2023-24 COURSES

What You Need & Who Can Register

WHAT YOU NEED (mandatory):

• • EMAIL: a unique, personal email address that you check daily (NOT @gotvdsb.ca)
  • PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP: (birth certificate, passport, status card, PR card, Refugee Document, immigration papers, etc.)
  • ID:  photo identification (driver's license, immigration documents, passport, photo card, Health Card with your OHIP number obscured, etc.)
  • Transcripts for ALL courses taken outside of this school board (Thames Valley District School Board)
  • OEN: Ontario Education Number for Ontario students of the last 15 years
  • Technology: a computer and reliable internet connection

• Who can register?
• 18 years of age or older
• not currently attending another high school
• resident of Oxford, Elgin or Middlesex county in Ontario, Canada (Visa residents excepted)

If you have questions regarding registration, please email us at: AdultDaySchool@tvdsb.ca 

Frequently Asked Questions

What to Expect: Course Commitments

• Each course is only 8 weeks long and will require an average of 3 hours of work daily.  If you are taking two courses, budget your time to include a minimum of 6 hours per day (30 hours per week).
• You will have some flexibility as to when you complete your online course during the day/week. You should do work each day.  Do not schedule your time to complete all work in 1-2 days per week.
• You must login daily to your online course(s) Monday to Friday, to check for assignments, tests, and messages from your teacher.
• You must attend your hybrid courses daily  - in person on Mondays, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and login online on Friday.
• Always reply to messages, emails, and phone calls from your teacher or the school.
• Be sure to stay on top of your course work and avoid falling behind. Our courses are completed in less than half the time of a traditional high school course. 
• You will be removed from your course if absences and missing assignments affect your ability to complete the course on time.
• Each course is taught by a Thames Valley Secondary School teacher. They provide academic support. You may use Brightspace to message them and schedule online meetings. Teachers will respond and can meet, during regular school hours, Monday to Friday (via telephone, Google Meet meetings, or in person).
• Login support is provided by AdultDaySchool@tvdsb.ca; our IT Team; and non-academic Brightspace processes are supported by Brightspace.

Please email your registration questions to: AdultDaySchool@tvdsb.ca

Course Descriptions & Pre-requisites

The following link to the Ontario Ministry of Education's Ontario Curriculum, Grade 9 - 12 Descriptions and Prerequisites document will provide you with information on each course we offer.  

Once the document is open, press Ctrl F for a search window.  Enter the first five characters of the course code you are interested in and click the down arrow until the window displays the full description and prerequisite.

A prerequisite is a course which the Ministry of Education has designated as a requirement to be completed prior to undertaking a course.

Link to Course Descriptions & Prerequisites

Reading the first five characters of a course code

The First 3 Characters:  The Course Subject

The subject of the course is identified by the first three characters of the course code. The first character identifies the department area.

For example, in ENG2D, the first letter “E” signifies English. The three letters representing the subject change depending on the course’s content. For example, EBT can be used as a code for an English course that focuses on business and technical communication.

Departments are identified by the first letter of the code:

•       A = Arts
•       B = Business
•       C = Canadian and World Studies
•       E = English
•       F = French
•       G = Guidance and Career Education
•       H = Humanities and Social Sciences
•       L = International Languages
•       M = Mathematics
•       P = Physical Education
•       S = Sciences
•       T = Technology.

The Fourth Character:  Grade Level

The fourth character of the course code identifies the grade level of the course. 1 = grade 9; 2 = grade 10; 3 = grade 11; and 4 = grade 12

For example, ENG2D, the fourth character “2” means this is a grade 10 course

The Fifth Character: 

Course Types: Grades 9 & 10 (Intermediate)

The four codes for grades 9 and 10 signify different types of coursework:

• D = Academic courses in grades 9 and 10 which cover standard core content for the subject and emphasize theory and conceptual learning. The sample course, ENG2DR, falls under this category. These courses are prerequisites for all streams of senior courses.
• P = Applied courses focus on the basic concepts, offering content that covers the essentials and concrete applications. Theory is incorporated as needed. These courses are prerequisites for college preparation courses.
• L = Locally developed courses are designed for students who need some flexibility and support to complete the requirements for subject areas. Locally developed courses help students prepare for further study as well.  These courses are prerequisites for workplace preparation senior courses.
• O = Open courses in grades 9 to 12 offer equal learning expectations for all students, preparing students for further study or enrichment in the subject matter.

Course Types: Grades 11 & 12 (Senior)

The five codes for grade 11 and 12 signify different types of coursework:

• C (College) = College preparation courses are designed to prepare students for meeting traditional college entrance requirements. Courses focus on theory, critical thinking, research, and problem-solving skills.
• E (Everyday) = Workplace preparation courses are geared toward moving students into the workplace or apprenticeship.
• M (Mixed)= University/College preparation courses offer content relevant to both university and college entrance requirements. Courses cover theory as well as direct application of the content in real-world situations.
• O (Open) = Open courses in grades 9 to 12 offer equal learning expectations for all students, preparing students for further study or enrichment in the subject matter. Open courses may be required or elective courses.
• U (University) = University preparation courses prepare students for meeting traditional university entrance requirements. Courses emphasize theory, independent research, and independent learning skills.

The Sixth Character: Course Format

The sixth character denotes the format of the course.  V is for online courses and 2 is for in-school courses offered at Wheable Education Centre in London.

Important Dates

During registration, courses close as they reach capacity which means some courses are closed within days of registration opening.  We do not offer waiting list services.

TIP:  register early!

2023-24 School Year

Term 1: September 28 - November 24, 2023

• Registration Begins: August 31, 2023 
• Registration Ends: September 20, 2023

• Classes Start: September 28, 2023

• Midterm Marks: October 26, 2023 
• Full Disclosure: November 2, 2023
• Classes End: November 24, 2023
• No Classes:
  • Monday, October 9, 2023 (Thanksgiving)
  • Friday, November 17, 2023 (Elementary school PA Day)

Term 2: December 4, 2022 - February 9, 2024

• Registration Begins: November 2, 2023
• Registration Ends: November 24, 2023
• Classes Start: December 4, 2023
• Midterm Marks: January 12, 2024
• Full Disclosure: January 19, 2024
• Classes End: February 9, 2024
• No Classes:
  • December 25, 2023 to January 5, 2024 (Winter Break)

Term 3: February 20, 2024 - April 24, 2024

• Registration Begins: January 18, 2024
• Registration Ends: February 12, 2024

• Classes Start: February 20, 2024

• Midterm Marks: March 25, 2024
• Full Disclosure: April 1, 2024
• Classes End: April 24, 2024
• No Classes:
• Family Day
  • March 11, 2024 to March 15, 2024 (Spring Break)
  • March 29, 2024 (Good Friday)
  • April 1, 2024 (Easter Monday)

Term 4: April 30 - June 26

• Registration Begins: March 29, 2024
• Registration Ends: April 21, 2024
• Classes Start: April 30, 2024
• Midterm Marks: May 28, 2024
• Full Disclosure: June 5, 2024
• Classes End: June 26, 2024
• No Classes on:
  • May 20, 2024 (Victoria Day)
  • May 31, 2024 (Elementary school PA Day)

This year we have two different models of learning:

1. Online Learning
   • The entire course will take place online using the Ministry of Education’s Virtual Learning Environment called Brightspace.
   • The course will be asynchronous, meaning there are no set times during the day that you need to be online. However, you must login to your course daily, Monday to Friday, and complete the work that is assigned for that day.
   • You must have access to a reliable computer with an internet connection in order to take an online course.
   • This model of learning will provide you with the most flexibility as to what time you complete your school work with no requirement to be in a school building.
2. Hybrid Learning (in-school)
   • For Tech courses (all course codes that begin with a "T") Monday through Thursday you must be at the Wheable Education Centre in London to attend your class. You must provide your own transportation to/from Wheable. The class will either run in the morning from 9:00am to 11:45am or in the afternoon from 12:30pm to 3:15pm (depending upon your course). Be sure to check the time of the course before registering for the course. You are not able to attend the class online on these days.   The online day for tech courses is Friday.
   • For all other in-school courses, you must be at the Wheable Education Centre in London to attend your class on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday.  You must provide your own transportation to/from Wheable. The class will either run in the morning from 9:00am to 11:45am or in the afternoon from 12:30pm to 3:15pm (depending upon your course). Be sure to check the time of the course before registering for the course. You are not able to attend the class online on these days. The online days for non-Tech courses are Wednesday and Friday.
   • On online days, the class will be online asynchronous, meaning you do not need to be in the Wheable centre (you can work from home) and there are no set times during the day you need to be online. However, you must login to your course, on all online days, and complete the work that is assigned for that day by the teacher.
   • Little, if any, of the course material for in-school days will be provided online. A hybrid course cannot be completed by doing only that work which is provided on online days.
   • The Ministry of Education’s Virtual Learning Environment called Brightspace will be used for the online components of your course.
   • This model of learning will provide you with the most direct access to a teacher as you will see them face-to-face when in the school, but provide you with some flexibility on Friday as you can determine when you will do the school work on those two days.

Chromebooks are not available for home use in the 2023-24 school year.

For hybrid courses only, teachers may provide Chromebooks for class time use on in-school days. These Chromebooks may not be taken  home.

Students who need to access a computer may visit the following TVDSB locations to use school computers during normal school hours.  These locations include:

• Blossom Park Adult Learning Centre, Woodstock, and
• G.A. Wheable Adult Education Centre, London

All students are encouraged to access other technology options in their community, such as the local public library, should a computing device be necessary.

If you are a client of Ontario Works, please contact them to inquire about what supports may be available to you.

• G.A. Wheable Adult Education Centre, London
• Blossom Park Adult Learning Centre, Woodstock

Information about the Brescia SWAU program is found on the Brescia SWAU website.

 About Us

With Adult & Continuing Education (aka Adult Day School) you can complete up to two high school credits in eight weeks. We have four terms in which you may take a maximum of two courses (credits) per term. Each course requires approximately three hours of work per day.  

Courses are available for students who wish to complete their Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD); upgrade existing courses for a post-secondary program; take new courses that are required for a post-secondary program; and for learners wishing to acquire new knowledge or skills.

Adult & Continuing Education courses are open to residents of Oxford, Elgin, and Middlesex counties who 18 years of age or older as of the first day of class.

When English is not your first language, we require Ontario course ESLDO or Canadian Language Benchmark level 7 in reading, writing, and speaking in order to proceed with Adult & Continuing Education courses. If you require English as a Second Language (ESL) upgrading, please contact: esl@tvdsb.ca.

There are no fees for TVDSB area residents with the exception of some multi-course certificate programs and students on a Student Visa.

While we do not offer IEP's or EA's, our teachers work with students to provide accommodations that will work within fixed term constraints (i.e. extra time for tests, etc.). We have a learning support teacher who can provide assistance for students who qualify for the credit recovery program.

Courses are offered in one of two learning formats: online; and in-school (also known as hybrid). Each term there are approximately 35 courses with three quarters online and one quarter in-school. Available courses change each term. All courses and programs are taught by a Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) teacher who is available for academic assistance.

In-school courses consist of a combination of in-class (either morning or afternoon, depending upon the course)  and online days. For all tech courses (the course code begins with "T"), in-school days are Monday through Thursday and the online day is Friday. For all other in-school courses, the in school days are Monday, Tuesday and Friday with the online days of Wednesday and Friday.  Morning classes are from 9:00 am - 11:45 am and afternoon classes are from 12:30 pm - 3:15 pm. In-school courses are offered at the Wheable, London location only. The course materials for in-school and online courses are different - you must participate in all five days of your course. You cannot elect to do only the in-school or only the online portion of the course.

Online courses can be completed at your preferred time of day but you must do course work each workday (approximately 3 hours per day per course). All course material, tests, and assignments are provided through the online learning platform, Brightspace. Teachers are available through Brightspace messaging, Google Meet, or by telephone or in-person appointment. You do not have to come into the Wheable Centre unless you book an in-person meeting with your teacher.

For students who do not have a computer or reliable internet connection, the Blossom Park and Wheable Learning Commons are open on all school days and available to for course work. To learn more about computer options, please see the 'Chromebooks' link on our webpage.

If you are a former TVDSB student and would like a listing of your completed courses & graduation requirements, lease provide the following information:

• your full legal name
• your date of birth
• the last school you attended
• the last year you attended
• one of the last courses you took
• a picture or scan of your photo ID

For students who are unsure what course to take, we recommend taking a course you are interested in (that you have not taken before) and then make an appointment with a guidance counsellor once term begins.

Once you are an active, registered student, you are eligible for guidance counsellor services. With a guidance counsellor, you can create a plan to complete your OSSD and/or prepare for a potential post-secondary school path. You may qualify for the Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) program which grants equivalency credits for educational, life, work, and volunteer experience. The PLAR program may reduce the number of elective credits required to graduate. If you are eligible (based on your registration information) we will contact you in the second week of term to begin this process.

The link to the registration form will be posted at the top of this webpage while registration for this term is open.  For the dates of of each registration period, please see the "Important Dates" section above.

Please consider subscribing to the webpage. You will receive email notification when registration opens for each term (only 4 emails per year).

Contacts & Links

Adult, Alternative & Continuing Education Email Contacts:

Thames Valley District School Board:

TVDSB Summer School (for currently registered TVDSB students only)
https://www.tvdsb.ca/summerprograms 

Adult & Continuing Education Awards & Bursaries, Graduating, Community Service Hours, PLAR information
https://www.tvdsb.ca/en/parents/guidance-services.aspx 

TVDSB transcript requests (for non-active students)
www.tvdsb.ca/transcripts

Ministry of Education Links:

Ontario Ministry of Education Adult & Continuing Education
https://www.ontario.ca/page/adult-learning-ontario-high-school-diploma#section-1

OCAS (Ontario College Application Service)
www.ocas.ca

OUAC (Ontario Universities Application Centre)
www.ouac.ca

Ontario Secondary School Curriculum (descriptions and prerequisites)
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/document/curricul/secondary/descript/descri9e.pdf

Independent Learning Channel (online courses through a joint Ministry of Education & TV Ontario program)
www.ilc.org

Western University
www.uwo.ca 

Fanshawe College
www.fanshawe.ca 

Community Organizations*

Cross Cultural Learner Centre (for newcomers to Canada, language benchmark testing, translation of original school transcripts)
www.lcclc.org 

Transcript conversion to Ontario equivalent courses (useful for students who may proceed to university)*
WES:   www.wes.org/ca

ICAS:  www.icascanada.ca

*We are not affiliated with community or third party organizations and provide these links because of recommendations from past students - not from our own experience.  Use at your own discretion. 

Textbooks

Adult Day School last distributed physical textbooks and collected a $100 deposit in January 2020. We will continue to accept the return of these textbooks, and refund the $100 deposit until June 30, 2022.

As of July 1, 2022 we will no longer provide refunds to textbooks which are returned to the Adult Day School.

Portals

• Brightspace Portal (Online Classroom)
• Educational (Parent) Portal