Grade 8 Course Selection Information Session

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Grade 8 Course Selection Information Session

• Tuesday April 4th, 2006
• 700 PM 800 PM

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Session Agenda

• Collingwood Statement of Aims Course Selection
• Big Picture Issues For Grade 8 9 Students
  Course Selection
• Master Schedule for Middle School
• Core Academics
• Selecting the Right Section
• Honours vs Regular Sections
• Accelerated Sections
• Criteria and Agreement for Honours / Accelerated
• Fine Arts and Third Language Electives
• External Courses
• Procedure for Course Selection
• Worksheet
• Not on list?
• How to use the online course selection through
  the Parent Portal
• Questions?

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Collingwood Statement of Aims

• The Collingwood Statement of Aims clearly
  establishes the fundamental expectations for
  student course selection and achievement
• Collingwood School aims to graduate students
  whose achievements are excellent, who are
  inspired by learning, who appreciate the
  contribution made to a fulfilling life by
  scholarship, by the arts, by athletics and by
  service, and who understand the rights,
  obligations and responsibilities of living in a
  free, democratic society.
• The school aims to achieve these outcomes by
  educating its students in an environment of
  physical and psychological safety where they are
  taught, nurtured and mentored by people
  passionate about learning and teaching, who lead
  their profession in knowledge, expertise and
  integrity. The school welcomes all students and
  families who support these aims and who conduct
  themselves in accordance with its stated
  community standards.
• Board of Governors, May 22, 1998
• Simply put, students who attend Collingwood
  School will be enrolled in courses and internal
  co-curricular teams/clubs that involve themin
  all four strands arts, athletics, service,
  academics.
• It is important, that parents, students and
  teachers support the full intent of this mission
  statement

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Big Picture Issues

• Grade 8 Transition Issues
• Advisor Replaces Home Room Teacher
• Grade Counselor is Mr. Hughes
• Answerable to 10 Teachers on an individual basis.
• 8 Block Master Schedule Each course has 3
  classes per week
• Explore 8 (Mandatory)
• Year End Exams (count 20 of grade)
• Key Issue
• Be judicious in selecting the course load that
  meetsyour childs capacity as a learner,
  rememberingalways that, as adolescents, they
  would rather beout jumping in puddles!

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8 Block Master Schedule
MIDDLE SCHOOL TIMETABLE
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When do I need to be thinking about university?

• In grade 9 we will start to look at what you need
  to do in order to get into the various
  universities around the world.
• The process is ongoing and will be built on each
  year fromgrade 9 to 12!

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Impact onCourse Selection

• In terms of course selection, the explicit
  expectation is that all students will enrol in a
  Physical Education, Math, English, Science,
  Social Studies, Second Language, Performing or
  Visual Arts course each and every year from
  grades 6-10.
• This also involves any requisite Career and
  Personal Planning curriculum prescribed by the
  Ministry of Education (including Planning 10)
• In grade 11-12, the only expectation that changes
  is the switch of mandatory Physical Education for
  mandatory Athletics.In these grades there is
  also more latitudefor elective specialization.
• Courses taken externally are not substitutes
  forour internal curriculum requirements.

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Core Academics Gr. 8

• Students must choose one section from each of the
  following subjects (regular, honours,
  accelerated)
• 1) Math (8, by sets, 8A)
• 2) English (8R, 8H)
• 3) Science (8R no honours)
• 4) Social Studies (8R, 8H)
• 5) French (8R, 8H)
• 6) Physical Education

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Regular vs Honours Sections

• Honours courses are very different from regular
  stream courses in terms of the expected level of
  performance, pacing, teaching strategies, higher
  level analytical, critical and creative thinking,
  assessment and evaluation.
• Students and parents accept any real or perceived
  risks upon enrolment in honours courses.
• Canadian Universities look only at top four core
  academics for entry. (early entry based on grade
  11)
• U.S. Universities look at everything to grade 9
  insome cases.
• There are no honours courses in grade 12but we
  do have AP.

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Accelerated Sections

• An Accelerated section of a course is
  essentially the curriculum from the next grade
  level
• example Math 9 Accelerated goes into the
  curriculum from Principles of Math 10.
• The advantage of accelerated sections comes with
  early completion of Grade 12 Provincial Exams.
• example Principles of Math 11
  Acceleratedwrites the June Provincial Exam in
  Grade 11. Students can then take AP Calculus
  inGrade 12 or Calculus 12

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Selecting Honours / Accelerated?

• Select H / A section in course selection. This
  is a request to be considered.
• This does NOT mean you are in
• List will be given to HODS at end of May
• Class will be chosen
• You will be notified
• If you do not get in, you will be putin the
  regular section.

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The Criteria?

• Criteria will be marks, teacher recommendation,
  and performance in the course (effort mark, class
  motivation)
• Performance in the current course is
  critical.these are not sections to see if you
  can manage the course or to motivate you.
• There are strict limits in thesecourses (we will
  not put more than22 in any of them)

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Honours Accelerated Agreement

• Student and family accept all perceived risks.
• It is possible to work harder, do more and get a
  lower mark than a student in the regular course.
• At the grade 8/9 level there isno bonus on GPA
  or awards fortaking enriched course.

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Fine Arts Third Language Electives

• Students choose from the following elective
  combinations
• a) Two fine arts electives (one is compulsory)
• b) One fine arts elective and one third language
• elective
• Fine Arts Electives
• Visual Art, Choir, Drama, Dance, Band, Honours
  Band (Senior Wind Ensemble)
• Third Language Electives Spanish Latin
• NOTE Students cannot take both Drama andDance
  in the same year.

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External Courses

• Some students take courses at Summer School, or
  by correspondence
• To do this, you must coordinate this with your
  Grade Counselor (gr 8 Mr. Hughes)
• Courses taken externally will go on a student
  transcript but will not countin any
  considerations for Collingwood(ex awards,
  entrance into Honoursor Accelerated)

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Summer School ?

• If your marks in a core academic (Math, Science,
  Social Studies, English) is at or below 55 then
  you should be looking into this.
• See your teacher for more information
• Summer School course information comes out in mid
  April
• Registration both remedial and full courses
  usually starts in early May
• Please refer to the External Course policy on the
  website for clarification on how we handle these
  courses
• Grade 7 students should see Mr. Hughes
  tocoordinate this.

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Procedures For Students

• Go to Collingwood Home Page link to Online
  Course Selection Book
• Research the courses through the course
  descriptions.
• Download and print out the worksheet.
• Make an appointment with your advisor/homeroom
  teacher to review your program of study.
• Speak to the teachers of any honours or special
  sections you may wish to sign up for.
• Sit down at home for your parents to sign. You
  canonly do course selection from within the
  ParentPortals.
• Courses must be selected in online course
  selectionby Monday April 24th, 2006

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• This is a worksheet only
• Course selection should be entered online using
  the Parent Portal (course selection is not
  available through the Student Portals).
  Selections entered through the Parent Portal are
  considered to have parent approval
• Please see the Grade 8 counselor if you have
  any questions
• The deadline for course selections to be
  entered is Mon April 24th.
• Check the boxes of the courses you wish to take
  after consulting with your Advisor, teachers
  and your parents.
• Entry into Honours or Accelerated Sections is
  criteria driven with strict limits on
  enrolment. Students should check with their
  teacher before selecting an Accelerated or
  Honours section. Teacher approval will be given
  after course selection is complete. Final
  placement in these courses will be subject to
  HOD/Dean of Academics approval.
• Math will be offered as sets in a similar
  manner to the grade 7 program. Math 8
  Accelerated remains a separate course.

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• Pre Selected Courses
• PE 8
• Science 8
• Select 1 of each subject area
• English 8
• English 8 Honours
• --------------------------------------------------
  
• Social Studies 8
• Social Studies 8 Honours
• --------------------------------------------------
  
• Mathematics 8
• Mathematics 8 Accelerated
• --------------------------------------------------
  
• French 8
• French 8 Honours
• --------------------------------------------------
  ---

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• Select 1 of the following
• Visual Art 8
• Drama 8
• Dance 8
• Choir 8
• Band 8
• Select 1 of following (not same as C, do not
  select Drama and Dance)
• Visual Art 8
• Drama 8
• Dance 8
• Choir 8
• Band 8
• Spanish 8
• Latin 8

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• At this point you will have 8 courses
• PE 8
• Science 8
• English 8 (R / H)
• Social Studies 8 (R / H)
• Mathematics 8 (R / A)
• French 8 (R / H)
• One of Visual Art 8, Drama 8, Dance 8, Choir
  8,Band 8
• One of Visual Art 8, Drama 8, Dance 8, Choir
  8,Band 8, Spanish 8, Latin 8 (cannot duplicate
  andcannot have both Drama and Dance)

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If you are taking something out of the ordinary

• For example, you are going into grade 8 but for
  some reason you are going to take Math 10
• See your counselor (Mr. Hughes)
• TAKE YOUR WORKSHEET with you!
• Better yet, take your parents with you!
• NOTE Mr. Hughes has to enter thistype of
  course for you into thecourse selection portal.

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How to use the Online Course Selection Process
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Online Course Selection
Parent Portal Student Name
Select ALL to see all courses
Course Selections
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Online Course Selection
Click in the box to select your courses!
Press ACCEPT when you are done
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Online Course Selection
If you click on Selected Courses Only you can
see what you have selected
Do not worry about Total Credits (we do not use
it)
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Online Course Selection
Course Selection DOES NOT show up in the Student
Portal It is only available through theParent
Portal
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Any Problems?

• See either
• your current homeroom teacher
• Or
• Mr. Hughes

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When is this due

• Your courses should be selected and finalized by
  Monday April 24th, 2006
• If you want to check if your courses have been
  entered, log off andthen log back onif the
  checkmarks are in the boxes, then your choices
  are in the system.

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Take this seriously

• I have the power to make your life difficult
• If you mess around with this, you will not get
  any future considerations from my officeie
  coursechanges etc. will not happenas I will
  select your coursesfor you!

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The Process

• April is course selection month
• May is timetable planning month
• June is honours selection month
• Mail out of course enrolment with report cards in
  early July.
• Formal timetable sheets with room and teacher
  assignments in September

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Parents Meeting?

• Tonight 700 PM 800 PM in the Lecture Theatre
• Get your parents to this meeting!

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Questions?

• Questions?
• Questions?
• Questions?