Updates « Southern Ontario Collegiate

Welcome to our updates page. Please see our most recent news updates below. These updates are written by our office staff and are very important for those who want to keep up to date with events and announcements. If you, or someone you know is currently attending SOC, see below to see our school’s most recent news.

Jan 2023

WELCOME MS. TRANG PHAN – OFFICIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF SOUTHERN ONTARIO COLLEGIATE IN VIETNAM

Trang Phan is an educational research and practice expert with more than 10 years of experience in this field. A graduate of Horizons University with a Masters of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), Trang specializes in building and developing interactive content in ESL, with a specialty for young learners. She has organized more than 1000 webinars and workshops, taught more than 1000 students and now has more than 5000 followers on social media platforms.

She is currently the founder of UP Moving Forward and a representative of Southern Ontario Collegiate (SOC) in Vietnam. Along with that, she is the Teacher Community Manager of ClassIn – an online learning platform ranked in the top 50 global EdTech. She plays a very important role in the development of the product ‘Class Inspiring Teachers’ for ClassIn.

In addition, Ms. Trang is also the brand ambassador of Twinkl – the British leading online education publisher and has led the ambassador team in getting Twinkl to more than 4000 community members. In addition, Trang also appeared on VTV1 as a guest speaker of the program “For Vietnamese Stature”.

From August 2022, Trang has had the honor to be chosen to become the representative of SOC in Vietnam by the president – Mr. Muhammad Yusuf. Impressed by her dedication and passion for education, Mr. Muhamad has kindly had nice praise for her:
“Ms. Trang is someone you can trust with confidence that if any problems arise while working on a project, she will solve them in the most efficient way. As an education specialist, she has demonstrated her knowledge, skills and dedication to provide the best opportunities for children to learn and develop their full potential.”

With the reliable guidance of Ms. Trang, in this school year, the campus of SOC in Vietnam is expected to have new and engaging activities that will make a great impact in this new environment!

Dec 2022 – School Newsletter

December 2022

From the Principal
Alison Currie

Holiday Greetings to you all. On behalf of all of us at Southern Ontario Collegiate, we wish you Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. We wish you joy, good health, peace and success in 2023.

Thank you for your continued interest and support of our school. In a world that is rapidly transforming, we believe that our philosophy of strong academics, recognition of each individual’s strengths and needs and focus on life skills of research, critical thinking, empathy and individual responsibility are vital for student success.

December 16 is the final day of the 2022/23 academic year, and the students’ holidays will begin. Students return to classes on Monday January 9, 2023.

SOC’s administrative staff will be in the office December 19, 20 and 21. The offices will be closed December 23, 26, 27 and January 2, 3. SOC staff check emails regularly throughout the holidays

If students are travelling to Canada over the holidays, please provide at least 2 weeks notice of their travel so that we can make all necessary arrangements for airport pickup and residence move-in. Please don’t hesitate to email us if you have questions, concerns or urgent issues over the holidays.

How to reach us at SOC

Principal, Alison Currie

Guidance Counsellor, Molly Mignault

Admission and Visa Information

Travel & Residence, Nabil Alkilabi

Administrative Office, Catherine McFarland

Accounts, Katie Cox

[email protected]

Congratulations to our Graduates

On December 9, we held our graduation ceremony. Congratulations to all those who have completed their OSSD and are moving on to university and college. Many thanks to the friends and families who attended in person and online. Photos and videos will be posted on our website and social media sites.

Attendance Policy

For further details please see SOC’s Student Handbook 2022/23 pages 5-7.

Over the past few issues of the newsletter, we’ve been highlighting aspects of the school’s policies. Regular attendance at classes is crucial for academic success. The links between numerous absences and lower academic results have been demonstrated in study after study, and SOC emphasizes that students are expected to be in school daily and to be punctual. The most important aspects of learning happen in school.

If a student is absent due to illness or any other reason, the student must notify the school by email ([email protected]) before 9:00 am; they may also contact the school by telephone at 905 546 1500 and speak to a member of the administrative team.

If a student requires medical assistance, we will help them see a doctor in a timely manner. Students are reminded to keep proof of their medical coverage with them; without it, physicians and clinics may charge them directly for the visit (for which they can be reimbursed by the insurance company).

All work missed due to student absence must be completed after consultation with teachers.

Students who are more than 25 minutes late will be marked absent, unless it is due to an appointment, transportation difficulties or other reasonable action. Students who are chronically late without reason may be detained after school.

Because absence can have profoundly damaging affects on students, the principal monitors attendance daily, and parents will receive notifications of the school’s concerns.

a student who has missed more than five classes before mid-semester must meet with the principal
a student who has missed a total of 10 classes may be required to complete additional work to demonstrate achievement of course expectations
a student who has missed 20 classes may be asked to withdraw from the course.

Absence due to travel or emergency must receive written permission from the principal, who will complete a ‘Request for Absence from the School’ which will be kept in the student’s file.

Attendance at field trips, excursions and special events is mandatory for all students.

Please do your utmost to reinforce the importance of daily attendance at all classes.

Reminder re: OUAC deadlines for university applications

SOC’s guidance counsellor recommends that all students should have completed their OUAC applications before December 15, 2022. Questions/concerns? Please contact [email protected]

Semester 2 – Key Dates

SOC’s second semester runs Monday January 9, 2023 – April 21, 2023.
Mid-term Exams – February 16, 17
Final Exams – April 13, 14, 17
March Break Holiday – March 13-17. The school will be closed.
Easter Holiday – April 7 and 10. The school will be closed.

SOC’s Inclement Weather Policy

Winter in Canada brings snow; occasionally strong weather results in schools being closed for safety reasons. SOC shares its policies around school closure due to inclement weather with the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB).

Weather Cancellation

When bad weather is expected, the principal of Southern Ontario Collegiate will close the school based on the decisions of the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB). The decision to close schools is made by 6:00 a.m. The principal will contact all staff. Students should listen to CHML or CBC Radio and CHCH TV first thing in the morning; these media outlets will share any school closing information. If HWDSB closes, SOC will be closed. We will, as soon as possible, update via our website, Canvas and by email.

On behalf of all of us at Southern Ontario Collegiate best wishes for a safe, happy holiday.

Please don’t hesitate to contact any SOC staff member at any time.