SRSS Handbook 2012_13.pdf - Steinbach Regional Secondary ...

QUESTIONSANSWERSQUESTIONSANSWERSQUESTIONSANSWERS
1. How big is the SRSS? We currently have approximately 1250 students in the school.
2. Is attendance important at the SRSS? Yes, attendance is carefully tracked at the SRSS.
Students who attend classes regularly generally do well in school. If you skip classes you may be
removed from the class. We call home each time you are absent.
3. What are majors? Majors mean that you concentrate your elective choices in one or two course
areas.
4. What are electives? Electives are courses you choose to take. They are not required by the
Department of Education for graduation.
5. What are compulsory courses? Compulsory courses are courses that you must have in order
to graduate from high school.
6. Can I take any course I like? No. Each grade has compulsory courses that must be taken.
Grade 10 has the most compulsory courses and Grade 12 has the least. Also, many courses
have prerequisites.
7. What is a prerequisite? A prerequisite is a condition or course that must be in place before you
can take a certain course. For example, you cannot take Pre Calculus Math 40S until you have
Pre Calculus 30S and LAW 40S is reserved for Grade 12 students.
8. What if I sign up for a class even though I do not have the prerequisite? The course will not
be put in your schedule.
9. How many courses should I sign up for when I register? A course load of eight courses is
considered a full load. Many students take up to 10 credits the only exception is if students take
band or choir. If students wish to take more than 5.5 credits per semester (with band or choir),
they must obtain permission from school administration. It is important to remember that there is
no planned lunchtime at the SRSS.
10. How do I know which courses to take? Each year the SRSS puts out a Student Information
Bulletin. This booklet lists the compulsory courses for each major. Once you decide on a major,
you simply sign up for the required courses for the major.
11. How do semesters differ from how my courses are now? A semester runs for 5 months. The
course will be finished in that time. Semesters mean that the teacher will go through much more
material each day than in junior high. If you miss school for a couple of days, you may find it
difficult to catch up.
12. What about course phases or streams? What is that about? High school courses are
generally of the following types:
‣ F – Foundation courses allow a student to pursue either G or S courses in Grade 11 and Grade
12, depending on the student’s mark.
‣ S – Specialized courses are courses that lead to advanced courses and eventually university
admission.
‣ T – Technical courses are courses that lead to a skill level in a trade area.
‣ B – Business courses are courses that lead to a business education major in preparation for
further study or job skills.
‣ M – Modified courses are only available by an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) recommended
by a clinician and work within the Resource Program.
13. How important is it to pick the right stream? It is very important because your choice of
courses in the next grades depend on which courses you take in Grade 10.
14. If I pick the wrong stream can’t I just switch if I find the course too hard or too easy? It can
be very hard to change from one stream to another. There may not be a section of the stream
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