Welcome!
Our department encourages students to self-advocate their strengths, needs and accommodations to their teachers at HHS. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to ask our staff or myself. We will be posting newsletters, resources and information on this page to keep parents and students informed.
Looking forward to a successful 2018-2019 school year,
Geoff Corbett
Head of Specialized Services, HHS
Geoff.Corbett@tldsb.on.ca
705.789.5594, Ext. #35027
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Cheers to 2018-2019 School Year!
Every few months we post a newsletters for students and families. We have these resources as part of our MailChimp newsletter. If you wish to subscribe, please click the following link.
Or if you would like to view our recent newsletters, please click:
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Huntsville High School Specialized Services Staff:
Learning Strategies:
Grade 9 & 10 – GLS1OR, GLE1OR and GLE2OR – Erin Leslie
erin.leslie@tldsb.on.ca
Grade 11 & 12 – GLE3OR, GLE4OR -David Armstrong
david.armstrong@tldsb.on.ca
Practical Academic Classes at HHS:
What is important to our students?
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Relationships – systems, community, self, family, friends
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Personal Support Networks
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Community Discovery and Connection
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Information, Knowledge and Resources
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Planning, Action and Reflection
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Skill development
Practical Life Skills at HHS Course Video: Life Skills Google Video
Practical Academics and Life Skills Programs
Life Skills – Room 334
Lead Special Education Teacher – Teresa Patterson
teresa.patterson@tldsb.on.ca
Life Skills – Room 207
Lead Special Education Teacher – Miranda Holmes
miranda.holmes@tldsb.on.ca
Our Exceptional Group of Educational Assistants – Chris Embury, Joanne Nichols, Laurie Clarke, Jo-Anna Star, Jennie Exell, Courteney Menard, Drew Fenwick, Susan Reain and Jayne Drinkwater.
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News from the Specialized Services Department:
We have been busy looking at Activated Learning as a skill to be directly used in many classes across HHS. The French department and our department are on board to increase this learning. This learning involves supporting students with strategies for executive functioning skills – 10 Essential Skills. Laurie Faith has been working with our school board, and our school is involved. Check our her website to see the creative and innovative ideas around increasing executive functioning:
We are supporting students with:
-Working Memory – holding in information while completing complex tasks
-Metacognition – noticing how you are doing, thinking about your thinking
-Sustained Attention – paying attention, even if you aren’t interested
-Organization
-Response Inhibition – Thinking before you act
-Flexibility – seeing many sides, adapting to change
-Emotional control – managing feelings
-Time management
-Planning and prioritizing
– Task Initiation
-Goal directed Persistence
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Test Strategies
We have found that many students experience test stress as well as being uncertain on how to time manage, support their ideas and critically manage a test situation. The following two resources are available in guidance for students to access. Please feel free to print and use. They have been adapted from College and University Support Centres. In addition, courses such as Learning Strategies are critical for learning some of these skills by a trained teacher.
GLE1OR, GLS1OR, GLE2OR, GLE3OR, GLE4OR – Credit Courses
Overcoming Test Stress – HHS Test and Exam Strategies – HHS
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IEP’s
Individual Education Plans are read by teachers the first week of school and are completed with school staff and available for pick-up at Parent Interview Night in October 2018. If they are not picked up then they will be mailed. We encourage your feedback and knowledge of your own/son/daughter’s IEP in order to make it a successful and individualized document. Please return the IEP or call with any concerns, questions or changes to the document.
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IPRC’s
Individual Placement and Review Committee meetings take place for grade 8 feeder schools between February and March at the feeder schools and in the Spring for students of HHS. Please email or call if you have any questions or if you have missed making your appointment. An identification from another board does not follow a student and is not always necessary to provide accommodations. We must refer them to the IPRC in TLDSB, to see if a student meets criteria. We can always arrange a meeting with families, Case Conference, to discuss student need, transitioning as well as post-secondary options.
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Homework Help 7 – 12
How does it work?
- Homework Help is a FREE online math help resource for students in Grades 7-10.
- Homework Help provides FREE, live one-on-one tutoring from Ontario teachers.
- Homework Help also provides additional resources to support mathematics in the classroom.
- Registration is quick and easy.
How do I register?
- Step 1: Visit our website (www.homeworkhelp.ilc.org)
- Step 2: Students enter their OEN (You can find this number on their report card)
- Step 3: Students enter their date of birth
- Step 4: Create a username and password
- Step 5: Log in and get learning!
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Working with student strengths at HHS
Various photos of students learning at HHS, in various ways, supported by staff with understanding of their learning profiles.
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Various photos of students learning outside of HHS, with our community partners, supported by our staff and meeting their learning profiles.
World of Work and Volunteer placements at Home Hardware, Winners, and the Salvation Army:
Arts Camp 2017:
Royal Bank and Mayor visits to explore community institutions and supports:
Taking risks, Ziplining 2017:
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Other Seminars, Workshops, Information…
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Are you in grade 12 and hoping to take your IEP to College or University?
Please visit the following sites and resources to support your goals.
http://www.transitionresourceguide.ca
Financial Aid presentation for students (and their parents) heading to Post Secondary School are usually held in May.
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Muskoka Family Network
Their goal is to strengthen and empower families and the community they live in, ensuring every adult/child that is part of this network is happy, healthy and surrounded by a community that supports and cares for them.
_Registration Form – Muskoka Family Network Registration Form
Muskoka Family Network Handout 1
https://www.facebook.com/groups/877110265707993/members/ – Muskoka Family Network Facebook Page
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Technology
Technology is sometimes an important, and in other ways essential, to a students learning. Technology is becoming increasingly important at HHS. Please chat with your son/daughter about using equipment that would benefit them in their classes. Many students use board issued laptops as well as their own laptops, Ipads, notebooks, netbooks, e-readers and cell phones. These pieces of technology allow for students to become increasingly independent as well as becoming more aware of their personal learning style. Technology will benefit them in future courses, province wide test and post-secondary courses. Please contact Jill Klodnicki if your son/daughter needs a refresher in using their technology.
New this year – Edwin!
All grade 9 students have access to the Edwin computers at HHS. It is a new tool that the school is piloting to support students with 1-1 devices. Students have been picking up their devices during the second week of school and have access via a chromebook model to technology at school and at home – even if you don’t have internet. Teachers are using the devices in several ways!
All TLDSB Schools are using Google Drive Technology.
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