GENERAL INFORMATION
This document is designed to assist you in the process of managing your high school studies. It contains an overview of all available programs and special services as well as information regarding the requirements for graduation as set down by the Ministry of Education. It also includes a complete listing of all courses offered at St. Joseph-Scollard Hall Catholic Secondary School with a brief description of their nature and content. Study this calendar carefully and discuss the possible choices with your parents, teachers and members of the Student Services Department. Make a realistic assessment of your past performance before choosing your courses for next year, selecting those prerequisites which will lead you to a productive and fruitful academic career at St. Joseph-Scollard Hall. We trust that both students and their parents will find the means to realize their education goals in a Catholic context here at St. Joseph-Scollard Hall.
ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES: ACADEMIC POLICY
The school’s expectations with respect to student responsibilities, achievement, and attendance, as well as the code of behavior for students can be found by accessing the ‘For Parents’ tab on our school website for the Student Handbook and Code of Conduct.
Academic Policy Program Structure
St. Joseph-Scollard Hall is a co-educational high school which offers a full-year program in all areas of study. The school year is divided into two semesters: September to January, and February to June. Students are required, at the end of each semester, to write a set of formal exams or final evaluations which is part of the Growing Success plan.
Academic Course Load
All students must have a total of eight (8) courses per academic year with the following exceptions:
- Grade 12 students, who have a total of twenty-four (24) credits by the completion of grade 11, must have a minimum of three (3) courses per semester in order to qualify for graduation in their grade 12 year.
- Grade 12 students, who have fewer than twenty-four (24) credits by the end of grade 11, must take either seven (7) or eight (8) courses- enough to qualify for graduation in their grade 12 year.
- It is recommended that students take additional courses if graduation may be in jeopardy.
Each subject is described in a course of study outline which may be viewed by contacting the Principal. Information about the course offerings, through other means, is available through the teacher-counsellors in Student Services.
Statement of Access
Every student, and a parent/guardian of a student who is not an adult, has a right of access to the student’s Ontario Student Record folder.
Ontario Student Transcript
Students requiring a copy of their official high school transcript can make their request via email. Please email Mrs. Edmunds [email protected] . Note: Current SJSH students can make an official high school transcript request in person by visiting Student Services for no fee. It is important that you clearly share your full name, date of birth and year of graduation. Without this information, official transcripts cannot be processed. Please allow up five business days to prepare the official transcript. Payment must be made before transcript can be released. The $10 transcript processing fee can be paid only by cash or debit machine (additional fee added at terminal) at St. Joseph – Scollard Hall. With proof of payment, we can release transcript directly to:
- Student (or parent/guardian if the student is under 18)
- A specified person or institution (i.e College or University) with written permission by the student.
Note: For students who are over 18, parent/guardian are not able to request or receive a transcript without written permission from student.
DIPLOMA REQUIREMENTS
What you need to earn an Ontario Secondary School Diploma depends on the year you started Grade 9.
https://www.ontario.ca/page/earning-your-high-school-diploma
If you started Grade 9 in 2023 or in prior years, you must earn:
If you started Grade 9 in 2024 or in later years you must earn:
Everyone needs 40 hours of community involvement activities (volunteering) to get their high school diploma.
Substitution for the Compulsory Courses
To meet the needs of individual students, the principal may replace up to three (3) of these courses with other compulsory credits. See your teacher-counsellor for details. This will only be done when it is deemed educationally sound for the student.
The Ontario Secondary School Certificate
Students who decide to leave school before earning the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) will be granted, on request, the Ontario Secondary School Certificate, if they have earned a minimum of 14 credits – 7 compulsory and 7 elective credits.
The Certificate of Accomplishment
This document is a way of recognizing achievement for students who will not achieve the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD). The Certificate of Accomplishment recognizes achievement for students who plan to take vocational programs or other kinds of further training or who plan to find employment after leaving school. It is accompanied by the Ontario Student Transcript (OST) and Individual Education Plan (IEP) where appropriate.
ONTARIO SECONDARY SCHOOL LITERACY TEST
All students working towards a secondary school diploma must successfully complete the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test as part of the diploma requirements. The test, based on reading and writing expectations up to the end of grade 9, is written in the spring of a student’s grade 10 year. Students who are unsuccessful will have the opportunity to rewrite the test the following year and remedial assistance will be offered. Accommodations for identified students are provided; as long as they are part of the IEP and fall within EQAO guidelines. Deferrals and exemptions for the test may be granted on an individual basis due to exceptional circumstances. For more detailed information, please contact the school and ask for the Student Success Teacher.
Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course
This course is designed to help students acquire and demonstrate the cross-curricular literacy skills that are evaluated by the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT). Students who complete the course successfully will meet the provincial literacy requirement for graduation. Students will read a variety of informational, narrative, and graphic texts and will produce a variety of forms of writing, including summaries, information paragraphs, opinion pieces, and news reports. Students will also maintain and manage a portfolio containing a record of their reading experiences and samples of their writing.
Eligibility Requirement: Students who have been eligible to write the OSSLT at least twice and who have been unsuccessful at least once are eligible to take the course.
Eligibility Requirements
As of June 2004, principals have the discretion to allow a student to enrol in the Ontario Secondary Literacy course before he or she has had a second opportunity to take the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test, if the principal determines that it is in the best educational interests of the student.
GOLDEN TOUCH PROGRAM
This package is the response of St. Joseph-Scollard Hall to the 40 hours of community involvement. Golden Touch is a community volunteer program developed at St. Joseph-Scollard Hall for our students which will help them meet the minimum 40 hours of community service required for a high school diploma. This program is designed to reflect gospel values according to the traditions and teachings of our Catholic Church. It also encourages students to develop awareness and understanding of civic responsibility and of the role they can play in supporting and strengthening their communities. This requirement will benefit communities, but its primary purpose is to contribute to students’ development. It will provide opportunities for students to learn about the contributions they can make to the community.
Students, in collaboration with their parents, will decide how they will complete the community involvement requirement. They may use their annual education plan to identify possible activities they might undertake.
Community involvement activities may take place in a variety of settings, including not-for-profit organizations, public sector institutions (including hospitals), and informal settings. Students may not fulfill the requirement through activities that are:
- By assisting with day to day family responsibilities (i.e. shoveling driveway when mom or dad ask, babysitting younger brother or sister.)
- counted towards a credit (co-operative education and work experience or Outreach, for example)
- through paid work or by assuming duties normally performed by a paid employee
The requirement is to be completed outside students’ normal instructional hours. This means that activities are to take place in students’ designated lunch hours, after school, on weekends, or during school holidays.
Students will maintain and provide a record of their community involvement activities. Completion of the required 40 hours must be confirmed by the organizations or persons supervising the activities. Documentation for each activity must include:
- the name of the person or organization receiving the service
- the activity performed
- the dates and hours
- the signatures of the student and his or her parents
- a signed acknowledgment by the person (or a representative of the organization involved)
SPECIAL EDUCATION
Special Education
Special Education is involved in identifying, renewing and placing of exceptional students which is the responsibility of an Identification, Placement and Review Committee (I.P.R.C.) of the Nipissing-Parry Sound Catholic District School Board. Each identified student is assigned a resource teacher who will help coordinate the Individual Education Plan and monitor the student’s progress so that the exceptional student may achieve their educational goals.
Note: The registration form must be accompanied by copies of the most recent IPRC (Identification, Placement and Review Committee) form and I.E.P. (Individual Placement Plan) form maintained in the current grade 8 school. The exceptional student’s registration will not be processed without this documentation.
Learning Assistance Centre
The Learning Assistance Centre (LAC) is comprised of 3 self-contained, special education classrooms that provide a wide range of program content to students with multiple exceptionalities. The program gives the students the opportunity to meet with success in their spiritual, social, intellectual and independent living skills. In turn, it helps them form an independent productive adult life. Every attempt at purposeful, meaningful integration is made according to the strengths and needs of each student. Participation in work experience opportunities and recreation and leisure activities in the community are also part of the LAC program.
WORK EXPERIENCE: CAREER EXPLORATION
Co-operative Education • DCO3OC
Students earn co-operative Education credits by integrating classroom curriculum with planned learning experiences in the community to achieve learning. Co-operative Education involves a partnership between education and business, industry, labour and community organizations. The purpose of Co-operative Education is to help students develop employability and industry-specific skills. This course helps students to meet Ontario Catholic Graduate Expectations by enabling each person to become a collaborative contributor who applies skills for employability, self-employment and entrepreneurship relative to Christian vocation.
Students interested in experiencing Co-operative Education should be certain to use the course code DCO3OC when filling out their registration form.
Students interested in the trades may do a 4 Credit Coop; however, they must see the OYAP Coordinator when it comes to an Apprenticeship.
For more information contact the OYAP Advisor or Student Services at St. Joseph-Scollard Hall
GET INVOLVED BEARS!
PROGRAM PLANNING
Religious Education
The aim of our Religion program is to challenge and guide each student to fulfill her/his own potential in all areas of life. The student will have an opportunity to study and reflect upon the teachings of Jesus and the Catholic Christian tradition and to apply and test these values in the present. Through this process each student will be able to recognize her/his own level of faith and learn how to allow that faith to increase and be a source of hope now and in the future. A Religious Education course is necessary at each grade level.
Business Studies Certificate
A Business Studies Certificate will be issued to students who successfully complete a minimum of six (6) business courses. This certificate, which reflects a concentration of study in business subjects, will be useful as a reference for those entering college or the world of work. The courses CLU 3MC (Understanding Canadian Law), CLN 4UC (Canadian & International Law) and can be used toward the completion of this certificate. A maximum of 2 cooperative education credits in a related business career can also be used towards this certificate.
Arts in Education
The Arts help students develop the ability to be sensitive, to recognize beauty, express emotion, and learn creativity. Discipline, cooperation, tolerance and flexibility are also required; all of these skills essential to a useful and fulfilling life in society. St. Joseph-Scollard Hall provides a varied menu of Arts programs both curricular and extra-curricular, including dance, drama, visual arts and music. Students are encouraged to follow the progressive sequence of courses in their preferred areas of the Arts.
The Immersion Certificate
An Immersion Certificate will be issued to those students who have successfully completed the sequence of four French immersion language courses FIF 1DC, FIF 2DC, FIF 3UA or FIF3UC, FIF 4UC and a minimum of six courses in other subjects taught in French. The (FI) course code is for early immersion (K-8) students. The grade 9 immersion program is part of the learning continuum consisting of Grades 7, 8, and 9 where 50% of the instruction is in French and 50% in English. Thus, the four courses in the grade 9 immersion program form one package that immersion students must include in their personal program in grade 9. The subjects are French Immersion - FIF 1DC, Religious Studies - HRE 1OF, Geography - CGC 1DF and/or Visual Arts - AV1 1OF and PPL1OF.
E-Learning Courses
E-Learning courses give learners the flexibility they need to succeed as well as provide more learning opportunities. These courses are offered on-line, allow the students to work independently and customize their learning plan to fit their educational needs. In order to learn more about taking an E-Learning course, students need to make an appointment with their guidance counselor to see if they are a candidate for an E-learning course.