Risa Gluskin, ACL of Student Success and Instructional Support

on leave 2023-24 school year

Please contact Ms. Ingrid D'Silva for inquiries during the 2023-24 school year.

Welcome to Student Success.  The Student Success teacher monitors students' academic achievement and intervenes when possible to provide additional support. The emphasis is on grade 9 and 10 students without IEPs. Marks would be under 50% or hovering just around there though there is no official cut off. The student success teacher facilitates communication between a student's teachers and home. 

Intervention usually takes the form of one-on-one meetings with the student. Normally, these meetings would be in person. During these meetings we work on strategies for improvement. We focus on: growth mindset, executive functions, study strategies, goals and habits, motivation, etc. Ms. G also provides extra help or works with students on reading comprehension strategies, essay and paragraph-writing skills, and other relevant reading- and writing-related topics.

Other areas that fall under Student Success include: literacy test preparation, GLS10 course (learning strategies for non-IEP'd students), ILPs (individual learning plans), referrals to IST (in-school team), credit rescue, credit recovery, connection to peer tutoring, etc.

GLS10 Learning Strategies - Skills for Success in Secondary School (open to grade 9 or 10 students)

This course is all about how to improve as a student. We teach strategies such as: 

• how to study for tests and quizzes
• how to take notes
• how to use a calendar/agenda
• how to self-advocate (speak up for yourself to ask for help)
• how to get a growth mindset (make an effective effort based on an understanding of how your brain learns)
• how to set daily and weekly goals and achieve them through beneficial daily habits
• how to manage time and materials
• how to work in a team
• how to improve motivation and get rid of bad procrastination habits
• how to deal with stress through healthy habits such as SLEEP

This course also has a focus on numeracy and literacy strategies. Depending on who the teacher is, the emphasis may be on one more than the other. 

Lastly, this course offers some opportunity for students to work on their assignments for other classes. However, it is important to note that there is a curriculum and this is not just a work period for other classes. 

GLS10 is a great opportunity to grow and develop!  Please contact the student success teacher to see a copy of the course of study. 

GLS40 - Advanced Learning Strategies - Skills for Success After Secondary School (for graduating students)

This course deals with planning your transition from secondary school to post-secondary (work, college, university, apprenticeship or other).

Strategies emphasized include: 

- reflecting on how obstacles and challenges in the past have shaped your present

- self-advocacy and using supports

- post-secondary planning (researching post-secondary options)

- time management  

- maintaining motivation and the science behind motivation

- employability skills

- budgeting for post-secondary options 

What is an ILP?  = Individual Learning Plan

Daily math practice!

  If you would like your student to be added to the pre-grade 9 math Google Classroom, please email Ms. Gluskin and she will add the student. There is access to the basic numeracy materials and lessons. There is no teacher monitoring. 

Grade 9 and 10 math tutoring

TBA

VIDEOS

Here are some videos Ms. Gluskin shared with grade 9 teachers during the 2020-21 school year. They are relevant no matter the date or time.

High School Is Different

At York Mills, we find that coming out of grade 8 many students don't quite recognize demands on them in high school are greater. 

In order to maximize success each student should pay attention to the following areas or seek assistance through student success or classroom teachers:
 

• organization (of notebooks or binders, backpacks or bags, electronic folders)

• attendance (everyday unless sick)

• punctuality (on time everyday - it matters - get up a few minutes earlier if need be)

• time management (schedule study and assignment preparation time - it shouldn't occur by accident - use agenda/calendar or reminders on your phone calendar app)

• on task behaviour in class or at home (put the phone away, stop talking to your friends - become mindful of self-control - FIRST do your work)

• motivation (start working and motivation usually follows - don't wait for it to magically appear  - the human brain works on the premise that successes are repeated)

• going to extra help when needed (know when you need assistance and don't be afraid to ask for help)

• every credit counts (even if it's not a favourite subject - work toward 30 credits - students CAN fail courses in high school) 

• students often don't recognize that they can fail courses and this sets them back, possibly having to go to summer school, take credit recovery, or re-take the course

Growth Mindset

All teachers and students should have a growth mindset, a belief that intelligence can be improved through effort and challenging practice. A fixed mindset, a view that intelligence is stuck at a certain level and can't improve, can be very harmful to academic success. The  key to improvement is effort. We emphasize effective effort through emphasis on the learning skills. If students pay attention to the learning skills they will find the process of learning is much improved. 

Closing Learning Gaps

The pandemic and online learning have affected students in serious ways. Student Success advocates for and works toward closing gaps that have developed in: 

• literacy
• numeracy
• learning skills
• attention and focus (due to excessive screen time)
• organization
• motivation

CREDIT RECOVERY

For those students who are unsuccessful in core grade 9 or 10 courses, in-school credit recovery could be an option. There is summer credit recovery and it has been quite a successful venture. Credit recovery differs from regular courses in that students only have to repeat the work towards any overall curriculum expectations that they didn't pass the first time. Credit recovery classes are generally kept small so the students can have a lot of personalized attention to get ready for the next grade level.