Community Service

Click on Link Below for the Form

Community Service Hours Form

Print form - complete and have signed by parent/guardian and drop it off in Guidance Office.

PLEASE NOTE THAT FORMS ARE PROCESSED APPROXIMATELY ONCE A MONTH AND MAY TAKE AWHILE TO APPEAR ON YOUR RECORD

Graduation Requirement for Community Service Hours

Every student who begins secondary school during or after the 1999–2000 school year must complete a minimum of 40 hours of community involvement activities as part of the requirements for an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD).

Students may complete the 40 hours of community involvement activities at any time during their secondary school program. Students in Grade 8 may start accumulating community involvement hours in the summer before they enter Grade 9.

For the past two years, the Ministry provided temporary, flexible ways for graduating students to obtain community involvement hours to meet their graduation requirement during the pandemic. At principals’ discretion, students were previously able to earn hours:

● During instructional time on a school day;

● Through duties normally performed at home (e.g., helping an elderly relative with an errand or a sibling with homework);

● From paid employment for students 14 years and older (to a maximum of 10).

These temporarily eligible activities were revoked on July 28, 2023.

Community Involvement hours must fall into one of these categories:

● Not-for-profit: includes voluntary activities for any not-for-profit institution or foundation that would not displace a paid worker.

● For-profit: includes voluntary activities that are charitable-based for any business or organization that would not displace a paid worker. If volunteers are enhancing a product/service being sold/provided by a for-profit business designed to make it more attractive and/or a better experience for clients, then it is not in keeping with the spirit of community service and would not be an approved activity.

● Other: community support that you feel warrants consideration. In this case, please submit a brief written summary that explains how this experience meets the spirit and expectations of community involvement as identified above.

If students are considering any of the activities that would fall into the second or third category above, approval by the Principal or designate at your school is required.