“LIFE IS A SERIES OF STEPS. MAKE SURE YOU PLAN WITH THE NEXT STEP IN MIND.”

Welcome to Stelly’s Secondary School's

course selection information for 2019-2020

Please read the information below BEFORE completing your course selection form.

At Stelly's we believe that education should provide students with a wide variety of pathways to achieve their educational program and to grow as individuals. To this end, we offer a host of programs and course offerings that will enable students to transition to post-secondary, trades, the world of work and into opportunities for continuous exploration through travel. Our goal is help student explore the world of possibilities and through these educational opportunities develop the attributes identified in the Indigenous People’s “Circle of Courage.”

Like technological change, program offerings, employment skill sets and post-secondary entrance requirements are in constant flux. As a result, students need to be adaptive, resilient and practice ongoing reflection. It is important for students and their families to begin long-term planning as they enter high school. This does not mean that students are necessarily committed to a particular pathway. We all know students change their thinking and interests on a regular basis. The notion of beginning with the end or next step in mind, is an attempt to help students and parents understand the big picture regarding opportunities that exist in high school and beyond. High school represents the first of a series of many steps in the rest of a student’s life and we want to ensure that as they transition out of our school, they've given due consideration to their next step/s.

Learning opportunities have become more flexible than ever. Today, students may be able to attend/access multiple campuses concurrently to complete programs of choice while still maintaining their social community. Partnerships between Stelly’s, Parkland, Claremont, the Individual Learning Center (ILC), the South Island Distributed Education School (SIDES) and Post-secondary institutions have generated multiple pathways for students to achieve their individualized educational program.

Prior to making course selections at the grade 10 level we would encourage you to read details regarding:

1. Post-secondary language requirements
2. TASK/Techs
3. AP/Dual Credit opportunities
4. Apprenticeship programs
5. Exchange opportunities

To help guide you through this process we've included Graduation Program Tracking Forms for each grade which provides an overview of course requirements through to graduation. Note: These documents will be updated as revisions to the graduation program occur.

Students should review their Grad Transition Plan annually using the ministry site to ensure all marks have been accurately recorded and to ensure they are completing all required components leading to graduation. To do this, students will require their PEN (Personal Education Number) which will be located on their report card or can be obtained from the counselling department.

As you know, budget and staffing restrictions continue. This means that we must be as efficient as possible in the scheduling of students and the assignment of teachers. Initial student course selections are used to construct the master schedule, changing your course selection after the master schedule has been built may limit your access to desired courses, so please choose carefully.

Please note the following:

1. We cannot guarantee that all courses in this book will be offered during the 2019-2020 school year. Insufficient enrolment and/or lack of availability of some speciality area teachers will result in courses being cancelled . We are committed to offer a wide variety of courses so if a course is cancelled we may offer the course in an alternate setting including an online option.
2. All Grade 9 and 10 students must take a minimum of eight courses. These may include courses offered before or after school or during lunchtime. If one of a students 8 course is offered outside the regular four period time table or is a Distributed Learning Course (online), a Learning block will be scheduled.
3. Automatic grade promotion ends as students enter high school.
4. In course/s where a student struggles, we would suggest that "more time spent in the area of challenge the better". For example, if a student struggles in math, we would recommend that the student take the introductory level math for a given grade level in Semester 1 and then take the next higher level math in that same grade level in Semester 2. In doing so students build in their success and capacity in a course. Remember, the goal isn’t necessarily how fast the student completes the required course, but that they have achieved the level of understanding to be successful to advance educationally and to achieve the required grade for entry into their program of choice.
5. In some situations, students may find their program adjusted so that courses are taken in a different order if prerequisites are not critical, or to balance classes.
6. As prior learning is an indicator of success, students and parents need to be aware that promotion to the next grade level is dependent upon passing required courses. For example, if a student fails Grade 9 English, the course must be repeated and passed before he or she can continue in Grade 10 English. Generally, grade assignment is dependent on the level of English scheduled.
7. If a student fails a course, we cannot guarantee that there will be space available to repeat the course during the same school year. Therefore, we strongly recommend that students and parents access other options if a required course is failed. These options include summer school or distributed learning (online) through SIDES. Stelly's Counsellors have further information on these options.
8. As post-secondary institutions have varying entry requirement students and parents are encouraged to review required prerequisites and marks for individual institutions and their programs.
9. The following priority system is in place for loading students into classes (from high to low):
   • Grade 12’s who require course for graduation
   • Students who require a course for entry into a “program”
   • Students who were not able to enrol in a “core” course the previous year
   • Grade appropriate first time enrollees;
   • New school enrollees who require courses based on graduation program requirements;
   • Courses being repeated to meet graduation requirements;
   • Lower grade first time enrollees

As one can see, planning for high school and beyond requires an investment of time. The good news is there are a team of dedicated staff at Stelly’s ready and willing to support you along the way. We are proud of the quality of education at Stelly’s and are excited about providing expanded pathways for students to achieve graduation. The first step in your journey at Stelly’s starts with you making a commitment to reflect on your future, make appropriate course choices and to apply your best effort. Welcome to “The People Place”!