Parent Tips

What is Co-op

Co-op is offered to grade 11 and 12 students at Leaside High School.  Ms Angela Brown, Incharge of Leaside High School's Co-op program has put together an easy to follow presentation, What is Coop, that provides an overview of the types of co-op's available through Leaside High, the credits that can be earned, the process to follow if your student is interested and previous placements.

Please view the Co-op posters made by the students who have recently attended co-op

NOTE: Co-op credits do not count towards university acceptance but may be added to the Supplementary part of the application.  

Parent/Teacher Interviews

When do they take place? Parent/Teacher interviews happen twice a year in October and March/April.  They run in the afternoon as virtual appointment(s) (1:00-3:15 PM) and in the evening as In-Person appointment(s) (5:30-7:30PM).   Appointments are in 5 minute blocks.   The day after the interviews is always a late start (9:55 am).

Should you be unavailable on the afternoon/evening of Parent/Teacher interviews, please arrange with the teacher directly to schedule a phone interview.

How do I book interviews? Leaside High School uses the school appointment website.  One to two weeks in advance, the principal puts an announcement in the weekly newsletter indicating when the website will go live.   On that date, click the link, login with your account information. Click the "date" icon beside each child's name to schedule appointments. Select the staff you wish to book appointments with and the "" View Calendars button. Use the "Ctrl" or "Command" key to select multiple staff to view at the same time.You can make a maximum of four appointments per student.

Note: If you are new to the school appointments website, you will need to register first.  Register for an account by 

• clicking the "REGISTER" menu tab and filling in the on-line form. Choose a user id and password for yourself and then click the "Register Now" button.     

• Add your children into the system by clicking the "Add a Student" button. Click "Insert New" button to add more children.

How do they work? Appointments are booked online in advance.   For virtual appointments in the afternoon,  you will either be sent a link to attend the virtual meeting from the teacher, or it will be noted on the online appointments website.

The evening interviews are held in person at the school in various classrooms and the auditorium. On the day of the interviews each teacher has a student who monitors their appointments and helps them stay on time. 

Appointments are in 5 minute blocks; it is  appreciated that everyone is punctual and adherence to this timeframe.

Parent Tips:

• Book early - Appointments are first come, first served. So sign up early for the widest selection of times.

• Prioritize - Before booking, prioritize which teachers are most important to meet with and make appointments with them first. Some teachers fill up quickly.

• Be strategic - LSH is a big place to get around; remember to give yourself enough time between appointments. Be sure to write down the room number for each meeting in advance and have that with you (these are noted on the online appointments website). 

• Be clear and concise - Start by introducing yourself and stating who your student is to ensure you are with the right teacher at the right time. Keep chit-chat to a minimum. 

• Plan ahead - Use the interview to discuss anything related to your student. Some suggestions:

  • Academic progress (marks, meeting expectations, etc.)

  • Concerns 

  • How quizzes, tests, homework and assignments are going - are they on time and done well? 

  • How the teacher perceives your student's level of effort, focus and engagement

  • Information from home that may be impacting your student (unusual stressors, evenings or weekends that are busy, health concerns, extra-curriculars, etc.)

  • Struggles you may be having with your student at home. Is the teacher experiencing any struggles with your student?

  • Your student's behaviour, focus, conduct in class

  • Areas for improvement/next steps 

• Be action-oriented - End the interview with an action item if one is needed. Be sure you and the teacher both know what, if any, next steps are to be taken. 

• Include your student - Before attending interviews ask your student if there is anything they feel you should speak to the teacher about. For example, do they have any comments about the teaching or communication style of the teacher, feedback about how the class is running or social issues they'd like help with? 

• Use the Student Volunteers - Having trouble finding the right room to go to? Running early or late for an appointment? Ask a student volunteer for help - they are there for you! 

Parent Concern Protocol

On our Trustee’s website, there is a parent concern protocol to guide escalating any issues relating to your individual student. 

At LSH we follow the protocol, with an extra step between the teacher and the Principal where you should reach out to the VP before the Principal. You reach out to the VP based on the student's surname. 

Vice Principal's 

A – L – Austin Pool: Austin.pool@tdsb.on.ca  

M – Z – Ruth Kelly: ruth.kelly@tdsb.on.ca  

You can access the full list of teacher email addresses from the Leaside High website - https://schoolweb.tdsb.on.ca/leasidehs/About-Us/Our-Staff 

Assessment and Evaluation Practices

The following information is available in the student agenda.  The agenda is given to Grade 9 students.  For those who do not have a current agenda, the topics covered include:

• Course work

• Due dates

• Missed assignments and tests

• Missed exams or Final Culminating activities

• Moratoriums

Please reach out to the school administration team to get the full details of these topics.  

(Note: The Leaside High School website is currently being updated.  Once the information has been added to the Leaside High website, we will add links to the information)

Student Volunteer Hours

Students are required to complete a minimum of 40 hours of community involvement activities before graduation.  

You can find an overview of the Community Involvement requirements on the TDSB website.

Click here to access a copy of the TDSB Community Involvement Tracking Sheet with the list of TDSB Approved Activities and Ministry of Education Ineligible Activities.