GRADUATION TRANSITIONS

1. GRADUATION TRANSITIONS What you need to know.

2. There are 4 parts: • Healthy Living • Community Connections • Career and Life • Graduation Interview

3. HEALTHY LIVING A. Daily Activity Requirement: • 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity per week • Hand in your signed DPA form to your advisory teacher

4. HEALTHY LIVING B. Healthy Living Plan • Use the template on the GT website to describe your goals for healthy eating, physical activity and stress management.

5. Healthy Living Plan: (700 words minimum) Provide as much detail as possible in your responses to the questions below • Setting a Personal Goal forHealthy Eating and Physical Activity • Describe your current eating habits and physical activities: • Refer to the major food groups to describe what you normally eat and drink – include coffee, junk food, water and pop. • Describe the regular and irregular activities in which you participate – include walking to school, playing on a sports team, skiing or hiking on weekends. • Analyze your current situation and set two personal goals: • Identify what you could improve in your diet and set a goal for healthier eating. Consider integrating super foods (those that are nutrient dense and those that have high disease-fighting qualities.) • Identify how you could improve your physical activity and set a goal for increasing activity or improving your current training regimen.If you are already participating at an optimal level, identify how you will continue to maintain your current fitness levels after leaving high school

6. Healthy Living Plan: cont’d • Setting a Personal Goal forEmotional Health • Describe how you normally react to stressors in your life. • You do not need to describe specific personal situations that give you stress – share what you can.Perhaps you don’t sleep well when you have a lot of work to do, or you can’t eat before a competition. Maybe you get migraines when your boss gives you a lot of pressure. • Set a personal goal for handling stress and maintaining good personal relationships. • What is a strategy that has worked in the past? Do you know how to access help if you are feeling overwhelmed?

7. COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS A. 30 Hours of Work or VolunteerExperienceduring Gr. 10-12. • Provide documentation in the form of a pay stub or referenceletter; or have an employer or supervisorcomplete the Community Connections form.

8. COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS B. Show whichEmployabilitySkillsyou developedwhilevolunteering or workingatthisparticular job. • Select on EmployabilitySkillschecklist on website C. Describewhatyoudid and how you benefittedfromthisexperience. • Type a response. 200 words minimum

9. CAREER AND LIFE A. Résumé • See the GT website for templates for ‘highschoolgraduate’ résumés B. Post-Secondary plans • Use the Career and Life Plan template to outlinedetails of your plans for life after graduation.

10. CAREER AND LIFE C. Financial Plan • Use the template on the website to make a balanced budget for one year. • Fillit out as if youwereresponsible for all expenses, even if your parents are paying the bills! • Remember: it must fit your plans for work or school or travel or whatever!

11. Career and Life Plan (1000 words minimum) Answers should be in “essay form” and complete sentences • 1. Career Goals: Short Term, Long term, Career options • 2. Education Goals: Post-secondary options (at least two), Where will you go for training/education? How long will it take? What do you need to do to get ready for this training/education? Are there any prerequisites? • 3. Travel or Work Plans: (complete this section only if you have plans to work or travel instead of post-secondary education after graduation) • 4. Give your reasons for choosing this path (Education/Travel/Work): • Employability Skills (that you already have developed) • Interests (things you enjoy) • Aptitudes (things you are naturally good at) • Values (what’s important to you?)

12. Career and Life Plan (cont’d) • 5. Experience: What have you done that relates to your chosen field? Why have your activities been important to you? What have you learned? (Extra-curricular activities, Part-time jobs, Summer employment, Volunteer work, Community involvement) • 6. Challenges: What might get in the way of reaching your goals? Financial barriers? Academic barriers? Personal barriers? How will you overcome these obstacles? Who has been your support in the past and who will you depend on in the next year or two? • 7. Budget Spreadsheet: complete this spreadsheet for the year following graduation (July to June). Even if you will be living at home and your parents are paying for all your expenses you still need to consider what the expenses will be as if you were living on your own and how YOU would pay for them.

13. THE GRADUATION INTERVIEW • Interview questions are on the GT website to help you prepare • Interviews will be with a Riverside staff member (January & May) • You will discuss your school experiences and future plans

14. Graduation Transitions 12: Graduate Interviews • When you reflect on your time in high school, of what do feel most proud or what has been the most meaningful experience? Feel free to bring in something to show if you like. • What would you like to have done differently? • Who has been particularly supportive of you during your school days? Have you taken the time to express to this person how appreciative you are of the support they have provided for you? • What advice would you pass onto a grade 9 student so they could have the best high school experience? • What are you most looking forward to after graduation? What steps have you already taken towards making this happen?

15. RM: Requirements Met! To receiveyourDogwood, youmust completethese 4 sections to earnyour RM and cross the stage! • Healthy Living • Community Connections • Career and Life • Graduation Interview

16. Here’s how we’ll help you: • You have a Grad Transitions teacher. • Visit them when you have questions • All documents are accessible on the GT website • Students will create an account and upload completed documents to the website. • Grad Transitions teachers will monitor progress and meet with students if necessary.

17. Deadlines… • Grade 12s willcompleteGrad Transitions in the samesemesteras their English or Comm 12 class. • Semestertwo English 12 students are encouraged to startearly. • First semester English students • Must have all writtenworkcompleted by Nov. 22nd . Will NOT be able to purchase Winter Ball tickets unless all writtenworkiscompleted. Tickets go on sale lateNovember.

18. Deadlines…. • Semester 2 English 12 students • Must have all writtenworkcompleted by May 2nd, 2014. Student interviews willbeheldmid-May. • All Grade 12’s cannotreservetheirDinner/Dance table untilthey have earnedtheir RM.

19. Good luck, Grads!! • Grad Transitions 12 really isn’t difficult but making those post-secondary decisions can be. • Use the tabs on the Grad Transitions website to access valuable information from the Career Centre and Counsellors. • We are here to help and advise you no matter what your plans after high school are. • Don’t leave it to the last minute! 