Welcome!

The ACCESS (Advanced Credits Connecting Elementary and Secondary School) program is a Halton District School Board (HDSB) initiative offered to students in grade eight that will transition from

McKenzie-Smith Bennett Public School (MSB) to Acton District High School (ADHS) the following year.
This partnership was developed to help students stay engaged by providing them with individualized
learning support at the elementary level alongside unique opportunities to attain high school credits at the secondary level.

While enrolled in the ACCESS program, students spend two-thirds of their day at MSB with a homeroom teacher and then move to ADHS where they participate in credit-bearing courses taught by secondary staff each semester. Content varies from cohort to cohort, but often include cross-curricular expectations from the Technology, Nutrition, Arts, Physical Education, and Outdoor Education curricula. As a result, students can expect to take part in a wide variety of activities to help them explore different subjects and familiarize them with the high school learning environment.

Since 2009, the ACCESS program has been motivating students with challenging projects prepared to hone their collective strengths and areas of personal interest. This early transition has given many students the extra support they needed to ensure improved achievement for years to come. By encouraging a “hands-on” approach for their creative understanding of course concepts, over 100 students have been successfully transitioned in the Acton community thus far.

For further information, please contact the school today!

Student​ ​Testimonials

“I’m not scared to go to high school now. I’ve met a lot of cool teachers and already started making some friends. Knowing high school teachers want to help me makes grade nine seem less scary.” - KH

Parent​ ​Testimonials
“My son doesn’t hate going to school now - he gets up and goes in the morning without me having to bug him. Every night he tells us about the activities and projects they did that day.” - CL

“My daughter likes the program because she’s doing what she loves and is excelling at it. It promotes a distinctly collaborative atmosphere she wouldn’t have gotten in a traditional classroom.” - SD

Sample​ ​Units
Skateboards from Scratch, Catapult Olympics, Tiny Home Models, 3D Printing & Vinyl Stickers, Stop Motion Photography, Robotics Competitions, Drone Cinematography, Atmospheric Rockets, Murder Mystery Kitchen Safety, Iron Chef Competition, Cosmetology, Winter Survival & Cold Weather First Aid, Navigation in Dense Terrain, Geocaching, Boat Building & Paddle Sports, Introduction to Camping

Last Updated: September 21, 2017