Student Support

Resources to support students.

Adjudications and Supports for Learning Services (LS) Students Writing Grad Assessments

In British Columbia, there are 3 assessments required (Grade 10 Literacy, Grade 10 Numeracy & Grade 12 Literacy). In order to graduate with a Dogwood, this is a provincial requirement, however, when your student decides to write is flexible. 

There are generally 2 times that students write: January and June. This is the Ministry of Education Site for the Provincial Grad Assessment Schedule

Each year, Grad students are sent links from the school to sign up for assessments. If your students requires supports when writing, when you sign-up for the assessment, please make sure to identify that your son/daughter has an Individual Education Plan (IEP) in Encom and the requested adjudications (supports) are noted and approved on the IEP.  If you have any questions about the IEP, please speak to your Grad Advisor or Learning Services Consultant.

Some of the support/adjudications require advanced arrangements. 

Location

If your student needs a separate setting, (due to anxiety, using a scribe etc.) you, the parent, are responsible for finding this location (ie. church, library, school). When looking for a place, please arrange to have an adequate amount of time for the assessment to be written and ensure that the location has good wifi. 

Invigilator

If you are in a separate setting, you will also need to find an invigilator - this needs to be a current or retired teacher (going rate is approximately $120 for 3 hrs). All information for the separate setting needs to be collected and ready prior to registering for the assessment.

Timing

Assessments must be started between 8 am and 4 pm Monday to Friday 

Scribe

In-person Scribe:

If your student needs a scribe, you are responsible for finding them and compensating them. A scribe is simply there to write down what your student says and cannot provide any additional assistance. To read the full guidelines regarding scribes from the Ministry of Education, please look here.

Speech to Text and Text to Speech:

If your son/daughter plans on using Read and Write:

    1. They are NOT required to have a separate space as long as they use their headphones
    2. You must use your HCOS email address and the official version of R&W provided through HCOS - please make sure your son/daughter has practiced and is comfortable using this on their own. Please ensure that an account through HCOS has been set up ahead of the assessment.

A few other notes:

Anxiety and Mental Health Resources for Families

Anxiety and mental health impact the education of children and youth, causing distraction, irritability or sleep issues, obsessive or avoidant tenancies, and other challenges. If your child is experiencing challenges, please speak to your teacher or Grad Advisor (GA). They will connect you to appropriate supports within HCOS, whether resources in the Learning Commons,  Learning Groups like Hello Anxiety or individualized support through Learning Services or Inclusive Education. You can complete the Learning Support Request form if you wish to share more details with your teacher.  

This page offers a number of resources that may also be of use to you. 

Videos

Talk to a Person 
Free Counselling

BC and Canadian Resources

General Resources

HCOS Learning Commons Resources:

Curated list of Anxiety and Worry resources on SORA - digital books, audio books

Tips to Relax, Manage Anxiety, Get Grounded

Student Success Centre

Student Success Centre (SSC) is a Online-based universal support provided by an EA in Literacy or Numeracy and is offered to students needing assistance in grades 5-12. It is important to note that you do not need a referral for this, you may access the SSC at any point throughout the year. 

How to initiate support
There is no referral needed to access the SSC. You can book sessions directly with an EA or you can talk to your teacher or GA to set up a first introductory session to meet and get to know the EA.
Friendly reminder: The student success centre is a universal support and is accessible to all grade 5-12+ students. We ask that you kindly limit weekly bookings to 1-2 sessions and no more than 2 weeks in advance. Should your child need further support, we encourage you to contact the course specialist for booking hours and follow up with your IE case manager, learning support consultant, K-9 teacher or GA.
Support is offered via Zoom and students must schedule a meeting time and attend the service.

SSC Workshops:

Check out the SSC link and the school blog regularly for updates for our free drop-in weekly workshops. Topics change each month, offering students even more learning opportunities to build skills such as proper citation, essay writing foundations, provincial assessment preparation, note taking and more!

SSC Education Assistants:

The current education assistants will be supporting in Literacy/Executive Functioning: Taryn McPherson and Carlee Bouillon and Numeracy/Science: Gohar Zakaryan. They are under the supervision of Allison Miles, IE GA and SSC Coordinator: Taryn McPherson.

SSC Bookings:

Literacy/Executive Functioning EAs

 Support in English, science comprehension/questions, Christian studies, social studies/humanities, written assignments in CLE or CLC, physical education courses, and elective courses such as WEX, music or foods. 

Carlee Bouillon 

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Carlee's strengths: essay writing (planning, structuring, drafting), poetry writing and analysis, story writing and analysis, reading comprehension, citing sources, editing, proofing and polishing, pre-calculus 10 &11.

&

Taryn McPherson

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Taryn's strengths include: goal setting, planning and organizing, scheduling (time management), test preparation, research skills, writing skills and proofing, middle school math and science, upper-level science (life science and some chemistry)

Numeracy and Science EAs

Support grade 7-12 math, AP math, physics 11/12, chemistry 11/12, accounting 11

TBA for Sept 2024

&

Carlee Bouillon (Math 5-11)

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For more information, please look at: https://grad.onlineschool.ca/resources/student-support-centre 

Student Supports at HCOS

Families at HCOS have many opportunities and freedoms when shaping their learning environment to best fit their child's needs.

They can build learning around the movement a child needs, the best time of day to learn, the topics that interest and motivate them, and projects that showcase their strengths and abilities. Parents can arrange a learning space where their child is comfortable and has the quiet or stimulation they require.

Additionally, where needed, families can work with their teacher to set their child up for success by planning for additional time for an assignment or assessment, or agreeing on an alternative way to access information (e.g. through an audio book or video rather than text) or to show their learning (e.g. a presentation rather than an essay). Your teacher may also suggest curriculum options that would better fit your child or family. If a family wishes to communicate more of their learning needs to their teacher or Grad Advisor (GA), they can complete the Learning Support Request Form. 

Students at HCOS also have access to a wide array of in-house supports, with little to no cost or barriers, through the Learning Commons or Learning Groups as well as through teachers and GAs. 

In-house support options include: 
Learning Support

Additionally, your student's teacher or GA has access to a team of supportive Learning Support Coaches (LSCs) who provide specialized advice and insight on student needs. 

It typically takes up to a year for students to work through the applicable in-house supports HCOS offers. If your child continues to struggle after their teacher has had time to assess needs and the impact of our in-house supports, your child can be considered for additional professional supports or assessments in their subsequent years with HCOS.

We always keep in mind that your primary student supports are an individually-shaped home-learning environment and a strong partnership between invested, well-equipped parents and teachers.