Important Gr 12 Grad Updates
April Grad Update
RAYS: Thanks to those of you who participated in the RAYS Scholarship information session. Don’t forget that both the SCHOLARSHIP (for students doing post-secondary degrees) and BURSARY (for students going into the trades or doing post-secondary diplomas) applications are available on their website: https://raysscholarships.com/
SCHOLARSHIP REPORT: The April issue of the Scholarship Report is now available! This is a very helpful resource for students pursuing post-secondary pathways. Password is scholarh58 .
GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS: There are still a large number of students who have not submitted their 40 Community Service Hours, and also who have not OPTED OUT of the online learning requirement (this is something your parents have to do if you’re under 18). Both of these things are Ministry mandated graduation requirements… meaning you don’t get a diploma if they’re not complete. Come see us in Guidance if you are having any difficulty with either of these things.
February Grad Update
Are You Returning? Do you plan on returning to SCI next year for a Victory Lap? If so, you need to meet with Mr. Murray to discuss the plan and seek approval from administration. Just send an email to [email protected] and let Mr. Murray know and he will schedule a meeting. All course selections should be complete before March Break, so please let Mr. Murray know asap.
Scholarships/Bursaries. We’ve mentioned the RAYS scholarships and bursaries, but there are lots more out there just waiting for you to apply. Check out “Scholartree.ca” for an excellent list of opportunities, and don’t forget the Scholarship Report (mentioned in previous Guidance Update emails).
Save the Date: Grad Week April 22nd-25th is SCI’s annual Grad Week! This is a week when our focus will be on Commencement in June, and we’ll provide Grade 12 students with everything you need to know to be ready for the big day. We’ll kick things off with a Grad Meeting during the last half hour of Period 2 on Monday, April 22nd in the library. Looking forward to seeing everyone!
RAYS Scholarship Visit
Representatives from RAYS will be at SCI on Friday, April 5th to talk about their Scholarship and Bursary programs. RAYS has provided literally hundreds of thousands of dollars to SCI students over the past decade to help them achieve their post-secondary aspirations, and this year they want to help even more of our students. Be sure not to miss out. There will also be an info session designed specifically for our university-bound students to help you complete the application for their scholarship. Sign up in Guidance (beginning next week).
January Grad Update
DEADLINES for OUAC/OCAS
The “equal consideration date” for University Applications through OUAC is Monday, January 15th, and for OCAS it is Thursday, February 1st. Don’t be late! Let us know if you need any help! Once those applications are in, it’s important that you log into the student portals for the schools to which you’ve applied to check on the status of your application and see if any supplemental documentation/applications are required.
The Schulich Leader Nomination
Would you like to be considered for SCI’s Schulich Leader Nomination? Please let Mr. Murray know asap. More information can be found here: https://schulichleaders.com/
Community Service Hours
Many grade 12 students are missing community service hours (necessary for graduation). There are opportunities to earn some hours if you volunteer to help with our Grade 8 Open House (Thursday, Jan 18th from 5:30-7:30). You can help out that evening, or in advance during the week. Talk to your teachers and coaches, or come down to Guidance and find out how you can be involved.
Grad Photos Grad Photos will take place Jan 23rd and 24th, but you have to sign up in advance! Book your time here: https://booking.edgeimaging.ca/portal/book/NER
Grad Portraits Are Coming!
Grade 12 grad portraits will take place at the school starting on January 23rd.
You must book an appointment to have your photo taken. https://booking.edgeimaging.ca/portal/book/NER
*Students will be provided with a gown to use on the day of photos
*A dress shirt and tie or white blouse complement the gown nicely (this is not provided by the photographer)
Please click this link for more information: Your grad portrait session
December Grad Update
We would like to remind all potential grads applying to post-secondary schools to continue to be diligent in checking your email and logging into your OCAS/OUAC accounts for important correspondence and information from your potential post-secondary schools. We can’t tell you how important this is during the application process because your potential schools will communicate with you regarding supplemental applications and their respective deadlines, as well as other time sensitive information.
The Guidance Department would also like to encourage all of our grads to consider taking some time over the holiday break to think about your post-secondary plans and discuss those plans with your family if you have not yet had the opportunity to do so. These next two weeks are a great time to have these conversations and do some research. Mr. Murray and Mrs. Baldry would be happy to meet with any of our grads after the holiday break to discuss your plans around heading to the workplace, apprenticeship opportunities, college or university. We’re here to help and would love the opportunity to chat with any of our grads about their plans.
If you are thinking about pursuing a pathway to college or university, be mindful of the equal consideration application dates and be sure to submit your application prior to those dates.
College - February 1, 2024
University - January 15, 2024
The winter break is also a great time to have “The Talk” with your parents or guardians. The “Talk” we are referring to is all about the financial piece that accompanies some of our post-secondary plans. Questions surrounding how college or university will be paid for are prudent as we continue to get closer to graduation and acceptance into program(s). We encourage you to have these conversations with your family and start to formulate a financial plan. Be mindful that once you have accepted an offer into a program, students will be able to apply for OSAP (Ontario Student Assistance Program). This doesn’t become available until the spring and the Guidance Department will provide more information closer to that time.
Enjoy your last high school Christmas Break grads! Be safe and we’ll look forward to seeing you in the New Year!
Nov 17 - Workshops, Dual Credit, Community Service Hours and the Voucher Program
College and University Application Workshops:
Calling all grade 12 students interested in joining Mr. Murray and Mrs. Baldry to work through the online College or University application. We will be holding 2 sessions to assist students with completing and submitting the College application and 2 sessions to assist with completing and submitting the University application. No sign-up required. Please just come to room 107 at the beginning of lunch on one of the following dates:
College Application Sessions
Thursday, November 23rd
Wednesday, December 6th
University Application Sessions
Friday, November 24th
Thursday, December 7th
Dual Credit Program (Sem 2):
Are you interested in earning a high school credit AND a college credit at the same time? Then a Dual Credit might be right for you. The list of Dual Credit opportunities for semester 2 is now available. Speak to Mr. Gibson, Mrs. Baldry, or Mr. Murray if you’re interested.
Community Service Hours:
More than half of our grade 12 students have not yet completed the mandatory 40 hours of volunteer work needed to graduate. There’s still time, but you all need to get going. November and December is a time of year when many opportunities are available in your community, and the Winter Break would be a great time to get these completed. Don’t delay!
University Application Voucher Program:
Are you planning to apply to Lakehead University? If so, please let Mr. Murray or Mrs. Baldry know. Lakehead University will cover the coast of your university application if you meet certain criteria, but this opportunity is limited. That’s a $150+ value… Don’t miss out!
Nov 9 - UIP, Scholarship Report and Applications
Hopefully all of you received your status sheets from your homeroom teachers. If not, check in with them, and if still not, let me know.
Many of you attended the College Information Program last week at Georgian College. It wasn’t a good experience… part of it was due to my timing (sorry), and the rest of it was due to sub-par tour we were given. Fear not! The University Information Fair next week promises to be much more rewarding.
Here are your updates:
- University Information Fair: This is open to all gr 11 and gr 12 students who are university-bound. On Thursday, November 16th we’ll be taking the bus to Alliston (the Nottawasaga Inn and Convention Centre) to meet with reps from every university in Ontario. Bus leaves SCI @ 9:30, and we should be back around 1:30pm. We have a scheduled stop at the Alliston McDonalds, so you can bring you lunch or buy something there. Permission forms are available through School Cash Online.
- Scholarship Report: The latest version of the scholarship report is now available. To access it, please click here. Password is scholar58 .
- College and University Applications: Academic information will be submitted to OUAC and OCAS by November 22nd, so some of you may want to begin your applications. I will host a few lunch time sessions at the end of November/beginning of December to walk you through the application process. If you would like to be part of those sessions, look for the SIGN UP sheets in Guidance next week.
Oct 19 - ASIP, Scholarship Report, UIF and CIP
Three updates we want to share:
- Aboriginal Post-Secondary Information Program (ASIP)- On Oct 25th, Georgian College Barrie will be hosting a post-secondary information program focusing on education opportunities for Indigenous learners. See attached flyer. If you would like to attend, please send me an email by next Wednesday, Oct 18th so you can join in.
- Scholarship Report- The Scholarship Report is an amazing resource that provides students and families with a wealth of information regarding scholarships and financial planning for post-secondary. They’ve also included a list of Open House events at Colleges and Universities across Ontario. You need to look at this! SCDSB has purchased a subscription for the report for our students, so it’s FREE for you! Here are the details:
Please click here. Password: scholar58
NOTE: The link and password/documents relating to the Scholarship Report are not to be shared due to copyright issues.
- UIF/CIP- The permission forms for the University Information Fair and the College Information Program are now available through SCHOOL CASH ONLINE (if you don’t have access, you can pick up a paper copy in Guidance). NOTE: As seating is limited, students must be university eligible to attend the UIF.
Oct 10 - Are You On Track To Graduate?
Ms. Baldry and I enjoyed connected with many of you last week. For those of you who we missed, we met with Grade 12 students last week to start talking about all the important things going on this year: graduation, college and university applications, etc. Finding a consistent, effective way to share information with all of you is one of our top priorities, and we mentioned that we will be using school email to give you updates. Here’s the first one!
Later this week each of you will receive a personalized “status sheet” from your homeroom teachers. For those of you who haven’t seen one before, the status sheet is a mini transcript which summarizes what you’ve completed so far in high school. We use these sheets to make sure that students are on track for graduation. Ms. Baldry and I have gone through all of these sheets and have made notes letting you know if there’s anything missing that you need to graduate (like compulsory credits, community service hours, or your literacy requirement). When you receive the sheet, take some time reviewing it, and come down to guidance to schedule an appointment if you’d like to discuss anything in more detail with us.
Stay tuned for more updates! Coming in November: trips to the College and University Fairs in our region.