Guidance

Welcome to the 2025-2026 School Year!

Counsellor - Ms. Hart

896 5331

September 30, 2025 is recognized as National Truth and Reconciliation Day. We will be wearing Orange on Sept 29 - Monday to show our support. Every year on September 30th, people across Canada wear orange and participate in Orange Shirt Day events to recognize and raise awareness about the history and legacies of the residential school system in Canada. Orange Shirt Day originates from the story of Phyllis Webstad from the Stswecem'c Xgat'tem First Nation.

Orange Shirt Day is an Indigenous-led grassroots commemorative day intended to raise awareness of the individual, family and community inter-generational impacts of residential schools, and to promote the concept of “Every Child Matters”.  The orange shirt is a symbol of the stripping away of culture, freedom and self-esteem experienced by Indigenous children over generations.

On September 30, we encourage all Canadians to wear orange to honour the thousands of Survivors of residential schools.

MUN - Youth Foster Support Program

In 2021, Memorial University offered a new bursary program called the Youth Foster Support Program. It is a bursary for students who have been in foster care in Newfoundland and Labrador for a minimum of 12 months. This bursary is valued at the cost of tuition and required fees for full-time undergraduate students – based on NL tuition rates for the 2022-2023 academic year. Each academic year this amount will be adjusted as fees change. The bursary will cover four years (or eight semesters) of undergraduate study, including Marine Institute diploma programs where tuition/fees and program duration may be less than noted above.

Bursary applications are currently being accepted for 2025/26 and the deadline to submit is April 15, 2025. For details regarding eligibility and an application, go to https://www.mun.ca/scholarships/scholarships/foster-support.php.

The Indigenous Mentorship and Paid Research Experience for Summer Students (IMPRESS) offers Indigenous undergraduate students from McGill or other Quebec post-secondary institutions a unique experiential learning opportunity to conduct research with a McGill professor, or to work on a project at one of our units — all while being paid!

The program aims to strengthen their research skills, boost their career-readiness, and expose them to pathways to graduate school, through activities that help them build their skillsets and connect with peers. Each participating student is paired with an Indigenous graduate student mentor who offers support and guidance throughout their experience.

How it works: IMPRESS takes place over an eight-week period (June -July), 20 hours per week: 15 hours in a research setting -5 hours in professional development, leadership training, as well as attending a variety of social engagements.

Activities might include:

• Meeting with your host professor/professional for training and direction

• Connecting with your Indigenous graduate student mentor for advice or guidance

• Reading literature and undertaking other research activities

• Learning interview techniques

• Carrying out lab work, attending lab meetings, or events specific to your professor’s area of work

• Attending professional and leadership development workshops, events, and social activities

• Journaling about your experience

 What can I get from IMPRESS?

• Gain hands-on research experience

• Boost your overall career-readiness through professional skills training

• Build professional networks

• Increase your insight into pathways toward graduate studies

• Make strong connections and build community with Indigenous graduate mentors and IMPRESS peers

• Help newly admitted students get acquainted with McGill

• Receive a letter of recommendation for your time as an IMPRESS intern

You will also receive a $5,000 stipend for your participation in the program.

Submit by April 15, 2026.: I'm applying!

INTERESTED IN TRADES????

The Canadian Institute of Steel Construction (CISC) has received intermediary status by the Federal Government to incent small to medium sized companies to register and hire first year apprentices in 23 trades. This incentive will go a long way to change the mindset of employers about educating, and help their in-house skilled trade challenges. The incentive also provides an additional financial incentive when small to medium sized companies hires apprentices from equity deserving groups including women, indigenous, new Canadians, visible minorities and LGBTQ2S+. The incentive per apprentice is up to $10,000. For more information on the program refer to www.steeltrades.ca or https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/news/2022/05/backgrounder-apprenticeship-service.html

Would you like to be a pilot? 

Click the link for a fully paid program: https://lifeinflight.ca/

SSEP is a program that offers valuable summer employment in STEM fields to young females completing Grade 11 (Grade 10 in Labrador). Student applications are now available on our SSEP website https://ssep.wisenl.ca/students. This year, the application process has been made more student, parent and teacher friendly as we are offering an online submission option (ssep.wisenl.ca/students/student-application-form).  

VOCM Cares/Foster Families Association Bursary - Deadline September 15 ($500)

https://fosterfamiliesnl.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Bursary-application-1.pdf

We are thrilled to announce that once again this year, we are offering as many as 36 Loran Awards to students entering university in the fall of 2026 who distinguish themselves through their strength of character, commitment to service, and intrinsic sense of values-driven leadership. We are accepting applications from now until Thurs, Oct. 16, 2025, at noon ET.

Loran Scholars benefit from a four-year leadership-enrichment program, financial support for their undergraduate studies, national and international experiential learning opportunities, and a long-term supportive community of peers and mentors, including business and community leaders. You can find a detailed breakdown of the program here. In addition to naming 36 Loran Scholars, we will also allocate more than $400,000 in additional one-time awards to up to 54 Loran Finalists and 70 Loran Provincial and Territorial recipients. Applying is always worth the effort! 

NLIS 4

Office of Women and Gender Equality

September 4, 2025

Public Advisory: Application Deadline Approaching for 100th Anniversary Scholarship Program

The deadline to apply for the scholarship program commemorating the 100th anniversary of women achieving the right to vote and hold public office is fast approaching.

The right to vote and hold public office is not just a privilege – it is a responsibility. It is a call to action, and a reminder that democracy flourishes when all voices are included and when every individual has a seat at the table. Regardless of background, race, or circumstance, every woman, girl, and gender-diverse person can lead, vote and be heard.

This scholarship program is designed to support the leadership development and or post-secondary goals of young women in grades 10-12 throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.

One hundred, one-time disbursements of $1,000 will be awarded based on the following criteria:

• Community contributions and leadership potential.

• Demonstrated passion or initiative for leadership in school and the community.

• Academic performance.

Program information and the official application can be found here. The deadline to apply is October 31, 2025, with the scholarships to be awarded in January 2026.

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Note: With the integration of the NLESD into the Department of Education, please update my email address in your contacts to greghoward@nlschools.ca