Welcome to a New School Year

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The Halton District School Board is excited to welcome you to a new school year!

We understand the start of a new school year can be hectic. This page contains resources we think would be helpful in assisting you navigate the beginning of the school year.

Our goal is for each student to be successful and to learn, grow and inspire, together. We want students and their families to feel excitement and anticipation before the year begins and to be active and engaged in the learning taking place.

Let's Have a Great Year!

Video Transcript

Hello, I am so excited to welcome our students, staff members and families to a new school year.

Our schools are ready to welcome more than 66,000 students and nearly 10,000 staff as our Facility Services staff have worked to ensure our buildings are clean, safe and ready for students. For students learning virtually, we look forward to providing an effective and enriched learning experience that will challenge, support and engage you on many levels.

We enter this school year with a lot of optimism and hope. Optimism and hope for a better school year than the past three. While challenges remain, the beginning of a new school year is a time of renewal and fresh starts, excited students enrolling in Kindergarten for the first time, the anticipation of older students starting high school - unsure of what awaits them, and the delight of students entering their final and graduating year - excited about the future. We are glad to have you here in the Halton District School Board.

All students have a strong desire to belong to a community and it is my hope that every school within the HDSB can provide a learning environment where each student, in all their glorious identities, will experience a sense of belonging, care and community.

To support student belonging and connectedness, mental health services were provided during the summer through identity-based therapeutic groups by Social Workers, Child and Youth Counsellors and community service providers. We shared more mental health and well-being videos to help parents and guardians address and support the mental health of their children. This area of focus continues to be a high priority for the Halton District School Board.

As a Board, we are committed to helping students continue their journey and joy of learning through focused interventions and strong instructional practices.

This summer, we made a concerted effort to provide resources and support to students and families to help them prepare for the upcoming school year. We provided literacy and mathematics resources for families to support student achievement and enhance learning. These resources included talk and play-based activities, as well as tips to provide engaging and authentic learning opportunities for students at home and in the community. In the Halton District School Board, we will continue to lean on and utilize our commitments of the Multi-Year Strategic Plan to set direction and prioritize the collective actions of all stakeholders to ensure our efforts as an organization are aligned and coordinated. The Human Rights Equity Action & Accountability Plan: The Way Forward reflects our commitment to create and maintain safe, inclusive learning and working environments free from discrimination and hate for students, families, staff and members of the public. We must continue to be vigilant in our efforts to create a more inclusive and equitable school system.

The health and safety of our students and staff has always been, and will continue to be, our top priority. We continue to take our lead from the province and our medical officers of health as we navigate the best course of action for our students and families.

We are ready and we are excited to provide students with an exceptional educational experience, one that is uplifting and fulfilling, and one that honours their unique and collective identities. Together we will continue to learn, grow and inspire.

Let’s have a great year.

Tips for Back to School

Tips to support your child’s mentally healthy return to school

A change in schools or returning to school after summer vacation, a holiday, or absence from school due to illness is a change for students and parents/caregivers. Students often experience a range of emotions from excitement, to worry, fear and sometimes sadness. You can help your child prepare for this change by:

Asking how they are feeling about returning to school. Validate the feelings that they have shared. “I hear that you have this feeling about returning to school. I can understand that feeling.” Even if you don’t share the same feelings as your child, it is important to validate their feelings.
Asking your child if they have any questions or concerns. Even if the concern sounds small to you, it is big to them!
Helping your child to get answers to their questions or problem-solve any concerns, or to figure out how they can get answers. “Let’s think about who could help us with this question or problem.”
Encouraging your child to remember the parts of school that they enjoy and are looking forward to the most. “I wonder what you are looking forward to about school?” “What’s something you are excited about?”
Helping your older children to make a plan to get back to routines.
For younger children, starting to introduce familiar routines and a schedule that is closer to the one used during school time. “Let’s practice walking to the school today;” “Beginning next week, we will have an earlier bedtime, and we will wake up earlier. This will help us be ready for the start of school.”
Gathering any needed supplies.
Arranging social times with other children who go to the same school. This can help foster friendships and connections.

Tips for a happy first day of school – parents/guardians of kindergarten students

Walk to the school or drive the bus route with your child prior to the first day of school.
Practice getting up and getting ready at the “September” time.
Involve your child in first day preparation (selecting their clothes, preparing their snack, packing indoor/outdoor shoes, packing their knapsack). Sneak in a surprise snack with a note from you.
Have your child practise washroom routines, hand washing and opening snack containers.
Tell them how excited you are for them as they begin this new adventure
Show them a picture of you on your first day of Kindergarten
No matter how old they get or how busy you get, ask about their day, talk about their day – celebrate their day!

Tips for a good school year – parents/guardians with teenagers entering Grade 9

Know your child’s timetable – post it somewhere visible. Access the school website and read the newsletters to receive information.
Encourage your child to participate in school events, clubs and activities.
If you want to better understand something you hear from your child, call their teacher to check it out.
Resist the urge to rescue your child when they have a challenge. Support your child’s learning, don’t do their school work for them. If the challenge is a social situation, listen and let them find solutions with your guidance. Encourage them to talk to their teacher, guidance counsellor, student success teacher, special education teacher or Principal when they need help.
Hold high expectations for your child and show them in your words and through your behaviour that you know they can succeed.
Celebrate your child’s hard work and achievement of any kind.
No matter how old they get or how busy you get – ask about their day – talk about their day – celebrate their day!