211 Elgin St. www.porthigh.com 905-835-1186

Grade 9 Information Principal: Nigel Evans

Vice Principal: Ann Kennerly

Trustee: Dave Schaubel

School Superintendent: John Stainsby

A Passion for Learning Welcome to Port Colborne High

School. When you join our com-

munity you quickly discover we

offer many rich and unique experi-

ences that are designed to allow

every student to reach his or her

potential. We are a passionate

learning community made up of

staff, teachers, parents, students,

and volunteers all of whom desire

to take part in the adventure that is

high school.

Our Open House will take place on

January 17th, 2012. Here you will

see that PCHS offers innovative

curriculum and dedicated teachers

who are passionate about student

learning and focused on student

success beyond high school.

The following pages contain de-

scriptions of the academic pro-

grams and elective programs avail-

able to grade nine students. These

descriptions are meant to help

families as a guide in selecting the

program that will best suit their son

or daughter as they start their high

school career.

We are looking forward to welcom-

ing you as a Blue Bear and having

you as a member of our Class of

2016. When you graduate in June

2016 you will participate in the

ninety-fourth graduation ceremony

at Port High and become a part of

our proud tradition.

Join us on a journey of adventure.

Develop your passion at PCHS. If

you would like to discuss any as-

pect of the academic programs of-

fered at PCHS please contact Prin-

cipal Evans at 905 835-1186.

The 2010 - 2011 Honour Roll Banquet Over one hundred students were recognized by staff, parents, guests and

fellow students at the French Hall for having an average of 80% or

higher during the 2010-2011 school year.

Also recognized were the students from DeWitt Carter, McKay, Oak-

wood, Steele Street, Winger and W.E. Brown who graduated with Hon-

ours in their grade 8 year.

Our keynote speaker this year was our new Vice Principal Ms. Ann

Kennerly. Ms. Kennerly is an alumna of Port Colborne High school, a

former PCHS teacher and the daughter of long time former PCHS Prin-

cipal, the late Arnot Wilson.

Port Colborne High School @port_high

Port Colborne High School

Page 2

Business Studies The grade nine course fo-cuses on Information Tech-nology in Business. Stu-dents wi l l build a founda-tion of digital literacy skills necessary for success in a technologically driven society. Activities in the class cover report and es-say writing formats; key-boarding; safe and efficient use of the Internet; email; podcasting; blogging; spreadsheet and database manipulation; au-

dio and video editing; and desktop publishing. Overall, this course is de-

signed to provide students with an introduction to commonly used computer soft-ware with practi-cal applications in Business. Students will also learn the basic functions of the components of a computer (e.g., BUS , CPU , RAM) and its peripheral de-

vices (e.g., printer, scanner, storage devices, video and digital cameras).

The Arts In grade nine, students have three Arts programs avail-able: Drama, Music, and Visual Art. These courses are aimed at developing t e c h n i q u e , sens i t i vi t y , se l f -es teem and imagina-tion in each r e s p e c t i v e d i s c i p l i n e . The Arts De-partment pro-vides many opportunities for the students to perform in front of an audience or share creations. Some op-portunities include: Remem-brance Day, Graduation, Art Exhibitions at the Library,

performing at Market Square, singing O Canada as part of the Olympic Torch celebration, Christmas con-certs, elementary school

concerts, and so much more. Several co-curricular activities are available in the Arts. Come and be part of the I m p r o v Team, Dance

club, Bluetones Jazz Band, Frequency Vocal Ensemble, Pulse Percussion Ensemble, and more. This year’s full production musical is “Little Shop of Horrors”.

English The English Department in-vites students to experience the world from a variety of per-spectives in excit-ing, appealing and thought provok-ing ways. Stu-dents will make use of innovative technology in ex-ploring the Eng-lish program - through MacIn-tosh and PC plat-forms. Our program has a strong emphasis for develop-ing literacy skills and sup-

porting students in complet-ing the high school literacy

requirement for graduation. The experience is fur-ther developed through opportuni-ties to participate in out of class en-richment trips to Stratford, Toronto, or public speaking in different forums. Courses are based on the level of the

students and are available in the academic, applied and essentials level.

French Studying French is a smart choice. Staying in French is an even smarter choice. You never know where life leads you. You do know it’s an i n c r e a s i n g l y inter-connected world. When you stay in French, your options for post-s e c o n d a r y school, work, and travel are much greater. It also enhances cognitive

thinking skills and intellec-tual abilities. There is high

demand for bilin-gual workers in every sector of the economy. You can participate in exchange pro-grams and live in French regions. The French pro-gram participates in activities like hosting Grade 8 trivia day, French Public speaking

contests, DSBN French Camp, and the French Club.

Badminton Ball Hockey Baseball Basketball Cross-Country

Football Golf Hockey Slo Pitch Soccer

ATHLETICS CLUBS

Extracurricular Activities Available at PCHS

Swim Team Tennis Track & Field Ultimate Frisbee Volleyball

“Pulse” Percussion Students’ Council U.N. Volunteer Now Yearbook

Athletic Council Chess Club Christian Fellowship Environmental Club “Flexx” Dance Squad

French Club “Frequency” Vocals History Club Native Club OSAID

Physical Education

Geography Geography at PCHS is an excellent introduction to the world around us. In Grade 9, students will begin devel-o p i n g their geo-g r a p h i c s k i l l s w h i l e deepening t h e i r k n o w l -edge of C a n a d a . Students perform “real world” projects to showcase and demonstrate their learn-ing. From developing a mine to planning the next national park, our students

use sophisticated GIS soft-ware to bring richness and meaning to their studies. In grade 10, 11, and 12 stu-

d e n t s should look forward to using lap-top com-puters full time as they pursue their inter-ests in

Natural Disasters, Travel and Tourism or Global and Environmental Issues. Our students can look forward to a rich and varied Geogra-phy program at PCHS.

Mathematics We are very proud of how hard the students at PCHS work in mathe-matics. In past EQAO testing, our students have scored ahead of the DSBN math results. Students will select a pro-gram as Aca-demic, Applied, or Essential. It is strongly recom-mended that students have access to a scientific calcula-tor to help them with daily work. Students will also be

using computers, graphing calculators, and other materi-

als to help them investigate how mathematics can be applied to the world around them. The Mathe-matics Depart-ment provides enrichment op-portunities for students through the University of Waterloo Mathe-matics Contests. Students are en-

couraged to pursue math courses throughout high school.

Science The grade nine science pro-gram focuses on concepts in biology, chem-istry, and elec-tricity. The aim of the grade nine pro-gram is to de-velop scientific literacy for students and to connect sci-ence to their everyday lives through topics like cooking, baking, disease prevention and sports. The science program provides a

number of opportunities for students to investigate ap-

plications of science. The science program provides hands-on experiences for students in lab activities and trips. Some examples in-clude trips to the Toronto Zoo, Niagara Safari, T h e B o d y Works Exhibit, and the Ontario

Science Center.

In our grade nine program, we are promoting life-long healthy active living to stu-dents through regular par-t icipation in a variety of physical ac t ivi t i es and cur-r i c u l u m designed to encourage healthy life s t y l e c h o i c e s . The de-partment also works very hard to provide a variety of extra-curricular activities

like Girls Fit club, trips to White Oaks Fitness Centre, Ski Club, Badminton Club, basketball, volleyball, foot-

ball, track and field, u l t ima t e F r i s b e e , h o c k e y , s o c c e r , baseball , slo-pitch, and many m o r e . S p e c i a l g u e s t

speakers and instructors are frequently brought in to fur-ther student learning.

Port Colborne High School

Page 3

School to Community Students (Special Needs) With a highly dedicated staff of special education teachers and educational assistants, Port Colborne High School offers programs for Students with Special Needs (PSSN) including:

-Academic -Vocational -Life skills -Physical education -Integrated studies

Access to assistive computer technology such as Kurzweil (reading), Co-Writer (writing), Dragon Naturally Speaking (voice recognition) and Premier Tools applications is also readily available.

Most importantly the staff help to develop a transition plan with parents for life after high school.

Technology Studies The Technology Depart-ment at PCHS has six focus areas: Culinary Arts, Cos-metology, Con-struction, Trans-portation, Manu-facturing, and Design. The grade 9 program is Integrated Technology and students will experience a variety of the offerings at PCHS. Starting in grade 10, stu-dents can elect to take focus courses in each area. The department also offers Specialist High

Skills Major programs start-ing in grade 11 that focus on Manufacturing or Trans-

p o r t a t i o n . There are a number of en-richment activi-ties like Skills Competitions, Tech Tuesdays, and trips to the Auto Show and War Plane Mu-seum. Port High students regu-larly attend Ni-agara College to further Tech-

nological Studies and many access valuable apprentice-ships with local employers.

Student Achievement Our achievement team offers

a variety of services for our

student body

• 1-to-1 assistance in an

environment that is con-

ducive to learning

• after-school “homework

club” staffed by achieve-

ment department staff

• computer / Internet ac-

cess for student projects

& assignments

• a workspace for groups

to complete work col-

laboratively

• instructional strategies

that both parents &

teachers can use to help

students to be successful

at PCHS.

We believe that our strength

lies in the diversity of our

student population. The

strength of our department

lies in the wealth of educa-

tion, experience and dedica-

tion to all learners that our

department members bring

to the achievement team.

Port Colborne High School

Page 4

Selecting Courses Core Subjects (Mandated)

When entering grade nine next September, every

student will take eight courses. Five of those

courses are mandated by the government and will

be common to all schools. They are English,

French, Mathematics, Science, and Geography.

Each of these programs are offered as Academic,

Applied, and Essential. This guide is designed to

help families in making decisions about pro-

grams. Please remember your grade eight

teacher is there to help in recommending the

program that is best suited to your student.

In addition to the five government mandated

courses students will also take 3 additional

courses one of which is boys or girls Health and

Physical Education. Students then select two

credits from the following:

-Business (Information technology)

-Drama

-Visual Art

-Music

-Integrated Technology

Each of these programs are classified as Open

which indicates they are suitable for all students.

Homework Lessons

In addition to homework

started in the classroom,

most students will need to

do an additional half hour

to 1 hour of homework

per subject each night.

Most project work com-

pleted at home.

The 75 minute period of instruc-

tion is broken up into 2 or 3 sec-

tions. Lessons are longer i.e. 25-

40 minutes. Less time is given

for work completion. Students

are expected to be able to learn

and work independently and to

use textbooks efficiently.

Most homework is done

in class with teacher su-

pervision. Project work is

completed as homework

with some class time

allowed.

The 75 minute period of instruction

is broken up into 3 or 4 sections to

help maintain focus.

Lessons are very structured. There

is more time given for assignment

completion with teacher support.

The activities are com-

pleted in class and

homework is done with

teacher support and

supervision.

The 75 minute period of instruc-

tion is divided into smaller units

that allow for the review of prior

skills and knowledge, consolida-

tion activities, and the introduc-

tion of a new concept. Lessons

and activities are very structured

with teacher support.

Academic

Applied

Essential

Learning Styles

Needs little reinforcement

for time management,

studying, organization of

notes and completion of

homework. Student com-

pletes all assignments

within time frame.

Needs reinforcement for

time management, study-

ing, organization of notes

and completion of home-

work.

Needs reinforcement and

support with curriculum

that addresses concerns

for gaps in prior knowl-

edge. Students benefit

from highly structured

and organized environ-

ment.

Open Level (Elective)