Bradford District High School Newsletter, January 2026
Principal’s Message:
Happy New Year, Bradford District High School community!
December was a month filled with celebration, collaboration, and school spirit. We are proud of the many successes and events that brought our school and community together, including our Holiday Food Drive to support The Bradford Helping Hand Food Bank, and the incredible success of our first Heritage Fair, which showcased a vast array of our students’ historical inquiry projects. We also celebrated big wins from our basketball and swim teams, and many of our students enjoyed the positive energy at the South Simcoe Kempenfelt Hockey Cup held at the Sadlon Arena in Barrie. In addition, our Arts Night featured amazing talent, and the events of our Holiday Spirit Week, hosted by our Student Council, were a fantastic way to close out the year. Thank you to everyone who contributed to making December such a memorable month!
Looking ahead, we are excited to welcome Grade 8 students and their families to our upcoming Grade 8 Information Night on Wednesday, January 14th, beginning at 5:30 PM. This is a great opportunity to learn about our curriculum offerings, specialized programs, extensive extracurricular activities, and the wide range of athletic opportunities that BDHS has to offer.
As we approach the end of semester one, please note the following important dates:
- Culminating Task Days: Wednesday, January 21st – Monday, January 26th
- Feedback, Recovery & Improvement Days: Tues. Jan. 27th – Thurs. Jan. 29th
For additional information about these days, please see further detail provided in this month’s newsletter. A reminder that good attendance during the time of culminating tasks and final examinations is key. We encourage students and families to maintain open communication with teachers regarding academic progress to ensure a strong finish to the semester. As always, should assistance be needed with connecting with a teacher, please contact our main office.
In closing, I wish to thank everyone for your continued support and partnership in promoting student success. Our school team looks forward to a new year of fostering personal growth and academic achievement.
Yours sincerely,
Heather Lagace
Key Dates to Remember:
January 14th – Grade 8 Information Night – 5:30 – 7:30pm
January 14th and 15th – Grade 9 EQAO Math Assessments (semester 1 math (MTH1W) students only)
January 21st – 26th – Culminating Task Days
January 27th – 29th – Feedback, Recovery and Improvement Days
January 30th – PA Day
February 2nd – Semester 2 begins
February 13th – Semester 1 Final Report Cards sent home
School Council
The BDHS School Council continues to meet, and all are welcome to join! School council is a committee made up of elected parents/guardians, community representatives, staff, and students that help to provide the community voice and parent/guardian perspective on important school topics. Our next meeting will be held on Monday January 12th at 6:00pm in the school library. Please see https://bdh.scdsb.on.ca/parents/school_council for more information on our Council, and to view our most recent school council minutes.
High School Information Night
BDHS will be hosting a High School Information Night for our future students, currently in Grade 8. This event will be on Wednesday, January 14th from 5:30 to 7:30 PM at BDHS. There will be an opportunity to tour the school, receive information about courses and graduation requirements, and have questions about high school answered. All are welcome!
Culminating Task Days and Feedback, Recovery & Improvement Days
Culminating task days will take place on Jan. 21, 22, 23, and 26, 2026.
- There will be four culminating task days.
- Each day will begin with a 120-minute period dedicated to students completing their culminating task.
- Culminating tasks come in a variety of forms such as assignments, presentations, conferences, interviews, and exams.
- Teachers will determine the method that best meets the requirements of the course and the needs of the students.
- The school day will be structured into three periods.
- There will be no new learning or assessment and evaluation (other than the culminating task) during these days.
Feedback, recovery, and improvement days will take place on Jan. 27, 28, and 29, 2026.
- These will occur in the remaining three days of the semester.
- Students can attend to complete assignment(s), receive feedback, or improve an area of missed expectation.
- Students will be provided with a reflection form that they are encouraged to complete before attending these days. They will be asked to reflect on their learning and develop a plan to improve their learning, if they choose, based on specific areas of the course expectations.
- Teachers will be available to assist students in completing the form, if necessary.
- All students have the option to attend the feedback, recovery, and improvement days
BDHS Guidance Update
Timetable Changes for 2nd Semester
Students will be able to view their timetable for 2nd semester in their student portal. The student portal can be accessed via this link: https://www.scdsb.on.ca/student_dashboard . Please note that the semester 2 course schedule has a number of full classes, and that options for changes may be limited. Priority will be given to those requesting pathway changes and students with incomplete timetables.
There will be a Google Form posted in the Guidance D2L site the week of January 5th , where students can request a timetable change. Guidance counsellors will address these requests in the order that students submit the form. Please note that if a student is not in class when Guidance contacts them, the counsellor will move to the next student on the list.
Course Selection for the 2026-27 School Year
The process for course selection for next year will begin soon. Course selection will be made through the My Blueprint program, which opens on Monday February 2, and closes on Monday, March 2, 2026.
All grade 9-11 classes will participate in course selection seminars, and will have the assistance of a guidance counsellor to complete the process. The course calendar is posted on the BDHS website, here:
https://scdsboncabdh.ss14.sharpschool.com/departments/Guidance_Home/course_selection
Reminder: Deadlines for OUAC and OCAS Applications (for universities and colleges)
The Ontario Universities' Application Centre (OUAC) is now open, and the application deadline for equal consideration is January 15th.
The Ontario College Application Service (OCAS) is also open and the application deadline for equal consideration is February 1st.
*Students are advised to ensure they are following the Guidance D2L, as we will be posting updated information about programs, timelines, scholarships, etc.
*Students are also encouraged to make guidance appointments with their counsellor, to further discuss their options. In advance of this appointment, it is helpful to complete some research to better guide the discussion.
Scholarship Report
Graduating students have access to a newsletter called, “The Scholarship Report.” This online resource provides helpful information as your student prepares for their post-secondary education.
In addition to the information that our guidance department shares regularly, The Scholarship Report posts information on postsecondary events and opportunities, application tips, advice from experts, campus open house schedules, career resources, and lists of curated scholarship and bursaries, and other ways to pay for school.
Please use this link to access The Scholarship Report:
Fall 2025 Scholarship Report
Password: SEPTSCHOLAR25
The Trades Report
Students also have access to a newsletter called, “The Trades Report.” This resource provides valuable information about pursuing a career in the trades, opportunities in high school, career fairs, and spotlights specific trades by interviewing workers in that field.
Please use this link to access The Trades Report:
Fall 2025 Trades Report
Password: TTR2526
Should you have any questions, please contact your student’s Guidance Counsellor.
Guidance Appointment Process
BDHS students can book a guidance appointment with their guidance counsellor online. Guidance counsellors each have their own list of students that are assigned by alpha. Students can book a specific date/time but are reminded to wait in their classroom to be called down to Guidance. Their counsellor will do their best to honour the date/time requested, but please bear in mind that things can come up unexpectedly, and we appreciate their patience if there is a need to re-book appointments.
BDHS Guidance Counsellors:
Ms. Benjafield: for students who have surnames that start with A - E
Ms. Accettola: for students who have surnames that start with F - L
Ms. Ketcheson: for students who have surnames that start with M - R
Mr. Basinger: for students who have surnames that start with S-Z
Ms. Dunn: for Multilingual Learners
Jedi Club Winter Clothing and Hygiene Items Drive
The Jedi (justice, equity, diversity, inclusion) Committee is gathering winter clothing, including jackets, snow, pants, socks, boots, mitts, hats, etc. to support the Blue Door shelter. We are also collecting toiletries, including soap, deodorant, shaving foam, shampoo, conditioner, etc. Donations can be dropped off in the front hall until the end of January. Thank you so much for your support!
Specialist High Skills Major Program (SHSM)
Are you currently in grade 10 and interested in joining SHSM next year? Well, you are in luck, applications for the 2026/2027 year are open!
What is SHSM? A Specialist High Skills Major program (SHSM) provides grade 11 and 12 students with an opportunity to focus their learning and gain valuable experience for both work and post-secondary opportunities. Upon graduation, students are given a specialized red seal SHSM diploma and transcript which demonstrates they have learned the knowledge and skills of today’s sector specific requirements. The program is open to ALL grade 11 and 12 students. BDHS has four different SHSM programs: Hospitality & Tourism, Information & Communications Technology, Construction, and Transportation.
The SHSM program requires students to complete a total of four grade 11/12 Construction, Information & Communications Technology, Hospitality & Tourism, or Transportation courses. Along with 4 supporting credits in English, math, business or science.
SHSM also requires a total of 2 co-operative education credits linked to the chosen SHSM sector. In addition to the course requirements, students must complete a designated amount of compulsory and elective sector-recognized certifications and/or training courses/programs, along with experiential learning opportunities. SHSM students also get "first pick" to some of our most sought-after courses!
Need more information? See: SHSM Explained
Interested in joining? Email Mrs. Dunn in guidance: [email protected]
EQAO Math Assessments
On Wednesday January 14th and Thursday January 15th, students in semester one Grade 9 mathematics courses (MTH1W) who are learning in person will be taking part in the online Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics administered by the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO). This assessment is administered province-wide and has been developed by Ontario teachers and assessment experts. It is designed to allow students to demonstrate their skills and knowledge relating to mathematics as described in The Ontario Curriculum, Grade 9: Mathematics (2021).
Students will complete the assessment in two sessions (Session A and Session B) on one of these days, and their math teacher will advise them of the day they will complete the assessment. Each session will be completed in one sitting and will take approximately 60 minutes. The assessment uses a multi-stage computer adaptive testing model that adapts to the individual student’s performance as the student progresses through each session. Students will also be presented with a questionnaire.
After the assessment sessions are complete, teachers will receive an Individual Student Report for each student. Results from this assessment will be included as part of a student’s final course mark.
Students will have the opportunity to become familiar with the types of questions on the online assessment and its platform through EQAO’s online sample test.
For more information about EQAO and to view a sample test, visit EQAO’s website, www.eqao.com.
Athletics Update
Winter Sports are officially underway! In December, BDHS participated in the Kempenfelt Cup, which proved to be a fantastic school-wide event. Students showed tremendous school spirit, filling the stands and enthusiastically cheering on our teams.
In addition, the BDHS swim team competed at the GBSSA Championships and delivered outstanding performances across the board. A special shout-out goes to Ryley and Thev, who qualified to represent BDHS at OFSAA in March. Congratulations to both athletes on this impressive achievement!
BDHS Co-operative Education
We are so grateful for our community partners who support the Co-operative Education Programs at BDHS by mentoring our students. This month features a student
at Bradford Greenhouses and at Smartway Trailer Rentals:
Donations to Bradford District High School
Families and community members of BDHS have reached out to ask how they can best support students at our school. One tremendous way to support is through a donation. Should you be interested in making a donation to BDHS, please see the link below for more information.
Donations to Bradford District High School.pdf
SCDSB News Items
This month, the SCDSB is sharing information related to the below topics.
Provide your feedback on the proposed SCDSB 2026-27 school year calendar
- Inclement weather and bus cancellation information reminder
- Kindergarten registration for September 2026 is open!
- Is your child turning four in 2026? Get ready for kindergarten with us!
- How is your infant, toddler, or preschool child developing?
- Licensed March Break school age childcare programs
- Check out the SCDSB News video series
- High school information events for Grade 8 students
- SCDSB families invited to explore math games and activities at Family Math Nights in February 2026
- What is mental health? Introducing By Your Side resource
- Culminating Task Days and Feedback, Recovery, and Improvement Days (secondary)
- Enabling Multi-Factor Authentication on Student Devices
- School playground structures are closed for the winter
- Character recognition nominations
- Interested in learning more about special education in the SCDSB?
- New year, new math activities!
- Your child’s immunization record
- January PA Days
To read this information, visit the SCDSB website.