GRAD TRANSITIONS KWALIKUM SECONDARY SCHOOL What is Grad

GRAD TRANSITIONS KWALIKUM SECONDARY SCHOOL

What is Grad Transitions? It is a requirement of the Ministry of Education – all Grade 12’s must complete a Graduation Transition Plan in order to graduate. It includes four (4) things: 1. Completion of a minimum of 30 hours of volunteer OR work experience. 2. Completion of 90 hours of physical activity over Grades 11 &/or 12. 3. Completion of a Graduation Transition Workbook plus an updated cover letter and resume. 4. An exit interview.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS/ASSIGNMENTS 1. Goal Setting (short-term & long-term) 2. My Plan following Graduation 3. Financial Budget (for 1 st year after high school) 4. Cover Letter (general) 5. Resume (formatted & error-free) 6. Employability Skills Self-Evaluation 7. Reflections 8. Work/Volunteer Experience (30 hrs) Form 9. Healthy Living Plan 10. Physical Activity Journal (90 hrs) 11. Signature Page

30 HOURS OF VOLUNTEER OR WORK EXPERIENCE The purpose of this requirement is for students to explore potential career opportunities, or to gain insight into community involvement. What counts towards volunteer or work experience hours? • Employment (a paid job – past or present – anything from grade 10 on) • A volunteer position with a community group or organization • A volunteer opportunity with a community or school special event

What doesn’t count towards your 30 hours? • Doing odd jobs for your parents or family (i. e. cutting the grass, raking leaves, doing household chores, etc.

PROPER DOCUMENTATION IS REQUIRED!! Your volunteer or work experience hours must be recorded on specific forms, which are available in the Counselling Centre. When complete – the signed forms must be handed into the Counselling Centre where your hours will be recorded.

Work Experience Hours • Hours are recorded on an “Employability Skills Work Experience Journal”. • You may record a period of time instead of specific dates (Example: Sept-Dec 2016 – 45 hrs. ) • You can include pay stub(s) to prove the hours. Your supervisor must sign in the right hand column and provide some comments at the bottom of the page.

• The Work Experience and Volunteer Recording forms each have some questions on the back of the pages that you must answer in some detail. • An Employability Skills 2000+ sheet will help you answer these questions.

Volunteer Hours • Record your volunteer hours on a “Community Volunteer Involvement & Responsibility Journal”. • You may record a period of time instead of specific dates (Example: Sept-Dec. 2016 – 45 hrs. ) Your supervisor must sign in the right hand column and provide some comments at the bottom of the page.

90 HOURS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY HOURS It is a Ministry of Education requirement that every graduating student must have completed 90 hours of physical activity over grades 11 & 12. What counts to meet this requirement? • Completion of PE 11 or 12 • Extra-curricular sports or physical activity (must be supervised by an adult) • Community fitness program/gym membership There is a 90 Hour Activity Sheet available from the Counselling Centre. Students will need this form to record extra-curricular hours. The sheet includes a personal fitness reflection which is part of the form and should be completed thoughtfully.

Extra-Curricular Physical Activity What counts? • Participating on a sports team (school or community) • Dance program • Track and Field • Martial Arts • A regular fitness program/gym membership

What doesn’t count towards your 90 hours? • Walking to/from town at lunch • Household chores

Grad Transition Booklet This booklet is an "assignment" and must be treated with importance, and completed neatly, thoughtfully and handed in on time. Any incomplete or messy work will be returned to students to redo. The Grad Transitions Workshop Day in early April is when you receive some training on how to complete the booklet properly.

The Grad Transition Booklet has 11 items to complete, asks a variety of questions and includes: • The due date • A checklist of what needs to be completed • A series of questions that require detailed answers • A sample post-secondary or employment budget that you need to complete • Some questions about your postsecondary plans

Cover Letter & Resume A cover letter and resume MUST BE HANDED included in a student’s Grad Transition Booklet. It must be formatted correctly and must include a minimum of 2 references. ‘Available Upon Request’ will not be accepted. For assistance with how to do cover letters and resumes, please see the examples on the KSS Counselling Centre website.

REFERENCES SHEET • There a variety of formats for creating your resume. Career Cruising has a Resume Builder program that will format all of the information and present it in a professional manner. • If you use the Career Cruising program, your references will be on a separate references sheet. • You are also welcome to use other formats as long as it is professional looking and error free. • “Available upon Request” is NOT acceptable for References; you must provide a minimum of 2 references. • No personal friends or family members! • Spelling & grammar counts! Check your work!!

When the Graduation Transition Booklet is handed in along with the cover letter and resume, it will be reviewed by Ms. Slaughter or Mr. Isenor. A booklet completed satisfactorily is marked complete, and the student is then eligible to schedule an EXIT INTERVIEW. e m o C t ple

I’m a Keener!!! How long will this take to complete? • There is at most 4 hours of work to this booklet. • If still working on Work Experience/Volunteer hours or completion of Physical Activity hours after the due date of April 27 th, still hand the booklet in! • Just speak with Ms. Slaughter or Mr. Isenor about when those documents will be complete. • Yes, you may hand the booklet in early!!!

GRAD TRANSITIONS WORKSHOP DAY • Thursday, April 6 th • All grade 12’s are expected to attend • The morning will consist of five workshops to inform & assist you with the following: • • • Cover Letters & Resumes Financial Budget Healthy Living Plan Housing Rights Grad Transitions Booklet & Exit Interview Information

GRAD TRANSITIONS BOOKLET DEADLINE THURSDAY, APRIL 27 TH What if I don’t submit my Grad Transitions booklet by the deadline? You are deemed ineligible to graduate! You are removed from the Grad List! You will not be scheduled for an Exit Interview! You are ineligible to attend Prom (no tickets)! You are ineligible to attend Commencement!

EXIT INTERVIEW An Exit Interview is a mandatory process that every grade 12 must go through in order to get an “RM” – or “Requirement Met”. It is more of a conversation than an interview. All interviews are conducted during one afternoon in May. The interview is booked upon completion of the Grad Transition Booklet.

What is the Exit Interview Process? • The Exit Interviews will take place up at The Gardens during the afternoon of Thursday, May 18 th, 2017 • Each time slot is for two grade 12 students, who may sit together at an interview station. You may pick the fellow grad you’d like to interview with. • Each station will have two grade 12 students, two community members, and one or two Planning 10 students. • Grade 12 students are responsible for remembering their interview time and for attending. Do not be late!! • Each interview will be approximately 15 - 20 minutes in length and you will be asked a variety of questions. You cannot fail unless you refuse to speak! • If a student misses their Exit Interview, it is their responsibility to schedule an alternate date/time. The interviews are during school hours so as not to conflict with buses or work commitments.

What Questions will be asked at the Exit Interview? The Exit Interview process is not meant to be difficult or stressful for students! The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly. It is meant to be more of a conversation! Students will be asked questions about their experiences in high school and what their future plans are. Here a few potential questions: • Describe a high school experience that you are proud of. • Describe your top 3 strengths and what you have learned about yourself. • Is there an area of study or skill set that you’d still like to improve? • What advice would you give students in Grades 9 to 10 as you look back? • How do you think you’ve changed since entering high school? • Where do you see yourself in 10 years time? • How could KSS improve to provide more opportunities for future grads?

If you have any questions at all, please see Ms. Slaughter or Mr. Isenor in the Counselling Centre. We are here to help! Assistance sessions with any aspects of the Grad Transitions assignments (budget, cover letter, resume) will be available every Tuesday (after school), Wednesday & Thursday (at lunch) from April 11 th thru until the April 27 th deadline. Location: Room 214