Welcome to Eastwood!

We are excited for you to start with us next year!

On this page you will find Guidance information that is important and helpful for incoming students.

WHAT DOES GUIDANCE DO AT HIGH SCHOOL?

  • In high school, Guidance counselors are there to help students graduate.
    • This means we help students with all sorts of issues that might interfere with their learning.  We work as part of a team to provide support for students, along with our Child and Youth workers, Social Worker, Student Success teachers, Special Education teachers and Vice-Principals.  This team is always stronger when parents are part of the team!  We look forward to working with you to help support your student.
  • We also guide students in creating their pathway through high school and plan their next steps once they graduate.
  • We provide information about pathways after high school, and about special programs that may help students while they are still in high school.
  • We support teachers, act as a bridge between teachers and parents, and help VPs with students who are stuggling.
  • If you have questions about high school – or life in general – and you do not know who to ask – Guidance is the best place to start!  If we do not have the answer, we will find someone who does!
  • The Eastwood Guidance team is incredibly knowledgeable, empathetic and we work hard to support all of our students.

COURSE SELECTION for GRADE 9

You can see all courses being offered at Eastwood on myBlueprint.ca

  • We use myBlueprint for course selection
  • All Gr 9 students should choose 8 courses, total.

Are you an MLL student?

Please click here for MLL English course descriptions and here for other MLL courses

  • Your Gr 8 teacher should be able to help you choose the English and Math classes that are right for you.

Are you an IAP student?

Please click here for IAP course descriptions

  • When choosing IAP courses in Gr 8, you will choose mainstream Arts courses.
  • Guidance will change your Arts Major courses to the correct code once we have all of the course selection information.
  • You also need to choose the 5 main Gr 9 courses outlined by the Ministry of Education: English, Math, Science, Canadian Geography and French.
  • You also need to take a Gr 9 or Gr 10 Technology courses (Courses that start with a “T” – Arts Tech does NOT count!)
    • You can wait until Gr 10 to take a Technology course – or take a Gr 10 Technology course once you are in Gr 11 – Guidance can help you plan!

Are you a mainstream student? (Not in a specific program – Eastwood just happens to be your school – lucky you!)

Please click here for mainstream course descriptions

  • You need to choose the 5 main Gr 9 courses outlined by the Ministry of Education: English, Math, Science, Canadian Geography and French.
  • This leaves you with 3 electives
  • You also need to take a Gr 9 or Gr 10 Technology courses (Courses that start with a “T” – Arts Tech does NOT count!)
    • You can wait until Gr 10 to take a Technology course – or take a Gr 10 Technology course once you are in Gr 11 – Guidance can help you plan!

What if I want to change a course next year?

  • Students can change courses, but there is a limited time frame in which to do so.  We ask that students really think about their course selections and choose their courses as accurately as possible.
  • This document goes over timelines for course changes and other important information.

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

Please click here for information from the Ministry of Education about all the requirements for students to earn their OSSD (Ontario Secondary School Diploma).

Credits

This sheet will outline the credits necessary for students to earn their OSSD.

Students need to earn 30 credits to graduate – you earn credits by passing a course.

  • 17 of the 30 credits are courses the government has said you must complete.
  • Students get to choose the other 13 courses for themselves.

Volunteer Hours

  • Students must complete 40 hours of volunteer work in order to graduate.
  • Students can begin their volunteer hours the summer BEFORE Gr 9!  Be sure to keep track of the hours you finish!
  • You report your hours using this form – we have paper copies available in Eastwood Guidance office, which students can pick up anytime!
  • Once forms are filled in, they should be returned to the Guidance office.

NOTE:  Please know that you should not volunteer at a for-profit business – volunteering is for students to both learn about the needs in their community, and to help better their community.  You can find more information about this here.

Literacy Test

  • The Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) is first written in Gr 10 for most students.  Students will have to have completed Gr 9 English in order to be able to write the test.
  • At ECI, we have many supports for students to be successful on this test.  If students are not successful, there is a course that they can take in order to pass this requirement.  We work with each student to make sure this is not a block to their graduation.

Online-Learning Component

The Ministry of Education has stated that they want each student to pass two online courses (also called E in order to graduate.  Online courses do not have synchronized teacher-time – students are expected to be self-disciplined, reading through assignments and completing their work completely online.  Teachers can be emailed for help, but it may take a day for these teachers to respond as they are generally teaching other classes, often in-person, so they are only available to respond at certain times of the day.  This can be a challenging learning environment for many students, however, it does give students access to courses they would not be able to take in-person at their home school.

If you feel that your student would not learn well in an online course, and you feel your student should not have to take 2 online courses in order to graduate, we have an “Opt-out” form that you can fill out, sign, and return to Guidance.

Signing this form does NOT mean that your student cannot every take an online class – it simply means that your student has one less process to complete in order to graduate high school.  Students who have this form signed can still take online courses.

SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORTS AT EASTWOOD and BEYOND

What is available?

Beyond classroom teachers, Education Assistants and Vice-Principals, we have a variety of other supports available for students at Eastwood.

Guidance counselors

  • Students are assigned to a Guidance counselor based on the first letter of the student’s last name.
  • Students can request a Guidance appointment by clicking the link on the front page of the Eastwood website and filling out a form.  We will then call students down from class to meet with them.  It may take a few days for counselors to connect with students.
  • If you have an urgent matter, you can go directly to the Guidance office and ask to speak with a counselor.

Child and Youth Workers (CYWs)

  • We have two CYWs at Eastwood who are very empathetic and experienced at helping students process their emotions.
  • Students can connect with CYWs by going to Room 205 to talk to a CYW, or they can be referred to a CYW through Guidance.
  • Room 205 is also open at lunch for any students to eat or hang out with CYW supervision

Special Education Department

  • Special Eduction supports students with IEPs (Individual Education Plans) and some students without an IEP.
  • If a student has a diagnosis of a learning difference, they can work with the Special Education teachers to create an IEP or to update an existing IEP.
  • Special Education provides extra academic support for students who need more than what can be offered in a classroom.  Special Education teachers also go to classrooms to support teachers and students.
  • If you feel your student should have an IEP, you can contact Guidance to connect you with the Special Education team.

Pathways Program

The Pathways Program is a community-based program designed to support students with academics and socially/emotionally, from three particular communities:

    • Chandler Mowat
    • Victoria Hills
    • Kingsdale
  • Pathways workers have an office in Eastwood and help support students both in and out of school.
  • Students do need to apply to this program and there can be a waitlist for new students – however, it is worth signing up for the program as it provides very comprehensive support.

Settlement Services for New Canadians

  • We have a Settlement Worker from the YMCA of Three Rivers Immigrant Services program who has an office at Eastwood and works with our New Canadian students and their families.
  • Our Settlement Worker helps New Canadians fill out registrations forms for school and can help with many other issues New Canadians face.

Community Mental Health Supports

This document has information for Mental Health support services in the Kitchener-Waterloo community.

POST-SECONDARY PATHWAYS

Apprenticeship

Please visit apprenticesearch.com or supportontarioyouth.ca for more information on trades and apprenticeships.

College

To explore all of the programs offered at Ontario colleges, please visit ontariocolleges.ca

University

To explore all of the programs offered at Ontario universities, please visit ouinfo.ca