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.
May 2023
From the Principal, Alison Currie
We’ve had an exciting and productive month. The school trip to Niagara Falls was a great success and the results of the photograph contest will be released soon. Mid-term exams are complete; teachers continue to consistently share time and expertise to ensure that students are fully prepared. Report cards will be issued later this week; results will also be available on Edsembli.
Now that the weather is warmer, some classes are working outside for specific elements of learning. It’s a welcome change to the routine. Below are participants from the ENG4U class at the Bayfront during their short story unit.
Reminders:
Fees – If you have received invoices for fees outstanding, please make payment as soon as possible to avoid difficulties. If you have any questions, please contact Account Receivables – Southern Ontario Collegiate [email protected]
SOC Residences – Nabil Alkilabi has requested an update from all students regarding the date they will vacate our residence (whether permanently if they are graduating or for summer vacation). This will assist us in forward planning and maintenance. Please check with your children re: the date they are planning to vacate residence. Please let us know by end of day on Friday May 26, 2023, if possible, at [email protected]
Are absences a sign of problems for the future?
Many parents receive correspondence from me discussing their son’s or daughter’s absence(s) from class(es) on a specific day or days. This is always a concern as missed classes means missed learning and missed assessment opportunities. But more than that, recent research indicates that repeated absences may be a warning for future problems in post secondary achievement. In his recent paper, Absent on Absenteeism: Academic Silence on Student Absenteeism in Canadian Education, in the Canadian Journal of Education (2021), Anton Birioukov of the University of Ottawa presents some challenging information.
“While occasional absences are expected for young people as part of their daily life, when these absences
become regular, weekly occurrences, their academic performance and their achievement may suffer; regular absences are detrimental to students’ learning, academic performance, and educational achievement” (Gentle-Genitty et al., 2019).
“Students who miss classes or whole days of school may fall behind because they are missing instructional time, practice opportunities and chances to speak with teachers. They risk falling behind other students, and that in turn holds the potential for them to become disengaged in their own learning” (Attwood & Croll, 2015).
Absenteeism is an alarm bell that needs attention; in many cases it is the primary factor to ”premature school leaving (i.e., dropping out)”, which in turn may set the path to disengagement in post secondary
learning. ”Research has consistently demonstrated that dropping out is not a singular decision, but is rather a slow process of disengagement, which is usually marked by increased absenteeism.” (Bradley & Renzulli, 2011; Bridgeland, 2010). Students not only become disengaged with their classes, but also with their peers and their academic path in general.
While no one would say that occasional absences lead to early school leaving, “it is a signifier of a student’s increased disengagement”. (Birioukov, Canadian Journal of Education 2021)
You can see your son’s/daughter’s absences and lates in Edsembli. We encourage you to have an open
conversation about this issue and the concerns it may hold for their future achievement.
Graduates, University Deadlines
For graduates in particular, mid-term marks are important as they are entered into OUAC (Ontario Universities Application Centre); some universities and programs may make decisions based on these marks; others may wait for the final marks in June.
- Final Offers for Admission – May 29 in Ontario is the final date that most universities will be sending
- Deadline to Accept Offers – for many universities in Ontario June 1 is the last day to accept an offer; some may require a deposit.
- Residence – Students who wish to live in university residences should carefully check the deadlines.
OUAC – Admission Information Service (AIS)
If you haven’t received an Ontario university offer by May 29, there are options available. Use the Admission Information Service (AIS) Starting June 5, 2023, Ontario high school students can use the AIS to find possible openings at Ontario universities. To begin your search, visit www.ouac.on.ca/ouac-101 and click: Once you find an open program of interest, add it to your 101 application.
Requirements
- You will be completing or have completed the OSSD (or equivalent), including six 4U/M courses, by August 2023.
- You must have an average of at least 60%, although higher averages are usually required.
To find out more: www.ouac.on.ca/ouac-101 • Call: 519-823-1063 • Email: [email protected]
Graduation
This year’s graduation will take place on Friday, June 30. We hope that many of you will be able to join us
onsite. We’ll also be streaming the graduation event live. You should have received a ‘Save the Date’
notification by now. If you haven’t, please contact [email protected]
Upcoming Dates
| Mon May 29 | Final offers issued by Ontario universities |
| Wed May 31 | Final visit of the year by University of New Brunswick’s Admissions team |
| Thurs June 1 | Final date to accept offer of admission to most Ontario universities |
| Mon June 5 | OUAC’s Admission Information Services opens |
| Fri June 2 | School trip to Canada’s Wonderland |
| June 6 – 14 | Grad photo shoots – by appointment |
| June 23-26 | Final Exams |
| Fri June 30 | Graduation |
CONTACT US AT SOC
| Academics and Student Welfare | [email protected] |
| Guidance | [email protected] until new appointment is finalized |
| Edsembli/student results | [email protected] |
| Residence and Travel | [email protected] |
| Immigration/Study Permits | [email protected] |
| Invoicing | [email protected] |
| Admissions/applications | [email protected] |
Visit our website at https://southernontariocollegiate.ca
Previous Updates
Jan 2023 – SOC Representative in Vietnam
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!
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