February 2021
Dear Parents & Guardians,
We are pleased that you have taken
the time to visit The Dr. G. W. Williams Secondary School website. Our hope is
that you find our website to be user-friendly and informative.
As you open each of the tabs, you
will find that Williams offers a variety of learning opportunities for
students, ones in which students are able to develop their skills and talents,
increase their knowledge and understanding, and form their character. Williams’ students are encouraged through
these opportunities to develop into literate students who are innovative,
well-rounded lifelong learners and critical thinkers. We also aim to foster caring global citizens
who maintain inclusive and respectful interactions with others.
The Dr. G. W. Williams Secondary School
values a longstanding tradition of excellence.
At the core of that tradition is a caring and committed staff that
provides many opportunities for student learning and success and also endeavors
to create an environment where everyone feels safe, welcome and respected. Our goal is to ensure that all of our students
are challenged to reach their fullest potential by offering a rigorous academic
environment combined with any support that may be essential for their success. This year we have put a priority on the
safety of our students and staff through the protocols we have put in place to
protect against the spread of COVID infections within our school
community. Although usually a vibrant
community with many co-curricular activities throughout the year where students
can participate in the areas of athletics, music, and drama as well as in
various clubs we have had many of our activities go virtual and where not
possible we look forward to those opportunities returning when it is safe to do
so.
Currently, The Dr. G. W. Williams S.S. serves a diverse community and
offers programming opportunities to meet the needs and aspirations of all of
our students. Our enrolment this year
is just under 1000 students with another 250 participating in the Secondary
Virtual School (SVS) and approximately 100 teachers and support staff who are
committed to assisting students in their learning. Williams is a semestered school offering
students up to eight courses a year with classes at the academic, applied,
locally developed, university, college and/or workplace levels. We are also pleased to be an International
Baccalaureate (IB) World School offering the IB Diploma Programme. Students in the IB Diploma Programme benefit
from a variety of opportunities to broaden their knowledge, creativity,
activity and service. In addition, the
school offers 5 Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) Programs in the areas of Arts
& Culture, Business, Health & Wellness and Transportation. Courses are also offered in other specialty
areas including technology & computers, music, drama, community based
education (Co-op) and alternative education.
A personalized
weekly newsletter for parents/guardians is sent home via email each Friday which
includes information regarding events that have occurred at the school, and
upcoming events. It is important that we have a
current working email to ensure that you receive this weekly newsletter. You can advise us
of changes and/or additional e-mail addresses by emailing us at dr.g.w.williams.ss@yrdsb.ca
Please use the
subject line: EMAIL ADDRESS FOR PARENT OF [STUDENT’S NAME]
Please visit the Board’s website at www.yrdsb.ca
to learn more about news and events of our Board. While there, please also take a moment to
view our school’s profile in order to obtain more information regarding our
students, EQAO results, and curriculum & co-curricular activities.
Once again, welcome to our school website. I encourage you to contact us
at dr.g.w.williams.ss@yrdsb.ca if you have any questions
or comments as we welcome the opportunity to speak with you.
I wish you all a happy, safe and successful school year.
Thank you for visiting us on-line.
Go Wildcats!
Melissa Schmidt
Principal