ADS Newsletter November 22,2024

Hello Acton Families,

This has been another energetic and fun-filled week. The Semester 1 OSSLT (Literacy Test) was written with terrific success! Well organized by a team of pros, the students focused and applied themselves alongside a heap of encouragement from their teachers.

To help relieve the test writing anxiety everyone exercised their lungs singing karaoke in the cafeteria!

Saturday promises to be an exciting community day as we host the Holiday Craft Sale to support more than 50 community artisan vendors and also our DECA Club! I hope to see you in our building. Come and get some unique gifts for holiday-giving.

Mr. Brown and Mr. Fraser and Co. collected 75 grocery bags of food to donate to the Acton Foodshare. Thank you to our neighbours for your generosity and caring.

I am pleased to announce that Kathleen Bevan has stepped up to take on the role of Chair for our School Parent Council. She is a dynamic and thoughtful leader and we look forward to working with her this year. Our next Parent Council meeting is Tuesday December 3rd. Come on out and join us and learn how you can become more involved in your student’s school experience.

Have a wonderful weekend–the holidays are only 20 school days away!!

Yikes.

My best,

Kelli

This past Saturday Acton held its annual Santa Claus Parade and our school entered a fantastic float. The theme this year was gingerbread. There were dozens of gingerbread houses moving through the parade, but we had a gingerbread train!

A group of festive students and teachers rode in the train and ran alongside handing out candy canes to the wee ones on the curbs. The entire town was smiling with us. So much fun for both staff and students!

What a great day. Can't wait until next year...

Attention Grade 12s! Be sure to book your grad photo sitting so you don't miss out on being in the grad composite and in the grad section of the yearbook. Grad photos are happening here at the school and will run December 2-6!

Make sure to book your photos here https://booking.edgeimaging.ca/ use code: ACT to find our school

Congratulations to the OSSLT Writers!

Congratulations to the grade 10 English students and all who wrote the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test this week. You’ve worked hard and did a great job on the test days! Results will be available in late January 2025 and will be communicated once we have them. A huge thank you goes out to all the staff who helped make this test week run smoothly. If you have questions about the OSSLT, please contact Ms. Andrew at amdrewa@hdsb.ca We will write again in the spring for second semester English students. Until then, Happy reading and writing! -Ms. Andrew: Head of languages, literacy and library at Acton District School.

The hockey tournament at Acton DS is less than a month away!

This year's annual tradition takes place at the McKnight Rink on December 19.

We are looking for raffle prizes to support this charity fundraiser. Our chosen charities this year focus on youth mental health and well being. Money raised at this event will support our local Acton Youth Centre and Kids Help Phone. If you have a business or group that would like to donate a prize, please reach out to Shawn Brown, teacher of the Grade 12 Leadership class brownsh@hdsb.ca .

This Thursday the Student Council led a fun & fearless Karaoke lunch in the cafeteria. The event was a huge success with much celebration as we closed off the Grade 10 literacy test. Staff and students came together to sing their favourite songs in a perfect demonstration of courage, support & community. The event held as part of anti-bullying week helped show students the value of coming together

HDSB Multi Year Strategic Plan

The HDSB has a new Multi-Year Strategic Plan (MYSP)! The 2024-2028 MYSP will guide our work throughout the next four years to support students’ academic success, well-being and growth. Shaped by the collaborative efforts and voices of our community, each of the six commitments within this plan works in tandem to create supportive and effective learning environments. Stay tuned for more updates as we bring this plan to life inside and outside the classroom. Learn more: bit.ly/3NVuYrl

Bullying Response Protocol

Acton District along with all schools in the #HDSB, is committed to taking immediate and proactive action to prevent and address all incidents of bullying to create safe, inclusive and welcoming environments for all students.

Our Bullying Response Protocol guides us to address every incident of bullying quickly and with care. Through our online reporting tool, students and families can confidentially report bullying. Visit the HDSB website to learn more about the Bullying Response Protocol, access the online reporting tool and explore resources for families to support bullying prevention.

Together, we can create a safe school environment for all. Learn more: https://bit.ly/4fHook2

With temperatures still keeping us guessing, winter weather could surprise us any time! To stay prepared, families are encouraged to review the HDSB Inclement Weather Reminders to know how we communicate important updates about school closures and bus cancellations. A printable version of this information is also available. If your child is bused to school, please ensure you know which transportation zone you are located in. Let’s stay connected and safe when wintry conditions arrive!