Student Services
The Guidance Programme will respond to student needs throughout their secondary school years. The Programme shall provide opportunities for students to acquire the skills, knowledge and attitudes necessary to:
• know and appreciate themselves
• relate effectively to others
• develop appropriate educational plans
• explore career alternatives
The following are among the services offered:
• academic counselling/planning
• career exploration and planning
• study skills sessions/ career interest inventories
• support groups, peer tutors
• college and university information
• night school and summer school information
• job bulletin board
Students are encouraged to request an appointment with a counsellor as required. To request an appointment simply drop by the Student Services Area, fill out a request form and leave it with the secretary. Likewise parents/guardians are encouraged to become involved in their son/daughter's concerns, planning, etc. by contacting his/her counsellor.
Timetable Changes
All course changes must be completed within the first 5 days of each semester.
Students wishing to change add, or delete a course must make an appointment with their guidance counselor to determine if the change is possible. Changes will only be considered for the following reasons:
Credit has already been earned for a current course.
The pre-requisite has not been completed.
New course is required for graduation.
New course is required for post-secondary plans.
Student has an incomplete schedule.
Students MUST continue to follow their most recent timetables until the counselor has finalized and approved the change.
Students wishing to change the level of a course must request the change within the first 4 weeks of each semester.
Course Handouts
All students will receive a course outline at the beginning of each semester in each course. It will contain the Course Name and Code, a brief description of the course and category weighting. It will state classroom expectations and evaluation procedures. The description of the final evaluation will also be stated in the outline.
Textbooks and any materials given out for a course are the student’s responsibility. Lost or damaged textbooks must be replaced and school privileges may be removed if a student owes materials to the school.
Community Service Hours
· The completion of forty hours of community service is a requirement for graduation as per the policy of the Ministry of Education of Ontario. Students are encouraged to complete their forty hours as soon as possible. Leaving community hours until Grade 12 may jeopardize graduation.
· At Father Michael Goetz Catholic Secondary School, community hours must be done for a non-profit/charitable organization. A non-profit/charitable organization exists to help others; it does not exist for financial profit. Examples include the following: publicly funded school, hospital, church, library, food bank, service organization, cultural organization. The requirement that students complete their hours for a non-profit/charity is in line with the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board position that the community service project is a Christian call to serving others. Community hours cannot be done for a commercial business. Any activity which would normally be performed for wages in the workplace is ineligible.
Community hours cannot be done for an individual (e.g. parent, relative, neighbour, friend). For example, babysitting free of charge for a neighbor does not qualify for community service.
· Students must volunteer their time and cannot be paid for community hours.
· Community hours cannot be done during the school day (unless they are done on lunch or spare). They cannot be done during instructional time or as part of a class/course requirement.
· It is important for students to get clearance from their guidance counsellors before starting their community service hours. Guidance counsellors will know what constitutes a non-profit/charitable organization. Pre-approval will avoid situations of finding out afterwards that the community service hours are not acceptable.
· Each student should have a Community Hours Passport. There is also a Passport Companion, which is a Parent Resource Manual. If there are any questions, please consult your guidance counsellor.
· Using the Passport, please make sure that it is completely and legibly filled out. Make sure that your name is on it, and make sure that the Service Supervisor’s name and phone number are printed clearly. Make sure that the actual number of community hours completed is included. As of September 2010, for the 2010-2011 cohort and any students joining the Goetz community thereafter, any entries in the Passport must be stamped with an official organization stamp to verify that the hours have been completed.
· If, for whatever reason, you don’t have a Passport, a letter submitted on the official letterhead of the organization is also acceptable. Again, your name and the Service Supervisor’s name and phone number must be included, as well as the actual number of hours completed.
· Get proof of your hours soon after they are completed. As soon as you get documentation for your community hours, submit the documentation to your guidance counsellor. This should be done on an ongoing basis until all forty hours have been completed, documented and submitted.
· You are encouraged to do more than 40 hours, but please submit the documentation for the first 40 hours as soon as any of these hours are done. Any other documentation can be submitted at a later date.
· For graduating students, the deadline for submitting community hours is the last Friday in March of the graduating year. Given that Grade 12 is a very busy and demanding year, it is strongly recommended that students complete the community service requirement prior to the end of Grade 11.
Method of Reporting
· Open lines of communication among teachers, students, parent/guardian.
· Early progress reports approximately five or six weeks into each semester. Dates are published in the school calendar.
· Parent-Teacher Interview night may be scheduled subsequent to the early progress reports or to the distribution of mid-semester reports. Parents and students are encouraged to attend. Please consult the school calendar.
· Mid-Semester Reports At mid-semester, students will receive a numerical grade in each subject.
· Final Reports At the end of each semester, all students will receive a final report. Subject teachers will contact parents/guardians/ of students who were unsuccessful in completing course requirements. Students over 18 years of age will be contacted directly.
Child and Youth Worker
CYW’s are members of the support services team at Fr. Michael Goetz Catholic Secondary School. With an educational background focused on children’s mental health and behaviour, CYWs engage with students, parents, and all members of the school staff to provide social/emotional/behavioural support, including counselling, to students who may be struggling with challenges in their lives both within and outside of school. Students often connect directly with the Child and Youth Worker or may be referred by administration, teachers, guidance staff, parents, or other support services staff. As members of the support services team, CYWs endeavour to assure that students are linked to the support they need both within school and in the community.
Social Worker
Your school Social Worker is there to help you around a wide variety of problems - family difficulties, trouble with relationships, self esteem, depression, coping issues, and is the school attendance officer. Appointments can be made to see the Social Worker through the guidance office. Teachers, guidance counselors, administrators can also make a referral or students can drop by Student Services on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Community (Public) Health Nurse
Our community nurse can provide the following services to students: Health Counselling regarding health concerns and questions; Health Education individually or in groups on such topics as eating disorders, stress management, relationships and self-esteem. If you would like to see a nurse, speak to your guidance counselor or Child Youth Worker.
Psychologist
The school psychologist is available to students two days per week. Appointments may be requested.
(updated September 2011)