Summer Session: July 3-31, 2024

OSCA-ACOSO is pleased to announce that they will continue to offer Part 1, Part 2 and the Specialist in Guidance and Career Education Additional Qualifications courses this summer. Additional sessions will take place in the fall and winter. Advantages of taking the course with OSCA are the instructor is a current guidance teacher-counsellor, a one year OSCA subscription is included ($55 value if currently not active) and a downloaded copy of Ethical Guidelines ($25) is included. As part of the OSCA subscription, participants have the opportunity to attend the fall conference at a member rate, gain access to webinars throughout the year on topics related to guidance and career education, receive the weekly OSCA News to keep up to date with guidance/career topics, and receive the tri-annual OSCA Today, the professional magazine of the association.

Cost: $675 plus HST.

To register: www.osca.ca --> Next AQ course

Registration closes Wednesday, June 19 at 11:55 pm. This is a FIRM deadline.  

Registration, payment and teaching experience forms (Part 2 and Specialist) are all due no later than Wednesday, June 19.  

Please register early to reserve your seat!

OSCA/ACOSO Webinar: From Exhausted to Energized-Strategies to Prioritize Your Well-Being to Avoid Burnout & Compassion Fatigue

Tuesday, May 28 at 1:00 PM

Have you ever considered the importance of care for the caregiver? The end of the school year is just around the corner and you have been going non-stop since September, to support your students and manage the complex role of Guidance Teacher-Counsellor. This webinar provided by Dr. Bisleen Attli and Tara Rawana, from All About Mental Empowerment will:

• offer education on the stages of burnout and the signs and symptoms of each stage;
• delve into why compassion fatigue is a unique factor leading to burnout in this helping profession;
• provide an opportunity for Guidance Teacher-Counsellors to explore effective strategies for managing stress, cultivating self-care habits, and creating a healthy work-life balance.

We hope you will consider joining us for our final webinar of the school year, designed specifically for you, with your well-being in mind! Register Here

Now is the time to nominate a deserving colleague for an OSCA award. Perhaps it is that person who has created a great resource that has allowed students to create their own pathway? Maybe you know a guidance counsellor who is the go-to person at your school? Perhaps a deserving community partner that provides excellent support for your school?

You have until September 26, 2024 at 4:00 PM to nominate someone, but why not do it now?
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Chacun et chacune de nous connaît un collègue innovateur, qui accomplit avec enthousiasme son travail auprès des élèves de son école. Pourquoi ne pas reconnaître leur contribution à notre profession en posant leur candidature à l'un des prix de l'ACOSO? Pour poser la candidature de quelqu'un, appuyez sur le lien de la mise en candidature. Toutes les mises en candidature doivent être soumises en ligne d'ici le 26 septembre 2024 à 4h.

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The Olive Diefenbaker Award of Merit | Le prix du mérite Olive Diefenbaker

***Open Year Round - recognizes retiring individuals who have made a contribution to the Counselling and Guidance Profession in Ontario.
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***Ouvert toute l''année - reconnaît les personnes qui partent à la retraite et qui ont contribué à la profession de conseillers en orientation en Ontario.

Ontario’s universities are excited to host an Information Sessions virtual event geared towards Grade 11 students looking to explore their university options ahead of Grade 12.

This virtual event will take place on Wednesday, May 22, from 5 to 7 pm (ET). This event is a great opportunity for students to begin exploring their Ontario university options and to connect with the universities virtually.

The event is divided into 4 time slots, where students can learn about the universities of their choice and ask questions. Encourage your students to sign up for this event now.

Notes:

• Indigenous students: The Aboriginal Post-Secondary Information Program (APSIP) will participate in Information Sessions, offering students the opportunity to connect with Indigenous recruiters and explore their opportunities.
• Equity-deserving students: Students can attend the Supporting Equity-deserving Students at Ontario’s Universities sessions to learn about supports available.
• This event is geared towards Grade 11 and younger students. Universities will not be able to answer questions regarding current application statuses. Should current undergraduate applicants have questions for a university, please encourage them to contact the university directly

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Les universités de l’Ontario sont très heureuses de présenter un événement des Séances d’information virtuelles s’adressant aux élèves de 11e année qui souhaitent explorer leurs options d’études universitaires avant la 12e année.

Cet événement virtuel aura lieu le mercredi 22 mai, de 17 h à 19 h (HE). Il s’agit d’une excellente occasion pour les élèves de commencer à explorer leurs options d’études universitaires en Ontario et d’établir des liens virtuels avec les universités.

L’événement se divise en 4 créneaux horaires, au cours desquels les élèves pourront en apprendre sur les universités de leur choix et leur poser des questions. Prière d’encourager vos élèves à s’inscrire dès maintenant à cet événement.

Nota :

• Étudiantes et étudiants autochtones : Le Programme d’information sur les études postsecondaires pour Autochtones (PIEPA) prendra part à la FUO et aux Séances d’information virtuelles; il permet aux élèves de nouer des liens avec des recruteuses et recruteurs autochtones et découvrir les opportunités qui s’offrent à elles et à eux.
• Élèves équité : Les élèves peuvent prendre part aux séances des universités de l’Ontario destinées aux élèves en quête d’équité, afin d’en apprendre sur les soutiens disponibles à ce chapitre.
• Cet événement s’adresse aux élèves de 11e année et moins. Les universités ne pourront répondre aux questions relatives au statut des demandes d’admission actuelles. Cet événement s’adresse aux élèves de 11e année et moins. Les universités ne pourront répondre aux questions relatives au statut des demandes d’admission actuelles. Dans le cas de candidates actuelles ou de candidats actuels au premier cycle qui ont des questions à poser à une université, veuillez s.v.p. les encourager à communiquer directement avec cette dernière.

The Ontario Horticultural Trades Foundation is now accepting applications for the 2024 Scholarship Awards.

Each year, the Foundation proudly supports the next generation of landscape and horticulture professionals with a wide range of scholarships available to Ontario post-secondary students and registered apprentices.

Celebrate OSCA’s 60th Anniversary by joining us at our two day Conference November 3 and 4, 2024. We are preparing our guidance teacher-counsellors, teachers and youth for the future age of skilled trades, digital learning/jobs, and artificial intelligence with focused workshops and keynotes. A gala banquet and awards ceremony with entertainment is sure to be a hit! Visit our website for more information and to register for these limited spots!

Do you have thoughts on education and career information in Ontario? The Experience Design Team in the Ontario government is conducting research to better understand how learners and workers navigate their education and career pathways. Research participants who attend a session will receive up to a $60 gift card.

We are looking to speak with:

• Guidance service providers
• Students in secondary, postsecondary, trades or other educational programs
• Recent graduates
• People currently in the workforce exploring further education
• Parents/guardians of students
• People new to or coming to Ontario for work or school

Sessions will be 60 minutes, held online on Zoom, in June 2024. Research participants will receive up to a $60 gift card for completed sessions.

Please complete this 2-5 minute questionnaire to indicate your interest.
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Avez-vous des commentaires sur l’information disponible sur l’éducation et les carrières en Ontario? L’équipe de conception de l’expérience du gouvernement de l’Ontario cherche à mieux comprendre comment les apprenants et les travailleurs cheminent dans leurs parcours de formation et de carrières. Les personnes qui participeront à une séance recevront une carte-cadeau d’une valeur maximale de 60 $.

Nous recherchons :

• Fournisseurs de services d’orientation
• des élèves et étudiants du secondaire, du postsecondaire ou d’autres programmes de métiers ou de formation;
• de nouveaux diplômés;
• Les personnes actuellement sur le marché du travail qui envisagent de poursuivre leurs études
• Les parents, tutrices ou tuteurs d’élèves
• des personnes qui viennent d’arriver ou qui comptent venir en Ontario pour le travail ou les études.

Les séances de 60 minutes se tiendront sur Zoom en juin 2024. Les personnes qui participeront à une séance entière recevront une carte-cadeau d’une valeur maximale de 60 $.

Pour manifester votre intérêt, veuillez remplir le formulaire suivant (prévoir de 2 à 5 min.) .

Helping our kids navigate their high school careers to prepare for post-secondary or work life is personal to every family. However, how older generations view careers and life will be vastly different from the world of work that Generation Z and future generations will face because of the rapid evolution of tech and AI. 

How do we help our teens explore, grow and view their careers when we are uncertain about what the future holds?

On April 9, at a special ceremony to award Jane Goodall with an honorary degree, the renowned primatologist and anthropologist shared stories from her life and career with attendees. She also shared why – despite the immense challenges the natural world faces at the expense of climate change – she has hope for the future.

"I still don’t really understand what’s happened to me," she told the York audience about a career that has led her to become one of the world’s most famous anthropologists and primatologists. Nonetheless, she made an attempt to help those in attendance understand how she became the world-renowned figure she is today from – what she considers – a simple beginning.

On August 2, 2023, the Ministry of Education sent a memo regarding the ending of the General Educational Development (GED)® test, which will no longer be available in Ontario as of May 2024, and that information on possible future opportunities would be provided in the future.

Ontario has been working with other jurisdictions across Canada for the past year to create the Canadian Adult Education Credential (CAEC) (www.caec-ccea.ca). This new credential will be available in English and French, and will provide a high quality, made-in-Canada education credential as a replacement for the GED.

The CAEC is for adults who do not have a high school diploma but need an education credential to open new doors to educational, training or employment opportunities. As with the GED, Ontario candidates who successfully obtain the CAEC will receive an Ontario High School Equivalency Certificate.

The cost of the full CAEC assessment to test-takers will continue to be $100. The CAEC will mirror the GED in that it is composed of five tests:
- writing
- reading
- mathematics
- social studies
- science

The CAEC will be administered in Ontario by TVO ILC. Registration will begin in Summer 2024. More information will be posted on the TVO website as it becomes available, including how to register for the CAEC.

It is a priority to ensure that adults in Ontario continue to have access to education opportunities which will help them advance their lives and reach their potential. We are pleased that the CAEC will allow them to do that.

Sincerely,

Stephen Lecce Kate Manson-Smith

Minister of Education Deputy Minister