Moving From Grade 8 to Sandalwood Heights Secondary School Organization Graduation Requirements Choosing Grade 9 Courses Student Success Our counselling team is always happy to meet with students and parents.

Secondary School Organization 2 Semesters per year Sem 1: September to January Sem 2: February to June 4 courses per semester taught by different teachers Summative Evaluations at the end of each semester Course selection process Full cafeteria service

Graduation Requirements Total of 30 credits - 18 Compulsory Credits - 12 Optional Credits Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test – completed in grade 10 40 hours of Community Service – students can start the summer before grade 9 Details on next pages

What is a typical day like @ Sandalwood? 8:30am – 3:00pm 5 periods a day 1 period is lunch Each period is 75 minutes long Time Sem 1 Sem 2 8:30 – 9:50 ENG 1D0 CGC 1P0 9:53 – 11:08 MFM 1P0 SNC 1L0 11:11 – 12:26 Lunch 12:27 – 1:42 FSF 1P0 BTT 1O0 1:45 – 3:00 AVI 1O0 PPL 1OM/F

Course Selection Process Grade 8 teachers will be providing course type recommendations on Grade 9 Option Sheet Complete Option Sheet and return to homeroom teacher Submit courses online through student’s myBlueprint account (Nov. 12th and Nov. 28th) and return Sign-Off sheet to homeroom teacher February 2019 – course verification process

Compulsory Grade 9 Courses = 6 English or ESL Math Science French Geography Health & Physical Education

Optional Grade 9 Courses = 2 CHOOSE 1 OF: Dramatic Arts Music (instrumental or vocal) Visual Arts CHOOSE 1 OF: Exploring Technologies Communications, Computer Technology & Engineering, Construction, Health Care, Hospitality & Tourism, Technological Design, Transportation Business Technology Information and Communication Technology in Business. Develop digital literacy skills for success in a technologically driven society Exploring Family Studies Explore adolescent development and develop interpersonal, decision making and practical skills for every day life

Types of Courses in Grade 9 Academic Applied Locally Developed (in Math, Science and English) Open

Making Choices - Considerations Studies show that the correct course selection is the KEY to secondary success

Making Choices -Considerations A mixed timetable is possible – combination of academic, applied and locally developed courses Course types chosen in grade 9 DO NOT LIMIT course types for grade 10 Students will be able to move from Academic courses in grade 9 to Applied courses in grade 10 In all subjects except math students will be able to move from Applied courses in grade 9 to Academic courses in grade 10 depending on Grade 9 achievement There are ways to change course types throughout a student’s high school career

Academic Courses emphasize theoretical, abstract applications of the essential concepts plus additional related concepts fast paced greater opportunities for independent learning approx. 30 students per class If you want to enter a profession such as Dentistry, Medicine, Law, Teaching, Engineering etc. you must earn a degree. There are also ESL and Special Education classes.

Applied Courses focus on practical applications of essential concepts and real-life examples provide more opportunities for hands-on experiences slower pace than Academic courses more in-class work than outside of class approx. 22 students per class – for additional support Applied courses are for students who wish to attend community college. Colleges have 1 to 3 year courses that lead to a diploma. These programs train you for specific types of jobs such as Policing, many computer jobs, Photography, Advertising, Fashion Design etc.

Locally Developed Courses Mathematics, Science and English focus on essential skills using practical activities develops literacy, numeracy, problem-solving, decision-making and communication skills teacher-directed smallest class size – approx. 17 students per class

Open Courses in grade 9: The Arts, Introduction to Business, Exploring Family Studies, Health & Physical Education and Exploring Technology enrich students' education generally prepare students for further study in certain subjects Open courses are for all students.

Student Success Special Education ESL – English as a Second Language Recommended programs for some students to have a successful start to high school

GLE 1O0 – General Learning Strategies 1 credit course in grade 9 for students who have an Individual Education Plan (IEP). The course provides students with one-to-one support in the areas of Literacy and Numeracy as well as core subjects such as Geography, English and Mathematics. The course teaches students about various learning styles, strategies to be successful in high school such as note taking, time management and study skills. They learn how to be successful students.

English As A Second Language (ESL) We offer 5 levels of English language support courses to meet the needs of our English Language Learners: ESLA (beginners)  ESLE (Advanced) Up to 3 ESL credits may count as compulsory English credits (4 compulsory English credits are required for graduation) Students are transitioned from the ESL program into academic or applied English courses: ESL programs support the development of academic vocabulary and success in all other subject areas. ESL courses are open to the following groups of students: Students new to the country or province, where the previous language of instruction may not have been in English Canadian born English Language Learners English Language Learners have good speaking and conversational skills but may require further instruction in developing academic reading and writing skills in English ESL A ESL B ESL C ESL D ESL E ENG1P0 ENG1D0 ENG2P0 ENG2D0

Goals of the GLE or ESL Support Programs To ease the transition from the elementary program to the high school program. Smaller class sizes provide individual academic support to our students. Resource support is available during the lunch periods for all of our students. On-going academic monitoring is offered throughout high school to ensure students are successful. Accommodations such as extra time for summative assessments (exams) and EQAO are provided. It is very important that you follow the recommendations of the grade 8 teacher with regards to your child’s placement in ESL and GLE. Your child will be more successful in their other courses because of it. They will earn credits that go toward their Ontario Secondary School diploma and have the support they need to be successful in their core classes.

Questions? Student Services Contacts: Ms. L. Stutt – Guidance Department Ext. 410 Ms. M. Homem – Special Education & ESL Ext. 454 Guidance Office Administrator Ext. 412