“Where passion meets pedagogy”
Mountainside Secondary School (MSS) is the North Vancouver
School Districts smallest and newest secondary school, meeting the Ministry of
Education and Child Care requirements for funding as an Alternative School (BCEDAlternate Program Policy).
MSS functions as part of the continuum of
social/emotional/behavioural supports that are available to all students at all secondary schools in the NVSD, and targets students in Grades 9-12 (ages
14-19).
MSS aims to allow for varied and
alternate pathways to graduation (80 credit or Adult) or School Completion, and
beyond.
MSS Core Values
- Mutual respect
- Genuine relationships
- Flexibility
- Choice
- Individual accountability
- Community Connections
Features of MSS
- Student to teacher ratio of approximately 15:1,
alongside staff with many years of experience in alternative programs
- Creative, non-punitive, restorative approach to
solving problems
- Strong community partnerships with:
o
Vancouver Coastal Health
o
Ministry of Children and Family Development
o
Parkgate, Capilano, and North Shore
Neighbourhood House Youth Services
- Access to both on-site doctor and nurse
- Broad range of elective offerings
o
Food studies
o
Music therapy
o
Art metal
o
Woodwork
o
Fitness and PE
o
Art
o
Photography
- Strong emphasis on life after high school,
including access to a myriad of Work Experience placements
- Opportunities for students to engage in blended,
online, and on-site Distributed Learning courses
- Ability for interested students to fuse life
passions and pursuits, with the intended learning outcomes from both academic
and elective courses through project –based learning
- Subsidized healthy breakfast and lunch program
Other Programs
Under the umbrella of Mountainside Secondary Program, there
are three other programs working to support students in our district. They are:
Ascent Program – Partnership program
with Vancouver Coastal Health, offering cross-agency support for students with
internalizing social and emotional learning challenges
KEY Program – offering intensive educational,
supervisory, and social-emotional learning support to students for whom a
larger, less structured environment is unsuccessful.
Eslha7an Youth Program – offering a culturally rich
educational experience, targeting students of indigenous ancestry.
Referral Process
Referrals to MSS are initiated by the School Based Resource
Team (SBRT) at one of the 6 mainstream high-schools in North Vancouver.
Students coming from out of district will need to first register with the
school district at the NVSD Education Services Centre at 2121 Lonsdale Ave. (map
link). All out of district requests for Mountainside Secondary School will
be screened by the District Resource Team for appropriate fit, with priority
given to students from the North Vancouver School District.
Any further inquiries can be directed to Lucas King,
Principal of Mountainside Secondary School, at 604-903-3333 or by e-mailing lking@sd44.ca
