Cinderella Project

The Cinderella Project is a community program created to celebrate students who have overcome adversity to achieve high school graduation. Each year, it assists graduating students who may not have the financial means to attend the various graduation festivities by providing them with a "boutique day" where students will be able to select a free suit or gown of their choice. The project will also provide the students with shoes, accessories, and jewelry to complete their special grad outfit. Below is the motto of the program:

"In the spirit of community sharing and support, the Cinderella Project celebrates the achievements of high school students in the Lower Mainland who have overcome adversity in reaching the milestone of graduation."

Application forms are available from me. All applications will be evaluated, and the first 150 candidates who meet the selection criteria will be selected. For more information or the application form, please come to see me. Please also help spread the word around, especially if you know a fellow graduate who may be in need of this assistance. Thanks!

For more information about the Cinderella Project, click here.

Admission Timeline for the University of Victoria

University of Victoria (UVic) has just released its admission timeline. Please note these important dates if you are interested in applying:

• September 1: application process begins for September 2014 admission
• October 1: Self reporting phase 1 opens for early admission
• November 30: Self reporting phase 1 closes
• February 1: Self reporting phase 2 opens for early admission
• February 28: early application deadline for high school students
• March 31: Self-reporting phase 2 closes; application deadline for entrance scholarships
• June: Course timetables published and registration time tickets sent out by e-mails
• June: Housing application deadline; all conditions must be met by June 30 in order to qualify for first-year- direct from high school guarantee.

And below are a few links from UVic that you may find useful:
Applying for UVIC: click here
Self-reporting: click here
Registering for courses: click here

Info from UBC's Counsellor's Day 2013 (Part 2)

(continued from previous post)

In this second of two posts (for Part 1, click here), I will outline the information given to the counsellors by UBC on the writing of the student profile, and UBC's English requirement.

Personal Profile (Broad-based Admission)

• 12% of first year students admitted to UBC last fall were admitted as a result of their personal profile - as such, please treat this portion of the application seriously
• UBC does not provide the rubric or the weight of how the personal profiles are evaluated, and each faculty can use the personal profiles differently. (Mr. Leung's note: a general rule: if your averages is around the admission average for the faculty you are applying, the personal profile's importance is much higher than it would be if your averages are way above the admission averages)
• Students with a higher admission average can be displaced by students with lower averages but stronger student profiles
• The personal profile questions can be found on the application for admission - you should read them, reflect and think about your responses, before actually responding to them. 
• Each student profile will receive at least two reads
• It is important to write about your authentic experience and ideas when answering the personal profile questions - UBC is NOT looking for model answers; it is looking for students who show the ability to reflect on their personal life experiences.
• UBC has provided all counsellors with a handout called "Personal Profile 'Pointer'" - if you want to have a copy - please come to see me. 

UBC's English Requirement

• Admission Standard (i.e. for your application to be eligible for admission consideration): must have completed three or more consecutive years of full-time education in English within Canada immediately prior to attending UBC, and must achieve a grade of 70% or better on the PROVINCIAL EXAM portion of English 12. 
• Students who do not meet the above admission standard can write one of several English language proficiency tests. For more information, click here.
• The English 70 rule (Vancouver campus only) - all students must achieve a final grade of 70% in grade 11 or grade 12 English
• English Provincial exam discrepancy rule: in cases where a significant discrepancy exists (20% or more) between the course grade and the exam grade, UBC reserves the right to use the exam grade only in evaluating admission application (i.e. if your provincial exam is substantially lower than your school mark for English 12, you may lose your seat!) 

The above are meant to inform you of what I have heard and written down from the information day for counsellors. For the most up-to-date information, please go to UBC's website directly. Thanks!

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Info from UBC's Counsellor's Day 2013 (Part 1)

The following were pieces of information I gathered from UBC's Counsellor's Conference on November 1. Please read the following information very carefully - UBC has made some changes again in their admission and application process, and some of these changes may impact you.

There is a lot of information given, so this would be the first post of two to outline what I have heard:

Admission Process

• UBC has a set of minimum criteria for admission consideration. That is, if you do not meet any of these conditions, your application will NOT be considered. They include: high school graduation, program-specific pre-requisites, minimum admission average (70% for UBC Vancouver; 67% for UBC Okanagan), and a minimum mark of 70% in English 11 or 12 (UBC Vancouver only)
• Admission Competitive Assessment Criteria: When evaluating your application, UBC will be looking at several factors. They include: your grade 12 marks (because Templeton is a linear school, your grade 11 marks will not factor), faculty admission average, your personal profile (4 to 7 short essay questions)
• (NEW) Faculty Course-specific minima: For certain faculties, you may be required to obtain an unspecified minimum mark for a certain course to be admitted, regardless of your overall average. For example, Applicant A may be taken over Applicant B by the Faculty of Commerce if Applicant B has a much lower mark for Pre-Calculus 12, even though Applicant B's overall average is higher than Applicant A. 
• Admission Timeline: Self-reporting portal opens from March 3 to April 11 - students are to report their TERM 2 marks in progress (or completed grade 12 marks); UBC will begin making offers to qualified students in March. In May, UBC verifies the grades from the Ministry of Education, and may withdraw offers.

Self-Reporting

• (NEW) Unlike other post-secondary institutions, UBC does NOT look at your term 1 marks for admission purposes (except for major entrance scholarship applicants - see below). Students are to report their term 2 marks when the self-reporting portal opens on March 3. 
• (NEW) All documents used to self-report must be uploaded to UBC - this document to verify your grades may be your term 2 report card, or the Ed Access portal report for courses you completed. 
• (NEW) For distributed learning courses (including online courses), you must identify which course(s) are taken through this method, and who the course provide is. 
• Self-reporting a course you are re-taking: you have the choice to report a completed grade 12 course mark, or a term 2 interim grade for a course you are re-taking.
• Online Courses: To use it for admission calculation, the course must be completed by February 1. No exceptions to this rule.

Scholarship Application

• UBC offers two different types of financial aid/reward to students entering their programs, the Major Entrance Scholarship (MES) and the UBC Entrance Award.
• The MES is merit-based, and has a renewable value up to $10,000. 
• Application deadline is December 10, 2013.
• UBC will be using your grade 11 marks to create a shortlist of qualified applicants, then use your self-report grades to determine award recipients. 
• Grades reported in the academic profile will be used to render admission decision also. 
• All winners of the MES will be notified by April 28, 2014
• The UBC Entrance Award is needs-based. The deadline to apply is January 31, 2014
• Application requires a nomination letter and application found, which can be found at this address (click here)
• A separate application is required for this award

Read on for information regarding self-reporting, and English requirement for UBC. (Click here)

SFU's Admission Timeline

In addition to my previous post on the admission process of SFU (click here), here are some important dates for SFU's Admission cycle.

Please note: it is entirely YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to make sure you are making these deadlines. Unlike your high school teachers, post-secondary schools have hard deadlines and will not offer grace period for late submission - if you miss an application deadline, there is no way you would be able to submit an application or a document late. For application that involves reference letters, please give additional time for the writer of those reference letters - don't expect your reference to turn in a reference letter on one day's notice!

• Oct 1, 2013 - ApplyBC Application for Fall 2014 semester opens (click here to apply)
• Dec 15, 2013 - Self-reporting Grades portal opens
• Mid-January, 2014 - First offers of conditional admisison and scholarship based on self-reported grades begin (for Templeton students, the self-reported grades are based on completed grade 12 courses and first term grade 12 courses that are in progress)
• Feb 28, 2014 (DEADLINE DAY)- Deadline to apply for early admission; deadline to apply for Major Entrance Scholarships and Entrance Bursaries, deadline for priority access to Residence, and deadline to submit the Broad Based Application to the Beedie School of Business
• April 30, 2014 - Self-reporting grades portal closes; fall application deadline
• May 2014 - SFU receives interim grades (for Templeton students, completed grade 12 courses plus term 2 marks for courses in progress) from the Ministry of Education - SFU then reviews conditional admission offers, and may give new conditional admission offers
• June 1, 2014 - DEADLINE to accept admission offer and deadline to submit personal information profile for Diverse Qualification applicants
• Mid-June, 2014 - Registration and Enrolment Date and Info sent to students
• July 7, 2014 - Enrolment for Fall 2014 begins
• Late-July to August - SFU receives final grade 12 marks from Ministry of Education, and confirms admission and scholarship offers

For details on these dates, please refer to SFU's website (click here) for details

Info from SFU's Counsellor's Day 2013

The following were pieces of information I learned from SFU's Counsellor's Day, which was held on October 30. If you are interested in going to SFU, please pay close attention, and don't hesitate to ask if you need more information.

Application

• You can apply through Apply BC starting now until April 30 (click here to go to Apply BC)
• Application fee is $75
• When you apply, you would be ask to self-report your grades through SFU's Self-report Grades Portal.
• The Self-report Grades Portal opens on December 15, 2013, and will close on April 30, 2014.
• When self-reporting, you need to report ALL completed Grade 11 and 12 courses, and ALL interim Grade 12 marks (for Templeton's students, this means your first term marks)
• Distributed learning course grades (such as those from online courses) can be self-reported (either as completed courses, or in-progress courses that are at least 50% completed when you self-report

Grade 11/12 General Requirements

• English 11
• Language 11 (Beginner's Language 11 such as Beginner's Spanish/Mandarin/Japanese are acceptable)
• Pre-Calculus 11 or Foundations of Math 11
• A Science 11
• English 12 (provincial exam must be written, with a final blended mark of at least 60%)
• Three additional approved grade 12 courses
• Grades from challenge exams ARE accepted
• Courses to be completed in Summer 2014 (e.g. summer school in 2014) CANNOT be used towards admission to the Fall 2014 semester
• Important Note: Faculty-specific requirements will include the above general requirements plus more - consult SFU's website for details

Diverse Qualifications

• This refers to the possible option for students who do not meet the competitive admission average
• You must at least meet the minimum admission requirements
• In addition, you need to submit a personal information profile (to be completed online) AND to provide one reference letter
• For more information, go to SFU's admission requirements for details (click here)

Scholarship Information

• Courses you use in the calculation of the scholarship average would be the same as the courses used to calculate your program admission average
• The Automatic Entrance Scholarship, valued at $5000 each, is automatically offered to applicants whose course average is 95% and above - no application is required
• Major Entrance Scholarship, is awarded to students with at least a 90% average. The application for this scholarship is open now
• For more scholarship information, go to SFU's Financial Aid department (click here) for details

Contact for Questions

• The person to contact for grade 12 students is Ms. Gladys Bothaju, who can be reached at Gladys_Bothaju@sfu.ca

Disclaimer: the above information is accurate to the best of my knowledge and is typed here for your reference only. Please go to SFU's website to confirm if you are not certain.

Application and Admission Info from Langara College

The following are new pieces of information I obtained from Langara College when I attended its counsellors' conference last week. Please read the info carefully as some are time-sensitive:

Application Dates: Langara is currently accepting applications for admission in September 2014. Because their open enrollment (to be discussed later) programs operate on a first-qualify, first-admit fashion, it is important for you to apply as early as possible to ensure admission.

Types of Programs: Langara offers two different streams of program: open enrollment and limited enrollment courses. Open Enrollment programs are, generally speaking, the university transfer program of Langara. Limited Enrollment programs include the career-training programs that do not lead to a transfer to a university program upon completion. 

Open Enrollment Programs: Generally do NOT have any admission prerequisites. Basically, all graduating grade 12 students can be admitted, space-permitting. Admission into an open enrollment program does not guarantee successful transfer into a university program - you must take the required, accepted transferable courses, and meet the university's admission requirement.

More on Open Enrollment Programs: Entry requirement is graduation from BC High School or equivalent. The program is divided into individual program concentrations. Typically, students enrolled in this program complete 60 credits at Langara to receive an associate degree, and then can apply into the third year of a university program of their choice. Admission to a transfer program is subject to you meeting the university's requirement. 

Limited Enrollment Programs: These programs may have program-specific prerequisites that you must complete to be considered for admission. They are generally career programs.

Students interested in going into Nursing: All students interested in going into the four-year bachelor of nursing program at Langara must apply to the Foundations of Health Studies citation, which is an open enrollment program. After the completion of the citation, and provided that you meet the competitive averages required to be accepted into the nursing program, you can apply and be admitted into the bachelor of nursing program. This is different from the arrangement in the past where there are no specific "pre-nursing" program that students can go into. Please also note that successful completion in the Foundations of Health Studies citation does NOT guarantee admission into the Bachelor of Nursing program, as the program is open for application from other institutions as well.

Studio 58: For students interested in the performing arts, you have probably heard of Studio 58, a limited enrollment program offered at Langara. It is hosting an information night on February 17, 2014 @ 7:00 p.m. All students who are interested, please attend.

These are the pieces of information I picked up that I think are relevant to you. For more details on the programs offered at Langara, please visit the school's website (click here). You can also call Langara at 604-323-5241 or e-mail an academic advisor at advisor@langara.bc.ca for more info.

Changes to BCIT's Admission Process

I attended BCIT's Counsellor's info session last week, and was told of a few changes to their admission process. Students who are interested in going to BCIT, please take note:

Modes of Admission: BCIT has two modes of admission: 1) The "First Qualified, First Accepted" model offers seats to qualifying students on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you have met the entrance requirement for that specific program, you will be offered admission, space-permitting. 2) "Competitive Entrance" model offers seats to qualifying students that are selected. These programs have limited spaces and an application deadline. Once application deadline falls, BCIT will interview and select the most-qualifying students to offer admission. Bottom Line: When you are selecting a program, take note to see which admission model it uses. For the first-qualified, first-accepted program, put in your application ASAP to give yourself the best chance to get in.

Opening Day for Application: November 15 is the opening day for application. You must have the documents to prove that you have met the entrance requirements ready when you apply. All documents to submit along with your application needs to be submitted in the .pdf format. Bottom Line: Scan any documents you may need early into a .pdf format in preparation for application.

Completed Grade 11 Courses that are Pre-requisites for Required Grade 12 Courses: This is a big change to the admission process. BCIT is accepting the completion of a grade 11 course to be used in admission calculation as long as you are also taking the grade 12 course that follows. For example, if a program requires Pre-Calculus 12 as a course, you can use your Pre-Calculus 11 mark in your application, as long as you can provide proof that you are currently taking Pre-Calculus 12 as well. Proof of completed and in-progress courses would be required. Bottom Line: If you have done really well in some grade 11 courses, and are currently taking the grade 12 course, use your grade 11 grade to your advantage, and apply to a program that requires the grade 12 course.

Other aspects of admission are the same as before. For more information about BCIT and its program, please go to BCIT's website (click here) for more details.

One feature about BCIT that I really want to promote to you are its "spend-a-day," campus tour, and info session, which allows you to spend a day attending one of BCIT's program to learn what the program really is, or to tour around the campus, or hear from faculty and students about this school. (click here for details of these programs)

BCIT offers some very interesting, career-oriented programs. Graduates of BCIT usually find well-paid jobs that are related to what they have learned. If you have never considered going to BCIT, learn more about it!

Info Sheet from Queen's University

Queen's University (from Kingston, Ontario) has just mailed to the school an info sheet that outlines some key information about their school. I have taken the liberty to scan the document, and am sharing that with you right now.

Please note the admission averages, the procedures for application for awards and scholarships, important dates, etc. For more information, go to Queen's website (click here) to find out.

Click here to view the info sheet (click here)

Graduation Transitions Common Files

Several of you have asked about the GT files. While the school website is the best place to download and print these files, I'm posting them here as well for you to download.

Click on the link here. In total, there are 9 files for you to download:

• Graduation Transitions 2013 - 2014.pdf - this is the outline that introduces you to the different GT assignments. It also contains some useful links, deadlines, etc.
• Physical Activity Log 2013-2014 Term 1.pdf - due November 29, 2013
• Physical Activity Log 2013-2014 Term 2.pdf - due March 7, 2014
• Physical Activity Log 2013-2014 Term 3.pdf - due June 6, 2014
• Transition Plan Presentation.pdf - this document explains to you the requirements for your exit interview, which you will be doing in April/May of 2014
• Transition Plan Checklist Section 1.pdf - The "Who am I?" GT assignment - due October 24
• Transition Plan Checklist Section 2.pdf - The "What will I do?" GT assignment - due December 18
• Transition Plan Checklist Section 3.pdf - The "Hours and Health" GT assignment - due February 20
• Work or Volunteer Hours Form.pdf - This form was first given to you last year, and some of you have completed it already. You need to complete this form with your 30 hours of volunteer and/or work signed by your supervisor. 

If you have any questions on any of these, please come to see me. Please also make sure to attend the GT assembly next Wednesday after the announcements.

Graduation Transitions Assembly

Attention all grade 12 students:

There will be a brief assembly held next Wednesday, October 2, at the start of period 2 (after the announcements) in the auditorium. In this assembly, we will talk exclusively about the graduation transition "course" that all grade 12s need to complete to receive the four GT credits required for graduation. Whether you have a class or not, it is CRUCIAL that you make the time to attend.

Meanwhile, all GT assignments and documents have been uploaded onto the school's website. You can find these assignments and documents under the "students" tab on the school's website. Choose "grad" in the sub menu, and you will see all the documents (see screen shot below). Click each item to print or view, and please take note of the due dates for the three transition plan assignments.

UBC's New Policy on Distributed Learning Courses

UBC has some new policies when it comes to distributed learning courses (which includes courses you are taking online with any online school). The new policy is a lot stricter than the past, and may impact your choice of taking or continuing with an online course if you plan to go to UBC.

The policy affects students who are planning to use one/more of their online courses to calculate their admission averages. Instead of requiring you to complete 50% or more of the course by a set deadline, you now have to complete THE ENTIRE COURSE BY FEBRUARY 1, 2014 for UBC to accept the mark your online school reports. For individual courses, your online teacher may require you to finish the course even sooner, in order for them to have your marks ready to be submitted.

The actual wording from UBC on this policy reads like this:

If you are currently taking, or plan to take Distributed Learning courses (e.g., online courses, distance learning, or courses at another school) to meet your admission requirements, include these courses in the list of courses you will complete this year in the ‘academic profile’ section of the UBC application, and do not provide an in-progress grade.
Completion dates for Distributed Learning courses:

• If you wish to use your Distributed Learning course in the calculation of your competitive admission average, the course must be 100% complete by February 1, 2014 and your Distributed Learning provider/school must submit the final grade to the Ministry of Education so that it appears on your Ministry of Education Student Secure Web in time for you to self-report these grades in March/April.
• Distributed learning courses completed by June 30, 2014 can be used to meet pre-requisites but will not be used in the calculation of your competitive admission average.

(taken from UBC's Undergraduate Program and Admissions Page, click this link for details)

UBC Enrollment Report (2012)

For students who are interested in applying to UBC next fall, this document contains some very relevant and important information. One of the most important pieces of info is the mean admission averages for first year direct entry undergraduate students. The trend of increasing admission requirements appear to be continuing, with the overall average at 89.7%.

Specific faculties' mean admission averages are as follows:

• Applied Science: 91.0%
• Arts: 87.5%
• Commerce: 91.7%
• Kinesiology: 88.2%
• Forestry: 83.1%
• LFS: 88.9%
• Science: 92.3%

The full report can be viewed at UBC's website (click here)

Exam Schedule: In-School and Provincial Exams

It is that time of the year! The last day of instructions for the 2012 - 2013 year will be Friday, June 14. Cross-grade and provincial exams will take place from June 17 to June 25. Below is the revised schedule for exams that may be related to you:

Monday, June 17 a.m. (9:00 - 11:30 a.m.)

• French 8, 9, 11
• Spanish 10, 11
• Mandarin 10, 11, 12, Beginners' Mandarin 11

Monday, June 17 p.m. (1:00 - 3:00 p.m.)

• History 12
• Pre-Calculus 11

Tuesday, June 18 a.m. (9:00 - 11:00 a.m.)

• Physics 11, 12

Tuesday, June 18 p.m. (1:00 - 3:00 p.m.)

• Chemistry 11, 12

Wednesday, June 19 a.m. (9:00 - 11:00 a.m.)

• Biology 11
• Geography 12
• Calculus 12

Wednesday, June 19 p.m. (1:00 - 3:00 p.m.)

• Pre-Calculus 12
• Mock exams for Foundations of Math and Apprenticeship Math 10

Thursday, June 20 - no grade 11 exams

Friday, June 21 a.m. (9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.)

• Social Studies 11 Provincial Exam

Friday, June 21 p.m. (1:00 - 4:00 p.m.)

• English 10 Provincial Exam

Monday, June 24 (9:00 - 12:00; 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.)

• Foundations of Math and Pre-Calculus 10 Provincial exams (check with your teacher to find out your actual exam time)

Tuesday, June 25 (9:00 - 12:00)

• Apprenticeship and Workplace Math 10 Provincial Exam 

The full exam schedule can be viewed from the new Templeton school's website: (click here)

Approved Grade 12 Courses

Many of you have asked me about what grade 12 courses are considered the "approved grade 12 courses" at a university. As I have said during my course planning presentation, every school's list of approved grade 12 courses are different. Most colleges do not have a specific list of approved grade 12 courses; while most universities do have such a list (there are, however, exceptions).

As universities may change their list of approved grade 12 courses, it is best to check with the post secondary schools' websites directly for the most up-to-date information. Below are links to the major universities in B.C. and their list of approved grade 12 courses, where applicable:

Capilano University: does have a list of approved grade 12 courses: click here

Kwantlen University: no listed approved grade 12 courses; see admission info page here for details

Simon Fraser University (SFU): approved grade 12 courses vary by the faculty. For details, click here

Trinity Western University (TWU): has a list of accepted grade 12 academic subjects. Click here for details

University of British Columbia (UBC): has a list of approved grade 12 courses. Click here for details

University of Victoria (UVic): has a list of approved grade 11 and 12 courses. Click here for details

When selecting courses for next year, it is important for you to find out from the post-secondary institution and the program(s) you are interested in the courses you need to take. Remember: admission requirements are the courses you need to have for a post-secondary school to look at your application, and program-specific requirements are pre-requisites the schools would use in calculating whether or not you will be accepted into the program of your choice. The two are DIFFERENT in most cases.

Course Planning Schedule

For those of you who are wondering about when exactly would I be coming to your class to discuss course planning for your grade 12 year, please take a look at the schedule below:

A big "thank you" goes out to the English department for allowing me to come in to your English class to discuss what probably will be the most important year of your high school career!

Feb 18 (Mon )	1.1 (A)	English 11 – Vadacchino
Feb 18 (Mon)	1.4 (D)	English 11 – Grant
Feb 19 (Tue)	2.4 (H)	English 11 – Smith
Feb 19 (Tue)	2.3 (G)	English 11 – Smith
Feb 20 (Wed)	1.1 (A)	English 11 Enriched – Wong
Feb 20 (Wed)	1.3 (C)	Communications 11 – Burt
Feb 22 (Fri)	1.1 (A)	English 11 – Soderlund
Feb 22 (Fri)	1.4 (D)	English 11 Mini – Vadacchino

If, for whatever reason, you know you would not be able to attend the scheduled class, and will miss the course planning "lecture" I will be doing, please come to see me during one of the times when I am not presenting course planning info to a class. Important forms and information would be shared during these sessions, so it is EXTREMELY important that you don't miss anything.

Course request forms will be distributed during the course planning session, and they will be collected one week after.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to come in and see me.

Preview of Course Planning

For those of you who are interested in the courses that would be offered in the 2013 - 2014 year, you can take a sneak preview at the list of courses by clicking the link below:

Course Request Form 2013 - 2014 (Click here)

If you don't have a publisher software, you can click on the image below to enlarge the two pages of the course list. I hope the page is clear enough for you.

The course calendar with detailed course description should be posted on the school's website shortly, if not already. Please use it if you want to know more about a specific course. You can also come in to ask me.

I will be coming to your English classes during the week of February 18 to 22 to do course planning work with you. If you have any questions prior to that, please don't hesitate to come in to see me.

Term 2 Physical Activity Log

The long-awaited physical activity log for term 2 is now available for printing!

Please click on the link below to view and print the file.
(Click here)

Alternately, you can go to Templeton's website to view and print the page as well.

As per last term, students who are currently taking PE may ask your teacher to sign the form, and you would not have to fill out individual weekly physical activities.

For students currently not taking PE, you must complete 150 minutes of weekly physical activities, and fill in the weekly entry. Completed entries must be submitted to Mrs. Duncan by the end of term 2.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to let me know. Thanks!

Learning to Lead Program

Are you a female grade 11 student who wants to learn more about leadership skills? Do you inspire to become a leader in BC using your energy and vision? The Minerva Foundation for BC Women is hosting its 12th annual Learning to Lead program from May 24 - 26 at St. John's College on the UBC campus.

This all-expense paid opportunity is for grade 11 female students to meet and interact with graduate students, young professional women, and accomplished community leaders for a weekend of inspiring speakers and workshops.

In order to attend, you have to submit an application. The organization is looking for students who have demonstrated leadership skills in the past and present over different areas, and show some of the following characteristics of leadership:

• self-directed and responsible
• strong communicator with good interpersonal skills
• action oriented and able to motivate others 
• self-reflective 
• risk taker 
• good listener
• ability to manage conflict
• integrity, flexibility, intelligence, creativity, focus and emotional intelligence

To learn more, you can go to Minerva Foundation's website (click here) to see for yourself. If you are interested in applying, please come to see me ASAP. Thanks!

Term 1 Honour Roll

The list of students who have achieved principal's list or honour roll status has been published, and is now posted outside of the main office as well as my door. Congratulations to all the grade 11 scholars who have worked hard to achieve this outstanding results!

Please check the principal's list and the honour list carefully - if you feel you should be on the list but is not, please come by to see me ASAP.

As per explained in the student agenda book, the grade 11 principal's list and honour roll are calculated based on your seven best courses (except peer tutoring, community service, ESL, and SDC courses). Students must also achieve a minimum of "satisfactory" work habits in all courses to be eligible.

Students who achieve a 90% or higher average, with no mark below 60%, will be on the Principal's List. Students who achieve an 80% to 89% average, with no mark below 60%, will be on the Honour Roll.

Once again, congratulations to all the scholars of grade 11 who achieved this outstanding feat! Great job!

Youth Mental Health Summit

Are you interested in learning more about mental health issues? Are you interested in making connections with those who work in the area of mental health and are passionate about breaking down barriers and creating connections? If you are, here's a one-day workshop that you may be interested in!

The Building a Mindful Community Youth Summit 2013 is a one-day workshop that includes multi-media presentations, idea sharing, and other fun activities that will center on mental health and strengthening community connections. You can also build your own leadership and capacity skills through group discussions and creative activities.

The Youth Summit is inclusive and open to students of all backgrounds. It will take place Wednesday, February 27th, 2013 at the Chan Centre for Family Health Education, which is located at B.C.'s Children's Hospital at 938 West 28th Avenue in Vancouver. The summit will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Templeton can send up to 5 students and 1 staff member to this youth summit. Snacks and lunch will be provided, and attendees will receive a certificate of participation.

For further details, you can visit this website for information (click here).

If you want to register, please come to see me. I will pass your names to Mr. Davis, who will register the group on your behalf.