Colonel By SS

Our School

Colonel By Secondary School has over 50‐years of excellence in academics, athletics and the arts. We are both a community school for students who live in our area and a system school offering the International Baccalaureate (IB) program for students throughout the region. Our school consists of caring students, staff, and families who work together to ensure high student achievement. More than 95% of our graduating students go on to post‐secondary education. Our academic program is challenging and is designed to provide our students with a strong academic and technological foundation for further studies. We are the only non‐semestered school within our board. While the Ontario Ministry of Education and Training diploma requirements form the basis of the academic program at Colonel By, students are encouraged to enhance this well‐rounded education by going beyond the mandatory requirements. Over 50% of our students are registered in the IB Program. This world‐renowned program is for highly‐motivated academic students who wish to earn an IB diploma in addition to the Ontario Secondary School Diploma.

Our Students

With an enrollment of 1110, our Colonel By “Cougars” reflect the diversity of our community. We embrace the Cougar Character values of courage, respect, individuality, integrity and loyalty. We are proud of our students and their many accomplishments, both in terms of academic success and community stewardship. Colonel By students have a tradition of commitment to their personal well‐being, their school, their community, and their environment. They give generously to their communities on the local, national and international level. To date, Colonel By has raised over $100 000 for not‐for‐profit organizations. In 2015-16:

87 % of our graduates were Ontario Scholars (with an 80% average).

51 % of our graduates earned Silver Medals (over 90% average).

158 graduating students earned IB diplomas in addition to their OSSD.

Our Staff

Professional excellence defines our teaching and support staff. Staff demonstrate commitment to their students through ongoing professional development, IB training, computer literacy, and professional work at universities. Developed by staff at Colonel By, CougarVision, our in‐school television station, manifests technological innovation that provides teachers with local, national, and international links and partnerships. In addition to their teaching workload, many teachers volunteer to coach our 35 athletic teams and to supervise our 30 plus clubs. This kind of co‐curricular involvement speaks volumes about CB staff’s commitment to our students and our school.

Our Community

At Colonel By, we believe that education is indeed a partnership between home and school. Our School Council is an effective voice for parents and it has long been a strong advocate for our school. We work collaboratively to keep our families and community informed of educational issues and school activities. We meet on the third Tuesday of each month, at 7:00 p.m., in our library. All parents are encouraged to attend.

Colonel By has a long‐standing tradition of community stewardship. This tradition is based on a philosophy of partnering with our community and challenging students and their families to accept the responsibility of working together to make our world a better place

Mission Statement

Colonel By Secondary School is a caring community committed to helping our students thrive as responsible, productive members of society by promoting:

• An attitude of mutual respect, support, and courtesy for all
• A spirit of life‐long learning
• The achievement of personal and academic excellence
• A stimulating and challenging learning environment.

Programs and Services

Academic Programs

Colonel By provides a full range of academic programs, offering pathways in English and French Immersion. As well as an exemplary Ontario Diploma (OSSD) program, we offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program. The IB program is an international diploma program which is recognized by universities throughout the world. Students are admitted into Colonel By’s pre‐IB program in grades 9 and 10. Students presently in IB programs elsewhere may transfer to Colonel By in all grades levels (space permitting). We offer an extensive Cooperative Education program, a comprehensive Arts program (Visual Arts, Ceramics, Music and Musical Theatre), and a dynamic Athletics program, including Outdoor Education and Personal Fitness. Recently we have added classes in Yearbook Design and Production and Social Justice to our complement of courses.

Classroom Organization

Colonel By Secondary School is a composite secondary school operating on a non‐semestered system. Courses are full‐ year, running from September until June. Our school day consists of four seventy‐five minute classes per day. Band courses operate outside the regular school day schedule.

Special Education

The Special Education department at Colonel By operates as a cohesive unit and collaborates with families and teachers to help all students to achieve their personal best.

Our counsellors, Learning Support teachers, and Student Success teacher meet regularly to ensure that support systems are in place for all students. In addition to accommodations for students with IPRCs and IEPs, we offer lunch‐time drop‐in help sessions, an in‐school tutorial program, After School Assistance Program, and Time Management, Organizational, and Study Skills Workshops.

We help students to connect with resource centres at universities and colleges to ensure continued success at the post‐secondary level.

Student Activities

Athletics: Badminton, baseball, basketball, cross‐country running, cross‐country skiing, downhill skiing, field hockey, football, hockey, rugby, soccer, swimming, tennis, touch football, track and field, volleyball, ultimate Frisbee (club sport), and an extensive intramural program.

Music: Jazz Band and Beginners’ Band, Bands including concert and small ensembles (e.g. flute), Musical Theatre Program, “C Flats” and Vocal Jazz.

Clubs, Councils and Activities: Colonel By has an active club system that is updated each year based on student interest. There is a broad range of clubs at CB each year. This list is a sample of the types of clubs that run most often:   Amnesty International, Anime, Arts Council, Athletic Association, Book Club, Black History Group, C‐Flats, CAPPIES, Ceramics, Chess, Debating, French Speaking, FROGG (Environment), Math Club, Model UN, Open Eyes, Politics & Philosophy, Reach for the Top, Robotics, SAFE, Ski Club, SLAV (Sound, Light, Audio, Video), Spanish, Startline Christian Club, Students’ Council, United Cultures, Visual Arts and Writers’ Club.

Safe School Initiatives

All members of the Colonel By community recognize the importance of a safe school environment in the overall learning process. As part of our yearly “check list,” we review with students and staff our Code of Behaviour and our responses to potential emergency situations. We work with our school team and our School Resource Officer to practice fire drills and lock‐downs throughout the year.

We support a safe and caring environment with positive relationships in our school community through collaborative programs and clubs. Each year, the school posts a list of clubs on our website for students to consider. The school also hosts a club information fair that offers students the opportunity to connect with current club members to learn more.

Facilities and Resources

Colonel By is a well‐equipped school located in an inviting park‐like setting. Our facilities include:

• Six computer labs, updated with current technology and modular set ups
• One design and technology lab
• Two visual art rooms
• Two music rooms
• A double gymnasium
• A dance studio and weight room
• A fully-serviced library, with a computer lab
• Achievement and School Improvement Planning

Academic Highlights

Our academic trends are very positive. Credit accumulation and OSSLT results are well above average. Our School Learning Plan has a focus on student well‐being and student achievement.

• Music Awards
• Junior Concert Band – Gold Award (Musicfest Regionals)
• Intermediate Concert Band – Gold Award (Musicfest Regionals)
• Senior Concert Band – Gold Award (Musicfest Regionals)
• Senior Jazz Band – Gold Award (Musicfest Regionals)

CB’s vocal ensemble, the C‐Flats, perform numerous concerts for local elementary schools and traditionally enjoy a sell‐out concert for the annual “Night with C Flats”.   The group also travels to music festivals across North America, including Boston, New York City, and Washington, DC. At their most recent Heritage Music Festival, the ensemble was awarded a Gold standard, and best vocal ensemble in their category.

Athletic Championships

• Tennis - NCSSAA 'B' Champions
• Sr. Girls' Basketball - NCSSAA Tier 2 Champions
• Swimming - NCSSAA Sr. Boys and Sr. Girls' Aggregate Champions, OFSAA Jr. Girls Inpidual Event
• X-Country Running - East Conference Midget Boys' Champions
• Sr. Girls' Volleyball - NCSSAA Tier 1 Finalists
• Field Hockey - NCSSAA Tier 1 Finalists
• Jr. Boys' Volleyball - NCSSAA Tier 1 Finalists

Local. National, and International Fundraising Initiatives

• Gloucester Emergency Food Cupboard
• The Hospice at May Court
• Shepherds of Good Hope
• Canadian Cancer Society – Relay for Life
• The Red Cross
• Foster Parents Plan
• Girls’ Leadership Camp in Lesotho

The whole school participates in numerous initiatives to help the less fortunate, from local and national fund‐raising to awareness campaigns in support of human rights internationally.

School Improvement Plans and Initiatives

For the academic years 2014-15 and 2015-16, Colonel By staff focused on engagement of students with existing supports. Using descriptive feedback and student evidence records, along with 1:1 teacher-student conferences, the objective was to engage students in their own learning with the result of improving learning outcomes across all student cohorts.

In 2016-17 our focus is collaborative teacher teams to build on our capacity to support students to make connections to school and with their learning.  Our focus will be on rich tasks and increasing student confidence and consistency in their academic performance.

Our interactive website provides a wealth of information about School Council news, course work, upcoming events, CougarVision, a course calendar, and much more. Our Multimedia Distribution System provides Colonel By with “CougarVision” (Canada’s first all‐digital television station, commercial‐free educational programming through “Cable in the Classroom”) and provides opportunities for teachers to conduct teleconferencing from within their classroom to and from anywhere in the world.

Colonel By is one of 81 schools in North America selected to participate in the Network of Innovative Schools using information and communications technology in meaningful and imaginative ways to improve learning. Our library, a curriculum teaching centre, has a collection of 16,000 books covering a wide range of topics to support all programs. New in 2015, the library also provides lendable technology in the form of iPads and Chromebooks for both inpidual and class use. The library makes extensive use of technology to assist with research requirements across the spectrum of courses. There is an impressive list of databases (including J‐Star for accessing academic journals), encyclopedias, and on‐line magazines for students and staff to consult as needed. Teachers also benefit from an extensive professional library collection. Our partnership with Carleton University provides opportunities for senior students to use the university library resources.

Our interdisciplinary studies courses allow students to make cross‐curricular connections. We welcome approved volunteers into our school and classrooms for student support.

Leadership Recognition Students

Colonel By promotes the proven research that demonstrates that students who are positively engaged in extra‐ curricular activities have higher success rates in their academic endeavours. Our Student Council representatives are a dynamic team who avidly organize a wide variety of activities to promote school spirit (assemblies, spirit weeks, two successful Leadership Camps, school dances). Our leadership programs (Students’ Council / LINK) mentor inpidual students as they develop leadership skills, and ensure that students in all academic programs share the Cougar spirit. Our Club Summit collaborates at the leadership level to ensure our school-wide events and activities are inclusive and aligned with school goals. In addition, Colonel By Secondary School is a proud participant of Live it Active, aimed at increasing physical activity levels among adolescents. Many CB students are engaged in both extra-curricular athletics and activities beyond the school, including as community volunteers.

Leadership Recognition Staff

Our staff is a highly trained group of life‐long learners who take pleasure in sharing their expertise in their subject areas, as well as in their extra‐curricular engagements. In addition to participating in a wide variety of Board‐led professional development opportunities, they are active in school‐based committees such as the Professional Learning Community, a pro‐active Literacy Committee, as well as the Numeracy Task force to support students’ learning. Teachers are encouraged and supported to enhance their personal goals, through attending conferences and sharing their skills with their peers. The Performance Appraisal process allows the Administration to encourage inpidual teachers in their personal learning plans and to offer support where indicated. Our teachers’ accomplishments are applauded in staff meetings, school newsletters, and through the School Council’s luncheons in their honour. We are privileged to have award winning teachers on staff.

Parents/Guardians/Volunteers

Colonel By has an extremely supportive School Council who willingly support school initiatives such as Relay for Life, our Open Eyes project, as well as by providing volunteers who help out with the IB and other programs. The Council has offered financial support to such school projects as the Environmental Group’s butterfly garden, support for enhancements to our classrooms and shared spaces, as well as their time and energy in helping out with outings and in‐school activities. In 2016, our School Council donated iPads and Chromebooks to our lendable technology program in the school’s Library. Our annual volunteer appreciation event allows us to recognize their many hours of support.

Community

Colonel By students benefit from the numerous members of our community who give of their time to share their skills and experience, for example, in discussions with specific curricular activities, as well as in school‐wide presentations such as the November Remembrance Day assembly and other formal presentations. Their presence at awards ceremonies and school celebrations gives the school the opportunity to recognize their invaluable contributions to the enhancement of the Colonel By student experience. Colonel By appreciates all the support of parent volunteers and community coaches who give of their time and expertise for students and student activities.