Welcome to Grade 8 Parents’ Night Thursday, January 30, 2014

1. Welcome to Grade 8 Parents’ Night Thursday, January 30, 2014

2. Welcome and Opening Remarks Richard Kennelly, Principal

3. Grade 8 Parent Night Agenda *Welcome and Opening Remarks* R. Kennelly *School Community Council* D. Hayes, Co-Chair of SCC *Extra-Curricular Activities* Nicole Giouridis & Aren Sammy *Grade 9 Program Overview* K. Burns *Special Education and Academic Resource* C. Low *Optional Laptop Program* M. Cammock *Closing Remarks* R. Kennelly, Principal Department Fair, Club Fair, Refreshments & Tours

4. Department Introductions • The Arts J. ‘tMannetje • Business Studies & IT D. Reis • Canadian & World Studies C. Kirchner • Classical & International Languages S. Breton • Cooperative Education L. Winchester • English O. Bozinovska • Guidance & Career Education K. Burns • Health & Physical Education R. Olmstead • Library J. Andersen • Mathematics P. Winkelhorst • Science J. Huelin • Social Sciences & Humanities E. Nieuwstraten • Special Education C. Low • Technology J. Belyea

6. School Directions • Improving Student Achievement • Literacy • Numeracy • School Pride • Welcoming environment • Student recognition • Value Character & Diversity

7. Grade 9 Numeracy Test Academic Applied

8. Academic Richardson Province Board

9. Applied Richardson Board Province

10. Cohort Achievement Academic Applied Moved from below Level 3 to Level 3

11. Parent Survey

12. Parent Survey - Fall 2012

13. Programs & Facilities • Technology • Library • Athletics • Arts • Tech programs

14. Cafeteria swipe card system • Safe • No need for cash • Daily limit • Supervised space • Parent controlled • Loaded on the web • Purchase tracking • Rewards options

15. Communication • School • Emails – please send us your address with Grade • Newsletters – most are emailed and posted to web • Website – updated with content and calendars • Phone Home system – broadcast and targeted • Facebook – Richardson Collegiate • Twitter - @jcr_storm In an emergency, check the twitter, facebook and the website – please do not call your children – it is a safety issue!

16. Student Support • Guidance Department • Special Education Department • Student Success Team • We will know your child before they walk through the door in September.

17. Questions?

18. School Community Council (SCC) D. Hayes, Co-chair of SCC

19. Extra-Curricular Activities Nicole Giouridis And Aren Sammy

20. Grade 9 Program Overview Kim Burns, Head of Guidance

21. Guidance Counsellors Mrs. Armstrong Mrs. Burns Ms. Forbes Mr. McFetters Ms. Pearson Personal Counselling Academic Counselling Career Counselling

22. Excellent Resource for Grade 8 parents and students

23. Page 1 of the Transitions Guide

24. Course/Option Selection The process of choosing courses for the next school year.

25. “What do you need to graduate?” Page 3 of the TransitionsGuide

26. ONTARIO SECONDARY SCHOOL DIPLOMA REQUIREMENTS • 30 credits (18 compulsory, 12 elective) • 40 hours community involvement • Successful completion of the Grade 10 Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test

27. What Courses Do You Need to Graduate? (Page 3) • AND

28. Compulsory courses continued… …plus12 other elective credits

29. Community Involvement 40 hours

30. Community Involvement • Activities to complete this requirement can begin in the summer before a student enters grade nine. • A single 40 hour activity or a series of shorter activities totaling 40 hours may count towards this requirement. • Activities must be completed outside scheduled class time and must not replace someone who would normally be paid to do this work. Page 12 of Transitions

31. To be distributed by Grade 8 teacher in June

32. Distributed in June by Grade 8 Teacher

33. The Grade 9 Program6 compulsory courses +2 elective courses =8 courses

34. Decoding a Course Code(Page 4) ENG 1 D 1 School Boards use this final character to distinguish courses The Letter identifies the course type: Grades 9 & 10 D=Academic P=Applied L=Locally Developed O=Open This Number identifies the Grade 1= Grade 9 2=Grade 10 3=Grade 11 4=Grade 12 These three letters identify the subject. The first letter in the course code denotes the course’s department area A= ArtsB= Business C=Canadian & World Studies E= English F = French G= Guidance & Career Ed. S= Sciences H = Humanities & Social Sciences L= International Languages M= Mathematics P= Physical Education T= Technology SCH 4 C 1

35. Grade 9 Compulsory Courses

36. Grade 9 Compulsory Courses

37. Which One Do I choose?Applied, Academic or Locally Developed? Page 6 of Transitions Guide ACADEMIC Academic courses focus on the essential concepts of the discipline PLUS additional related concepts. While course work exposes students to both theories and practical applications, there is a greater emphasis on THEORY as a basis for future learning and problem solving.

38. Which One Do I Choose?Applied, Academic or Locally Developed? APPLIED Applied courses focus on the essential concepts of the discipline. While course work exposes students to both theories and practical applications, there is a greater emphasis on PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS.

39. Which One Do I Choose?Applied, Academic or Locally Developed? LOCALLY DEVELOPED Locally Developed courses focus on the most essential concepts of a discipline. These courses are offered in Math, Science and English in Grade 9. These courses will provide support for students making the transition to high school by enhancing their skills to allow them to be successful in High School.

40. Academic , Locally Developed and Applied courses differ in the balance between essential concepts and additional material and in the balance between theory and application.

41. Math example Grade 8 – Volume of a Cube

42. Math example Grade 9 – Academic Students develop the formula for finding the Volume of a Cone and use it to solve problems.

43. Math example Grade 9 – Applied Teacher supplies the formula and students use it to solve problems.

44. Math example Grade 9 –Locally Developed No volume of a cone. Practice numeracy skills – fractions, integers, decimals, money sense, measurement, BEDMAS, etc.

45. Can students change levels in Grade 10? Yes! Students are able to move from APPLIED courses in Grade 9 to ACADEMIC courses in Grade 10. Students are able to move from ACADEMIC courses in Grade 9 to APPLIED courses in Grade 10. MATHis the only course for which you need Grade 9 ACADEMIC in order to take Grade 10 ACADEMIC. There is a transfer course offered at summer schoolfor students wanting to move from Grade 9 Applied to Grade 10 Academic.

46. Do all the courses that a student selects have to be at the same level? No! Students are encouraged to take the type of course that best suits their interests, goals and learning styles. Students may select a variety of course types.

47. Can a student take more than one course in the subject area? Yes! For example: Semester #1: MAT1L1 (Locally Developed Math) Semester #2: MFM1P1 (Applied Math)

48. Grade 9 Elective Courses

49. Grade 9 Elective Courses*Students select 3 courses(2 + 1 alternate)*All elective courses are offered at the “open level” only.

50. What is an Open Course? Open courses have one set of expectations for each subject and are appropriate for ALL students.