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Programs

Every student learns differently. Now there are exciting new ways for them to participate in high school and earn the credits they need.
 
  • Student Success Teams work with school staff, students, parents, and the wider community to ensure that, together, we help more students earn the credits necessary to graduate. A new addition to secondary schools is the Student Success Teacher who advocates for and mentors students, monitors students, and develops interventions for struggling students. Such interventions may include credit rescue, credit recovery, and other opportunities.
  • The Credit Recovery Program (CRP) is designed for students who are most at risk of falling behind in their credit accumulation and leaving school without an Ontario Secondary School Diploma as a result. The CRP provides a student who has failed a credit, a second opportunity to meet grade level expectations to achieve the same credit. Eligibility of a student to participate in CRP will be determined by the factors which impacted on the student's lack of success the first time through the credit, the student's program pathway, the student's overall academic performance, and the principal's direction.
  • Specialist High Skills Major offers an opportunity for students who have a career path in mind an opportunity to customize their learning. Students take "bundles" of six to twelve courses that help them prepare for specific employment sectors, such as hospitality and tourism, arts and culture, construction, manufacturing, and primary industries.
The Dual Credit Program provides secondary students with the opportunity to earn up to four, non-compulsory dual credits by participating in apprenticeship training and post-secondary courses that count toward both their secondary school diploma and their post-secondary diploma or apprenticeship certification. The course codes for dual credit classes differ from the course codes delivered at the home school.
 
Dual credits are one example of programming that supports the Learning to 18 mandate of the Ministry of Education to improve the graduation rate, address the achievement gap and to increase confidence in public education. Dual credit programs are intended to assist secondary students in the completion of their OSSD and create a successful transition to college and apprenticeship programs.  All dual credit programs involve a dedicated role for secondary school teachers ranging from direct instruction to support and supervision of students.
Our alternative school-based program is designed to aid and support students who have experienced difficulty in the traditional mainstream high school setting. 
 
Programs are designed specifically to meet individual student's needs. Programs usually involve a combination of credit courses (credit recovery and/or new credits including blended learning modules) and work placement experiences in an area of career interest and which are monitored and evaluated by staff from the program.
 
St. Theresa alternate education program is an integral component of the partnership which includes the students, parent and the business community. It allows students the opportunity to succeed academically in an informal setting with a routine structured to meet their individual needs, goals and career aspirations. A youth Worker is also available to provide support for students enrolled in the program.
Apprenticeship is an agreement between a person who wants to learn a skilled trade and an employer who needs a skilled worker.
 
80 to 90 percent of training occurs on the job, where the apprentice learns by watching, practicing and performing tasks. 10 to 80 percent is theoretical, in-school training, delivered by an approved agent.
 
Frequently there is a huge demand for journey people in a variety of trades and students of St. Theresa should consider a trade as a career.
 
The theory component for the following apprenticeships will be offered through OYAP:
 
Automotive Service Technician
Cook
Child Development Practitioner
Construction Craft Worker
Hairdresser
Carpenter
 Loyalist College, Belleville
Loyalist College, Belleville
Loyalist College, Belleville
Life Long Learning Center, Cobourg
St. Lawrence College, Kingston
St. Lawrence College, Kingston 
 
If you have an interest in a trade other than those listed above, see your Guidance Counsellor or Cooperative Education Teacher as every apprenticeship program can be individually tailored for students.
Students can enroll in the following industry specific High Skills Majors at St. Theresa:
  • Hospitality & Tourism
  • Information & Communication Technology
  • Transportation
  • Health & Wellness
  • Sports: Fitness & Management Systems
 
Students have an opportunity to develop skills and gain valuable work experience and complete industry valued certifications (i.e. WHIMIS, First Aid, Customer Service, etc.). In addition, partnerships with post-secondary institutions give students reach ahead opportunities. 
 
  • Transitions provides students who have difficulty making the move from elementary to high school the support they need through increased individual attention, monitoring, and programming tailored to fit their individual situation. Secondary schools work closely with their elementary counterparts to gather information that will assist them in ensuring a successful transition for students.
  • Cooperative Education is a great way to learn skills and gain experience from the workplace, and get a "head start" with building a resume. Students can now include two co-op credits within the 18 compulsory credits that they need to graduate.
OYAP is a ministry-approved specialized program that enables students to earn credits towards their OSSD by taking a cooperative education course for which the community component is in an apprenticeship trade. 
 
Students who participate in OYAP, gain access to employers who are looking for the opportunity to train the skilled workers in specific job sectors. This program addresses the problem of the impending shortage of skilled tradespeople across Ontario, and specifically encourages young people to consider joining the trades. OYAP provides students with a head start in a skilled trade career!
 
If you would like to find out more information about what OYAP has to offer within ALCDSB, please click on the following OYAP (Ontario Youth Apprenticeship ​Program) link.​
 
​​​​For more information about the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program, please call the main office.