August 11th, 2021

Dear Grade 9 Parent(s), Guardian(s) or Caregiver(s): 

Welcome to Grade 9 at Huron Heights S.S.! Ontario’s Ministry of Education has introduced a new foundational Grade 9 Mathematics course (MTH1WI) for September 2021 that is a continuation of the material studied in Grade 8. The de-streaming of math is the first step in better supporting all students having every opportunity to pursue the pathway of their choice. 

In preparation for the fully de-streamed Grade 9 curriculum the Ministry of Education is scheduled to release for September 2022, various Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) secondary schools will be enrolling students in single stream courses beyond Math. At HHSS, all Grade 9 students will be enrolled in the Academic level of their compulsory courses this September. These courses include Grade 9 English, Science, Geography and French. There are many reasons for offering a single stream to students:

  • Provincial and WRDSB data supports that de-streaming addresses and eliminates the gaps in outcomes and opportunities in post-secondary pathways between those students in applied-level courses, compared to those in academic-level courses

 

  • The Ontario Curriculum for Grade 9 English, Science, Geography, and French outlines all of the overall expectations for grade 9 Applied and Academic courses and the overall expectations are the same.

 

  • We believe that with support, all students can achieve success at the Academic level. We have caring and dedicated teachers who will provide opportunities for all students to succeed.

 

  • We offer a strong network of support at HHSS including the Student Success Centre, The Resource Centre, Guidance Counselors, Child & Youth Workers, a Social Worker, and your students Vice-Principal

 

Perhaps most importantly, keeping students together with their peers rather than streaming them by perceived levels of ability will ease the transition of moving to a new school for Grade 9. The past year and a half has been marked by continuous change in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Preserving this class format for students entering Grade 9 places a priority on equity, mental health, and wellbeing, equal to that of academic achievement.

We look forward to working with you and your Grade 9 student as together, we implement this change in our classroom instruction model! If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact your student’s Teacher(s), Guidance Counselor, Vice-Principal, or myself at 519-896-2631.

Go Huskies!

 

Sincerely,

Jeff Klinck

Principal

Categories: Husky News