Options Solutions Educational Consultants

Supplement Writing Workshop
2020-10-10 10:00 - 13:00 (America/Vancouver) | Virtual Format, Online
These sessions aim to help students complete the supplemental writing portions of their university and scholarship applications, including essays, personal statements, activities summaries and resumes.
Writing Workshop serves as an accessible introduction to university supplement writing, and students will leave the sessions with an understanding of effective written language use. We accommodate students working on a variety of projects all in the same session, and our writing coaches work personally with students on their unique pieces.

Students should have handy their list of universities and programs they are applying to for this session.
We strongly encourage all students to attend an Intro to Canadian Supplement Writing
Workshop before attending a Supplement Writing Workshop.

ACT/SAT Mock Exams and Debriefs
2020-10-07 | Virtual Format, Online
Join us for a 4-hour exam, exam marking (including customized essay marking), and a 3-hour debrief. Each student is given a cover sheet to help them understand their successes and identify their areas needing improvement. In order to get an accurate estimate of a student’s abilities, we use only officially released ACT and SAT exams. Taking practice tests helps students prepare for the stamina required on test day.
We recommend EVERYONE (even those who have completed a PSAT) take a practice exam for the ACT and/or SAT. This is the best way to get a baseline score early.
Dates:
Oct 7 – Mock Exam emailed (returned by Oct 11 at 10am)
Oct 15, 4pm-7pm – Debrief (ACT only)
Nov 18 – Mock Exam emailed (returned by Nov 22 at 10am)
Nov 26, 4pm-7pm – Debrief (ACT only)
Jan 27 – Mock Exam emailed (returned by Jan 31 at 10am)
Feb 3, 5pm-8pm – SAT Debrief; Feb 4, 4pm-7pm – ACT Debrief
Feb 24 – Mock Exam emailed (returned by Feb 28 at 10am)
March 4, 4pm-7pm – Debrief (ACT only)
May 19 – Mock Exam emailed (returned by May 23 at 10am)
May 26, 5pm-8pm – SAT Debrief; May May 27, 4pm-7pm – ACT Debrief
Cost:
ACT or SAT mock exam and debrief: $250+ applicable taxes, includes 4-hour exam, exam marking and 3-hour debrief session.
ACT or SAT mock exam only: $150 + applicable taxes, includes 4-hour exam, exam marking.

Back to School Study Skills (High School Students) Workshop
2020-10-03 13:00 - 15:00, 2020-09-19 13:00 - 15:00, 2020-09-12 13:00 - 15:00 | Virtual Format, Online
These intensive study skills sessions are designed to help students be academically prepared for both in-person and online educational models.
The sessions are instructional as well as practical, hands-on work sessions. They are offered at the start of the school term to help students thrive in a unique classroom setting that integrates online and in-person learning. Students will leave the workshop armed with the knowledge, skills, strategies, and reference material required to prepare them for academic success. They will also leave the workshop with a concrete understanding of their own executive functioning strengths and weaknesses and with an individualized plan to help them succeed in increasingly hybrid academic environments.
Topics will Include:

Goal setting
Organizational systems (both digital and physical)
Creating a productive at-home workspace
Learning how to learn
Effective note-taking (both digital and physical)
Time management
Strategies for managing procrastination
Universal test/exam taking skills for various subjects
Active reading techniques for better comprehension and retention
How to study efficiently, save time, and do well academically

*Please have your school notebooks, binders, and agenda easily accessible for the session.

Intro to Canadian Supplement Writing Workshop
2020-10-03 09:00 - 12:00, 2020-09-26 09:00 - 12:00, 2020-09-19 09:00 - 12:00 | Virtual Format, Online
This three-hour session introduces students to writing components for Canadian applications.
The session will include a presentation that outlines the typical essay and supplemental writing prompts required by major Canadian universities and programs (e.g. UBC, Queen’s, Western). During this presentation, session leaders will also provide writing and time management strategies and sample essays from previous years’ successful applications. Students will then be given time to brainstorm and engage in practice writing exercises. Options Solutions writing coaches will give students one-on-one feedback on their drafts.
Beginning the application process early will give students the opportunity to make the most productive use of their summer and enter grade 12 with more clarity and direction.

What do students have to say?
“I really liked the tips, exercises and examples of past students’ responses and what was good about them and what could’ve been improved. This allowed me to take good notes and implement what I thought was good into my applications.”

COVID-19 + Post-Secondary Admission Trends: A Positive Outlook
2020-09-29 19:00 - 21:00 | Virtual Format, Online
Join Melinda Giampietro, founder of Options Solutions Educational Consultants, for an open discussion about the state of post-secondary admission and the factors influencing the 2021 cycle. This webinar will focus on what we DO know and what we CAN do to help students prepare and strategize for the next few years. We will explore academic and extra-curricular requirements and how students can differentiate themselves in an authentic way. With her usual optimism and warmth, Melinda will also share practical tips for handling new school structures (quarter and hybrid learning) and ways to creatively return to extra-curricular activities. There will be plenty of time for questions at the end of the webinar. Please register at the link below.
Register here.

Video Interview Workshop
2020-09-12 10:00 - 13:00
This three-hour session prepares students for the video interview components of university applications.
The session will include a presentation that outlines the main components of video interview requirements, as well as a practical guide for successfully completing those videos. During the session, students will learn how to answer typical interview questions and have the opportunity to tackle some sample questions as a group. They will then practice in pairs and give each other feedback, as well as record their responses for analysis. Programs that require the video interview include commerce at UBC, the University of Toronto, and York University, as well as engineering at the University of Toronto and Waterloo.
The guide covers topics such as:

body language and appearance
technical set-up
coping strategies for nerves
tips on answering prompts

*Students are encouraged to bring recording devices (e.g. smartphone) with them t0 the session

Mastering the Essay (11-12)
2020-09-03 14:00 - 17:00, 2020-09-02 14:00 - 17:00, 2020-09-01 14:00 - 17:00
Worried about the dreaded summer backslide? Want to brush up on your reading and writing skills and get prepared for your English courses in the fall? Options Solutions wants to help!
This interactive, fast-paced workshop is aimed at providing students with the theory and practice to succeed in their English studies at the grade 11 and 12 level. It will give students the skills and confidence they need to succeed, making their future English courses easier and more enjoyable. Furthermore, the active reading, planning, and essay writing skills are a great way to prepare for the Graduate Literacy Assessment (GLA), a new provincial exam for students in grade 10 and 12.
Topics Include:

Active reading
Synthesis essays
Argumentative essays
Narrative essays

Ready, Set, Write! (11-12)
2020-09-03 14:00 - 17:00, 2020-09-02 14:00 - 17:00, 2020-09-01 14:00 - 17:00
Worried about the dreaded summer backslide? Want to brush up on your reading and writing skills and get prepared for your English courses in the fall? Options Solutions wants to help! This interactive, fast-paced workshop is aimed at providing students with the theory and practice to succeed in their English studies at the grade 11 and 12 level. It will give students the skills and confidence they need to succeed, making their future English courses easier and more enjoyable. Furthermore, the active reading, planning, and essay writing skills
are a great way to prepare for the Graduate Literacy Assessment
*Materials will be provided, but please bring a laptop to each session.
This Course will Cover:
Active reading
Synthesis essays
Argumentative essays
Narrative essays

Canadian Admissions Bootcamp
2020-09-02 14:00 - 17:00, 2020-09-01 14:00 - 17:00, 2020-08-27 10:00 - 13:00, 2020-08-26 10:00 - 13:00 | Virtual Format, Online
This two-day intensive preparation will help students understand and tackle the Canadian admissions process. The goal of this boot camp is to relieve the stress students feel about the application process and to get a head start.
This course will cover:

Comprehensive overview of the Canadian admissions process
Introduction to university or college – choosing a major, minor, or concentration
Finding a field of study & matching a field of study to the best post-secondary options
Exploration of curriculum covered in expected major
Factors to consider when choosing a university (location, size, class size, access to services, etc.)
Introduction to essay writing and supplement applications
Extra-curricular summary
Generating individualized timelines
Grade 11 and 12 academic goal setting

What do our students have to say?
“I liked how much knowledge about very specific courses the instructors were able to supply right away on demand. It was more helpful than I expected, and my difficult questions were all answered with helpful details.”
*All workshops are virtual via GoToMeeting

Post-Secondary Send Off Workshop
2020-08-31 10:00 - 12:30
Options educational consultants recommend this session to ALL students entering university in the fall! This session focuses on preparing students for post-secondary success from an academic and non-academic perspective.
Before you get there:

Managing expectations
Handling the post-secondary bureaucracy
Where to go for what (ie. services available to you)

Academic:

Motivation and how to be an independent learner
Understanding how to learn/active listening/the learning cycle
How to prepare for class and how to read and study from notes and
textbooks

Non-Academic:

Goal setting and managing your time (i.e. how to construct an effective
study plan)
Finding a school/life balance
Handling everyday post-secondary situations
Being financially responsible

Pre-Calculus 12 Bootcamp
2020-08-28 14:00 - 17:00, 2020-08-27 14:00 - 17:00, 2020-08-26 14:00 - 17:00
The Pre-Calculus 12 boot camp is a one-week course introducing the concepts of Pre-Calculus 12 and is intended for incoming math 12 students. The Pre-Calculus 12 boot camp addresses all the Ministry Prescribed Learning Outcomes for Pre-Calculus 12. The course is preparatory and not for credit. Materials provided during the session, including course notes, assignments, homework, and a final exam, will function as resources for students during the week, as well as resources students can use during the school year. To get the maximum benefit from this course, it is recommended that students study at least one hour outside of class for every hour spent in class.
This Course will Cover:

Function operations and transformations
Radical functions and equations
Polynomial functions and equations
Rational functions and equations
Exponential functions and equations
Logarithmic functions and equations
Trigonometry (intro to radians and trig equations)
Trigonometric functions and graphs
Trigonometric identities
Permutations, combinations and binomial theorem
Review of laws of fractions and exponents, extend to the laws of roots

Pre-Calculus 11 Bootcamp
2020-08-28 14:00 - 17:00, 2020-08-27 14:00 - 17:00, 2020-08-26 14:00 - 17:00 | Virtual Format, Online
This boot camp is a one-week course introducing the concepts of Pre-Calculus 11 for students entering grade 11 math (this course is preparatory and not for credit). Materials provided during the session, including course notes, assignments, homework, and a final exam, will function as resources for students during the week, as well as resources students can use during the school year. To get the maximum benefit from this course, it is recommended that students study at least one hour outside of class for every hour spent in class.
Brief introduction to mathematical principles
This Course will Cover:

Arithmetic and geometric series and sequences
Trigonometry

Unit circle & standard position angles
Sine law & cosine law
Solving simple trigonometric equations

Functions

Quadratic functions & equations
Absolute value & reciprocal functions
Linear quadratic systems & inequalities
Radical expressions & equations
Rational expressions & equations
Review of laws of fractions and exponents, extending to the laws of roots

Young Entrepreneurs Leadership Launchpad (YELL) Summer Workshop
2020-08-28 09:00 - 13:00, 2020-08-27 09:00 - 13:00, 2020-08-26 09:00 - 13:00
Want to figure out how to take an idea and turn it into reality? Want to learn about business this summer?
The Young Entrepreneur Summer Workshop is a week-long boot camp that will introduce you to the tools and exercises that entrepreneurs use to turn their vision into reality. You’ll learn about entrepreneurship, design thinking, how to validate if people are interested in your idea, and much more. Whether you come with an idea or not, the program will culminate in your pitching a start-up concept to judges, and we’ll help you get there! 65% of youth say they’re interested in starting their own business; are you one of them?
Students will:

Learn about entrepreneurship in an intensive one-week camp
Hear from inspiring local entrepreneurs and business leaders
Work with a small group of peers on bringing your project to reality
Experience a week of business education
Work with dynamic YELL teachers
Build your extracurricular profile
Develop problem-solving skills
Pitch your idea to a panel of judges!

About the Instructor:
Jo-Anne was the first YELL teacher and has played an instrumental role in shaping and contributing to its
educational practices and culture. She is a teacher and Athletic Director at West Vancouver Secondary
School. Teaching is her second career, and she absolutely loves being a part of the educational and athletic
adventures of her students.
