Success for Life

CHSS Coffee House

News Desk — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:54:07 +0000

Central Huron’s Global Village Club hosted a spaghetti dinner and an “Evening in Paris”-themed Karaoke Coffee House on Tuesday, December 6. Although the dinner was not well attended, the Coffee House which followed was very successful. There were live musical acts, a cappella acts and both entertaining and humorous Karaoke acts. All who attended appreciated the courage and talent of the performers and enjoyed tasty treats and coffee as an added bonus. The Club hopes to host another Coffee House in the spring.

DCVI Community Food Drive

News Desk — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:19:28 +0000

St. Marys DCVI’s community food drive this year was a huge success. From December 12 – December 16, grades were pitted against each other to see who would be victorious. When the 100 item mark was reached, one teacher received a pie in the face. On December 14th, over 60 students participated in going out into the community to collect food items. All of the donated items went to the Salvation Army Food bank.

Huron Musicfest

News Desk — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:02:12 +0000

On Thursday November 17th, 2011, over 170 students from South Huron District High School, F.E. Madill Secondary School, G.D.C.I. and Central Huron Secondary School joined together for an afternoon of collaboration as they worked on multiple pieces for a concert that evening at CHSS. The students were split into junior and senior groups conducted by Robert Robilliard and Colin Clarke. It was a great opportunity for students to meet other talented musicians and to prepare for the upcoming Huron Jazz Fest in April. Huron Musicfest is a twenty year tradition, bringing in a critically acclaimed guest clinician to work with the students.

Welcome to High School

News Desk — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 15:30:03 +0000

High school is a very exciting time in your life. It is a time to learn, expand your knowledge, mature toward adulthood and a career and to create some of the best memories of your life. Avon Maitland Secondary schools offer a wide variety of programs designed to meet your needs and guide you toward reaching your full potential.

When you first enter your high school, it may appear much larger than your public or elementary school. Sometimes you can even feel overwhelmed while finding your way around and and trying to meet the expectations of a challenging secondary program. However you can relax knowing that your school has caring and supportive teachers, a variety of co-instructional activities, and friendly students. The material you learn in grade 9 builds on your learning from grade 8 and all of our secondary schools offer students orientation programs to help them make a smooth transition.

This site provides you with important information to help you and your parents prepare for secondary school and plan your pathway. It also includes each school’s Program and Course Calendar for the 2012-2013 school year.

The Avon Maitland District School Board provides a program designed to ensure all students experience success as they move into, through and beyond secondary school. The Success for Life program utilizes web-based and school-based resources to support students and their parents by identifying personal strengths, mapping out secondary school course selection, and exploring options in each pathway (Apprenticeship, College, Work, including Community Living and University) beyond high school. This transition guide is a valuable part of the Success for Life program and focuses on those heading into high school for the first time.

More specifically, this program helps students and their parents learn about:

Skills and Interests

Future career options

Pathways

Opportunities for getting work experience

Changes to Community Involvement Hours – Graduation Requirement

News Desk — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 14:49:32 +0000

Effective July 1, 2011, students will be able to start accumulating community involvement hours in the summer before they enter grade 9. Research shows that early involvement in community service helps students build a spirit of civic responsibility which can then be expanded as they move through secondary school.

Community Involvement Hours must be completed, unpaid, outside normal school hours. Students can seek opportunities in the community by offering assistance to service clubs, community groups, charities, conservation groups, health agencies, not-for-profit activities, and others.

Your school will have more information about the process of logging your child’s community involvement hours. Please contact them for more information.

Skills For Success

News Desk — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 18:50:44 +0000

Student Success
Every secondary school has a Student Success Team which works to ensure that every student has a successful secondary school experience. Members of the SS Team include the Principal (or Vice-Principal), Guidance, Student Success and Special Education Teachers. Student Success Teams develop credit rescue, credit recovery and transitional plans with students. They make sure that programs and activities are in place to help every student be successful.

Attendance

Recommendations

Attend school each day
Arrive for class on time

If you

Miss school
Have more absences noted on report card than expected

Then

Discuss attendance record with school administration
Develop a plan to ensure regular attendance
Ensure school work for absences is brought home, completed and submitted

Homework & Assignment Submission

Recommendations

Amount of time spent on assigned homework depends on student’s needs, subject, school schedule, proximity to tests, exams and assigned homework due dates
Complete and submit all assignments for assessment

If you

Do not complete assigned homework regularly
Do not submit assignments for assessment

Then

Be sure you understand the homework or assignment
Seek additional help from your teacher
visit www.gsc2.amdsb.ca for homework help
visit https://homeworkhelp.ilc.org/ for homework help

Organization & Time Management

Recommendations

Take accurate notes and keep binder well organized
Use an agenda to plan assignments, projects, and tests
Manage study time and begin to prepare well in advance

If you

Do not use your school planner issued to you
Have disorganized or incomplete notes

Then

Use the planner provided for you
Seek help to set up a time management and organizational plan
Monitor use of your planner and notebook

Be A Verb

News Desk — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 18:26:54 +0000

Bullying is not tolerated in AMDSB schools

What to do about bullying

Walk away from the situation
Do not respond – don’t talk back, don’t email back, don’t hit back
Tell an adult whom you trust about the situation – a bus driver, coach, teacher, principal
Find a friend to be with in places you don’t feel safe

For more information about bullying and what you can do, access:

AMDSB’s bully prevention website at www.beaverb.ca
the Huron-Perth Prevention website at www.bullyprevention.ca
a booklet, “Bullying, We Can All Help Stop It”, is available from the Ontario Ministry of Education to assist parents and students with issues of bullying. Contact AMDSB at 519-527-0111 or 1-800-592-5437 to request a free copy. These are also available on the Minstry of Education website.
Kids Help Phone by calling 1-800-668-6868, or visit www.kidshelpphone.ca

More Info About Courses

News Desk — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:03:48 +0000

Want more information about a course?

Course outlines for all courses are available from your school principal. You can also get copies of the Ontario Curriculum Policy documents on the Ministry website.

Do I need to take courses in a particular order?

Many courses in grades 11 and 12 have prerequisites which must be met before admission to the course is normally allowed. Students and parents / guardians should try to plan ahead by finding out what courses require certain knowledge and skills. Knowing this information may allow more flexibility in course selection as the student moves from year to year.

“Corequisite” and “Recommended Preparation” courses are listed in the school section for some courses. Students will be more successful if certain courses (corequisite courses) are taken at the same time, or prior to (recommended courses) the course they selected. More information is available from the Student Services Office and department head in the secondary school.

Can I change courses part way through the year?

Yes. To make a course change, see the counsellors in the Student Services department at your school. The course change policy for each school is in the school section of this Course and Program Calendar.

OSR – The Ontario Student Record (OSR) is the record of a student’s educational progress through schools in Ontario. All students and their parents/guardians have access to the OSR. If students move to a new school, the OSR is transferred to that school.

OST – The Ontario Student Transcript (OST), is an official record of the Ontario secondary school credits completed by students. Successful completion of grade 9 and 10 courses is recorded on the OST. For grade 11 and 12 courses, successful and unsuccessful attempts are recorded.

Four types of courses are offered in grades 9 and 10

News Desk — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 15:25:16 +0000

Academic – emphasize theoretical, abstract applications of the essential concepts and incorporate practical applications as appropriate.

Applied – develop students’ knowledge and skills by emphasizing practical, concrete applications of essential concepts. Theoretical applications are incorporated as appropriate.

Open – designed to provide students with a broad educational experience. These courses prepare students for grades 11 and 12, and for everyday life. Open courses are offered in subject areas where academic and applied courses are not offered.

LDCCs – Locally Developed Compulsory Credits are designed to meet students’ learning and career needs not addressed by the Ontario curriculum. These courses are designed for students whose knowledge and skills require additional development before enrolling in academic and/or applied courses in grades 9 and 10. LDCC courses are relevant and practical. They enable students to improve their literacy, numeracy, problem-solving, decision-making, and communication skills. These courses prepare students for success in workplace preparation courses in grades 11 and 12. A student may count a maximum of six locally developed courses as compulsory credits in English (grades 9 and 10), Mathematics (grades 9 and 10), Science (grade 9) and History (grade 10). Information on locally developed courses is available in the school section of this course and program calendar.

Five types of courses are offered in grades 11 and 12

News Desk — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 15:20:48 +0000

College – designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills they need to meet the entrance requirements for most college programs and prepare for related careers. They provide teaching and learning experiences that emphasize concrete applications of the theoretical material covered in the course, and also emphasize the development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Open – courses in the senior grades give students the opportunity to broaden their knowledge and skills in a particular subject that may or may not be directly related to their postsecondary goals. These courses are appropriate for all students regardless of postsecondary destination. They are designed to provide students with a broad educational base, to prepare them for further study, and to equip them for active participation in society.

Workplace – designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills they need for direct entry into the workplace or for admission to most apprenticeship and other training programs. They provide teaching and learning experiences that emphasize workplace applications of the course content and explore the theoretical material that underlies these practical applications.

University – designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills they need to meet the entrance requirements for university programs and prepare for related careers. They provide teaching and learning experiences that emphasize theoretical aspects of the course content, but also include some concrete applications.

University / College – course content is relevant for both university and college programs. These courses are designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills they need to meet the entrance requirements for specific university and college programs, and prepare for related careers. These courses provide teaching and learning experiences that emphasize both theory and related concrete applications.