Learning Centre 3 Secondary School Information Evenings

	Secondary School	Information Night	Time	Specialized Program
1	Agincourt CI	November 22	7:00	ExF, FI, AP
2	Albert Campbell CI	November 9	6:30	AP, HS, GI,
3	Alternative Scarborough Education 1	By Appointment		ALT
4	Bendale B.T.I.	November 16	6:30	SE, HS
5	Birchmount Park CI	November 1	6:30	EA, GI
6	Cedarbrae CI	December 7	6:30	ExF, FI, LP
7	David and Mary Thomson CI	November 2	6:30	HS, Pre-AP, AP
8	Delphi Secondary Alternative School	December 7 January 16	7:00 7:00	ALT
9	Lester B. Pearson CI	November 9	6:30	AP, HS
10	Maplewood High School	By Appointment		N/A
11	RH King Academy	November 23	6:00 & 7:30	C/N Sys, HS, P
12	SATEC@ W.A Porter CI	November 9	6:00	C/N Sys, CS, MST, HS
13	Sir Oliver Mowat CI	November 15 (Performing Arts) January 17		7:00 7:00
14	Sir Wilfrid Laurier CI	November 2	6:30	IB, HS
15	Sir William Osler HS	March 22	5:00	HS
16	West Hill CI	November 23	6:30	LP, AP
17	Wexford Collegiate School of the Arts	November 7 (Visual & Media Arts) November 8 (Performing Arts)	7:00 7:00	AF
18	Winston Churchill CI	November 15	6:30	SE, AP, Pre-AP, AC
19	Woburn CI	November 22	6:30	GI

Specialized Program Legend

Program	Sym.		Program	Sym.	Program		Sym.
Africentric Program	AC		Entrepreneurship	Entre	LEAP		LP
Arts Focus	AF		Extended French	ExF	Math and Science Focus		MST
Advanced Placement	AP		French Immersion	FI	Media Arts		MA
Alternative	ALT		Gifted	GI	Pre-Advanced Placement		Pre-AP
Cyber Arts	CA		International Baccalaureate	IB	Skills Enhanced		SE
Cyber Studies	CS		International Studies	IS	Specialist High Skills Major		HS
Cisco/Nortel Systems		C/N Sys		Integrated Technology		IT
Elite Athletes/Arts		EA		Leadership Pathway		P

SMART GOALS

As we begin the 2017-2018 school year one of the first activities we will be focusing on in the myblueprint program will be the creation of SMART Goals.  Myblueprint is a powerful and comprehensive education and career/life planning program with the tools students need to make informed decisions about their future.  On the program students will be developing short, medium and long term SMART Goals for Academic, Career and Extracurricular aspirations.  The information below from http://topachievement.com/smart.html does a great job of explaining SMART goals in depth.     

Creating S.M.A.R.T. Goals

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Realistic

Timely

Specific: A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal. To set a specific goal you must answer the six “W” questions:

*Who:      Who is involved?

*What:     What do I want to accomplish?

*Where:    Identify a location.

*When:     Establish a time frame.

*Which:    Identify requirements and constraints.

*Why:      Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal.

EXAMPLE:  A general goal would be, “Get in shape.” But a specific goal would say, “Join a health club and workout 3 days a week.”

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Measurable - Establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each goal you set.

When you measure your progress, you stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs you on to continued effort required to reach your goal.

To determine if your goal is measurable, ask questions such as……

How much? How many?

How will I know when it is accomplished?

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Attainable – When you identify goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out ways you can make them come true. You develop the attitudes, abilities, skills, and financial capacity to reach them. You begin seeing previously overlooked opportunities to bring yourself closer to the achievement of your goals.

You can attain most any goal you set when you plan your steps wisely and establish a time frame that allows you to carry out those steps. Goals that may have seemed far away and out of reach eventually move closer and become attainable, not because your goals shrink, but because you grow and expand to match them. When you list your goals you build your self-image. You see yourself as worthy of these goals, and develop the traits and personality that allow you to possess them.

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Realistic- To be realistic, a goal must represent an objective toward which you are both willing and able to work. A goal can be both high and realistic; you are the only one who can decide just how high your goal should be. But be sure that every goal represents substantial progress.

A high goal is frequently easier to reach than a low one because a low goal exerts low motivational force. Some of the hardest jobs you ever accomplished actually seem easy simply because they were a labor of love.

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Timely – A goal should be grounded within a time frame. With no time frame tied to it there’s no sense of urgency. If you want to lose 10 lbs, when do you want to lose it by? “Someday” won’t work. But if you anchor it within a timeframe, “by May 1st”, then you’ve set your unconscious mind into motion to begin working on the goal.
Your goal is probably realistic if you truly believe that it can be accomplished. Additional ways to know if your goal is realistic is to determine if you have accomplished anything similar in the past or ask yourself what conditions would have to exist to accomplish this goal.

T can also stand for Tangible – A goal is tangible when you can experience it with one of the senses, that is, taste, touch, smell, sight or hearing.

When your goal is tangible you have a better chance of making it specific and measurable and thus attainable.

2017-2018 Guidance Program

Dear Parents/Guardians:

Welcome back to another year of learning with your child!  This year the TDSB focus will be centered on equity, well-being, and student achievement.  Knowing our Students, Engaging our Students, Listening to our Students and Learning from our Students will play a pivotal role in the Guidance Program.  We will work hard to inspire students, connect with their passions and assist them to dream about their future. (Unleashing Learning: A Vision For Learning in TDSB) 

One of the goals of the guidance program is that every grade 8 student and family will be equipped with the knowledge and information to make an informed and confident decision for choosing an appropriate secondary school program.  This is a process that requires a partnership between the student, parents/guardians, teachers, guidance counsellor and our secondary school representatives.  This partnership will help ensure that our students will have every opportunity for success as they transition to secondary school.  This process will help students become more independent learners.  They will acquire the basic habits and skills they will need for lifelong learning and for success both at school and in other areas of their lives. 

Guidance will support schools in implementing this program for students in grades 7& 8 utilizing the My Blueprint Program along with other specific classroom activities. Please visit the resource section in our Blog below for further information and resources.  Please contact your guidance counsellor if you have any questions or concerns.

We look forward to working with you and your child to ensure that he/she has a positive experience as they transition to secondary school.  If you require any further information please do not hesitate to contact your child’s Guidance Counsellor at their elementary school.  You are also encouraged to visit this website on a regular basis for the  most up to date information.

“Choices for Nine” invitations will be arriving to the Elementary schools soon. At this important meeting for families, we will be taking a deeper look at the grade 8 to 9 transition process and timelines.     

Welcome Back to the 2017-2018 School Year!

To keep you informed with the Guidance and Career Education Program, we will be updating you with information on this blog.

Creating Pathways to Success

Guidance and Career Education is mandated in our schools through a Ministry of Education Policy Document called “Creating Pathways To Success”.  Creating Pathways to Success sets out the new career development policy for Ontario schools, which involves the implementation of a comprehensive Kindergarten to  Grade 12 education and career/life planning program designed to help students  achieve their personal goals and become competent, successful, and contributing members of society. This is a whole-school program delivered through classroom  instruction linked to the curriculum and through broader school programs and activities.
The program framework is a four-step inquiry process built on four questions linked to the
four areas of learning in education and career/life planning – Knowing Yourself; Exploring Opportunities; Making Decisions and Setting Goals; and Achieving Goals and Making Transitions.
(Source: Creating Pathways to Success http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/document/policy/cps/creatingpathwayssuccess.pdf,  August 27, 2014)

The table below outlines the specific areas of learning related to the 4 Inquiry Questions: 

Our goal is to support schools in implementing this program for students in grades 7& 8 utilizing the My Blueprint Program along with other specific classroom activities. Please visit the resource section in our Blog for further information and resources.
We look forward to working with you and your children this school year.

Please contact your guidance counsellor if you have any questions or concerns.