NEWS FROM STUDENT SERVICES Feb. 8, 2022
Dear Students, Parents and Guardians:
Some important information items from ADHS Student Services are listed below:
1. Semester 2 Timetables
2. Grades 9-11 Course Selections for the 2021-2022 School Year
3. ADHS Open House February 10th at 7:00 pm
4. Community Involvement (Volunteer) Requirement Opportunities
5. Grade 11 Spring Session of Drivers Education Course
6. Open Doors
7. Grade 12 Scholarship Reminders
1. SEMESTER 2 TIMETABLES
Students received their Semester 2 timetables the last week of January and have been able to visit Student Services on multiple occasions over the last two weeks to make changes. At this time, all voluntary changes we were able to accommodate have been completed and timetables are considered finalized. If you have any questions or concerns about your students’ schedule, please feel free to email or call Ms. Brown in Student Services.
2. COURSE SELECTIONS FOR THE 2022-2023 SCHOOL YEAR
Course selection sessions will occur for all current grade 9-11 students during the weeks of February 7th and 14th. The school’s Course Calendar (catalogue of course offerings) has been updated on the ADHS website. Parents and students are encouraged to review the course calendar carefully in advance with particular attention being paid to diploma requirements and pathway descriptions so that students are prepared to thoughtfully select their courses for next year. Ms. Brown will guide students through the course selection process and offer assistance with selection decisions during in-school sessions, but students and parents may also make appointments to meet with Ms. Brown one on one if questions or concerns arise. Ms. Brown’s email is [email protected] . The deadline for submitting course selections is February 18th, unless an extension is approved.
Grade 12 students who are considering returning for another year can make appointments with Ms. Brown to complete course selections the week of Feb. 21st.
3. ADHS OPEN HOUSE February 10th at 7:00 pm
ADHS will host a “Virtual” Open House for incoming grade 9 students on Thursday, February 10th at 7:00 pm. Please join us for an evening that includes an information session outlining diploma requirements, course offerings, descriptions of our engaging programs, and extracurriculars. You can also hear from grade 9s about their unique experience, have a virtual tour of some of our facilities and meet our awesome staff. We look forward to meeting with all potential new students and showcasing everything our school has to offer. If you know of someone in the community who would be interested in participating, please ask them to call the school so we can send them the link to join.
4. COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT (VOLUNTEER) OPPORTUNITIES
Students are reminded that in order to earn their Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD), they MUST complete community service hours. This year’s grade 12 cohort requires 20 hours, while other students will require 40 hours. If you are in grade 12 and still need service hours, please touch base with Ms. Brown to discuss your options. The Ministry of Education’s criteria for service hours is more flexible this year than it has been in the past due to the limitations caused by pandemic closures and precautions.
Current opportunities for Community Service Hours include:
• Cycling Without Age Lanark County (CWALC) – This is a grassroots movement that allows volunteer cyclists to provide free rides to residents of seniors’ homes using special three-seat, electrically assisted bikes called “Trishaws”. The organization is currently in the process of training “pilots” for the program and students can use both the training session time and the bike riding time as a way to accumulate Community Service hours. If you would like to experience the joy of sharing a bike ride and stories with an elderly citizen, please visit their website to learn more. Their website can be found at: cwalc.org .
• A rural family requires help with snow removal. A local family who live between Clayton and Tatlock require snow removal support as they have some mobility issues which make it very challenging for them to shovel snow on their own. If you live in the area and could be on call should there be future snow fall events, the family would appreciate the support. • Youth Climate Action Summit: The Youth Climate Action Summit is an opportunity for our youth to educate themselves on a variety of climate issues but more importantly to connect with other likeminded young people to make a difference. The Frontenac Arch Biosphere Network plans to hold their 2nd annual Youth Climate Action Summit in a virtual format over a two day period, May 9-10, to help students not only build their climate literacy and leadership skills but also to help them design their own Climate Action Plan to implement in their homes, schools, and communities. Any interested students should email Ms. Brown in Student Services. If we have enough student interest to form a school team and participate, it will be a great way for students to earn community service hours.
5. SPRING SESSION OF DRIVERS EDUCATION
Omni-Lateral Driver Education Centre Inc. is offering a Spring session of Driver’s Ed. The theory component will be done via e-learning and students can progress at their own pace through this component. Each student will receive 10 hours of actual driving instruction with driving times arranged at the student’s convenience. Successfully completing the course will reduce the period of Level One in graduated licensing from 12 months to 8 months as well has giving the graduate insurance benefits. The start date is February 15th and the cost is $780.00 after tax. Payments can be made in two separate installments. If interested, students should sign up and pick up a registration form in the main office. Please direct any inquiries you may have to the main office, not Student Services.
6. OPEN DOORS SCHOOL PROGRAM
Open Doors is a free counselling service for children and youth in Lanark County. If your student or someone they know is feeling down, worried, overwhelmed, alone or struggling in some other way, they can call for a free virtual “Talk-In” session with one of Open Doors’ counsellors as often as they need it. The session can take a variety of formats: phone, video-conferencing, texting, etc. and an appointment will take place within 48 hrs of the initial request. For more information please visit their websites https://www.opendoors.on.ca/ and for an appointment, please call 1-877-232-8260.
7. GRADE 12 SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
Grade 12 students are reminded to review scholarship and bursary options at each of the post-secondary institutions to which they have applied. Many universities and colleges offer both general and
program specific scholarships with information available on their websites. Students can also ask their employers, parents and family members about scholarship opportunities provided through their places of employment or from community organizations with whom they are members. There are also some scholarship listings on the following websites which students can review: https://yconic.com/ , https://www.scholarshipscanada.com/ , or https://scholartree.ca/.
Students should also take note of the following scholarship opportunity from the Mississippi Valley Field Naturalists:
• The Cliff Bennett Nature Bursary Fund distributes ONE or MORE Awards of $1000 to students from our local area who have demonstrated a love of and appreciation for our natural environment. Students who wish to pursue postsecondary studies related to the natural environment in the hopes of pursuing a career in this field are eligible to apply. Additional consideration may be given to a student with special needs and/or financial need. Applications for the 2022 Bursary must be received by May 1, 2022. The application can be downloaded from the Mississippi Valley Field Naturalists’ website at https://mvfn.ca/cliff-bennett-nature-bursary/ . A poster with more information will be posted outside of Student Services as soon as it arrives.
As always, we wish you all good health and comfort in these stressful times. Please do not be afraid to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
The Staff in Student Services