Guidance / Student Services
Growing up means making choices, the RWA counsellors are there to help you make a wise choice. Also, if you have any problems or simply have any questions, please do not hesitate to use this site to contact the school counsellor that would be at your service.
RWA counsellors
- Chad DuMond, Guidance Counsellor (A-L) cdumond@emsb.qc.ca
- Michal Wineberg, Guidance Counsellor(M-Z) mwineberg@emsb.qc.ca
Student Services
- Ms. Sadia Di Pietro, School/Community Worker sdipietro@emsb.qc.ca
- Ms. Cristina Almeida, MindPOP Coordinator aalmeida@emsb.qc.ca
- Mr. Jan Mateus, MindPOP Resource (Mon, Tue, Wed) jmateus@emsb.qc.ca
- Mr. George Fowler, Special Education Technician GFowler@emsb.qc.ca
- Mr. Dwayne Linton, Special Education Technician DLinton@emsb.qc.ca
- Ms. Ruth Scanlan, CLSC Nurse (Mon, Tue, Thu) ruth.scanlan.cvd@ssss.gouv.qc.ca
- Ms. Madeline Crist, Youth Counsellor (Mon, Wed) mcrist2@emsb.qc.ca
- Mr. Howard Held, Social Worker (Tue, Wed, Fri) howard.held.cvd@ssss.gouv.qc.ca
- Ms. Laura Ferrara, Montreal Oral School for the Deaf (Mon, Wed) lferrara@montrealoralschool.com
The school library contains numerous publications in its career section and is a valuable resource for students. They are encouraged to regularly refer to these publications.
Growing up means making choices about :
Values Friends Life-Styles School Work
Your SCHOOL COUNSELLOR is there to help you. He/she is a person who can help you understand yourself so you can learn to make better decisions about your life.
TOGETHER you and your counsellor will:
– DISCUSS your needs and feelings
– EXPLORE alternatives
– MAKE A DECISION
Your counsellor can also provide: TESTING to help determine your interests and abilities. INFORMATION about jobs, careers, colleges, schools.
So, do you need help with:
-SCHOOL
-YOUR PERSONAL LIFE
-FAMILY PROBLEMS
-DECIDING ABOUT HIGHER EDUCATION
-PLANNING A CAREER?
Your school counsellor is there to help you.
Guidance Program
At RWA the Guidance Department also offers a Guidance Program beginning in grade 7.
You embark on a journey…a journey to a destination beyond the horizons of time, of your knowledge and experience, a destination which for you still does not exist. You can make it exist. You have already journeyed for some time now – you have some knowledge, some experience. You must use this to know who you are. Only then can you know where you are going, many years from now. Go, learn, experience, think…..
Career Tests, Interactive Sites and Career Information Sites
Career Tests
Youth resource network of Canada
Find self assessments on interests, skills, etc., information about occupations, training and education needed for specific occupations, job search techniques, job opportunities, and much more!
Schoolfinder
You can search colleges and universities by province or in alphabetical order, you can search careers in alphabetical order by industry, and you can even do some interest and aptitude quizzes to learn more about yourself!
Interactive Sites
A collection of different internet sites related to career development. Click on “about us” to get “how to use this site”, or on “site map” to get a description of the categories of sites, so that you can choose your area of interest (i.e. occupations and careers, learning, education and training, labour market information and outlook, etc.). From there you will be guided to different internet sites offering all sorts of valuable information.
Career Information Sites
Look into the future
This site contains good information from Human Resources and Development Canada which looks at occupations, the education and training needed, possible earnings and current and future labour market conditions. A second part to this site looks at the work experience of post-secondary graduates in 155 fields of study and job projections for the coming years.
- 6 credits in Secondary V language of instruction
- 4 credits in Secondary V second language
- 4 in Secondary IV Mathematics
- 4 credits in Secondary IV Science and Technology or 6 credits in Secondary IV Applied Science and Technology
- 4 credits in Secondary IV History and Citizenship Education
- 2 credits in Secondary IV Arts Education
- 2 credits in Secondary V Ethics and Religious Culture or Physical Education and Health.
Counsellors are always there to help you at school, but now it’s almost like they’re online 24/7 as well! These are some helpful links to other CEGEPS, Universities as well as job searches.
CEGEPS | Universities |
Online Tele-counselling Documents
* Adolescent Development: This will link you to an interesting web site that provides good information about adolescence. It helps with understanding adolescence and deals with health, emotional, social and development issues. A good resource for both parents and students. www.brightfutures.org
* School Psychology: This will link you with valuable links to various sites with information about specific conditions, disorders and disabilities in childhood and adolescence, as well as other more general information relating to child and adolescent psychology.www.schoolpsychology.net
Our Guidance Department provides all grade 7 students with a study skills training program in the spring to help them learn about their own learning styles, as well as develop good study skills and working habits. Included are topics such as effective listening, reading and note-taking.
The Career Centre has a study skills CD-ROM, designed to help you learn more effective study skills. It begins by helping you assess what your own learning style is. It then gives tips and techniques with explanations about why certain techniques will work better for you, according to your learning style. It provides exercises to help you practice new techniques, which in turn helps you to choose which ones you like best. There is a section on organization which covers time management, note-taking, and you can even print out your own assignment calendar. It also includes Test Taking Skills, which helps you know how to better prepare for a test or exam as well as how to be more effective with different styles of exams. Come and check it out in your RWA Career Centre!
Royal West Academy Resources
Cycle 1: Passages Program
Program Philosophy:
This program, which is obligatory for all grade 7 & 8 students, covers some of the issues facing youth as they enter high school. These concerns were identified in an earlier needs survey administered to grade 7 & 8 students at Royal West Academy. The Passages program integrates guidance, classroom, and library activities in addressing these issues. What follows is a description of the various needs, the activities which address them, and the potential outcomes for students.
Study Skills and Learning Style:
Grade 7 achievement testing and study skills workshop. “I can describe my strengths and weaknesses in doing school work and develop strategies to improve.”
Decision-Making:
Grade 7 workshops. “I can describe the steps in decision-making that work for me, and I can better deal with pressures like substance abuse.”
World of Work:
Grade 7 career research project. “I can describe a variety of job areas needing different levels of education, training, and performance.”
Planning:
Grade 7 and 8 career folder. “I can describe and plan academic courses that may enhance and affect my school career.”
Self-Understanding:
Grade 8 class workshops. “I can describe how I make friends and how I can convey a positive self-image to others. I can describe some of my beliefs and values and how they affect the decisions I make.”
Interests:
Grade 8 interest test. “I can identify and explain my main areas of interest and begin to make connections to the world of work.
Cycle 2: Career Exploration
Career Exploration is a programme for grade 10 and 11 students through which they can explore an occupation of their choice by visiting the actual place of employ and experiencing a typical working day. The placement can be of day to a 2 day duration. Enrolment takes place in October.
The Hospital Opportunity Program for Students (HOPS) provides an opportunity for students to observe and assist medical personnel within a large hospital setting. The Auxiliary of The Jewish General Hospital arranges for students to spend day per week for 2 five-week periods in various departments of the hospital. Students interested in participating in this program must be in Secondary V and be prepared to make a commitment to participating in the entire program. This includes completing all necessary documentation, attending regularly on the assigned days and participating in the evening lectures that are organized by the HOPS Committee for the further education of the students. Signing up takes place in September. The program has a limited enrolment capacity.
Classroom visits: At various times during the year counsellors visit grades 9, 10, and 11 classes to distribute information regarding the opportunities which are available to students after graduation. Issues vis-à-vis course choice and career planning are discussed.
Each November, the counselling department hosts a CEGEP/University Evening at the school. Representatives from English-language CEGEPs and universities in Montreal and Ottawa are in attendance. This is a must for grade 11 students and their parents, and grade 10 students and parents are encouraged to attend.
The Career Centre in the Guidance Office contains helpful information on CEGEPs and other educational and occupational prospects. The information is contained in books, pamphlets, on the internet, and on interactive CD-ROMs. Students may make appointments to use the computer to explore career areas or to get a better idea regarding their own interests.