anything else that is property of the YRDSB in accordance to Board Policy #441.0 Loan of Board-Owned Equipment (Students) and Board Policy #194.0 Appropriate Use of Technology.

• Students are to empty their lockers and return their locks UNLOCKED to the main office by the end of the day June 21st. Any items left in lockers after June 21st will be bagged and donated.

Last Day of School

The last day of reguarly schedule class for Grade 12's is Friday June 17th.

The last day of reguarly schedule class for Grade 9 to 11 is Tuesday June 21th.

Each of the above will be followed by 5 culminating days as directed by teachers. Students will be informed ahead of time what is expected of them during these 5 days. 

Wednesday June 29th is a modified instructional day for all students. Students are expected to attend school.

Modified Schedule for June 29th:

Block 1 (period 1): 8:40 am - 9:18 am

Block 2 (period 3): 9:23 am - 10:00 am

Block 3 (period 2): 10:05 am - 10:42 am

Block 4 (period 4): 10:47 am - 11:25 am

For more detailed information, please visit our previous blog post.

SNAP Track and Field Event

On the morning of Tuesday, June 14th, Westmount's DD class was invited to participate in their very own, personalized SNAP Track and Field Event. Though on a much smaller scale than our usual board-wide track meet, the event was no less fun or exciting for the participants, thanks to the incredible efforts of grade 12 students Adam U., Emma M. and Emma B. (particular kudos go out to Adam taking on the major leadership role in not just this event, but his continued involvement in the Best Buddies program in general!). 

Major high-fives and elbow bumps go out to Thea, Yarden and Dylan for being such super stars out on the track, you guys are super stars!!!

Message From Guidance

Early Childhood Education Program @ Sheridan 

There have been some updates about new funding for students taking the Early Childhood Education (ECE) program. Please forward this to anyone who could benefit from it!

All full-time domestic students enrolled in our September 2022 or January 2023 ECE intake are eligible to receive a grant of up to $2,000, with the possibility of an additional $2,000 if students successfully complete the program within 16 consecutive months of study. That’s 4 semesters with no break. They will get $1000 a semester credited to their account as long as they stay on track to finish in the 16 months.

This opportunity is funded in partnership with the City of Toronto, The Region of Peel, The Region of Durham, The Region of Halton, the Province of Ontario and Government of Canada under the new Canada–Ontario Early Childhood Workforce Agreement, which provides “one-time federal funding to support the retention and recruitment of a high-quality child care and early years workforce.”

The Program Page with more details can be found here:

https://www.sheridancollege.ca/programs/early-childhood-education#tab=overview

We have created an FAQ Section under the “Learn more about the grant” tab: https://www.sheridancollege.ca/programs/early-childhood-education#tab=faqs
We are holding an Academic Webinar with the Program Coordinator on June 8th at 6 pm. You can find the registration link here.

As always, any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

The Centre for Black Student Excellence

BFCN Scholarship BFCN believes that access to education of all forms is important for the continued success and development of youth in our community. Their Scholarship Program is designed to address a few of the gaps and barriers in order to increase access to postsecondary education and support Black students and their families. Deadline: July 31, 2022 

The Markham African Caribbean Canadian Association (MACCA) will be awarding Scholarships of $1,000 to each selected recipient. Selection is based on students’ involvement and dedication to their community and academic achievements. One outstanding student that excels in these areas and demonstrates that they have gone above and beyond will receive the President’s award. Deadline: June 30, 2022 

Administrative Changes for September 2022

June 8, 2022

Dear Families:

On Tuesday, June 7^th, 2022 at the York Region District School Board meeting of trustees and senior administrators, decisions were made regarding administrative assignments.  

In response to the retirement of Principal Ann Pace, the Board has named Susan Maharaj, Principal at Westmount Collegiate Institute effective September 1, 2022.  

Ms. Maharaj is an experienced administrator with our Board and brings enthusiasm, energy for student learning, a focus on equity and knowledge of school operations to the Westmount CI community.

Vice Principal Todd Taylor has been promoted to Principal at Stephen Lewis Secondary School. Devorah Salsberg has been appointed to the position of Vice Principal at WCI effective September 1, 2022. Congratulations to both Mr. Taylor and Ms. Salsberg.

Please join me in welcoming Susan Maharaj as Principal and Devorah Salsberg as Vice Principal at WCI for September. Along with Vice Principal Fisher, the 

Westmount CI community is in very good hands.

Yours sincerely,

Ann Pace
Principal
Westmount Collegiate Institute

What To Expect At The End of Semester 2

To ensure consistency with Semester 1 classes, this semester again, there will be no formal exams.  Rather, there will be five Culminating Activity Days for students to work with teachers to demonstrate overall expectations for a specific course.  It is important to note that these days and the activities scheduled will look different for each class and may look different for individual students (i.e. one student might come in an work with their teacher, while another completes a group assessment online).  Please connect with your child’s teachers directly for specifics, as it relates to their expectations.

 

Grade 12 Courses:

Appreciating that Graduation is on June 27^th, Grade 12 courses will begin their Culminating Activity Days on Monday June 20^th with Block 1, and proceed chronologically until Block 4 on June 23^rd.

 

Grade 9 – Grade 11 Courses:

 

All non-Grade 12 Courses will begin their Culminating Days on June 23^rd for Block 1 and will continue chronologically until Block 4 on June 27^th.

 

Mark Review Day:

 

On Wednesday, June 29^th, students will have the opportunity to meet with their teachers, face to face, to review their assessment for the semester.  This should be considered the only time that a student has a chance to review course marks.  Classes will run on a modified 37.5 minute schedule, beginning at our regular start time (8:40 a.m.) and ending with dismissal at 11:25 a.m.  Teachers have been asked to share the specifics with their students for this day as well.

 

Electronic Distribution of Report Cards:

 

Again this semester, report cards will be shared electronically.  The Board’s current timelines have the distribution of report cards complete by end of day on July 8^th.  If, after July 8^th, you still have not received your child’s report card, please contact the WCI Main Office (Westmount.ci@yrdsb.ca) for assistance.

Grade 12 Biology

Students in Grade 12 Biology got the chance to learn about Biotechnology last week, and used their learning to make their very own Genetically Modified Bacteria! We thought it would be interesting to show our Westmount Community!

Grade 12 Visual Arts Graduation Show

 

School Google Account

Is your child graduating from WCI or transferring school boards?

 

The YRDSB is a Google Board and students have become very familiar with working in the “@gapps” environment.  However, when a student leaves the Board, access to their school Google Account ceases 28 days after they leave.  It is very important for students to use Google Takeout to either download their data to a different computer, or transfer it to another account.  This information has been shared with all Grade 12 classes, through their teachers, but if this applies to your child, please remind them.  Once the 28 days have passed, it does become difficult, and in some cases impossible, to retrieve their Google accounts.

 

If you have any questions, please reach out to the Main Office.