ACADEMIC INFORMATION ACCESS TO THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM AND POLICY DOCUMENTS All curriculum and policy documents can be accessed through the Ministry of Education website: • Grades 9-12: visit www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/ secondary/index.html • Grades 7-8: www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/ elementary/index.html COURSES OFFERED The course offering has been developed according to the requirements of the Ontario Ministry of Education and Training. These courses also reflect the Catholic academic traditions of education. The Ontario Ministry of Education and Training inspects the school to assure that provincial standards are being met and to allow the school to grant the Ontario Secondary School Diploma. INTERMEDIATE PROGRAMME The Programme is an extension of the overall educational philosophy of St. Michael’s College School. The goal is to prepare students for success in their high school education. A combination of a core classroom and a specialty rotary system is employed to deliver the curriculum. Learning strategies such as time management and note-taking are incorporated into lessons. Moreover, students are eligible to participate in a variety of co-curricular activities. There is an overnight camp in September for the Grade 7 class. The Grade 8 class participates in an outdoor education trip in January and is required to complete twenty hours of community service. DEFINITION OF A CREDIT A credit is granted in recognition of the successful completion of a high school course that has been scheduled for a minimum of 110 hours. This definition of a credit implies that the student may not earn his credit if his final mark in the course is below 50%. Although the provincial passing mark is 50%, it is expected that students at St. Michael’s would not accept such a low standard. COURSE OF STUDY A course of study contains the expectations for the course, the course content and the sequence in which it is taught, the evaluation practices, and the textbooks and reference materials to be used. Detailed courses of study are available at the school for perusal by parents. A request to view these may be made to the principal. 12
COURSE TRANSFERS AND WITHDRAWAL FROM COURSES Serious consideration is to be given to course selection. Teachers and counsellors are available to meet with students and parents to plan a course of study appropriate for each individual. Students who want to drop a course once the school year has begun must have the written approval of a parent, the teacher of the course and a guidance counsellor. The deadline to drop courses is typically the third week of January. No course or section changes will be considered based on a student’s preference of teacher, study hall, or lunch period.
DIPLOMA REQUIREMENTS FOR OSSD COMPULSORY CREDITS (TOTAL OF 18) 4 credits in English (1 credit per grade) • The Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course (OSSLC) may be used to meet either the Grade 11 or the Grade 12 English compulsory credit requirement. • The Grade 11 Contemporary Aboriginal Voices course may be used to meet the Grade 11 English compulsory credit requirement. • For English language learners the requirement may be met through earning a maximum of 3 credits in English as a second language (ESL) or English literacy development (ELD); the fourth credit must be a Grade 12 compulsory English course. 3 credits in mathematics (at least 1 credit in Grade 11 or 12) 2 credits in science 1 credit in the arts • The Grade 9 Expressing Aboriginal Cultures course may be used to meet the compulsory credit requirement in the arts. 1 credit in Canadian geography (Grade 9) 1 credit in Canadian history (Grade 10) 1 credit in French as a second language
