Guidance

Students can schedule appointments using ECSS’s booking system through TeachAssist. 

To book an appointment, please follow and complete ALL steps listed below:

1. Log into TeachAssist account through ta.yrdsb.ca.
   1. On the TeachAssist home screen, scroll down to the heading Appointment Bookings (under the ECSS calendar heading)
   2. Select the desired date for the appointment – students cannot schedule appointments for the same day, so please select the next school day. If there are no times listed for the counsellor on a particular day, it means they are already fully booked, so please select the next available day/time.
   3. Select the time of the appointment that is desired and available for the designated Alpha Guidance Counsellor
   4. Indicate the reason from the list provided
   5. Click Submit Reason
2. On the day of the Guidance appointment, ALL students will need to inform their classroom teacher at the beginning of class of their appointment.  Students should leave class a couple of minutes prior to their appointment time. Please be reminded that counsellors will not be calling into classes to remind students of their scheduled appointment. 

Please note:  If a student misses their appointment, they will need to reschedule it for another time.

IPP - Individual Pathway Plan

Students at Emily Carr Secondary School will be visiting their Individual Pathway Plan (IPP) twice a year - in grade 9 during their Science class, in grade 10 during their Career Studies class, in grade 11 during their Mathematics class, and in grade 12 via various activities as posted to their All Things Grade 12 Google Classroom. Students will also visit their IPP during course selection time and exit survey time.  

Students will be using myPathwayPlanner (myBlueprint) as the online tool to access their IPP. They will have the opportunity to complete multiple self assessments, reflect on these interesting inventories, create a personal portfolio, and learn about other features that are available to support future planning.

Students will use their gapps login information to sign into their myPathwayPlanner account. The login page can be accessed by clicking on the myPathwayPlanner icon below.

Depending on their level of engagement with myPathwayPlanner last year, students will be working on different phases of the assigned IPP activities.  

Phase 1 is first activity for all students.  All students in Grade 9 will start at Phase 1.  If Grade 10 or 11 students have fully completed this assignment, they should proceed to Phase 2.  As students proceed, the expectation is they will have the opportunity to complete all four IPP phases by the end of their Grade 12 year.​

Students may not have time to complete all of these steps during the allotted IPP class time, however, students may access their pathway planner using myPathwayPlanner (myBlueprint) anytime, from any computer, using the myPathwayPlanner icon and their gapps login and password.​

Phase 1 - Getting Started

When your begin to work on the IPP, please follow these steps:

1. Open and read through the "Getting Started with My Pathway Planner" PowerPoint. All of the instructions you need for the steps below are on this google slides presentation.
2. Click on the My Pathway Planner icon above and log in.
3. Begin with the "Learning Styles" survey in the "Who Am I?" section of your account.
4. Set up a new portfolio called "My Pathway Plan" and save your Learning Styles results to the portfolio (see slides 8-12 in the PowerPoint presentation for instructions on how to do this)​. You can customize your portfolio any time.
5. Click on the "Learning Styles" box in your portfolio to add a reflection. Reflect on your results by answering the following questions: Is there anything in your learning styles report that confirms what you already know about yourself? Is there anything in the report that surprises you?
6. Return to the "Who Am I?" section of your account and begin the "Interests" Survey. Add your results to your My Pathway Planner portfolio and reflect on the results by answering these questions: How do these results compare with the things you like to learn about in school? How might these results influence your pathway choices?
7. By completing these two surveys, you will have unlocked "Occupation Matches" - click on the Occupation Matches to see your suggestions. Clicking on a career will open more information. Follow through the next steps in the PowerPoint to find a career that most interests you and add it to your portfolio.
8. Using the Navigation Menu, go to the Home screen and then choose "Goals". Following the steps in the PowerPoint, add two goals to your portfolio. Think about what tasks you will need to complete in order to achieve your goals and add those as well.

Phase 2 - My Personality, My Goals

​In this phase, you will increase your awareness of the characteristics or qualities that make up your personality. Please follow these steps:

1. Complete the “Personality” assessment in the “Who Am I?” section of your account.  Take a few minutes to reflect on your results.
2. Download the “Phase 2 - My Personality” Worksheet​.  Name the file “Phase 2 – My Personality” Worksheet.
3. Using the results from the “Personality” assessment, answer the questions on the “Phase 2 - My Personality” Worksheet.  Please type your answers directly on to the downloaded sheet.​
4. Save your completed worksheet to your “My Pathway Plan” portfolio (see How to Save Your Files to Your "My Pathway Plan" Portfolio below, or review slides 8-12 in the PowerPoint presentation in Phase 1, for instructions on how to do this).
5. Using the Navigation Menu, go to the Home screen and then choose "Goals". Following the steps from the PowerPoint in Phase 1, review the two goals you initially added to your portfolio.  Now that you have finished Phase 2, would you like to revise your goals?  Would you like to add another goal?  Please make any revisions or additions you feel are appropriate.

How to Save Your Files To Your "My Pathway Plan" Portfolio.

1. In the left hand navigation menu of myPathwayPlanner, click Home and select Portfolios.
2. Select the Portfolio called “My Pathway Plan” (or click + Add Portfolio if you have not created this portfolio in Phase 1).
3. Add this worksheet to your portfolio. To do so, click + Add Box > + Add Media > select File > choose Select Files to Upload  > find and choose “Phase 2 – My Personality” Worksheet > click Upload  > click Post

Phase 3 - My Knowledge, My Career

In this phase, you will begin with a reflection on your favourite subject areas, and discover how this may influence your career direction. Please follow these steps:

1. In the left hand navigation menu of myPathwayPlanner, click Home and select Portfolios.
2. You will be creating a Journal where you will answer the following questions:  What do you enjoy learning about?  What are your favourite subject areas?  What are some careers you are considering? How do they relate to your subject areas?
3. To create this Journal, please select the Portfolio called “My Pathway Plan” (or click + Add Portfolio if you have not created this portfolio in Phase 1 or 2).
4. Next, click + Add Box > + Add Journal > enter a title (optional), type your journal in the description box, and a media file (i.e. picture) if you so choose > click Post
5. Return to the homepage and enter the “Who Am I?” section of your account.
6. Complete the “Knowledge” survey in the “Who Am I?” section.  Take a few minutes to reflect on your results.
7. Download the "Phase 3 - My Knowledge" Worksheet​​.  Name the file “Phase 3 – My Knowledge” Worksheet.
8. Using the results from the “Knowledge” assessment, answer the questions on the “Phase 3 - My Knowledge” Worksheet.  Please type your answers directly on to the downloaded sheet.​
9. Save your completed worksheet to your “My Pathway Plan” portfolio (see How to Save Your Files to Your "My Pathway Plan" Portfolio below, or review slides 8-12 in the PowerPoint presentation​ in Phase 1, for instructions on how to do this). ​

How to Save Your Files To Your "My Pathway Plan" Portfolio.

1. In the left hand navigation menu of myPathwayPlanner, click Home and select Portfolios.
2. Select the Portfolio called “My Pathway Plan” (or click + Add Portfolio if you have not created this portfolio in Phase 1 or 2).
3. Add this worksheet to your portfolio. To do so, click + Add Box > + Add Media > select File > choose Select Files to Upload  > find and choose “Phase 3 – My Knowledge” Worksheet > click Upload  > click Post

Phase 4 - My Post-Secondary Path

During this final phase, you will be provided with various questions that you should possibly consider when beginning to plan for your future.  It will focus on helping you make a smooth transition to postsecondary. Please follow these steps:

1. In the left hand navigation menu of myPathwayPlanner, click Home and select Portfolios.
2. You will be creating a Journal where you will answer the following questions:  What images/ideas/expectations do you have of post-secondary?  What common skills do you think will be very important to have as you move on to post-secondary, no matter the pathway you choose? Do you already have an idea of what you would like to do?  If not, what kind of information do you need to help you plan/choose?​
3. To create this Journal, please select the Portfolio called “My Pathway Plan” (or click + Add Portfolio if you have not created this portfolio in Phase 1, 2 or 3).
4. Next, click + Add Box > + Add Journal > enter a title (optional), type your journal in the description box, and a media file (i.e. picture) if you so choose > click Post
5. Download the “Phase 4 - Exploring and Prepari​ng For Post-Secondary Options” Worksheet.​  Name the file “Phase 4 - Exploring and Preparing For Post-Secondary Options” Worksheet.
6. Please type your answers directly on to the downloaded sheet.​
7. Save your completed worksheet to your “My Pathway Plan” portfolio (see How to Save Your Files to Your "My Pathway Plan" Portfolio below, or review slides 8-12 in the PowerPoint presentation​ in Phase 1,​ for instructions on how to do this). ​​​
8. Now that you completed the “Phase 4 - Exploring and Preparing For Post-Secondary Options” Worksheet, please revisit your Journal.  Please add three questions you would like to ask your guidance counsellor.  (And then please make a Guidance Appointment to get your questions answered.  Your Guidance Counsellor wants to help you).

How to Save Your Files To Your "My Pathway Plan" Portfolio.

1. In the left hand navigation menu of myPathwayPlanner, click Home and select Portfolios.
2. Select the Portfolio called “My Pathway Plan” (or click + Add Portfolio if you have not created this portfolio in Phase 1, 2 or 3).
3. Add this worksheet to your portfolio. To do so, click + Add Box > + Add Media > select File > choose Select Files to Upload  > find and choose  “Phase 4- Exploring and Preparing For Post-Secondary Options” Worksheet > click Upload  > click Post​​