Students go through several transitions while in school, moving from one grade to another. The Student Success Department knows that the way that students cope with the changes they face during these years has a big impact on their success at school. The brochures listed below are to help guide students, parents and teachers with key transition times. 

Read more: Transitions - Helping Students Manage Change

Focus Programs are packages of courses that concentrate on a particular field of interest or training to provide students with both academic and work experience that will give them a foundation in a career or area of study. They enable students to come together to benefit from specialized equipment and teacher expertise. These programs are designed to help high school students make well-informed career decisions and to assist with a smooth transition to either post-secondary education or the world of work. At the grade 9 and 10 level, these programs are intended to engage those learners who need a more experiential approach to learning. At the grade 11 and 12 level, the programs allow students the opportunity to concentrate on a specific subject discipline for one semester. For more information contact your high school guidance department.

Read more: Focus Programs

The Ottawa Catholic School Board is pleased to announce that its students ranked higher than the provincial average in all assessments: Grade 3 and Grade 6 reading, writing and math as well as Grade 9 applied and academic math. The Board’s students scored 5 to 8% higher than the province in all elementary assessments and 2 to 4% higher than the province in both Grade 9 assessments. Board and school improvement plans continue to be developed and special attention will be focused on mathematics.

We are very pleased with the results. We will continue to provide each school with all the resources it needs to help every student be successful.

Read more: EQAO Achievement Scores

Across Ontario, Catholic school boards have been using the Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations in a variety of creative ways. Catholic education views human life as an integration of body, mind, and spirit. Rooted in this vision, Catholic education fosters the search for knowledge as a lifelong spiritual and academic quest. The expectations of Catholic graduates, therefore, are described not only in terms of knowledge and skills, but in terms of values, attitudes and actions. Students on a journey toward graduation from a Catholic school are challenged to meet the Catholic Graduate Expectations, listed below. The Institute for Catholic Education explains more about the value of these expectations, here:  

Read more: Catholic Graduate Expectations

With so many options available for our high school graduates, knowing how to make wise choices becomes critical for success in their post-secondary endeavours. Starting college or university is a big milestone in anyone's life. It is a giant step towards independence, and it is crucial to begin your post-secondary studies on the right footing. We have compiled resources for our students to help you with deciding your own individual pathway for success upon graduation.

Read more: University and College Resources

The Ottawa Catholic School Board believes in celebrating the achievements of its students and staff. A wide range of academic and extra-curricular honours and awards are available throughout the school year. In recognition of academic achievement, the names of all students who have achieved an overall average of 80% or better will be posted on the Honour Roll after each reporting period. Schools also host award ceremonies each year to celebrate academic, cultural and athletic achievements of students over the year.

Read more: Honours and Awards

Cooperative education is a hands-on method of learning that allows students to earn secondary school credits towards their OSSD by combining in-school studies with related work experiences. The student's learning activities at the work placement are closely aligned to one or more related course(s) in which the student is enrolled or which he or she has successfully completed. The cooperative education course and the related course(s) together constitute a student's cooperative education program. Students apply to be considered for a cooperative education program during the course selection procedure and an application and interview are part of the process.

Read more: Co-operative Education and Experiential Learning

The Ottawa Catholic School Board is proud to offer you a wide range of courses for the coming school year. We encourage you to take time to study our High School Course Selection Guide to discover your options. Student Success continues to be the Board’s number one priority. To realize this goal, we offer a variety of courses and programs required for you to become successful in your chosen post-secondary career. As a 21st century learner, your needs have been incorporated into these courses and programs so you can meet the challenges ahead with great confidence and even greater knowledge.

Read more: High School Course Selection Guide 2013-2014

The Dual Credit Program is a school/college/work initiative that is offered by three Eastern Ontario colleges in partnership with nine area school boards. The program is intended for students who desire learning opportunities outside of high school and who would benefit from a college or apprenticeship experience. Students participate in apprenticeship training and/or postsecondary courses, earning dual credits that count towards both their high school diploma and their postsecondary diploma, degree or apprenticeship certification. To ease scheduling, many students take their dual credit course in conjunction with their high school cooperative education program. For more information or to apply for a Dual Credit, contact your high school guidance department. Students in the Dual Credit Program have the opportunity to:

Read more: Dual Credit Program

All high school students in the province of Ontario are required to complete forty (40) hours of community service as a graduation requirement outlined by the Ontario Ministry of Education. The purpose of the community involvement requirement is to encourage students to develop awareness and understanding of civic responsibility and of the role they can play and the contributions they can make in supporting and strengthening their communities. These goals complement academic and work experience programs that are currently taking place in our schools. Student community involvement activities may take place in a variety of settings, including businesses, not-for-profit organizations, public sector institutions (including hostiptals), and information settings. The Ottawa Catholic School Board has developed a list of community involvement activities that are considered acceptable. Students participating in this iniative will have received a document from their school which outlines examples of eligible and ineligible activities. Students must complete the Ottawa Catholic School Board Community Involvement Form to list their planned and completed activities. 

Read more: Community Involvement

The Ontario Educational Resource Bank (OERB) is an online tool for Ontario teachers, families and students, containing learning material. As Ontario's learning object repository, the Ontario Educational Resource Bank (OERB) offers a growing number of online resources to teachers and students, from Kindergarten to Grade 12, at no cost. There are over 3,000 resources, including lesson plans, activities, maps, and interactive learning resources.

Read more: Ontario Education Resource Bank (OERB)

An inclusive education system in Ontario ensures that all students, parents/guardians, and other members of the school community are welcomed and respected. Students should be supported and inspired to succeed in a culture of high expectations for learning. To achieve an equitable and inclusive school climate, our school board continuously strives to ensure that all members of the school community feel safe, comfortable, and accepted. We want all staff and students to value diversity and to demonstrate respect for others and a commitment to establishing a just, caring society. Together, we can create safe, inclusive and caring environments in all of our schools.

Read more: Safe and Inclusive Schools

The Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) is a Ministry-approved specialized program that allows students to focus their learning on a specific economic sector while meeting the requirements for the Ontario Secondary School Diploma. The program also assists students in their transition from secondary school to apprenticeship training, college, university, or the workplace. A SHSM enables students to gain sector-specific skills and knowledge in the context of career-related learning environments and helps them focus on graduation and pursuing post-secondary goals. 

Read more: Specialist High Skills Majors (SHSM)

The Advanced Placement Program is a college readiness program run by the American College Board. The Advanced Placement Program provides opportunities for motivated and capable students to experience university-level courses and exams while in high school. The courses help students acquire the skills and work habits necessary to be successful in post secondary studies. Colleges and universities in 60 countries give students first year university credits based on their Advanced Placement exam scores. This means successful students can earn univerity credit while completing high school. To learn more about the Advanced Placement Program, visit www.ap.ca .

Read more: Advanced Placement Program

Do you have a child in who doesn’t quite understand how to add fractions? Or maybe your teenager is struggling with a geometry assignment? Extra help is available. Certified Ontario teachers are now online twenty (20) hours a week to provide free math tutoring for the Grade 7 to 10 math students in the Ottawa Catholic School Board. We recognize the studies show that students who like math and have solid math skills are more likely to succeed in school and later in life.

There are interactive discussion rooms for each grade where they can view current lessons, watch tutors draw on the whiteboard, and then type in their own question for on-the-spot help. Other math resources on the website include videos of teachers leading students through the top 20 most commonly asked math problems, interactive math tutorials, and highlights of our best sessions. All students manage their own virtual locker, where their work is saved in video format for viewing anytime. 

Read more: Free Math Homework Help - Free online tutoring