Student Services

Student Services Brochure

Educational Counselling

  • Registration
  • Appropriate course selection
  • Support for students with special needs
  • Educational alternatives
  • Peer tutoring
  • Evaluation of out-of-province and out-of-country documents and other documents (e.g. private music study)
  • Planning for post-secondary pre-requisites
  • Referrals to educational consultants and reading specialists

Post-Secondary and Career Counselling

  • Calendars and web-site information for universities, colleges and technical schools
  • Scholarship information/applications
  • Post-secondary and career planning
  • Vocational interest inventories
  • Referrals to community resources University and College workshops

Personal Counselling

When personal issues impact school performance, confidential counselling is available. Issues may include:

  • Self-esteem
  • Grief and loss
  • Substance abuse
  • Personal health and safety
  • Family and peer relationships
  • Sexuality
  • Stress and conflict management

The Counselling Staff

All counsellors deal with educational, post-secondary/career, and personal issues but each member of the Student Services Department has a special area of responsibility.

The Department Head of Student Services sees students regarding special registrations (out-of-province or out-of-country), scholarship information, and evaluation of documents.

The Special Needs Coordinator oversees individualized programming and coordinates the duties of the Teacher Assistants. Two counsellors coordinate the Peer Tutoring Program, oversee Special Provisions for exams or assist students with personal issues and academic programming.

Elite athletes are assisted with their academic programming by another counsellor.

The Teacher Assistant works closely with the Student Services Department assisting Special Needs Students.

The Secretary schedules appointments, organizes resources, and handles correspondence.

Other Services

  • Referral to Student Finance
  • Referrals and/or connections to Child and Family Services
  • Access to Multi-Lingual Services
  • The Support Network – Edmonton’s Crisis and Community Services Connecting Point

Watch for

  • Grade 10 Orientation – October
  • Post-Secondary Evening – October 22, 2008
  • Scholarship Information Evening – December 4, 2008
  • U of A & Grant MacEwan College registration information – February/March
  • Registration – April
  • Special Needs / IPP review – May

How Do I See A Counsellor?

  • Drop in… The first available counsellor will help you.
  • Make an appointment with the counsellor of your choice.
  • Talk to someone you trust. Have that person make the initial contact for you.

Coping with Test Anxiety

Before the exam the student can do several things:

  • Be thoroughly prepared. A confident knowledge of the course material is the first step in reducing test anxiety.
  • Review should be spaced throughout the week. This aids memory development and retention.
  • Don’t cram. A final review is fine, but trying to cover two months of material in two hours is not an effective way to prepare for an exam. Begin your review process early to help reduce last minute anxiety.
  • Arrive at exam location early. Relax, and don’t talk about the test with friends; frantic reviews are often more confusing than helpful.

During the exam, be test wise and have a plan for taking the exam.

  • Some initial tension is normal, generally, when you receive the test, stop for a moment, take a few deep breaths and exhale slowly, and then start reviewing directions and test items.
  • In a timed test make a schedule for answering questions. Allow more time for higher point questions. Pace yourself to answer as many questions as possible.
  • Don’t spend too much time on any one question. If you can’t come up with the answer, quickly move on.
  • You can always come back if you have time. Higher scores will usually result from trying all items.
  • If you get stumped on a question, move on to questions you can answer. This will get your mental process and concentration ready for more difficult questions.

How Can Parents Help Their Children Succeed in High School?

  1. Even though their children are in high school, it continues to be important for parents to be aware of how things are going at school. Most students need encouragement to be successful. Keeping this in mind, here are several strategies that might be useful: Put a copy of your child’s timetable on your fridge. Daily attendance is key to success. The school (Synervoice) will phone your home if your child has missed a class. Parents (who are registered) may access attendance information online through SchoolZone. If there are concerns, parents should contact the school.
  2. Ask to see the daily planner (agenda) which the school has provided, and encourage its use.The student should record the dates of exams and assignment due dates in the planner. Near the front of the agenda, there is a ten month school calender with important Harry Ainlay dates/events.
  3. High school students should have school work every night. Depending on the student and the courses, the amount of homework may vary. Homework might include preparation for exams, completion of assignments or projects, review of the day’s lessons, organizing notes, or reading. Daily homework encourages a student to be organized and responsible, and to avoid the stress associated with being disorganized and unprepared.
  4. Provide your child with a quiet, comfortable workspace with few distractions. Homework and study are work and should be treated as such.
  5. Establish a study routine and stick to it.
  6. If there are concerns, contact individual teachers as soon as possible through voice mail.
  7. Encourage involvement in school-related events and activities. Students who are part of the culture of a school generally have greater academic success.
  8. Be aware of the amount of time your child spends at a part-time job. Students, in most cases, should not be working more than 15 hours a week and should not be working late into the evening. Watch out and advocate for your child if employers are putting unreasonable pressure on them.
  9. Be vigilant about monitoring computer activity, phone time and watching TV. Stress the importance of balance in a healthy productive life.
  10. Ensure that your teen gets enough sleep. Research indicates that this age group needs over 9 hours of sleep per night in order to be alert.

Post Secondary Information

Post-Secondary, simply means after high school. The annual Harry Ainlay Post-Secondary Night showcases over 50 exhibitors. This is a tremendous opportunity to contemplate future career options.

Scholarships

Information on scholarships can be found on the Awards and Scholarships page.