Senior School News

Good luck to our Grads as they leave their formal lessons and bed down to serious examination preparation before their first IB exam begins on Wednesday, April 24th. On April 19th we will have a final assembly, a BBQ lunch and shirt signing for G12s tomorrow. Our Grads can now look forward to Grad Ball on Wednesday, May 29th and Convocation on Friday, May 31st.

Grads: well done for all your efforts so far, you are almost there! Make sure you get plenty of sleep (and of revision!) in the coming week, and remember that we are here for you, always.

Dr. Tabet, Mr. McKillop, Mr. Batada and Mr. Leung

Good luck to all G12s in their upcoming exams!

IB Exams begin on April 24th and continue through May 17th. Students need to be in school for 8:45am (exam will start at 9:00am) for morning and 12:45am (exam will start at 13:00) for afternoon sessions so that we can start the exams promptly. Students are expected to be on time with all materials needed for each exam - they are welcome to wait near the entrance to the exam room - APAC upper gym or accommodated room (as assigned). The full IB Code of Conduct and IB exam schedule (as published by the IB) and internal calendar view, along with many other useful documents and answers to frequently asked questions can be found online at grad.mulgrave.com.

Students are also reminded to complete and return their green, blue and yellow IB Forms with parent and student signatures to the SS Office. Students will NOT be permitted to write the IB exams until the BLUE form is returned. 

As a reminder, students are expected to sign in and out at Senior School Reception if they remain on campus outside of the exam times. This is for the safety of all students in the event of an emergency. If students do not have an exam, they will be considered off-site unless signed in at Reception. For further information, please refer to the grad.mulgrave.com.

A final reminder that it is CRUCIAL that students who feel unwell, and are therefore unable to come into school for any of their exams, alert Mr. Batada (672-513-771), Dr. Tabet or Mr. McKillop ASAP so that we can communicate with the IBO and follow their recommendations in terms of next steps.

A reminder that the May break is primarily intended as a reading break for our G11 students: an opportunity to calmly revise for the final exams, while at the same time getting plenty of sleep and spending good quality time with their families. Before May break, all teachers will share exam overviews and revision packages with our G11 students. Students and families will receive a detailed exam schedule by Friday, April 26th. Advisory discussions before the break will revolve around revision tips and plans, and students are always very welcome to contact their teachers for additional support or help sessions. For any questions about final exams, please contact Aziz Batada or Chiara Tabet. Thank you.

The May break is primarily intended as a proper break for our G10 students. While they should be using it, in part, to plan their review schedules for their upcoming timed assessments in June, they should spend the bulk of it relaxing, getting plenty of sleep and having some high quality time with their families.

The  June assessment schedule will be shared with students and families by May 10th and assessment outlines will also be shared with G10 students by May 10th. For any questions, please contact Aziz Batada or Chiara Tabet.

A reminder to all families that Grade 11 and G10 attendance after the end of year examinations and throughout the month of June is crucial. Teachers will continue covering key aspects of the curriculum in all subjects for G11 (including completion of the mandatory IB Group 4 (Science) project, and during the last week of school Grade 10 and 11 students will complete their GeX / CAS project, which is mandatory and a key component of the SS programming. We would like to ask for your cooperation in ensuring that all our Grade 10 and 11 students are aware of the importance of the learning activities we have planned for the rest of the year with respect to meeting graduation requirements, and that they attend consistently until the very last day of school. Absences due to early travel plans, summer schools or other commitments will not be excused. Please do not hesitate to contact Chiara Tabet should you wish to receive any clarification about this. Thank you.

Grads, please consider donating your uniform back to the school! You can take this in with you and leave it with Ms. Li on any exam day. Thank you.

We look forward to the virtual G11 workshop that will take place today 5-6 PM. This workshop will be an opportunity to discuss expectations, events and deadlines for the end of G11 and the first term of G12.

Please join using this link.

Our final G11 workshop for students and families will take place on Thursday, April 18th, 5-6 PM. Please note: this workshop will be online rather than in person, so that more students and families are able to attend. Please find the google meet link here. The workshop will be an opportunity for our students and families to receive an overview of the expectations, celebrations, and key events for next year. We look forward to seeing you all there!

A final reminder that all G12 students are expected to attend all their classes until study leave begins on Monday, April 22nd. During study leave, teachers will be available for student support during their regular class time, and will be happy to meet with students 1:1 if needed. Students who wish to receive additional support during study leave, beyond the regular times already scheduled for G12 lessons, should email their teachers in advance to ensure their availability. Teachers may also request that some students come in during study leave for extra revision sessions if and when needed. Should you have any questions regarding expectations and support available during study leave, please don’t hesitate to contact Chiara Tabet. Thank you.

Grade 12 students must return their textbooks by Friday May 17th - these should be returned to students subject teachers. Students Must also ensure that there is no outstanding balance on their cafeteria or library accounts. Gowns may be collected at school between May 27th and May 31st, any time from 8AM until 4PM from Ms. Li at the SS front desk. Parents can also come in to collect gowns and drop off any textbooks. Please note the grad gown this year will be rented from the gown company so students will need to return the gown after the convocation on May 31st before they leave the school. If the gown is not returned on time, we will charge a lost gown fee, taken from the student school deposit.

A reminder that the first draft of the Extended Essay is due on May 13th. All Grade 11 students should now be meeting with their supervisors to discuss an outline of their EE and to ask for additional support if needed. We strongly encourage all G11 parents to discuss the EE process with their child and to contact Ms. McIntyre for any questions or concerns.

On Friday 19th April we will be having a farewell assembly for our G12 students to wish them well on their last day of regular classes. This will be followed by a BBQ and shirt-signing for our Grads. Please make sure your Grads bring a shirt to be signed, and note that this particular event is only for students, faculty and staff.

A reminder that as of April 15th no student will be permitted to use their phone or smart watch on campus, from 7:30 AM until 4 PM. Students who bring their phone to school for post-lessons arrangements will be able to leave it in a secured locker with Ms. Li at SS reception. Phones will be confiscated whenever students are seen using them on campus. Thank you for your understanding.

We hope everyone had some opportunity for relaxation and recreational time during the Spring Break. We want to draw attention to the importance of sustained participation in the final few weeks (G12 lessons will end on Friday, April 19th). Group 6 subjects (the Arts) are (as expected and normal) still finalizing some of the coursework that will be submitted to the IB, and it is crucial that this takes precedence for the Grads who are taking an Art subject. Every student is expected to finish the curriculum and invest in structured revision, facilitated by their teachers, in all their subjects. Once again, attendance right until the study leave period begins is crucial. We encourage all students to set up times to meet with faculty for 1:1 or group support during study block lessons. Teachers may also reach out to students during study block lessons to provide targeted curriculum support.

It is very important that students continue to be mindful of the importance of punctuality to morning (period 1) classes. This impacts learning as it results in students missing valuable class time, especially as the beginning of each class is usually when objectives and instructions for independent or collaborative work are shared by each teacher. Punctuality also helps us ensure that we support our students with structures and routines, which are incredibly important in an eLearning environment. Thank you for your support with this.

Students who are repeatedly late to class will be asked to attend a PASS session on Fridays. 

Our end of year exams for G10 and G11 students will take place as scheduled in our calendar, from May 27th to June 3rd for G11 and from June 11th until June 13th for G10.

Please note that for our G11 students, these exams will NOT be the primary basis for university anticipated grades, as these will instead be based on all the work and assessments that students have completed during the entire academic year, including the final exams as an additional assessment opportunity. Predicted grades will be produced in June, October, December 2024 and February 2025, with the first set shared with Universities not earlier than October - so, the set of predicted grades that will appear in the G11 June report are simply an initial indication of each student’s current standing and will not be shared with Universities.

For all Grades, the main purpose of these end of year exams is to allow students to become familiar and comfortable with writing an exam in timed conditions - a skill that will serve them well as they approach their G12 exams, and one that we want to continue supporting in the coming months so that our students have multiple opportunities to familiarise themselves with formal exam writing and, in the process, reduce their stress levels.  

Here is a link to a set of resources that may be useful when planning exam revision. All our teachers are available for extra help and revision tips - please encourage your young people to plan their revision well in advance (especially as our students will be expected to complete this in their own time rather than in class) and to come and speak with Mr Mckillop, Mr Batada or Dr. Tabet should they feel overwhelmed or need any additional support. 

G11 students are expected to complete their exam revision in their own time and (with balance) during the May break; teachers will issue exam overviews and revision packages before the May break. Thank you.

We are very much looking forward to celebrating the Convocation of our 2024 Graduates on Friday, May 31st at Mulgrave. Students and four guests will be allocated a time slot to begin a tour of the school, in the company of their advisory group, culminating in crossing the stage for their official graduation with an audience of family, friends and any peer who would like to join them in the theatre (G12 student attendance is not restricted in the Theatre for the afternoon). The first slots will begin at 12pm. 

To culminate the evening, all graduates plus four guests will be invited to join us in the Theatre from 5.30-7pm for the valedictorian address and response, to listen to our keynote speaker, and to give a rousing applause to our Grads as they are called up to the stage individually. Please RSVP the tickets here. Tickets for the evening are limited to 5 per family (grad plus 4 guests) due to capacity restrictions in the Theatre. If more tickets are needed, please contact Jack McKillop.

For Grads and Grad parents -- please click here for the Grad Toolkit Page. It provides key dates, links to forms, and answers to frequently asked questions.

All grade 11 students will be completing their CAS collaborative project from Monday June 17th to Thursday June 20th. This is a mandatory project where the students plan all aspects of the activities for each of the days. The project consists of a Creative, Activity and Service component, an overnight stay as well as a cultural element. Many students have taken initiative to travel with their group outside of Vancouver to complete their project.

To give you some idea of the type of activities the students are planning, the Creative components include designing scrapbooks, making music videos or painting pottery. The Activity components include stand up paddle boarding, hiking or biking and the Service components include volunteering at food banks, animal shelters and organizing bake sales.
Students selected their groups in January and are currently busy planning their adventures. The Duke of Edinburgh can also qualify as a CAS collaborative project. Parents please ask your children about what they are planning for their grade 11 CAS collaborative adventure.

A reminder to all our families that in order for student absences to be excused parents/guardians MUST inform our attendance officer (attendance@mulgrave.com) prior to or on the day of the absence; when this does not happen, absences are automatically categorized as unexcused. Students are also expected to communicate with their teachers regarding missed class time, homework expectations, etc. Thank you for your understanding.

Our Grad Committee and events team have been working hard planning for Semi-Formal, and will soon turn their attention to Memory Lane, Grad Ball, and Convocation. Stay tuned for details, but please note our expected ticket allocations below. We will always have a waiting list for each event to reallocate surplus tickets.
    
Memory Lane (Thursday, April 11): Grad plus 4 guests
Convocation daytime events (Friday, May 31): Grad plus 4 guests
Convocation evening speeches (Friday, May 31): Grad plus 4 guests
Grad Ball (Wednesday, May 29): Grad plus 4 guests
 

The most updated IB exam schedule (April 24th- May 17th) can be found linked here. It is extremely important that all Grads now focus their efforts on calm and focused preparation for these exams, while continuing to keep up their attendance: in the coming weeks, our teachers will focus on finishing key course material and working with students on review and exam practice, so it is essential that all Grade 12 students attend every day until study leave begins on Monday, April 22nd (the last day of courses for G12 students is Friday, April 19th).

More information about the exam code of conduct and student expectations will be shared by Aziz Batada in the coming weeks, and on February 21st we hope to see all G12 students and families at our virtual (final) G12 student-led conferences: these will be an important opportunity to connect with teachers with a focus on exam preparation and review. Additionally, we will hold an in-person workshop for G12 parents focused on exam preparation, exam procedures and post-secondary acceptance processes on Thursday March 14th, 5-6 PM. We hope to see you all  then!