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 2022-2023 school year,

Jill Klodnicki

Head of Specialized Services, HHS

[email protected]

705.789.5594, Ext. #35027

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Specialized Services Department

Staff and Programs

We have been busy looking at Activated Learning as a skill to be directly used in many classes across HHS. 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:

http://activatedlearning.org/

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

The team works with students to learn effective strategies. Fixed mindsets, helplessness, and hopelessness simply have no chance in a classroom focused on self-understanding, self-compassion, resilience, and solving problems together.

http://activatedlearning.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Activated-Learning-Teacher-Look-Fors.pdf

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Student Resources:

Test Strategies

Technology

Supports

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IEP’s ~Your Unique Learning Profile

Individual Education Plans are read by teachers the first day of the Semester. They are mailed out during the first Semester of the year. We encourage your feedback and your families, as knowledge of your own/son/daughter’s IEP is paramount in order to make it a successful and individualized document. Please call with any concerns, questions or changes to the document. An IEP only works well if the student is involved and understands why it is needed or helpful.

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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

Transition Recourse Guide

Financial Aid presentation for students (and their parents) heading to Post Secondary School are usually held in May.

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IPRC’s ~Review Meetings

Individual Placement and Review Committee meetings take place for grade 8 feeder schools between February and March 2023 at the feeder schools or virtually and in the Spring 2023 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.

Learning Strategies Courses for Credit

Life Skills Programs

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Family Resources:

Cheers to 2022-2023 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.

MailChimp Subscription

Or if you would like to view our recent newsletters, please click:

Previous Newsletters

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Learning Strategies Courses for Credit

Life Skills Programs

Transforming Together

Transforming Together was a unique series of workshops that were done live in April and May 2021 to support students with more complex profiles to navigate their own journey. We also did inschool sessions in April 2022. Here are the recorded versions.

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Other Seminars, Workshops, Information…

I’ve come across a great resource from some other schools. I’ve linked some of the information below regarding Sara Dimerman. She has been a Therapist for over twenty years. She is one of North America’s most trusted parenting and relationship experts. Visit HelpMeSara.com and follow Sara on Twitter. She has numerous links that are helpful for families:

Screen Time:

https://www.parentscanada.com/preschool/help-me-sara-why-screen-time-needs-to-be-screened/

https://www.verywellfamily.com/strategies-limit-your-teens-screen-time-2608915

Exam Stress:

http://www.helpmesara.com/2019/06/exam-stress/

Holiday Stress:

https://www.parentscanada.com/family-life/how-to-get-a-handle-on-holiday-stress/

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Other information that may be helpful for families with links below:

Social Skills Pre Employment

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