Thank you!

A huge thank you to all of our conference participants at our OSCA 2025 Conference: Leadership Starts Here—Empowering Leaders, Inspiring Change! To our Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze sponsors, our exhibitors, our presenters, and our delegates, thank you for making this year such a success!

We hope you were able to learn boldly, lead confidently, and connect meaningfully. 

We value your insights! 🌟 As a Guidance Teacher-Counsellor, your feedback plays a vital role in shaping meaningful support for students. Please take a few minutes to complete our short OSCA survey and share your experiences, ideas, and suggestions. Your voice helps us grow—thank you for being part of the conversation!

NEW WEBINAR! Tuesday, November 18th @ 10:00 AM
Bridging the Gap: New Pathways to Postsecondary Education for Workplace-Level Graduates

Students who complete workplace-level high school courses often face limited opportunities to pursue post-secondary education. Humber Polytechnic is working to change that! Join us for a focused webinar on Humber’s Exploratory Pathways Programs, designed specifically to support students from workplace-level streams. These innovative programs provide a structured, inclusive, and supportive entry point into post-secondary education, helping students gain the skills, confidence, and academic foundation needed to succeed. This 60-minute webinar is designed for guidance counsellors, student success teams, and educators who work with high school students in workplace-level courses. Together, we can reimagine postsecondary access and build bridges to success for students who need them most. Register Today!

⭐ Join OSCA/ACOSO’s Winter AQ Courses — Part 1, Part 2, and Specialist — Guidance and Career Education

📅 January 12th – March 6th
Registration Deadline : January 6th

Ready to elevate your impact in student support and career guidance ? Our Additional Qualification (AQ) courses are designed for educators who want to lead with empathie, expertise, and real-world insight.

Why Choose OSCA/ACOSO?

🧠Expertise You Can Trust: We’re leaders in the field of guidance and career education.
🧑🏫 Front-Line Instruction : Learn from an experienced Guidance Teacher-Counsellor actively working in schools.
🤝Authentic Peer Learning: Short, live sessions foster meaningful discussion and shared experiences.
Whether you're starting your journey or advancing to the Specialist level, our AQ courses offer the depth, flexibility, and relevance you need.

Spots are limited – secure yours today ! OSCA ACOSO AQ Course Registration

What our students are saying…
“This AQ Part 1 course is my favorite AQ course so far. The live classes with role-playing set this course apart; my co-workers who have done this course did not have an opportunity to do this in their virtual courses. Angela has been an amazing instructor—her kindness, calmness, and clarity are conveyed in her lessons and messages and reminds me of how an experienced guidance teacher/counselor should be like. Thank you for a great course ! I am looking forward to taking part 2 soon.”

“Angela is an excellent teacher. She is very knowledgeable and adapts to the group. It is my second time taking a class with her. I find her content relevant and interesting. She is very respectful of our own knowledge and time, making her Live Classes exactly 1 hour so it is easy to plan around, and the discussions were enriching.” 
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⭐Inscrivez-vous aux cours QA d’hiver offerts par l’OSCA/ACOSO – Partie 1, partie 2 et spécialiste – Orientation et formation au cheminement de carrière   

📅 12 janvier – 6 mars
Date limite pour l’inscription : 6 janvier

Êtes-vous prêts à renforcer votre impact en matière de soutien aux élèves et en orientation de carrière ? Nos cours de qualifications additionnelles (QA) sont conçus pour les éducateurs qui souhaitent diriger avec empathie, expertise et une perspective pratique et réaliste.

Pourquoi choisir l’OSCA/ACOSO ?

🧠Une expertise fiable : Nous sommes leaders dans le domaine de l’orientation et de la formation au cheminement de carrière.
🧑🏫Instruction de première ligne : Apprenez auprès d’un(e) enseignant(e)-conseiller(ère) en orientation chevronné(e) qui travaille activement en milieu scolaire.
🤝Un véritable apprentissage collaboratif : Séances courtes et en direct qui favorisent des discussions enrichissantes et le partage d’expériences.
Peu importe si vous débutez votre parcours ou si vous visez le niveau spécialiste, nos cours QA offrent la profondeur, la flexibilité et la pertinence dont vous avez besoin.

Les places sont limitées – réservez la vôtre dès aujourd’hui ! Inscription cours QA OSCA ACOSO

Ce que nos élèves disent…
« Ce cours QA partie 1 est jusqu’à présent mon cours QA préféré. Les cours en direct avec des jeux de rôle distinguent vraiment cette formation. Mes collègues qui ont suivi ce cours en mode virtuel n’ont pas eu l’occasion de vivre cette même expérience. Angela a été une formatrice exceptionnelle – sa gentillesse, son calme et sa clarté sont évidents dans ses leçons et ses messages. Elle incarne l’enseignant(e)-conseiller(ère) idéal(e). Merci pour ce super cours! J’ai hâte de bientôt suivre la partie 2. » [traduction libre]

« Angela est une excellente enseignante. Elle est très compétente et s’adapte au groupe. C’est la deuxième fois que je suis un cours avec elle. Je trouve son contenu pertinent et intéressant. Elle respecte beaucoup nos connaissances et notre temps, assurant que les cours en direct durent exactement une heure, ce qui facilite la planification, et les discussions étaient enrichissantes. »

Carleton Program Spotlight Events
Join us throughout November to learn about Humanities, Business, Health and Technology, Public and Global Affairs, Music, and Cognitive Science, Neuroscience and Psychology. Carleton Spotlight Events give you the chance to explore your program of choice, connect with professors, and learn what it’s like to be a student at Carleton.  

Faculty of Public and Global Affairs Showcase
Join us on campus on Saturday, November 8, as the Faculty of Public and Global Affairs showcases their exciting and innovative programs! You will get a chance to find your perfect program, connect with current students, and talk to professors.

Faculty of Engineering and Design Showcase
Spend the day at Carleton on Saturday, November 15, for a look into our Engineering and Design programs. Professors will provide live lab demonstrations, showcase fourth-year projects, and offer sample lectures. Current students will be present to discuss how they have made the most of our vibrant community—inside and outside the classroom.

Grade 12 Family Information Evening
Join us online or in person on Tuesday, December 2, at 6:30 p.m. ET for Carleton's Grade 12 Family Information Evening. Learn about admissions, scholarships and bursaries, co-operative education, residence, and the Carleton student experience. Hear from students who have found their passion at Carleton. 

Discover Carleton's campus
Take a tour of Carleton in November. Visit Carleton classrooms, lecture halls, and student service areas. Discover all the resources available to Carleton Ravens. Visit our website for dates, times, more information, and to register.

CERIC has launched the Career Myth Buster quiz—an engaging, evidence-based tool designed to help high school students—and those who support them—challenge common misconceptions about career planning. Developed in collaboration with Vox Pop Labs and myBlueprint, the quiz helps students see that careers are lifelong journeys, not one-time decisions, while normalizing uncertainty and building confidence to explore multiple pathways.

The quiz can be used in career classrooms as a discussion starter, in guidance sessions to uncover student beliefs, or at home with parents and caregivers to promote supportive conversations about the future. Each result encourages reflection and connects students with new perspectives to guide their next steps.

Take and share the quiz at https://www.careermythbuster.ca

 

 

We begin this article with a confession. We both LOVE experiential learning! We also love that our passion for experiential learning (EL) is clearly shared in K-12 curricula in every province and territory across Canada. Experiential learning, from an in-class activity to a co-op placement, when done well can be an amazing and transformative learning experience for many students. Consequently, as researchers, educators, and practitioners, we spend a significant amount of time thinking about "what actually makes EL work well?" And "How can EL be better for all?"

 

The Ontario Council for Technology Education (OCTE) is pleased to open our Call for Presenters for this spring’s conference, Technological Education: Pathways to Possibility, taking place at Caesar’s Convention Centre in Windsor, May 7-9, 2026. At the conference we will have a dedicated stream of professional development for guidance counselors to continue learning about skilled trades and Technological Education and invite you to consider presenting at our conference by completing our Spring 2026 Call for Presenters (deadline is November 15th). We also encourage you to attend our conference (stay tuned for registration opening in January). Click here for other OCTE updates, events, and opportunities.

We’re two admissions leaders working to reframe how families and institutions think about the gap year. I’m Carol, a former college admissions dean with more than 20 years in higher education, and I’m also a therapist who works with teens. My co-author, Becky Mulholland, is director of first-year admission and operations at the University of Rhode Island. Together, we’re building a new kind of gap year model, one that centers on intention, purpose, and career readiness for all.

The gap year concept is overdue for a cultural reset. Most popular options on the market focus on travel, outdoor adventure, or service learning, but they rarely emphasize self-exploration in conjunction with career readiness or curiosity about the future of work. The term itself is widely misunderstood and sometimes dismissed. Despite its reputation as a luxury for the privileged, it’s often the families juggling cost, stress, and uncertainty who stand to gain the most from a well-supported pause.