ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Community Involvement

According to the Ministry of Education, all students must complete a minimum of 40 hours of unpaid community service before graduating from high school. This requirement is in addition to the 30 credits needed for the OSSD. The community involvement requirement is designed to encourage students to develop an awareness and understanding of civic responsibility, and of the role they can play in supporting and strengthening their communities. Students choose their own community service activities, within guidelines provided by RSGC under the direction of our Community Service Coordinator. Students are responsible for fulfilling this requirement on their own time and for keeping a record of their activities. Below is a list of events and organizations in which RSGC students have supported over the years in fulfilling community involvement:

• Sorting food at food banks such as The Daily Bread Food Bank and Stop 103 • Working with children at the Bloorview MacMillan Centre • Selling toques for Raising the Roof • Tutoring students from Ryerson Community School • Visiting with the elderly at various seniors’ homes • Working at Habitat for Humanity’s Restore • Serving food at Out of the Cold Programs or the Yonge Street Mission • Playing with kids through Right to Play • Tree planting initiatives • Volunteering in one-day events such as the CN Tower Climb for the United Way and the CIBC Run for the

Cure for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation

* Students should seek approval before deviating from the list above.

Ineligible Activities

The ministry has developed a list of activities that may not be chosen as community involvement activities. These are referred to as ineligible activities. An ineligible activity is an activity that:

• Is a requirement of a class or course in which the student is enrolled (eg., cooperative education portion of a course, job shadowing, work experience) • Takes place during the time allotted for the instructional program on a school day. However, an activity that takes place during the student’s lunch breaks or “spare” periods is permissible • Takes place in a logging or mining environment, if the student is under 16 years of age • Takes place in a factory, if the student is under 15 years of age • Takes place in a workplace other than a factory, if the student is under 14 years of age and is not accompanied by an adult • Would normally be performed for wages by a person in the workplace • Involves the operation of a vehicle, power tools or scaffolding • Involves the administration of any type or form of medication or medical procedure to other persons • Involves handling of substances classed as “designated substances” under the Occupational Health and Safety Act • Requires the knowledge of a tradesperson whose trade is regulated by the provincial government • Involves banking or the handling of securities, or the handling of jewellery, works of art, antiques or other valuables • Consists of duties normally performed in the home (eg., daily chores) or personal recreational activities • Involves activities for a court-ordered program (eg., community-service program for young offenders, probationary program)

The purpose of Student Support Services is to coordinate support for students in order to promote optimum success. It strives to provide effective, appropriate, meaningful and accessible services to all students.

Each student in the Senior School is assigned a faculty advisor who is the primary contact for home-school communication relating to all aspects of school life. The advisor will monitor academic progress and socialemotional development and will come to know your son well during his high school years.

Head of Senior School

The Head of the Senior School provides leadership to faculty and students by overseeing all aspects of the operation of the College. Together with the Director of Teaching and Learning, the Head works to provide programmatic excellence.

Director of University Counselling

Our University Counsellor works with students and parents in all grades to help them prepare for the university application and admission process. This process intensifies early in the fall of the graduating year with a series of individual counselling appointments and an advisor time devoted to arranging visits to university campuses and completing applications for admission and scholarship. Every fall, RSGC arranges for a host of presentations at the school by university representatives, both Canadian and international. Additionally, we arrange three parent information nights: one for parents of graduating students; one for parents of students in Grades 8 through 11 and one specifically geared towards “competitive” university admissions (US, UK or select Canadian programmes).

Chaplain

Our school has a full-time Chaplain on staff who is prepared to assist students of any faith at any time for any reason. He coordinates our religious services and counsels students on spiritual or other matters.

Counselling Services

Our school social worker promotes awareness of matters relating to personal well-being. She is also available to counsel students and families on any issues that may affect a student’s achievement and his emotional development.

Learning Centre Coordinator

Our Learning Centre Coordinator works with students in all grades, helping them learn to manage their time effectively, develop appropriate study habits and create strategies to support their individual learning styles. She collaborates with subject teachers to deliver a variety of workshops related to study skills, test preparation and organization. The Learning Centre Coordinator also provides specialized support for students with learning exceptionalities and designs Individual Education Plans (IEPs) for students who have up-to-date assessments on file.

The RSCG Learning Centre is committed to providing support to every Senior School student. Our classrooms are inclusive and welcome a diversity of learning styles. Learning Centre policies are designed to ensure that the special education needs of individual learners are met within this context.

Learning strategies are instructional strategies to help students attend, listen, read, comprehend and study more effectively. Strategies are established on a student’s individual learning style and needs. These strategies include, but are not limited to, improved memory, writing techniques, reading comprehension techniques, organizational and test-taking skills. RSGC offers Learning Strategies Support Services (to students with identified documented learning needs) to enhance the instructional needs of students and to provide them with ongoing support while they continue their academic studies.

The Learning Centre team ensures students with exceptional learning needs are identified and accommodated through an IEP. The team will work with teachers to ensure that differentiated instruction is provided in the classroom for all students in Grades 9-12. In addition, more personalized support will be provided to students with exceptionalities both in and out of the classroom. The student plays an important role in this process. He will come to understand that learning differences are part of our diverse learning environment at RSGC. Part of a student’s role is to learn to self-advocate. The Learning Centre team promotes self-advocacy and works will students as they learn to apply these important life skills.

All students are welcome to use the Learning Centre throughout the school day. Coaching sessions related to organizational, time management, executive functioning and study skills are scheduled after school. Additional academic support is also provided on a drop-in basis for students before school, during lunch hour, after school, as well as during spare periods for students in Grades 11 and 12.

The main focus of student support provided through the Senior School Learning Centre is to ensure that students are supported so that they can experience academic success as they progress through Grades 9-12 at RSGC.

Summary of Services Provided through the RSGC Learning Centre

• Individual student support • Small group support • Executive functioning skills coaching • Remedial support in all subject areas • Study skills development • Counselling for test anxiety • Assistance for students with documented learning needs • Parent consultation • Faculty consultation • Test supervision • Workshops/training sessions • Tutor referral • Psycho educational testing referral • Individual education plans

Library Services The primary focus of the library is to provide educational resources for faculty and students. These resources include print and non-print materials, as well as computerized access to information. Materials are selected primarily to support the school curriculum as well as the broader interests of the RSGC community. Students are taught critical thinking, location and retrieval skills as well as an understanding that information comes in a variety of forms. Strong emphasis is placed on the use of computers to access, retrieve and manipulate data. Students are assisted to develop their ability to evaluate and synthesize information through the research process.