"Choices for Nine" brochures have arrived!

Your child will have received a Choices for Nine brochure by October 25, 2013.  The Choices for Nine publication provides you and your child with a detailed outline of the opportunities available and the decisions and choices you’ll be making throughout high school.  Each child will be completing a scavenger hunt in class to explore the content of the brochure.  Student need to have their agendas signed by their parents/guardians once the brochure is brought home.

Please take a look at the parent tip sheet for some important information by clicking here:  High School Courses and Choices Tip Slip.

Important information about the Choices for Nine program will be shared at our Choices for Nine Information evening on November 6th, 2013 at Bliss Carman Senior P.S (6:30pm).  

 

Come and learn about key dates, timelines, Optional Attendance procedures, Secondary School programs and requirements, Secondary School Open House dates and times, Course Selection and much more.

Please note that Birchmount C.I will be hosting their Grade 9 information night on October 30, 2013.

 

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Paul George                                             

(416) 396-6075  Ext: 20040

 

 

Grade 8 Career Conference Highlights

On October 1st, 2013 Grade 8 students from Bliss Carman took part in an interactive career conference at the Ontario Science Centre (OSC).  Our students were very fortunate to hear from many employees from the various educational pathways about their career journeys.  OSC High School students shared advice about how to make the most of their future secondary school experiences.  The students were encouraged to become involved in extracurricular activities and be students who “Make things Happen” in high school.

A big part of the day involved students learning about the numerous career possibilities available at the OSC by having the opportunity to interact with the incredible staff.  Student heard from and saw Designers who plan the amazing exhibits and many of the skilled trade employees like Anthony Sword the Cabinet Maker who build them.  Speeches and presentations by Science Centre professionals helped students learn about the importance of career planning. 

Hosted by Laura Zrymiak 

Anthony Sword and Scott Pinard

I would like to thank all the teachers, support staff and parents for helping out with supervising the students.  A special thank you to all the students who conducted themselves in such an excellent manner.  I hope you found the day informative and enjoyable.  The feedback from the Ontario Science Centre staff about the students was very positive.  The Guidance Counsellors from ER12 and ER13 would like to send out a huge THANK YOU to all the wonderful people at the Ontario Science Centre for allowing us to use this wonderful venue for our career conference and for the incredible hospitality you showed.  

A special thank you to our Superintendent of Education (SOE) Kerry-Lynn Stadnyk and the Student Success committee for supporting this wonderful initiative for our students.  

Jerry Newton

OSC High School Student and Newcomer to Canada reminds students to get the most out of high school by getting involved in extracurricular activities

OSC High School Student - Wants Students to "Make things Happen" in High School"

ER13 SOE Kerry-Lynn Stadnk and Administrative Liaison Michelle Weatherbee come by to show their support for the Career Day

Career Conference Update

Career development is a critical component of a well-rounded education.  As students eventually go to work, it is our responsibility as educators to expose them to occupations and career paths during their formative years.  A career conference offers students opportunities to explore their strengths and interests which can then be directly linked to occupations. 

The ER12 and ER13 Family of Schools will be hosting events from October 1st - October 4th at the Ontario Science Centre.  Bliss Carman students and staff will be visiting on October 1st.  This Career Awareness Project is being designed to help students discover the many pathways to success within their area of interest.  Our goal is for students to discover that there are interesting and meaningful jobs in a variety of career fields.  We want them to see that within each field there are jobs for people with high school education, jobs that require apprenticeships, jobs that need a college diploma and jobs for which a university degree is a must.  Each of the pathways will be highlighted at the Career Conference by the staff at the Ontario Science Centre.

Connections to Choices Into Action: A Guidance and Career Education Program Policy for Ontario Elementary and Secondary Schools 1999

This policy document states that:

 “Students will learn how to make informed and appropriate choices to ensure their successful transition from elementary to secondary school and from secondary school to further education, training and work. This involves the acquisition of the knowledge and skills required to make informed and responsible decisions at key transition points throughout elementary and secondary school and in preparation for leaving secondary school. Students will also assess their interests, competencies, and achievements; explore and evaluate education and career opportunities; make appropriate choices from among those opportunities; collect and interpret information; set goals; and create and evaluate plans for the future.”

Grade 9 High School Information Nights Update

The TDSB secondary school Guidance departments have made a few changes to the High School Information Evenings  for the 2013-2014 school year.  Please click on the link on this post or on the right hand side of the Blog under the Important High School Information section to access the most recent update dated September 6th, 2013.



Secondary School Information Nights are held at each school.  Here are a few:

School                                                    Info Night

Bendale B.T.I.                                       November 19

Birchmount Park C.I.                            October 30

David and Mary Thomson C.I.              November 12

RH King Academy                                 November 27

SATEC@ W.A Porter C.I.                    November 20

Sir Robert L. Borden B.T.I                   January 9

Sir Wilfrid Laurier CI                            November 14

Wexford Collegiate School of the Arts  

(Performing Arts)                                   November 13

(Visual & Media Arts)                            November 14

Winston Churchill Collegiate Institute  December 4

 

2013-2014 Career Conference

Welcome back to another year of learning with your child!  An important goal for the TDSB 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.  New for the 2013-2014 school year, our Grade 8 students will have an opportunity to take part in a very exciting Career Day experience.  The ER13 Family of Schools will be sponsoring a Career Conference at the Ontario Science Centre on October 1^st, 2013.  Students will explore a variety of career options and learn about various postsecondary pathways and fields of work at the Ontario Science Centre.  This Career Awareness Project is being designed to help students gain valuable career planning information.  Normally this type of conference is held in the spring; however the Guidance team decided that it would be best to hold the event prior to students making their choices about which secondary school or program they would like to attend.

Sincerely,

Mr. George

Guidance Counsellor ER13 

Choices for Nine: Grade 8 - 9 Transitions

The grade 8 students will be working on “Choices for Nine”, their transition program to grade 9 throughout the year.  The introduction to the program will begin in the coming weeks. Each student will record important dates in their agendas.  I will be making regular visits to the grade 8 classes to ensure that information goes out in a timely manner.

As an introduction to the “Choices for Nine” program for families, there will be a parent information evenings at Bliss Carman Senior PS in October.  Choices for Nine evenings will also be taking place at other schools in the ER13 area.

You are welcome to attend the evening which is most convenient for your family. It is highly recommended that all families of grade 8 children attend one of these very important meeting.  This session kicks off the program by providing information about key dates, timelines, Optional Attendance procedures, Secondary School programs and requirements, Secondary School Open House dates and times, Course Selection and much more.

The goal of the “Choices for Nine” program is that every grade 8 student and family will be equipped with the information to make an informed and confident decision for choosing an appropriate secondary school program. 

Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

Paul George                                               

(416) 396-6075  Ext: 20040

Welcome Back

Hello and welcome back! My name is Paul George and I am the Elementary Itinerant Guidance Counsellors (EIC) for Bliss Carman Senior Public School in the East Region 13 (ER13) Family of Schools.

 

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

 

Choices Into Action

Guidance and Career Education is mandated in our schools through a Ministry of Education Policy Document called “Choices Into Action”.  This document outlines competencies to be covered in the school Guidance and Career Education Program from grades 1 to 12.

The program is not taught as a separate subject such as mathematics or history, instead, skills are learned throughout the curriculum, blending across many areas of study.

There are 3 major areas identified in Choices Into Action.

1. Student Development
2. Interpersonal Development
3. Career Development

These three areas will be explained in upcoming blogs, and I will be highlighting some of the ways that these skills are observed and can be addressed:

• in the school
• at home
• in the community

Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Paul George                                                

(416) 396-6075 ext. 20040