Rundle College Conklin School Student Services Handbook

RUNDLE COLLEGE JUNIOR SENIOR HIGH STUDENT SERVICES HANDBOOK

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UR TEAM

Ms. Sarah Dunsford dunsford @rundle.ab.ca

Ms. Danelle Spence spence@rundle.ab.ca

Ms. Samantha Woods woods@rundle.ab.ca

Head of Student Services Career & Post-Secondary

Social/Emotional Support

Academic Support

STUDENT SERVICES The mission of Student Services at Rundle College is to provide academic guidance, career and postsecondary advising and social/emotional counselling. This mission aligns with the goal of Rundle College to help students discover their potential and prepare them for an ever-changing world.

Role of Student Services Within the Student Services department at Rundle College Jr. Sr. High school, there are two Counsellors who share a number of roles, yet have specialties within the department.

Ms. Spence is the lead for personal counselling support for students in both the junior and senior high.

Through the short-term counselling process her main role focuses on ensuring the emotional well-being and improved education related to healthy adolescent development.

Ms. Dunsford is the lead for Career and Post-secondary planning. She is also able to support students with their social and emotional needs, primarily in the senior high.

The Counsellors in Student Services also works closely with administration on school-related matters, such as tracking student progress, monitoring academic and personal development, and crisis intervention.

Ms. Woods provides integrated academic support within the regular classroom setting. She works with teachers, parents and students to support the development of student executive functioning skills.

How to Access Services Students and parents have several ways to access services. Students are able to drop in during office hours, email or phone a member of the team. Grade 12 students have access to an online booking system to schedule sessions with Ms. Dunsford.

Parents are welcome to make appointments through email or by phone.

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ur Values: Together: Be Kind, Be Curious, Be Well

ROLES OF THE COUNSELLORS Social/Emotional Counselling ·· ·· ·· ·· ·· ··

Support students who are experiencing personal or emotional challenges Provide short-term, solution-focused counselling Coordinate referrals to external resources if needed Liaise between the school and outside supports and community agencies Crisis management, intervention and support Help students improve social skills, peer relationships and managing conflict

Academic Support ·· ·· ·· ·· ·· ··

Help prepare students for career exploration and post-secondary planning Conduct personality assessments and interest inventories to guide students in career exploration Provide parents and students with information seminars in the areas of course planning, post-secondary programs, scholarships, and career exploration Work with individual students to research ‘best fit’ programs at universities of their choice Assist students with short and long-term academic and career goals

Career Exploration and Post-Secondary Advising ·· Help prepare students for career exploration and post-secondary planning ·· Conduct personality assessments and interest inventories to guide students in career exploration ·· Provide parents and students with information seminars in the areas of course planning, post-secondary programs, scholarships, and career exploration ·· Work with individual students to research ‘best fit’ programs at universities of their choice ·· Assist students with short and long-term academic and career goals

ACADEMIC SUPPORT Accommodations for Assessments Accommodations are employed at the school based on external or internal professional recommendations.

These may include extra time, frequent breaks, use of computer, and reduced distractions (via personalized carrels and ear defenders).

For students writing diploma exams, Counsellors work within the framework provided by Alberta Education.

Supporting Academic Concerns ·· Student Service members attend weekly meetings that address student concerns and take the lead in areas specific to academic accommodations and emotional wellness. ·· They help identify students requiring help with executive functioning, organization and focus. ·· They create a personalized student learning plan recommending individual approaches to the student’s learning and assessments.

Study Skills & Executive Functioning Development Counsellors provide students with best practices approaches to studying. Study skill development often includes ongoing student learning and practice utilizing the specific tools and strategies presented. The goal is to empower students with active, individualized, and tangible strategies through individual guidance, brief education seminars and/or formal presentations. Ongoing attention to the development of students’ executive skills is of paramount importance.

Peer Tutoring Program Senior high students tutor junior high students in order to increase their study skills and academic skills.

Senior high students are matched with junior high students who may be having difficulty in a specific subject area. This is an excellent opportunity for junior high students to be mentored and supported within the school community.

CAREER EXPLORATION AND POST-SECONDARY ADVISING

Canadian Post-Secondary Admissions ·· Counsellors provide ongoing support for students in career exploration and post-secondary planning starting in grade 9. See the infographic on Page 9 ·· Information on academic averages, university applications deadlines, and scholarships is posted on Moodle and Google Classroom.

International Post-Secondary Admissions ·· Post Secondary Counsellor arranges exam invigilation and delivery for students bound for post-secondary, including Pre-ACT (grade 10), PSAT (grade 11), and SAT and ACT (grade 11 & 12). ·· Counsellor provide individual consultation with students and parents on the application process.

Personal Portfolio MyBlueprint© is a comprehensive career and post-secondary online planning tool that allows students to set their own goals, record their activities and plan their future.

Rundle students from grade 9 through to grade 12 utilize this tool to assist with career exploration and postsecondary planning. Students are able to search careers and get valuable information about educational requirements, wages, and labour market information. Students can also record their high school plans, resume, activities (e.g., volunteer hours), and career and post-secondary plans.

CAREER AND POST-SECONDARY ADVISING INFOGRAPH Our main goal when working with students on their plans after graduation is to initiate healthy ‘future possibilities’ conversations; to encourage students to think-outside-the-box; to explore areas of interest; and have some fun while they are doing it.

Grade 10 students complete a comprehensive career and post-secondary unit in CALM conducted by the Counsellors. In these sessions, students are able to create a MyBlueprint account and conduct an initial assessment in order to give them insight into their interests, values, motivations and personality and how these factors relate to career planning.

Grade 11 students meet with the Counsellors to work through the results of their self-assessments on MyBlueprint. In addition, they are given the opportunity to complete the Strong Interest Inventory, which is an online interest questionnaire used in career assessment. This assessment is also frequently used for educational guidance and is one of the most popular career assessment tools. Each student has access to a comprehensive thirteen page report that indicates their occupational code and relates that code to possible career options. The overall goal of these assessments is for students to make informed decisions regarding their post-secondary program choices while reflecting on their values, passions, interests and personality types.

Both grade 10 and 11 students are guided through the process of creating their High School Plans on myBlueprint in order to choose their high school classes while reflecting on the requirements needed for their university programs of choice. The Counsellors believe that this entire process allows students time to reflect on the important aspects of post-secondary programs that fits them best.

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cademic supports provide each students to opportunity to reach their full potential.

PERSONAL/EMOTIONAL COUNSELLING 1. Personal/Emotional Counselling Students are able to access our Counsellors for help with personal, social and emotional concerns. Short term, supportive, solution-focused counselling is used along with strength-based interventions. Counsellors also collaborate with outside supports, triage,refer to external resources, and liaise with these referrals when needed.

2. Promotion and Presentation of “The Healthy Mind Platter” The Healthy Mind Platter shows us what our brains need so that we can be at our best - whether we are students, parents, or teachers. According to the developers, Drs. Siegel and Rock: “The Healthy Mind Platter has seven daily essential mental activities necessary for optimum mental health.” Our Counsellors use the Platter as a framework to aid in helping students navigate high school. It is also serving up a new vocabulary that is becoming part of our daily conversations within the school. ·· Technology and the Developing Teenage Brain - Counsellors are very mindful of how screen time can affect the developing teen brain. It has the potential to negatively influence sleep, disrupt the ability to sustain attention, and hamper peer relationships. If used in excess, it can have a profound impact on learning, memory, and one’s ability to self-soothe. Through individual guidance and coaching with students, parents and teachers, Counsellors work to encourage and practice balance with technology use through positive management, healthy regulation and boundary setting.

The Healthy Mind Platter

The Healthy Mind Platter for Optimal Brain Matter Copyright © 2011 David Rock and Daniel J. Siegel, M.D. All rights reserved.

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undle’s annual Taste of Diversity celebrates diversity and encourages inclusiveness through the celebration of food.

PEER SUPPORT Counsellors are actively involved in supporting this student leadership group within the school whereby students take on initiatives in the areas of wellness, diversity, bullying prevention, and academic support.

Here is a sampling of some initiatives that Peer Support has organized throughout the year. ·· The Taste of Diversity is an annual event that celebrates diversity and encourages inclusiveness through the celebration of food. ·· Presentations for teachers by Alberta Health Services and for students by “Get Real” build our capacity around gender and sexual diversity. ·· Day of Silence is a day in which students take an oath to be silent in order to increase the awareness of bullying related to youth in the LGBTQ community. ·· Bullying Prevention sessions in the junior high with help from students in Peer Support. ·· “Wear Pink Day” to heighten awareness of the effects of bullying in schools.

Student Services also conducts the following services in order to support their mission within the school.

Parent Education Evening presentations for parents are run for the Rundle community. Examples include Drug Awareness, Adolescent Brain Science, Cyberbullying, Screen Time with Teens, and Post-Secondary Information Nights.

Counsellors also encourage parents to use the Counsellor’s expertise, experience, and knowledge - rooted in the latest psychological research - for individualized parent coaching and guiding.

Crisis Response Team Counsellors support administration in the handling of crisis situations by providing support during difficult situations and initiating the coordination of additional support from counselling colleagues, if needed.

Counsellors connect students with other community agencies and follows up to ensure support is provided.

Rundle College Junior Senior High R.C. Conklin School 7375 17th Avenue SW Calgary, Alberta T3H 3W5 www.rundle.ab.ca