And just like that December has arrived! Before Chloe and Reed arrived in my life, I have to say that I had never heard of the Elf on the Shelf tradition, but man, do I have to say that learning of this new concept has allowed my creativity (and sarcasm) to shine. We all look forward to the annual arrival of our two elves, Lauren and Jim, and the discovery of all their hijinks. Now, this was not a tradition that I grew up with, so it easily could have been something that I just brushed off. But learning new things, challenging past ideas, those are ideals that I hold dear. Whether it is about the magic of the holidays or embracing new career areas or theories, this is an excellent time of year to learn new things. After all, a little magic goes a long way!

The OSCA-ACOSO Board of Directors would like to wish, Yves Desrochers, Education Officer in the French-language branch all the best as he heads off into retirement at the end of December!

Yves has been with the Ministry of Education for 12 years and has maintained a relationship with OSCA/ACOSO for almost all of those years,supporting all things guidance related!

Please send your well wishes to Yves at yves.desrochers@ontario.ca.

 

 

Le conseil d’administration de l’ACOSO de l’ACOSO souhaite à Yves Desrochers, agent d’éducation à la section linguistique Français, alors qu’il prendra sa retraite à la fin du mois de décembre!

Yves travaille au ministère de l’Éducation depuis 12 ans et entretient une relation avec l’ACOSO depuis presque toutes ces années, soutenant tout ce qui concerne l’orientation!

Veuillez envoyer vos meilleurs vœux à Yves à yves.desrochers@ontario.ca.

Next session: January 16, 2023 to March 3, 2023

Registration: Now open!

• Taught virtually by a current Ontario Guidance Counsellor.
• Participants sign up for Part 1 or Part 2 or the Specialist.

For further information, please visit www.osca.ca and go to the AQ section at the top of the main webpage.

Cost: $650
No textbook

Includes a one year OSCA-ACOSO: AQ subscription, if one does not have an active subscription and one link for a copy of Ethical Guidelines.

What is it?
This free, bilingual program is for 2SQTBIPOC youth* aged 16-29 across Turtle Island who are interested in learning hands-on about the power of art as a form of activism and 2SLGBTQ history and storytelling.

Participants will join us for a full-day online youth forum featuring artist-led workshops, keynote addresses, and activities centering the importance of art as an alternative form of learning and its power as a vehicle for advocacy and sharing history within Two-Spirit, queer, and trans Black, Indigenous, and people of colour (2SQTBIPOC) communities.

Through the workshops and keynote presentations, we will be highlighting the intersections of race, gender, and sexuality and shared stories of resistance. By doing an arts-based forum, we aim to showcase the many ways that art can be a tool not only for self-exploration and discovery, but as a way to intersect with activism, memory, and storytelling in connecting communities throughout time.

Learn More!

The Future Skills Toolkit provides turnkey tools and high-impact resources to inspire students and job-seekers to enroll in local technical education programs.

Available for free from December 1, 2022 - February 28, 2023.

Register Now!

The first phase of a CERIC-funded research project has now produced three literature reviews that examine what is happening in elementary education across Canada related to introducing and building career-related foundational skills. These newly available documents include: a review of scholarly literature; a curriculum and policy review; and a review of business and industry partnerships.

The project, Career Development in Children: Identifying Critical Success Conditions and Strategies, is being undertaken by an international team of academic researchers led by Dr. Lorraine Godden of Ironwood Consulting and Carleton University. The research seeks to understand how foundational concepts and skills that are introduced and developed by teachers in Grades 4 to 6 connect to career-related learning in Canadian classrooms.

Going from high school to college or university is typically a stressful time.

But having to navigate the transition after spending most of high school in a pandemic makes it even harder, says 18-year-old Jamie Raybould.

"I wasn't sure...if I was learning the content — if I was learning all of it or if I was retaining all of it — because of the constant shift from online to in-person [classes]," they said. "My biggest concern was honestly that I would be behind."

Now a first-year student at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Raybould said they're still not sure if they are prepared.

Last week, I found myself at a three-day conference with an estimated 3,000 people in attendance. As a remote worker living in a one-bedroom office space and living space, interacting with that many people came in stark contrast to my usual routine.

Most of my days consist of exchanging air with my fittonia plant (the only other living being in my apartment) and working through problems with my virtual team of three. Being in a room with thousands of people was equal parts electrifying and draining. I suspect that large social gatherings will take some getting used to for even the most social people, and that’s okay.

Conference resources are now posted on the OSCA website. Please sign into the lounge to review the resources.