Along with the changing of the seasons comes the new high school academic year. Senior students are already starting to plan for their university applications, while new grade 9 students are navigating the start of high school and the adjustments made to education this year.
There are new graduation requirements for incoming high school students, new OUAC application guidelines and rules for seniors, and as always, OVS has new courses to offer starting this school year. With so much change it can be easy to lose track of everything. In this newsletter, we’ll cover several of the changes being made both at OVS and for high school students overall.
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.
In order to help parents and students navigate these changes, this article breaks down these new and previous requirements.
New Courses
OVS has been working hard to expand our course selection to offer a high-quality education to more students. We’ve added more courses to our Middle School program for Grades 6, 7 and 8. As well, in keeping with the Ministry of Ontario education guidelines, we have also added several new high school courses.
Middle School Courses
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- Grade 6 Core French provides students with the opportunity to use their previous knowledge and apply new vocabulary and writing conventions to explore topics related to the social studies curriculum by exploring topics in French Canadian history.
Along with French we’ve also added Grade 7 Health and Physical Education to our middle school courses. This course emphasizes regular participation in a variety of enjoyable physical activities that promote lifelong healthy active living.
High School Courses
Grade 9 Geography
Grade 9 De-Streamed Geography and Grade 9 French Immersion De-Streamed Geography have been added to our course options as well. Similar with Math, Science and English, Geography has been de-streamed, allowing students more flexible learning options.
Grade 9 Business
Grade 9 Business: Building the Entrepreneurial Mindset examines relationships within and between Canada’s natural and human systems and how they interconnect with other parts of the world.
OUAC updates
Once again, the Ontario University Application Centre has adjusted their application process for the upcoming school year. Students will now either be a Group A or Group B applicant according to a specific set of criteria.
You are a Group A Applicant if ALL of the following apply to you:
- You are currently taking 1 or more courses at an Ontario high school
- You are under 21
- You have an OSSD or are working towards an OSSD with six 4U/M courses.
You are a Group B Applicant if you do not meet the Group A requirements. Some examples of Group B applicants would be:
- International students
- Transfer students
- Mature applicants
- Not currently taking any high school courses
- You’re 21 or older and taking a course at an Ontario high school
For more information about the different applicant types and how to apply, please check out the OUAC website.
Ontario University Fairs
Ontario Universities’ Fair (OUF)
The OUF takes place from October 5th to 6th at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC) in the South Building.
The fair runs from 9:30am to 5pm both days and offers free admission.
This is a great opportunity for current high school students to talk with representatives from different universities and to really start thinking about where they might want to apply to for post-secondary.
Ontario University Regional Fairs
Regional Fairs are similar to the OUF in that they allow students to connect directly with different university representatives to discuss their post-secondary plans and have their questions answered about what program might be right for them.
Regional Fairs take place in different cities ad local high school, university, and other community venues.
To check for Regional Fairs taking place near you, please check the schedule.
Ontario Universities Information Sessions
Another way high school students can gain valuable information about university programs is through online information sessions that don’t require any travel.
One of these sessions will be taking place November 21st between 5-7pm ET.
For more information and a full list of participating universities, please check out this website.
Student Spotlight: Olympic Gold Medalist Summer McIntosh
One thing OVS prides itself on it offering flexible online solutions, so students can pursue their dreams while also achieving their academic goals.
Summer McIntosh has been a student with OVS since 2020 and is currently working to earn her OSSD. This summer, her name become known around the world as she won several gold medals for Canada at the 2024 Olympics! For more information on Summer, please check out our blog.
All of us at OVS are so incredible proud of everything Summer as accomplished and wish her well on her journey forward both academically and in her athletics.
