OSCA/ ACOSO 2024-2025 Subscription Renewals are now OPEN!

Subscription renewals are now open to 2024-2025! The time to renew is NOW, so you may take advantage of the discounted price for the fall OSCA conference, November 3-4. Included with a one year subscription is the weekly OSCA News: stay up to date with all things guidance and career education, OSCA Today: the professional magazine of the association delivered online and hard copy, a free copy of ethical guidelines, many online resources on the the OSCA website, a fall conference celebrating 60 years of Guidance and Career Education in Ontario and a monthly webinar series. This year over 1,000 registrations participated, in 11 webinars.

Subscriptions may be renewed by going to the OSCA website- subscribe now section. Before you renew your subscription, please check with your Board of Education to see if they have purchased or plan to purchase bulk subscriptions with OSCA for 2024-2025. If so, you will need to obtain the payment by pass code to be used and applied at the time of renewing a subscription.
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Additional Qualifications (AQ) Courses: Guidance and Career Education

Fall session now taking registrations!     

Fall session: October 7 to December 6       

Delivery: Virtually 

Instructor: Current Guidance-Teacher Counsellor

Registration deadline: Monday, September 23

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 fall. Additional sessions will take place in the winter, spring and summer. Advantages of taking the course with OSCA are the instructor is a current guidance 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, you 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
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OSCA/ACOSO needs YOU!    Board of Directors Nominations are now OPEN!

Do you enjoy being on the cutting edge of guidance and career education and wish to contribute to your professional association? Then joining the OSCA Board of Directors is for you! If you are new to the role or a seasoned veteran, everyone benefits from being a director. Past directors say that being on the OSCA board was the BEST professional learning they had while serving on the board for the guidance community. There are many places to be involved in where one may enjoy organizing the annual conference, collaborating to put together the OSCA Today magazine, or managing the student pathway awards and much more. For further information, please contact Lisa Butera-Fracassi, OSCA/ACOSO President fracassilisa267@ gmail.com.

The Board looks forward to seeing YOU!

* 35 Workshops (English and French options each session)
Skilled Trades - Future Labour Market Trends - Career Highlights (AI, CPA, GIS, Agriculture)- AI in Guidance - Ministry of Education Updates - Post-Secondary Planning and Organizations - Colleges - Universities - Apprenticeships - Applying to US/UK Post-Secondary Schools - Elementary Career Learning - Elementary to Post-Secondary Transitions - School Mental Health - Conflict and Bullying Resolution - Brain/Body/Behaviour - Success Strategies - Anti-Oppressive Practices - Neurographia - Controlling Chaos - Navigating Change 

* 65 Partner Organizations (English and French)

* Keynotes: 

   Sandra Nagy, Managing Director (Future Design School)

   Natasha Ferguson, CEO (Ethelfox Construct Group)

* Celebrate our 60th Anniversary (Wine and Cheese, Banquet) 

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.

SAVE THE DATE - NEW OSCA WEBINAR!

The Legalities of Professional Notetaking 
Tuesday, September 24 at 10:00 AM

Kick off the school year by joining OSCA and Malcolm Scott from the Ontario School Board Insurance Exchange on Tuesday, September 24, for a webinar on the legalities of professional note-taking, tailored to Guidance Teacher-Counsellors in school settings. This 60-minute session will be especially important for those who are new to the role of school counselling, and a vital refresher for those who already have experience in the role.

There are situations where a Guidance Counsellor may be required to share the notes they make when counselling students. For example, if a student is a plaintiff in a lawsuit, their medical, employment, and educational records are evidence. Guidance counsellors in the current education climate provide more than just academic guidance, and because of their relationship with students, their records may be relevant to the lawsuit. This webinar will provide an overview of the legal requirements for note taking, how the records can be accessed and disclosed, as well as best practices. Register Here!

 Tuesday, October 15

 11 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

 Student Learning Centre (SLC), 8th Floor

Join us on campus to learn about what's new and exciting at TMU. Attendees will have the chance to connect with other education professionals, engage in meaningful networking opportunities during a catered lunch and participate in hands-on workshops. Don't miss this chance to deepen your understanding of the resources available to our student community.

We are pleased to invite you to a free virtual Guidance Dialogues event on Friday, October 18, 2024, from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm.

The fall event will feature updates from the OUAC and Ontario universities.

You will be able to submit questions before the event. We will answer the most common questions following the university updates.

Registration is required and will be available in late September. Please be advised that this event is for guidance counsellors only.

Visit the Guidance website for more information and to register (once available).

Please send all event inquiries to: onunirecruitment@gmail.com .
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Nous sommes heureux de vous inviter à une séance virtuelle gratuite des Dialogues, le vendredi 18 octobre 2024, de 9 h 30 à 12 h 30.

L'événement de l'automne offrira des mises à jour de l'OUAC et des universités de l'Ontario.

Nota : L'événement se tiendra principalement en anglais seulement. Puisque certaines universités sont bilingues, les participants auront l'occasion de s'entretenir en français avec certaines représentant(e)s universitaires.

Vous aurez l'occasion de soumettre des questions avant la tenue de l'événement. Nous répondrons aux questions les plus courantes à la suite des mises à jour des universités.

L'inscription est exigée et sera disponible à compter de la fin septembre. À noter que cet événement s'adresse uniquement aux conseillères et conseillers en orientation.

Consultez le site Web Orientation pour de plus amples renseignements et pour vous inscrire (une fois disponible)

Prière d'envoyer vos questions à l'adresse : onunirecruitment@gmail.com.

As school counsellors, you’re on the front line, seeing students with issues you may not know how to resolve, or even bring up. The George Hull Centre Institute of Childhood Trauma and Attachment offers training for child and youth-serving professionals like you. Training in October includes The Impact of Racial Trauma on Child and Youth Mental Health, which will explore the impact of racism on children and youth mental health and discuss actionable steps for helping professionals and parents alike help name and heal racial trauma. It also includes Sexual Development 101, which will help you ensure that normative behaviour is not mislabeled, nor concerning behaviour ignored, and give you the words to use when talking to students and their families. And SAVE $50 if you register in September!

We are offering 36 Loran Awards to graduating high-school, university-bound students across Canada who demonstrate strength of character, a commitment to service, and leadership potential.

In the past four years, 47 students from Ontario have been named Loran Scholars. School counsellors are integral to the identification of these amazing young people, who often may not fully recognize their own potential.

In addition to the 2025 Loran Awards, we will grant more than $400,000 in additional one-time awards to 54 Finalists and 70 Provincial & Territorial recipients to promising candidates. Because there are so many opportunities for young people to succeed in our selection process, applying is always worth the effort! Applications open after Labour Day, and the deadline for applications is Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, before 8 p.m. EST.

As a guidance counselor, you're on the front lines of supporting students, but with the increasing impact of social media on mental health, the challenges are mounting. Students are facing anxiety, low self-esteem, and body image issues—all exacerbated by their online interactions.

These issues don't just affect students' mental well-being, they can also lead to declining academic performance and strained relationships, leaving you with more to juggle. The pressure is on you to address these deep-seated problems, but with limited time and resources, how can you possibly tackle it all?

We, Dr. Bisleen Attli, ND, and Dr. Tara Rawana, ND, founders of All About Mental Empowerment, are here to help. With our extensive expertise in naturopathic medicine and cognitive behavioral therapy, we have successfully worked with over 25,000 students to enhance their well-being.

Now, we're offering a complimentary workshop, "Navigating the Online Universe: A Social Media Mastery Workshop for Students," to schools we haven't yet partnered with. This workshop equips students with the tools they need to build a healthier relationship with social media, focusing on safety, thoughtful content sharing, and protecting their self-esteem.

Don't let these issues continue to overwhelm you and your students. Schedule a meeting with us HERE to bring this impactful support to your school.

We’re looking for teachers that would like to use a new career resource in their classrooms to bring the Challenge mindset to life beyond the Challenge Card sort.

Why a workbook? Many teachers ask us for more resources to guide their students with the
Challenge mindset. They want to know:
● How can I prepare and motivate students, before the Challenge Card sort?
● How can I help students make sense of their choice of Challenge Cards?
● How can I guide them to use their top Challenge Cards to explore potential career and
exploration paths?

Over the last few years, we’ve collected best practices on how to answer all these questions and
more. We’ve compiled them in a new resource for students called the LifeDesign Workbook.

En 2022, en partenariat avec OCASI, FrancoQueer a publié les résultats d’une enquête sur les problèmes psychosociaux et les limites liées à l’offre services affrontés par les minorités sexuelles francophones noires immigrantes d'origine africaine et caribéenne à Toronto. Les recommandations formulées dans ce rapport visent à contribuer à l’amélioration des techniques d’intervention pour mieux satisfaire au bien-être des personnes noires francophones immigrantes de la diversité affective, sexuelle et de genre.

Nous offrons donc une séance de réflexion afin de:

Illustrer comment appliquer les recommandations du guide
Renforcer les offres de services inclusives auprès des bénéficiaires 2SLGBTQIA
Date et heure : Mercredi 18 septembre 2024 de 14h30 à 16h30 (HNE)

La participation à l'événement est gratuite et la séance s'adresse à toute personne œuvrant auprès de la communauté 2SLGBTQIA francophone.

Dear Educator,

I am very excited to introduce The Collection Y.E.O. to you!

The Collection is a website resource that showcases over 100 enrichment opportunities available to high school students across Canada. The website provides links, dates, eligibility requirements and more information about each opportunity.

As a keen high school student myself I know how difficult it is to find quality opportunities outside of the traditional classroom. My hope is that students can use The Collection to find opportunities that spark fosters learning, enrichment, and community involvement.

The website is: collectionyeo.com and is cost free for users.

I would be very grateful if you would share The Collection across your community. There
are many different ways to direct your students to the website:

• Physically you can hang our poster in your classroom for students to see. We also have a handout of our top 10 opportunities for you to provide to your students.
• For promotion via your website, newsletter or social media we also have materials for you to use.

I hope that your students and educational community will benefit from our website!

Please contact me if you have any questions, comments or advice!

Sincerely,
Ray-Ray Gingras
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Ray-Ray Gingras | Grade 11 High School Student
Founder & President;
The Collection | Youth Enrichment Opportunities

The future of work is changing. Youth are motivated and embrace lifelong learning as a key to their success – but they still need support.

Join us for this FREE webinar series from RBC Future Launch to hear from researchers and youth-serving organizations discussing resources focused on supporting Canadian youth with skill development, practical work experiences, networking and mentorship supports.

This 3-part webinar series will cover a range of engaging topics, from scholarships to post-secondary education, to practical tools for youth seeking job experiences and skill development opportunities. Participants will also get the chance to gain insights from research on the labour market and further understand the outcomes for youth participating in career development programming.

As students head back to school this month, many are probably wondering what they should be "when they grow up." While plenty of adults are still trying to figure that out, high schoolers have a great opportunity to explore different topics before planning their post-secondary path. And maybe, just maybe, that’s a garden path.

With the celebration and pageantry of high school graduations in the rear-view mirror, a new cadre of young adults is stepping into budding career paths.

These transitions don’t come without angst. Focus groups held in 2023 and 2024 with Grade 11s and 12s in Winnipeg’s Louis Riel School Division suggest students are worried about making the right decision or choosing the wrong path after high school. A 2024 career survey I conducted with Collège Jeanne Sauvé students revealed 67% of Grade 10s were concerned that not enough is being done to prepare them for a career path. And in a recent CERIC focus group, students asked for more support in high school to support their career planning.

Ontario Universities' Fair (OUF)
The OUF is coming up. Make sure your students attend!

The OUF gathers Ontario's universities in one place. It's a once-a-year, free event where attendees can talk directly with university representatives.

The OUF takes place October 5-6, 2024, from 9:30 am to 5 pm, daily, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in the South Building. Admission is free.

Note: There is a multi-faith space available in Room 803A. This space is open to everyone during OUF hours regardless of faith, religion, gender, etc.

More about the OUF.

 

Ontario Universities' Regional Fairs
Ontario's universities are visiting a city near you! They are great opportunities for your students to speak directly with university representatives and research their Ontario university options.

Events will run from September 16 to October 17.

More about the Regional Fairs.

 

Get Your Students to Sign Up for the OUF and Regional Fairs with an Ontario Universities' Events Pass (OUEvents Pass)
We strongly encourage students to save time by signing up for their OUEvents Pass in advance.

 

Ontario Universities' Information Sessions
Encourage your students to attend the Ontario Universities' Information Sessions virtual events! 
Virtual Event Dates:

• September 25, 5-7 pm (ET)
• November 21, 5-7 pm (ET)

Both events will be divided up into four 30-minute sessions, where students can learn about the universities of their choice and ask questions. These events are a great opportunity to get answers about programs, admission requirements, student life and much more.

Some universities will offer presentations in French.

Get your students to sign up now for the Information Sessions virtual events.

Note: For privacy reasons, students must sign themselves up for events. Do not sign up for any events on behalf of your students.

More Information

Visit the Ontario Universities' Events website.
View our FAQs for answers to common questions.
Email us if you have any questions.
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Foire des universités de l'Ontario (FUO)
La FUO arrive à grands pas. Assurez-vous que vos élèves y seront!

La FUO réunit les universités de l'Ontario en 1 seul endroit. Il s'agit d'un événement annuel gratuit qui permet aux participantes et participants de s'entretenir directement avec des représentantes et représentants des universités.

La FUO aura lieu les 5 et 6 octobre 2024, à l'Édifice Sud du Palais des congrès du Toronto métropolitain, de 9 h 30 à 17 h. L'entrée est libre.

Nota : Un espace multiconfessionnel est prévu à la salle 803A. Cet espace est accessible à toutes et à tous lors des heures d'ouverture de la FUO, et ce, dans distinction de foi, de religion, de genre, etc.

Plus d'info au sujet de la FUO.

Foires régionales des universités de l'Ontario
Les universités de l'Ontario visiteront bientôt une ville près de chez vous! Voilà une occasion unique pour vos élèves de parler en personne à des représentantes et représentants des universités de l'Ontario et de rechercher leurs options universitaires.

Les événements se tiendront du 16 septembre au 17 octobre.

Plus d'info au sujet des Foires régionales.

Encouragez vos élèves à s'inscrire à la FUO et aux Foires régionales avec un Passe pour les événements des universités de l'Ontario (Passe Événements-UO)
Nous encourageons vivement les élèves à gagner du temps en s'inscrivant à l'avance pour recevoir leur Passe Événements-UO.

Séances d'information des universités de l'Ontario
Veuillez encourager vos élèves à prendre part aux événements virtuels des Séances d'information des universités de l'Ontario!

Dates des événements virtuels :

• 25 septembre, de 17 h à 19 h (HE)
• 21 novembre, de 17 h à 19 h (HE)

Les deux événements se diviseront en 4 séances de 30 minutes chacune, au cours desquelles les élèves pourront en apprendre sur les universités de leur choix et poser des questions. Ces événements représentent une excellente occasion d'obtenir des réponses sur les programmes, les exigences d'admission, la vie étudiante et plus encore.

Certaines universités offriront des présentations en français.

Encouragez vos élèves à s'inscrire dès maintenant aux événements virtuels des Séances d'information.

Nota : Pour des raisons de protection de la vie privée, les élèves doivent elles-mêmes et eux-mêmes s'inscrire à ces événements. Prière de ne pas vous inscrire à ces événements au nom de vos élèves.

Plus d'information

Visiter le site Web des Événements des universités de l'Ontario.
Consulter notre FAQ pour obtenir des réponses aux questions courantes.
Prière de nous contacter par courriel si vous avez des questions.

Date: Tuesday, September 24 from 10am - 11am ET
Where: Microsoft Teams (session will be recorded and sent to all registrants)

From September - November 2024, the Waterloo Engineering admissions & recruitment team will host webinars covering everything you need to know about applying to Engineering at the University of Waterloo! Presenters will include the Director or Associate Director of Admissions, as well as current students who have been through the admissions process themselves.

The session on Tuesday, September 24 from 10am - 11am ET is for guidance counsellors/advisors who will be supporting students through the Engineering and/or Mathematics undergraduate application process. We will discuss admission processes and changes this year as well as highlight some important deadlines for your students.

If you are unable to attend the live session, a recording will be sent to all registrants as well as posted to our Engineering YouTube channel following the webinar.