Getting Ready For Grade 9

Hopefully, after attending one of the elementary school parent information evenings, you were  also able to attend some of the secondary school Parent Information Nights. 

In early January, a course selection sheet  for your child's home high school will be coming home for you to review , complete and sign.  Classroom teachers will have had an opportunity to make recommendations as to what course types they recommend for your child:  

The Ministry of Education has developed three types of core courses in Grade 9: Academic, Applied and Locally Developed Compulsory credits.  Mathematics, English and science, French and geography are offered at both the Academic and Applied levels.  Locally Developed Compulsory Credit courses are only offered in mathematics, English and science.  Other courses, such as the arts, physical education and business, which have one set of expectations for all learners are offered as Open courses.

Applied courses cover the essential concepts of a subject and focus more on using learned knowledge in real-life situations.  These courses are designed for students who likely have content gaps in the specific subject area.  Applied courses meet OSSD requirements.

Academic courses cover the essential concepts of a subject and draw heavily on theory and abstract examples/problems.  These courses are designed for the independent learner who has limited to no gaps in subject area content.  Academic courses meet OSSD requirements.

Locally Developed Compulsory credit courses try to meet students’ needs not met by the existing Provincial Curriculum.  These courses are for students with gaps in knowledge and skills in the specific subject area.  Locally Developed Compulsory credit courses meet OSSD requirements.

Grade 9 course decisions should be based on ensuring that your son/daughter achieves success.  Obtaining “16 credits by the age of 16” at the end of their Grade 10 school year is a very important step in your child being successful in obtaining their OSSD.

With this in mind, we realize that there may be some confusion when deciding whether to choose Academic, Applied or Locally Developed Compulsory courses.  Important questions to ask are:  “Which would best suit my child’s learning style?”, “How has my son/daughter faired over the years in this subject?” and “Where would my child be successful?”  Also, please take into consideration the teacher’s recommendations when deciding on course level for your child.

We urge you to follow these teacher recommendations as much thought has been given to the suggestions. The school team makes recommendations with respect to the most appropriate grade 9 placement for each student. These recommendations are based on a student's educational history, current achievement levels, learning style, attitude, motivation and abilities.  The grade 9 program and subject selection should be based on teachers recommendations to ensure the student's success.  Appropriate placement of a student in grade nine is of vital importance to the student's ability to succeed in secondary school.

The Home Secondary School Course Selection Sheet that you are receiving in early January must be submitted to the homeroom teacher no later than Monday January 26^th, 2015.  Thanks for your prompt attention to this important matter.

Please be reminded that Optional Attendance Applications are due at the selected school  no later than January 30th, 2015. The List of Limited and Closed Schools will be publicized by the TDSB by Mid- January.

If you have any further questions or concerns, please contact your child's  Guidance Counsellor by leaving  a message at their school indicating: your name, a phone number where you can be reached, the student’s name and they will be in touch with you as soon as possible. 

Have a wonderful Holiday Season :)

Course Selection Procedures

We are in the midst of high school planning and over the next couple of months, students will be required to make some important choices for grade 9. This is a very exciting and important time for our grade 8 students. The purpose of this newsletter is to keep you informed of some of the procedures and important deadlines for course selections.

Grade 9 Course Selections

We will begin course selections the week of Jan 12^th  2015. All students must complete course selections for their home high school using the myblueprint program. Students who have applied for specialized programs or regular school programs under optional attendance, will need to provide letters of acceptance to their Elementary School Guidance Counsellor in order for a new course selection sheet to be completed for that school/program. If students are successful with their choices, they need to inform the schools of their acceptance or not, within the given time frames (refer to the back of the optional attendance sheet for specific info). For students who are unsuccessful with their choices, we will continue with the home high school course selections. It is strongly recommended students log in to the myblueprint program at home and further explore the high school planner with their families, to ensure they are prepared to make final decisions for grade 9 within the next few weeks. All grade 8 students have already created accounts on myblueprint and worked through several aspects of the program including the high school planner. Students can log in from home at www.myblueprint.ca/tdsb with their username and password. Only students attending their home high schools will be given time in class  to select courses online. Students attending specialized programs or optional attendance schools will complete paper pencil versions of course selection sheets. Classroom teachers will have an opportunity to make program recommendations by the first week of February and send them home along with the hard copy versions for parents to review and sign. Parents/ guardians are expected to verify and sign course selection sheets and return them to their elementary  school no later than February 16th,  2015.

2015 Important Dates

     Week of January 12th – Elementary schools will be notified of which high schools are open for Optional Attendance. (Optional Attendance forms are available at your elementary school)

     January  30th – Optional Attendance forms are due to high schools (delivered by parents/guardians).

 Week of February 9^th –13th Students are informed of their acceptance to Specialized Programs and Optional Attendance schools.
    Week of February  16^th- Completed course selections are verified and signed by parents/guardians  and returned to classroom teachers.
     February 23rd  – All course selection sheets are delivered to high schools by their Elementary Guidance Counsellor

If you have any questions or concerns regarding course selections or any of the information above, please contact your Elementary Guidance Counsellor by leaving a message at your child's school to set up an appointment. 

A letter with more information will be sent home with your child's  course selection and posted online in early January.