Guidance

The Guidance department at College Heights Secondary School is here to support students in fulfilling their dreams and realizing their full potential. We do this by helping students with planning their pathways and supporting their emotional needs. Follow us on ⇒

Your Guidance Team

: Ms. Rivers (Student Success/Credit Recovery)

: Mr. Smith (Guidance Counsellor/Resource Teacher)

: Dave Sevigny (Social Worker)

: Jeff Patrick (CYC)

: Community Addiction Services Available

Newletters

December 2023 Newsletter

October 2023 Newsletter

April 2024 Newsletter

Student Appointment Request Form

During the school year if a student would like to see someone in guidance for a non-urgent matter they can fill out the following form (click here to access it) . It is checked during school hours.

If this is an emergency, call 911. If you or someone you know is in crisis or needs help:

Guelph/Wellington: 1 844 437 3247 (HERE247)
Dufferin: 519 941 1530 (DCAFS)
KidsHelpPhone: 1 800 668 6868
Compass Community Services LGBTQ+ Support Line: 226 669 3760 (call or text – free and confidential emotional support)
Compass Community Services Walk-In Counselling: Information is available here https://compasscs.org/ or at this link

Tutoring Supports Available

TVO Mathify (grades 4-12 Math tutoring support)

- PDF Flyer
- JPG Flyer

Course Information

Pathways Information Guide

School Board Pathways Website: Has information about future programs and pathways.

All Course Descriptions/Option Sheets

Course Descriptions Combined 2022 2023 *please review course selection sheet for current course offering

Grade 12 Option Form 2024 2025

Grade 11 Option Form 2024 2025

Grade 10 Option Form 2024 2025

Dual Credit Opportunities – Conestoga College

Information about dual credit can be found at the website below. Further details are also down below.

https://www.ugdsb.ca/dualcredit/

Honor Roll – Ontario Scholar

Honour Roll – 80% average in all of your classes in a school year. The student must be enrolled in at least 6 credits for the school year to be considered.

*If a student took a course in Summer School and would like it included in their average please be sure to let Guidance know.

Ontario Scholar – For Graduates – 80% average in their top 6 Grade 12 Classes

Students with extenuating circumstances may request to be considered for Honour Roll.

Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM)

For more information about the program please visit the following website: https://www.ugdsb.ca/shsm

For an informative SHSM Slide Presentation follow along here ⇒ SHSM Presentation

Visit HERE to see more articles with our school involvement in the SHSM program.

Graduation Requirements

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/extra/eng/ppm/graduate.html

Post Secondary Information

Applying to College

Information about applying to college and college programs can be found here.

Students going to college can be eligible to receive financial support through OSAP.

This is up to date information about the process of identification for every college/university – the requirements are NOT the same from school to school. This answers many questions identified students have related to post-secondary. Transition Guide to Post-Secondary

Please speak to the guidance department if you would like support in applying for College or other Post-Secondary Institutions we are happy to help.

Transcripts

Official ONTARIO STUDENT TRANSCRIPTS can be ordered by:

Downloading the Request for Ontario Transcript Form from here: Request For Transcript Form Effective Sept. 1, 2019
Maiden Name or Name while attending
Name of School last attended in Upper Grand District School Board
Final Year (if known)
Contact phone number
Date of Birth
Fax completed form to 519-821-5531 or via email to [email protected]
Transcript fee will be $20.00 for the first copy and $5.00 for any additional copies, payable by cash, cheque or money order payable to College Heights SS and must be received before the request is processed payment by school cash online is preferred ⇒ schoolcashonline
Two pieces of government issued ID must be provided for Transcript requests or Education Verifications
If you wish to have someone pick up your Transcript, you MUST provide written permission naming the person. This person will be asked to provide ID as well.
IF YOU ARE APPLYING ON THE OCAS (Ontario Colleges) SITE YOU DO NOT NEED TO FILL IN THIS FORM. Your transcript will be automatically uploaded.

Volunteer/Employment Information/Online Learning Requirement

Volunteer Hours

Students need to complete 40 hours of community service to graduate from High School. Students can start this as early as the summer before they enter Grade 9. The form and more information about volunteer hours can be found at the link below:

Community Involvement Form Activity Notification And Completion Revised 2023 Sep 11

Volunteer and Employment Opportunities

Students can check out volunteer listings on the United Way Website. https://vguelph.volunteerattract.com/index.php

Second Chance is a great resource for students to help them find a job. They have several locations and provide free support around getting a job. https://www.2ndchance.ca/

There are job and volunteer postings on the board outside of guidance.

Please feel free to speak to someone in Guidance if you would like some help with these opportunities.

Online Learning Graduation Requirement

See the link below for information about the new online graduation requirement including a link to the new opt out form.

Secondary Schools: Online Learning Graduation Requirement

Mental Health

If a youth or someone is in crisis please call 911 or Here 24/7 at 1-844-437-3247. This is also the front door to mental health, addition and crisis services in Waterloo and Wellington. More information can be found at their website. http://here247.ca/

The Waterloo Wellington Community Mental Health Association (CMHA) runs a weekly walk-in program. This is often the fastest way to be seen by someone. More information can be found here. This is often the fastest way to be seen by someone.

The school board has a mental health part of their website with a lot of very valuable information. There are links to other resources here as well. Please visit that at the following link. https://www.ugdsb.ca/students/mental-health-for-students/

Dual Credit/OYAP Message for Grade 11/12 College Level Classrooms

Don’t miss out on some exciting opportunities when it comes to Dual Credit and OYAP Level 1 Apprenticeship Programs available to Grade 12 students during the next school year!

Are you a Grade 11 student going into Grade 12 (or a returning Grade 12 student) that would like the chance to take a College course while you’re still in high school?
Are you still undecided about your post-secondary pathway?
Do you want to try something new when it comes to your high school course selections?

Then these programs might be exactly what you’re looking for. There is still time for you to sign up so take a look at the course offerings listed below and speak with your guidance counsellor if you are interested.

If you’re thinking about apprenticeship, you will see that we have some brand new OYAP Level 1 Dual Credit Programs that are being offered during Semester 2 of next year in a number of areas.

https://www.ugdsb.ca/dualcredit/

These programs will allow you to take your Level 1 in-school training for any of the above trades while you’re still in high school — totally for FREE! Tuition, textbooks, some tools, and mileage expenses are all covered. A requirement for this program is that applicants will need to be signed as an apprentice by an employer prior to the beginning of the in-school component in Semester 2.

If you have any questions, feel free to email the OYAP/Dual Credit Coordinator, Joanne Harris, at [email protected].