This will be, officially, the last entry of the Grads of 2010 blog - I believe it has fulfilled its historic task in informing you of events happening at the school. I hope, in any way, shape, or form, that this blog has helped answered some of your questions, and has helped your grad year in some ways. For the grads of 2010 who are reading this, please keep in touch! If you haven't already, you can add me as your friend on Facebook (click here), or follow me on Twitter (click here). If you have any questions throughout the summer, you can always e-mail me at eleung@vsb.bc.ca. Please do not attempt to come to the school during the summer to find me, or call the school number looking for me. You most likely won't be able to - as much as I can, I will try to enjoy my summer vacation away from school, though I know I will be there from time to time.
If you have a younger sibling or neighbour who will be in grade 9 or grade 8 next year, I will continue to maintain a blog, this one with a new address. Come check it out (click here). I don't know about you, but I think this new design looks really, really good. Other than that, this is the official sign-off from me. For the grads of 2010 - it has been a privilege working with all of you. I wish each and every one of you success in all your future endeavours! Good-bye! Au revoir! Ciao! 再見! さよなら! Paalam!
As the 2009 - 2010 school year draws to a close, here are a few final reminders to you:
Report cards were given out this morning. If you did not pick up your report card from 9:00 - 10:00 a.m., it can still be picked up at the office (I know they eventually would be mailed out if they are not picked up; I'll update you as to when is the latest you can pick up the report card from school).
All yearbooks are sold out. Unfortunately, we cannot order any extra copies. So if you did not purchase a yearbook earlier, you would not be able to obtain one... sorry.
As I've mentioned late last week: if you need to re-write your English 12 provincial exam (or several other graduation-requirement exams) but you are not taking summer school classes, you MUST register for the exam at the school board office. This information has been published in this blog, and can also be found in June's newsletter.
For students who have completed all graduation requirements and want to take summer courses for upgrading purposes, you can only do that through VLN or adult education free-of-charge. Face-to-face summer school courses for students who have graduated in June will cost you money.
Teachers will be on duty at the school Wednesday. After our staff meeting at 11:00 a.m., teachers may be packing materials, moving supplies, or, in some cases, taking materials to their new schools. If you need to find a teacher for any reason, you must do so before 11:00 a.m.
The following is the provincial exam schedule for Templeton's June session. All students writing the provincial exams should arrive 15 minutes prior to the exam to ensure that all registration process and paper work are done prior to the actual start time of an exam. You will NOT be allowed to write an exam should you arrive more than half an hour late. You must also start for at least an hour for each exam session before you are allowed to leave. For the full details of exam regulations and expectations, you can go to the Ministry of Education's website (click here).
June 21, 2010 (Monday) Physics 12: 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Principles of Math 12: 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
June 22, 2010 (Tuesday) English 12 (Mandatory exam): 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Social studies 11 (Mandatory exam): 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
I have only listed the exams that our current grade 12s may be writing. You may have a sibling/friend who needs to write a grade 10 exam, for the full exam schedule, you can check the Ministry's website (click here).
All exams are two hours in length. You may stay up to 1 additional hour to finish the exam.
Please mark down especially the dates and times for the English 12 and Communications 12 exam - they are mandatory, and are needed for your graduation, regardless of what school mark you currently have.
If you want practice exams, the Ministry has posted at least three exams per subject online. Click here to choose a subject, and a sample exam, to download for your own reference. Answer key and, where applicable, resource packages, can also be downloaded.
In case you haven't read the dozens of Facebook updates on the signing times for this year's yearbook, I'm posting it here for you, just in case:
Grade 8s: 10:00 a.m.
Grade 9s: 11:00 a.m.
Grade 12s: 12:00 p.m.
Grade 11s: 12:30 p.m.
Grade 10s: 1:00 p.m.
Yearbooks can be picked up and signed at the small gym and cafeteria. Please bring your student ID with you. If you have not paid for a lost school item and/or if you have not returned a library or textbook, you will NOT be allowed to pick up your yearbook even if you have paid for it already. To avoid delays, please make sure all outstanding fees have been paid.
To the best of my knowledge, all yearbooks are sold out now. The office is keeping a waiting list for students who still wish to purchase a yearbook. If you want to buy a yearbook but didn't pay for it, please visit the office early to see if you can get on the wait-list.
Lastly, bring your sharpies, bring your cameras, and bring a big smile with you - this is arguably the last time we will be gathering together. Let's sign away, and take lots of pictures with each other to mark the end of a wonderful five years for you, the grads of 2010!
I have just received an e-mail from VLN's grade counsellor. She confirmed that current grade 12 students who meet the graduation requirement this June can still register for VLN courses online to upgrade or to add courses to your portfolio free-of-charge.
What this news means is: if you are currently in grade 12 and are on pace to complete the 80 credits required for graduation, there are several ways to which you can upgrade for a course you have already completed and/or add a course that you have not taken before:
Take the course online with VLN (click here to go to its summer school course site)
Register as an adult education student (i.e. you must attend the adult education information session next Wednesday - see my entry on Monday for details)
Attend a VSB summer school course, but you would have to pay for the course
Explore summer school options at other school districts
Because summer school course availability is really scarce this year, I would encourage you to act very quickly (colleagues from Richmond told me that many of Richmond's summer school courses are already full).
Just a friendly reminder to you all that there will be an information session on student loan Wednesday at lunch (April 28th) in the library.
Bring all your questions; bring your lunch; bring a pencil and a few pieces of paper - there will probably be quite a lot of information that would be of interests to you.
Beginning Monday, April 26, we will return to the original daily bell schedule with a 45-minute lunch period, and a 5-minute break between 3rd and 4th blocks in the afternoon. Specifically:
Monday to Thursday:
Period 1 (1.4 and 2.4; blocks D and H): 8:45 - 9:45
Break: 10:05 - 10:20
Period 2 (1.3 and 2.3; Blocks C and G): 10:20 - 11:45
Lunch: 11:45 - 12:25
Period 3 (1.2 and 2.2; Blocks B and F): 12:30 - 1:50
Period 4 (1.1 and 2.1; Blocks A and E): 1:55 - 3:15
* times in bold represent the revisions made
Friday:
Period 1 (1.4 and 2.4; blocks D and H): 8:45 - 9:45
Period 2 (1.3 and 2.3; Blocks C and G): 9:50 - 10:55
Lunch: 10:55 - 11:40
Period 3 (1.2 and 2.2; Blocks B and F): 11:40 - 12:40
Period 4 (1.1 and 2.1; Blocks A and E): 12:45 - 1:45
A poster for VLN's summer program has arrived at my office, and I have made copies of it.
For students who may be missing a course you need for graduation and/or a post-secondary program, and for students who may wish to upgrade a course you did not do so well in during the school year, VLN is offering a 5-week completion program for a variety of courses at the grades 10 to 12 level.
Summer school program runs from July 2 to Aug 6, with July 15 - 20 being the midterm period, and August 3 - 5 being the final exam period. All students must write the mid-term and final exams in person. No exceptions.
International students need to come into the main VLN office in Room 123 - 530 East 41st Avenue to register.
For more information, you can visit VLN's website (click here) or e-mail its staff at vlnsummer@vsb.bc.ca
April's IPP will focus on your third term's graduation transitions assignment, which deals with the topic of financial planning and the budgeting process. Mr. Mustapich may also have some information regarding the graduation ceremony to pass along.
The bell schedule for the day will be a little different from usual. Stay posted for the actual schedule.
As per usual, we will be meeting in the cafeteria for our IPP.
A flyer has been e-mailed to me about an upcoming information forum that would provide information for all secondary students with special needs.
The forum will provide current information on services, programs, and resources, which exist to support students transitioning from secondary school. Parents and students are encouraged to attend.
The forum will take place on March 29, 2010 (Monday) from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Vancouver Board of Education (1580 West Broadway, Vancouver). A "resource fair" of tables and information will be ongoing in the VSB cafeteria. Participants will have the opportunity to talk to presenters and collect materials at the resource fair.
More details can be found from the forum's flyer, which was posted on my door.
The post-secondary institution (PSI) selections form is an important document that students in grade 12 should be filling out. When you complete the PSI selections form, you are providing permission for the Ministry of Education to submit electronically your interim grades (for Templeton students who are on a linear school system, this would be your second term marks) as well as your final grades to post-secondary institutions. This is NOT to be confused with self-reporting, which is a process where students need to submit, on your own, your first/second term grades to a post-secondary institution you are applying to.
For those of you who were unable to attend instruction planning period yesterday, here are the instructions to help you fill the PSI Selection Forms. A hard copy can also be obtained from my office.
Step 1: Go to Ministry of Education's Student Secure Web (Click here). You should see a page that looks like this:
If you have never registered for an account with EdAccess, click the "create account" button. You would need your provincial exam number (PEN) to register for an account. Once you click "create account," you should see a screen that looks like this:
Step 2: Enter your personal information as instructed. Please note: even though the site asks for two e-mail addresses (one home and one school e-mail address), you may use the same e-mail address for home and school. By providing two different e-mail addresses you would reduce the chance that mails be sent wrongly to your spam folder.
Step 3: By creating an account, you will be directed to the TRAX screen, where you can do a variety of things, including checking your provincial exam scores. In this case, however, we want to make our PSI selections, so please click on the third button under the TRAX section:Step 4: For students who have not entered their PSI selections yet, click the "Select PSI" link:
Step 5: There are three potential sections that you can fill out at this screen. For students intending to attend most BC's post-secondary institutions, click the check box that says "forward my transcript to all BC Electronic PSIs." If you are applying for a post-secondary institution in Ontario through OUAC, click the second box also. Section 1's PSIs will be submitted free-of-charge.
Sections 2 and 3 contain other institutions within and outside B.C. The ministry will send up to six PSI forms free-of-charge to schools under sections 2/3.Step 6: Finally, after you have finished your selections, check off the permission button, and click "confirm." By doing so, you are giving your permission for the Ministry of Education to send your grades to the schools you have selected. You can review and change your selections at a later date.
Please note: Your PSI Selection Forms must be completed by April 30, 2010, for the Ministry to submit your interim grades in May. PSI information must be completed by June 30, 2010, for the Ministry to submit your final grades.
If you have any questions about the PSI Selection Forms, please come in to see me.
This is to remind you that we will be having an instructional planning period this Thursday, January 21, between 10:05 and 11:05 a.m. (instead of the usual afternoon time slot).
Your attendance for this I.P.P. is crucial, as we will be going through a few very important topics pertaining to graduation. Among the topics are: 2nd term grad transitions documents, a student profile that must be filled out for in-school scholarship considerations, grad fees, and several other topics. If you are going to be absent on Thursday, you must come in to see me ASAP afterwards to obtain the required documents and instructions.
This is just a note for all students who are currently taking an online course with VLN:
Your first term marks have just been sent to the school. In reviewing them, I've noticed that many of you have a comment from your teacher that you have only completed 10% or 5% of the course. Some of you have not even started on your introductory unit.
Please note: if you are planning to use a VLN course for post-secondary application, VLN will ONLY be sending your interim marks to the Ministry of Education if you have completed 50% of the course by March 1, 2010. Most post-secondary institutions, including UBC, would only accept an interim mark for online courses if it is submitted through the Ministry of Education. What this means is: if you do not have your course half-completed by March 1, you would not be allowed to use that course in your application! This could mean you not having your online course's mark to be used in calculating your admission average, or it could mean that you just do not have a sufficient number of grade 12 provincially-examinable courses to meet the minimal admission requirements! It is a serious enough issue that I must bring to your attention.
Please discuss your progress with your VLN teacher(s), and try to rectify the situation as soon as possible. Remember: your online course must be 50% completed by March 1 for you to request VLN to submit that interim mark to the Ministry of Education.
Starting in October-November, I will be posting an entry like this one towards the end of each month. In these entries, I will list important dates that would be coming up the following month. While every effort is made to make this list of dates accurate and complete, I may not be able to cover all of them. It is up to you to stay organized and informed. And finally, don't procrastinate! Have your applications ready, and submit them early!
Upcoming November Dates:
Nov 1 - Financial Aid Application Opens for Trinity Western University
Nov 1 - Application for the Fall 2010 semester opens at Kwantlen Polytechnic University
Nov 1 to 7 - BSc Applicant for the nursing program at Kwantlen must submit their applications this week
Nov 4 - SFU Counsellors' Day - I will not be in my office that day
Nov 5 - Parent-teacher Interviews at Temp
Nov 12 - Post-secondary afternoon at Temp
Nov 12 - MacLean's OnCampus Virtual Tour (3:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. PST)
Nov 15 - Early award application deadline at UNBC
Nov 18 - Part-time studies information session at BCIT
Nov 19 - UBC info session at Temp (during instructional planning period)
Nov 20 - Registration for January 2010 semester begins at Langara College
Nov 28 - SFU Super Tour
Nov 30 - Self-reporting phase 1 closes at UVic
If I have missed an important date, please let me know via e-mail. Thanks!
If you have not applied for a social insurance number (SIN) yet, this is probably a good time to apply for one. Not only do you need your SIN to work, but you also would need SIN when applying for a lot of schools and scholarships.
SIN application is done through Service Canada. You can go to its website by clicking the link below: Service Canada
Some of you may have a preferred name that is different from your legal name. Please note: on all official documents, including your transcript, your LEGAL NAME will be printed. If you want to have a different name printed on those official documents, a legal name change is necessary.
Legal name change is done through Vital Statistics. For more information, go to its website: Vital Statistics
Welcome, grads of 2010! This is IT - your grade 12, graduating year. Let's make this the best year possible.
Please bookmark this blog, and re-visit it often. All information I receive that is related to graduation, post-secondary studies, and scholarships, would be posted here.
If you have any questions, please come in to see me at my office, or you can e-mail me at eleung@vsb.bc.ca
For the grads of 2010 who are reading this, please keep in touch! If you haven't already, you can add me as your friend on Facebook (click here), or follow me on Twitter (click here). If you have any questions throughout the summer, you can always e-mail me at eleung@vsb.bc.ca. Please do not attempt to come to the school during the summer to find me, or call the school number looking for me. You most likely won't be able to - as much as I can, I will try to enjoy my summer vacation away from school, though I know I will be there from time to time.
Other than that, this is the official sign-off from me. For the grads of 2010 - it has been a privilege working with all of you. I wish each and every one of you success in all your future endeavours! Good-bye! Au revoir! Ciao! 再見! さよなら! Paalam!
