Senator O'Connor College School (Catholic Secondary School)

60 Rowena Drive, North York, Ontario M3A 3R2

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History & Tradition

Senator O’Connor College School was founded in 1963 by the Brothers of the Christian Schools and the Daughters of Wisdom.  Senator O’Connor was the first Catholic Secondary School in the Toronto Archdiocese intended for both boys and girls.  

The school is named in honour of the late Senator Frank O’Connor who donated the O’Connor family home which still stands in the middle of the campus. 

The school motto is “Audax et Fidelis”, which may be translated as “courageous and faithful”.  We have tried to live up to the intent of this motto by fidelity to the teachings and moral values of our Catholic faith.  

Our new building which opened September 2005 is now home to more than 1000 students.     

O’Connor prides itself on being a professional learning community where teachers work collaboratively to share resources and strategies in order to enrich all aspects of learning in the classroom.

How We Meet the Diverse Needs of Our Students

Special Programs  

Advanced Placement Courses 

Advanced Placement (AP) courses are enhanced 12U courses.  In addition to the regular senior course, some units are expanded to include first year university material.  The course grants students one U credit, with the possibility of earning a University or College credit.  Upon successful completion of an AP exam, many universities and colleges across the country will grant a 1^st year credit for the course.  Students  may use the AP course on scholarship applications since successful completion of these courses demonstrates initiative and a willingness to undertake a challenging course.

Extended/Immersion French 

The Extended/Immersion French program is a continuation of the elementary early or middle French immersion program. Students who have successfully completed a minimum of ten French courses, four in Extended/Immersion French and six in other subjects taught in French (géographie, histoire and religion) will receive an Extended/Immersion French Certificate upon graduation.  

Our students are encouraged to take advantage of outside activities, competitions and foreign exchanges.   A fun-filled trip to Quebec provides opportunity to practice their French Language skills. 

English as a Second Language 

Senator O’Connor offers four levels of ESL classes for students who have recently arrived in Canada.

·        build on students’ previous education and language knowledge 

·        help students adjust to their new cultural environment.

·        teach basic orientation information related to students’ needs as newcomers to Canada 

English Language Learners (ELL) in mainstream classes: 

Accommodations are in place to help students succeed in these classes.   Accommodations for ELL students may be in the form of extra time to write quizzes, tests and exams, use of bilingual dictionaries, working with peer mentors, language-reduced assignments, etc. 

ELL students and computers:

Access to computers helps students with their academic and language skills.

• Academy of Reading is an individualized reading program working on students’ phonetic skills and reading comprehension.
• Tense Busters is an individualized grammar program.
• Ready Internet access allows students to research in the ESL classroom.
• Word processing programs allow students work on their writing skills.

For more information on how to register your child as an English Language Learner, visit www.tcdsb.org and click on Orientation Centre link.   

Programs for Special Education Students 

The Gifted/Enriched Program 

This program allows students to experience a variety of learning opportunities that enables students to expand and enrich their high school experience.  The program is designed for students who have been identified as Gifted by the Toronto Catholic District School Board or students who achieve excellent marks in school and would like an extra challenge.  Students who participate in the Gifted program have a multitude of opportunities, both in the school and outside.  

Enriched courses at O’Connor cover more material and are faster paced than Academic-level courses.  Students in the enriched program are prepared for AP Exams in Calculus, English Literature and Sciences.  Before the end of Grade 12,  students will complete  the Ontario Ministry requirements and can then concentrate on university level material. Only students who have done very well in Grade 9 courses are recommended for Enriched courses. 

The Resource Department 

At O’Connor, we believe in preparing students to meet the challenges of an ever-changing world.  Our students are encouraged to work to their full potential.  Through a nurturing and caring environment, the O’Connor Resource Department strives to create an atmosphere for success.   Since all identified students have a right to an integrated education, the teachers at O’Connor provide students with a program that meets their needs.    

Some of our students choose to take the Learning Strategies course (GLE) which is a credited course.  Students work on improving basic language, math, study and organizational skills to become effective independent learners. 

The DD/ME Program 

Senator O’Connor’s ME / DD class provides education and support for students who have multiple exceptionalities (ME) and developmental delays (DD).  The goal of the program is to provide students with appropriate learning experiences focusing on the development of life skills. 

The Ontario Science Centre Science School Program 

The Ontario Science Centre Science School presents students with an opportunity to gain University Preparation science credits during an enrichment semester at The Ontario Science Centre. 

Each semester 28 students are selected to participate in the program. During their semester at the Science Centre, all Catholic students, who may come from any school within the province, are registered at Senator O'Connor. 

 Further information about this exciting program can be found at the following website: www.OntarioScienceCentre.ca (Look under school trips in the main menu). 

Success for All Program 

At Senator O'Connor, we are committed to ensuring that all our students meet with success.  The purpose of the “Success for All” committee is to develop strategies to assist our at-risk students.   Some of our initiatives include: credit support, independent learning, credit recovery, and  literacy packages. We have also developed a transitional model with our feeder elementary schools to assist students in their transition to secondary school.  . Our philosophy is that students who find academic success early and are involved in the school community will have a greater chance of succeeding.

Credit Recovery

 After an initial interview with their guidance counsellor, students may be enrolled in a credit recovery class where they are able to recover up to 2 credits.  Students are given the opportunity to complete key course expectations and obtain a previously failed credit without having to repeat the entire course.  Students work independently or with the assistance of a teacher, and are expected to complete all assigned work. Students use the PLATO program to complete course expectations.

Phast Paces  Reading Program 

The PHAST PACES reading program is a reading intervention program developed by the Learning Disabilities Research Program (LDRP) at The Hospital for Sick Children. This reading program has been developed specifically for high school students who possess poor word identification, decoding and/or reading comprehension skills.   The program explicitly teaches the students decoding and comprehension skills and strategies so they can become independent readers.  

The Arts 

Without a doubt the creative community at O’Connor has established itself as an energetic, active, group of artists.  Students of the Arts are encouraged to be painters, musicians, actors, illustrators, singers, writers, photographers, film makers, and sculptors.  O’Connor supports one of the richest arts programs available in TCDSB. This year we look forward to a full schedule of awesome performances from a production of “GREASE” to entertaining music concerts.  We are also providing an activity-packed trip to New York City.   The creativity of all of the arts students will be highlighted at the Arts Night called “The Nightmare Before Christmas”.  Arts courses are offered at all grade levels in Drama, Music and Visual Arts, and Vocal Music.  Options include Keyboard, Guitar, Design, Computer Art, and Photography.

Co-Curricular Program   

The key to a memorable high school experience for students entering secondary school is involvement.   At Senator O’Connor, we strongly encourage students to become active members of our  community through their involvement in our rich co-curricular program which includes the following:        

Activities 

Athletics 

School News

School Learning Improvement Plan -- 2011-2012

School Learning Improvement Plan -- 2010-2011

School Learning Improvement Plan -- 2009-2010

Safe School Plan -- 2010-2011

EQAO Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics:

Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT):

The OSSLT shows the extent to which Ontario students are meeting the minimum literacy standard expected by the end of Grade 9. The test assesses the reading and writing skills as they apply to all subjects as out-lined in the Ontario Curriculum. Students must pass the OSSLT as one of the 32 requirements for an Ontario Secondary School Diploma.