HEADStart to Grade 9 - St. Louis Adult Learning and Continuing Education

Get a HEADStart to Grade 9 this September 2019!

Over half of all Grade 9’s attending our Catholic Secondary Schools participate!

REGISTRATION opens March 4, 2019

HEADStart is a voluntary, value-added summer program offered for FREE and only through our Catholic Secondary Schools. Although this program is not mandatory, separate registration for HEADStart is required. This program is only available to students enrolled in our Catholic Secondary Schools this coming September. Students and parents tell us how timely and transformative this program is.

How does HEADStart make a difference?

Learn to:

Open your lock / locker
Find your classes
Navigate around other parts of the school
Create your fit with new friends
Feel a part of my new school community on the first day of school

NEW DATES AND NEW FORMAT!

HEADStart is 2 FULL DAYS.

So we may accommodate more students, HEADStart is also being offered TWICE. Here are the 2019 dates and times:

GROUP #1: Wednesday, August 21 and Thursday, August 22, 2019

OR GROUP # 2: Monday, August 26 and Tuesday August 27, 2019

8:30am-2:30pm (to mimic closely to a regular school day),

Note: there will be NO programming on Friday August 23, (MAKE YOUR SUMMER PLANS around these dates, as attendance on the dates you select is expected)

What is HEADStart?

Nervousness about starting high school is heightened for most students in the days leading up to the first day of Grade 9. HEADStart can alleviate some of that anxiety.

Since 2010, St. Louis Adult Learning and Continuing Education Centres and the Waterloo Catholic District School Board have worked together to create a stellar program that addresses academic and social anxiety, provides Gr 8 students going into Grade 9 with the tools of academic readiness, study skills to achieve success and a chance to connect with peers (old and new) in meaningful ways during this tough transition.

Get a HEADStart to Grade 9 is now a two-day program and will be jam-packed with activities in both small and large groups, so students can gradually adjust to the “largeness” of high school. We understand that the end of August is a popular time for other summer activities, so now you can choose either Aug 21/22 OR Aug 26/27 to participate.

Commitment to attend the full two days ensures optimal learning, the greatest benefit and the least disruption within the limited 12 hours the program is running. If students cannot attend at all, please be assured that students who are able to attend HEADStart will be encouraged to pay it forward and show their peers a few tips they learned once school begins. Also, every high school has a team of students and staff that will help once school begins. HEADStart merely gives Grade 9 students a bit more support, more time to adjust to the transition, and gain more confidence to cope with the first few weeks of high school … and as a benefit, they will be able to focus more on course learning and achievement and making choices regarding involvement in other school activities rather than “sweating the small stuff”.

Benefits to my Child going into Grade 9

Get excited and BE PREPARED for those first few weeks/months of Grade 9 at our Catholic Secondary Schools next September. Grade 9 is an exciting, yet challenging milestone.

Find out what you need to know about your new high school
Meet energetic LINK crew and student leaders, Guidance, Student Success and Chaplains who are all committed to supporting ALL Grade 9’s
Get your timetable early … and make sense of it!
Find your locker and classes ahead of time
Get study skills tips to keep those grades up AND be involved!
Find out what to do and who to talk to when you are having trouble
Make new friends in small and large groups

Don’t be nervous. Have fun! Bring out your Best!

Students and Parents alike have repeatedly shared how this program “transforms” them. Confidence increases, attitude toward school is positive, bonds with new friends meaningful, and achievement in course work is focused. A 12 hour program is only a piece of the whole transition to high school, however this concentrated effort by each Catholic Secondary School is making a difference!

Dates and Times

HEADStart is NOW a TWO full-day program, offered on the following dates:

GROUP #1

Wednesday, August 21, 2019 – Day 1

Thursday, August 22, 2019 – Day 2

(no programming on Friday, August 23, 2019)

GROUP #2

Monday, August 26, 2019 – Day 1

Tuesday, August 27, 2019 – Day 2

START TIME: 8:30 am (all 5 Catholic Secondary Schools)

END TIME: 2:30 pm (all 5 Catholic Secondary Schools)

Reminder: HEADStart is a summer program and not mandatory, therefore a separate registration for this summer program is required.

Locations

Get a HEADStart to Grade 9 is offered at all five Catholic Secondary Schools with the Waterloo Catholic District School Board. St. Louis plays a supportive role in planning, organizing and registering students for this sought-after FREE summer program.

If your child is registering to attend the following high schools in the Fall 2019, then they should be encouraged to register for this summer program as well.

Monsignor Doyle CSS
Resurrection CSS
St. Benedict CSS
St. David CSS
St. Mary’s High School

Fee

Get a HEADStart is offered free to students who are currently in Grade 8, attending a publicly funded school and can provide an Ontario Enrolment Number (OEN). Much thanks to the Ontario Ministry of Education for supporting the Continuing Education Literacy and Numeracy Learning Opportunities Grant.