As we head into this holiday season, it is important to reflect on the past, while also making plans for the year ahead.
OVS has had another record year this year, reaching more student than ever before. We are very proud of everything we’ve accomplished and are looking forward to continue our growth.
It is also incredibly important to make sure our students are prepared for the remainder of the school year, especially our senior students, and ensuring that they are aware of college and university deadlines.
OVS Year in Review
Important OUAC Collection Period Dates
During the 2024-2025 application cycle, OUAC has set dates during which most Ontario schools will submit available grades. These periods are referred to as ‘Collection Periods’. This year, there are four significant collection periods for any available grades.
Most collection periods are designed for specific midterm or final marks for semester 1 and 2.
As a reminder, OVS is not a semester-based institution. We have the ability to submit your grades any time, including outside of collection periods. Though most schools only submit during the designated windows, any current enrolments, midterms, or final marks can be submitted at your request.
Please note that universities do not expect all final grades to be in until the final collection period, in June/July. If you miss an earlier collection period, your grade can be submitted during a following collection period or between periods. Please note, however, that the final collection period for current grade 12 students closes on July 7th and all grades should be submitted by that time.
Collection Period 2
This collection period is for all in progress and final grades from the first semester:
- Opening Date: January 20th 2025
- Closing Date: February 13th 2025
- OVS Deadline for submitting work: Thursday February 6th 2025
Collection Period 3
- Opening Date: March 17th 2025
- Closing Date: April 24th 2025
- OVS Deadline for submitting work: Thursday April 17th 2025
Collection Period 4
- Opening Date: June 2nd 2025
- Closing Date: July 7th 2025
- OVS GROUP 1 Students deadline for submitting work: June 5th 2025
- OVS GROUP 2 Students deadline for submitting work: June 25th 2025
Ontario Virtual School Deadlines for submitting work for marking are non-negotiable. Dates are set 1 week prior to OUAC deadlines to allow teachers adequate time to mark submitted work. Please note that teachers have many students following the same deadline. We will not ask teachers to mark faster than the 1-2 business day turnaround time. We cannot guarantee that work handed in after the OVS deadline (highlighted in red) will be marked in time for grades to be sent during collection periods. It is imperative that you follow these deadlines if you want grades submitted to OUAC during the collection period.
OVS OUAC Groups
Group 1
Group 1 students are part-time OVS students who need their credit from OVS to graduate with their day school.
Group 1 students must have all work handed in by no later than June 5th, 2025. Work will be accepted after this date however we will not be able to guarantee that the mark will be ready in time. This means that final exams MUST be written on or before this date to have a mark ready in time.
Group 2
Group 2 students are either full-time with OVS, graduating through our school, or they do not require the credit they are taking with OVS to graduate high school.
Group 2 students must have all work handed in by no later than June 25th, 2025. Work will be accepted after this date however we will not be able to guarantee that the mark will be ready in time. This means that final exams MUST be written on or before this date to have a mark ready in time.
If you have any questions regarding deadlines, please contact [email protected].
OCAS Deadlines
Unlike OUAC, OCAS does not have strict deadlines for when students must submit their applications and marks. However, there are certain dates when OCAS will transmit data to Ontario colleges:
- November 15th: Deadline for demographics, marks history and current and projected registrations for the entire school year.
- February 14th: Deadline date for any available marks.
- April 25th: Deadline date for any available marks.
- July 4th: Deadline date for all final marks and proof of graduation.
- August 8th: Deadline for all final marks and / or summer school final marks and proof of graduation.
For more information on OCAS dates and deadlines, please check out their website.
Student Spotlight: Ethan Gauthier
At OVS, we have many student athletes who use are program to achieve their high school education while training diligently in their sport. Given that ice hockey is one of Canada’s official national sports, it’s not surprising that several of our student athletes are training and competing at an elite level in this sport.
These year OVS student athlete Ethan Gauthier, will be competing in the 2025 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship. He will be playing in the right-wing forward position on this year’s team. The competition will begin on December 26th 2024, and will end with the gold medal game being played on January 5th 2025.
We wish Ethan the best of luck and will be cheering him on!
New Graduation Requirements
This year, there have been some fundamental changes to the graduation requirements for students who are just entering Grade 9. So, while students who entered high school last year will still be working off the original graduation requirements, new students have a different set of criteria they need to meet.
Students Entering Grade 9 September 2024
Students who have entered Grade 9 as of this year must complete 17 compulsory courses and 13 electives. The compulsory courses they are required to complete are as follows:
- 4 English Credits (1 per year)
- 3 Mathematics Credits (Grade 9, 10 and one in either 11 or 12)
- 2 Science Credits
- 1 Technological Education Credit
- 1 Canadian History Credit
- 1 Canadian Geography Credit
- 1 Arts Credit
- 1 Health and Physical Education Credit
- 1 French Credit
- 0.5 Credits in Careers
- 0.5 Credits in Civics and Citizenship
- 1 STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Credits, in additional to the above-mentioned compulsory credits.
Students in Grade 10-12 September 2024
Students who have already completed Grade 9 and in Grade 10 or above, will remain on the old credit system. They must complete 18 compulsory courses and 12 electives. The compulsory courses they are required to complete are as follows:
- 4 English Credits (1 per year)
- 3 Mathematics Credits (Grade 9, 10 and one in either 11 or 12)
- 2 Science Credits
- 1 Technological Education Credit
- 1 Canadian History Credit
- 1 Canadian Geography Credit
- 1 Arts Credit
- 1 Health and Physical Education Credit
- 1 French Credit
- 0.5 Credits in Careers
- 0.5 Credits in Civics and Citizenship
- 1 Group 1 Credit (one additional credit in English, Native or International Language, French, Social Science/Humanities, or Canadian and World Studies).
- 1 Group 2 Credit (one additional credit in Health and Physical Education, Arts, Business Studies or French).
- 1 Group 3 Credit (one additional credit in Science, Technology, Computer Studies or French)
*note French can only be used for a maximum of 2 of the 3 Group credits.
In order to help parents and students navigate these changes, this article breaks down these new and previous requirements.
International Language Courses
OVS offers several international languages courses that aren’t often available at local Ontario high schools. We provide senior grade level instruction in multiple languages to build on the pre-existing knowledge and continue to develop new vocabulary.
Grade 11 International Languages:
Grade 12 International Languages:
While students do need to have previous education in these subjects in order to enroll, these Grade 11 and 12 International language courses are a great way to continue to build your communication skills and earn senior level credits towards your OSSD at the same time.
