We are excited to launch Crew programming for students entering Grades 8 and 9 in the 2025/2026 school year! HCOS students will have the opportunity to opt into Crew during re-enrollment in January.
What is Crew?
Crew is a new program to HCOS! Students will join a cohort of other teens to complete their Grade 8 or 9 year with a small team of teachers and an advisor who are there to support them in their courses.
The vision of Crew is:
To create a fun, safe, and inviting environment for middle school students to grow in their faith and independence as they prepare for their high school years and beyond. Students will learn and try new things with a community of friends and a team of teachers who know them and are invested in their success.
How does Crew work?
Once accepted to the program, students will be working with a team of three specialist teachers and an Academic Advisor who will oversee all of the courses for participating students.
Teachers will host online classes for each cohort during the week and provide open office hours for one-on-one connection times with students as needed.
Teachers will provide guidance and support in their course specific specialities and oversee students in all subject areas as they build a community of fun, engaged learning. Teachers will work together to track student progress, offer tools, tips and suggestions for engagement and growth, and host engaging learning activities all while creating connections for students.
Teachers will host online classes for each cohort during the week and provide open office hours for one-on-one connection times with students as needed.
Teachers will provide guidance and support in their course specific specialities and oversee students in all subject areas as they build a community of fun, engaged learning. Teachers will work together to track student progress, offer tools, tips and suggestions for engagement and growth, and host engaging learning activities all while creating connections for students.
Students can choose from individualized (paper or textbook-based resources) or online courses for core subjects: Math, Science, English and Social Studies. All other subjects will be offered in an individualized format to support students in areas of their passion and interest.
Who can join Crew?
Any student entering Grade 8 or 9 for the 2025/2026 school year is welcome to participate. We are looking for students who are wanting to explore their faith and learn in a community where they can be courageous, take risks with their learning, become advocates for themselves and others. We are looking for students who want to learn together and make friends. Students will begin to build skills in communication, technology and managing their time as they learn together.
Please see our Crew Student Profile here.
What about my support teacher?
Joining Crew does mean a change in who supports a student for the year. Students will work with the Crew teaching team and an advisor instead of a K-9 support teacher. Our hope is that this bridge of working with a small team will help students make a smoother transition to Grade 10 where the number of teachers students work with grows quite substantially due to the course specific nature of the Grad program.
What is the cost?
Students who are enrolled in the Crew program will see a $300 deduction from their resource budget. This is to cover the additional costs of course specific teaching. For comparison, $300 is the same cost as taking four middle school online courses in a school year.
How can I find out more?
We will be hosting an information session Wednesday, January 8 at 7:00 pm for anyone who wants to hear more or has questions about the new programming options. You can join us at this Zoom link.
If you feel this is an option you would like to explore for your student in the upcoming year, there will be a place to indicate interest during the re-enrolment process. For the first year, we will be limiting enrollment to 60 students in Grade 8 and 60 students in Grade 9.
