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301 Church St., Belleville, ON, K8N 3C7| Office: 613-967-0404| |Career Opportunities Staff Links
Departments

​​​Guid​​ance

The Guidance Department works to foster the total development of all students in conjunction with parents, staff, administrators, and community agencies. The guidance and career education program is a vital and integral part of a secondary school program. Through the program, students will acquire the knowledge and skills that they need in order to learn effectively, to live and to work co-operatively and productively with a wide range of people, to set and pursue education and career goals, and to carry out their social responsibilities. The program will be delivered through various means, including classroom instruction, orientation and exit programs, career exploration activities, as well as individual assistance and short-term counselling.

It is important for you to become familiar with the role of your guidance counsellor for:

  • Academic Counselling:
    including course selection and planning, post-secondary program requirements, levels of difficulty and their implications, direct work entry and apprenticeship information.
    Students must give very careful thought to their course selections on their option sheets that they complete in the spring as this information is then used to build the school's timetable and provide staffing for the following school year. Consequently, once a student's timetable has been created, requests for changes of any kind will only be considered if extenuating circumstances exist.
    The Guidance Department will provide you with information on apprenticeships, colleges, universities, prerequisite courses for specific programs, as well as employment information.

  • Career Counselling:
    Providing information on the career development process, career search and course planning.

  • Personal Counselling:
    Available to you when you wish to discuss personal and interpersonal problems. Referrals are made to the school Youth Worker, system support staff or community agencies when appropriate.

  • Attendance Counselling:
    Provided when referrals are made by teachers, parents and school administration.

Student Success

  • ​​​Making the Transition to High School
    Every student learns differently. Now, in addition to SHSM, IB and Cooperative Education, there are exciting new ways for them to participate in high school and earn the credits they need.   

  • Student Success Teams
    Student Success Teams work with school staff, students, parents and the wider community to ensure that, together, we help more students earn the credit necessary to graduate. A new addition to secondary schools is the Student Success Teacher who advocates and mentors students, monitors students, and develops interventions for struggling students. Such interventions may include credit rescue, credit recovery, and other opportunities. 

  • The Credit Recovery Program (CRP)
    The Credit Recovery Program is designed for students who are most at risk of falling behind in their credit accumulation and leaving school without an Ontario Secondary School Diploma as a result. The CRP provides a student who has failed a credit a second opportunity to meet grade level expectations to achieve the same credit. Eligibility of a student to participate in CRP will be determined by the factors which impacted on the student's lack of success the first time through the credit, the student's program pathway, the student's overall academic performance, and the principal's discretion.  

​Special Education

  • ​What Can Teachers Provide?
    Special Education teachers provide support to students experiencing learning needs. In collaboration with classroom teachers, special education teachers can offer:

    • ​Literacy
    • Additional explanation and support in core subjects
    • Counselling re: time management and study habits
    • An alternate setting for test and exam writing
    • Recommendations for modified evaluation
    • Recommendations for Queen's Mini Courses and other enrichment courses

    Students may be identified as exceptional requiring learning accommodations and/or modifications to their program of study. The student’s identification and placement is subject to review once a year through the IPRC process.

  • ​How May Student Receive Assistance?
    The needs of these students can be met by the regular subject teacher(s) working in partnership with the Special Education teacher. Students may receive assistance in a number of ways.

    • Regular program within the classroom by the teacher;
    • Withdrawal support in the special education resource room;
    • Indirect service through programming assistance provided to the subject teacher by the Special Education Teacher

    All of these approaches are based on close co-operation between the subject teacher and the Special Education teacher. Input from parents is welcomed and appreciated.

    An Individual Education Plan (IEP) is developed for every student who has been identified as exceptional by an Identification, Placement, and Review Committee (IPRC). An IEP identifies the student’s specific learning expectations and outlines how the school will address these expectations through appropriate special education programs and services. It also identifies the methods by which the student’s progress will be reviewed. Special education programs and services provided for the student are modified by the results of continuous assessment and evaluation. The IEP of exceptional students who are fourteen years of age or older and who are not identified solely as gifted must also contain a plan to make the transition to postsecondary education, apprenticeship programs, or the workplace, and to help them live as independently as possible in the community.

    If you are a parent/guardian of an identified exceptional learner, you will receive a copy of the current Individual Educational Plan for your son/daughter within 30 days of placement and with each report card. Students who have not been formally identified as exceptional but who have special needs and are receiving special education services may also have an IEP. In this case the informal IEP is reviewed annually to determine its necessity.

    The Board’s Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) makes recommendations to the Board regarding establishment and development of Special Education Programs and Services for the exceptional pupils of the Board.

    Information regarding SEAC and its nomination process can be obtained through the principal or the Board’s Student Services Department.

  • Life Skills
    This specialized class is designed to better facilitate the needs of students with developmental delays as identified by a system level IPRC. The overall focus of the Centre is to promote basic literacy and numeracy skills, and personal, social and life skills. Life Skills students are integrated throughout the school with educational supports when required. Students participate in assemblies, Masses and all other school activities. With support, students also participate in cooperative work placements in order to gain the experiences necessary to become as independent as possible. Throughout their secondary school career, transition planning with the student, parents/guardians, teachers and a board appointed transition facilitator develop a process to ease the transition to the post-secondary environment. Programming is individualized for each student through Individual Educational Plans. When the students complete their secondary school years, they receive a Certificate of Accomplishment.​

Youth Workers

The youth worker offers confidential services to students and their families in addressing issues that affect their academic and personal well-being. These concerns may include emotional, social, or behavioural difficulties at school or within the home and community. The youth worker is a member of the Student Services department and works as a liaison with Administration, the Chaplaincy Team, and a wide variety of community agencies.​