BUILDING FINE YOUNG MEN. ONE BOY AT A TIME.

This handbook will be an important resource to consult as you engage in course planning for the 2023-24 school year. You’ll see important academic policies, course descriptions, guidance on opportunities and requirements for each year, and worksheets to help guide your thinking and planning.

Be sure to consult the cycle and timeline for due dates, and keep an eye on the weekly eNews and updates to the School Portal. St. George’s Senior School is committed to providing an exciting range of learning opportunities. Teachers embrace pedagogical approaches that deepen student engagement and create a culture of inquiry in the classroom. Through varied instructional and assessment strategies including cohorts, Harkness discussions, guided inquiry, blended learning, visible thinking routines, and experiential learning, students are encouraged to find a love of learning. We believe that there are many ways of knowing that can be nurtured as each student finds their own voice and purpose. Learning at St. George’s will support a student to develop their independence, connect to the world, and feel a sense of agency.

New Possibilities

The 2023-24 school year will be marked by movement. We will change our learning spaces, with the anticipated completion of our new campus buildings, and the renovation of the existing building. Grade 8s and 9s will shift into a different model of assessment and how learning is communicated, while Grade 11s and 12s will transition into a new Indigenous-focused graduation course requirement. These innovations will grow from our solid foundation, and will add to the diversity of experiences and depth of learning of our community. They will also require us to continue to practice resilience, humility, and empathy as we learn through these changes, together.

Grades 8 And 9

In Grade 8 and Grade 9, students will have a set schedule of six full-year courses, each course occurring in 1 of 8 blocks: English, Social Studies, Math*, Language*, Physical and Health Education, and Science. Students will also select from a variety of semestered courses in 2 of their 8 blocks. They will have one course block devoted to Arts Education (from the Visual Arts, Theatre Arts, Music departments), and one course block devoted to Applied Design Skills, and Technology (ADST) education. Students will experience up to two Arts Education courses, and two ADST courses. In these choices, we encourage students to cast a wide net: exploring skills and topics they love as well as those they may have never encountered before. In Grades 8 and 9, students learn through experimentation with variety.

*All Grade 8s begin in Math 8 and French 8, if they are enrolled in French. Midway through the fall after a series of teacher observations, student reflection, and assessments, students will join Math 8, Math 8/9 or Math 9 classes for Math, and French 8 or French 8 Honours for French. More details are on the course description page for Grade 8.

Grade 10 And Cohorts

Students in Grade 10 will continue with the same group of six core courses as in Grade 8 and Grade 9, and have two full-year courses of their choice. In Grade 10, we encourage students to go deep: choosing skills and topics they wish to explore with time, commitment, and curiosity. This is a year to learn through relationships and experiences. For their Grade 10 year, students have the option to apply for an interdisciplinary cohort. For 2023-24, two cohorts will be offered: Discovery 10 and Fusion 10. Students who apply to and are invited to join cohort experience specific classes (core and elective) with their cohort. These courses use the same foundational curriculum as the non-cohort sections, but are intentionally linked by the theme of the cohort, and are focussed on deep interdisciplinary connections and authentic experiential education. For more information on cohorts, please see page 19

Grades 11 And 12

For their Grade 11 and 12 years, students have a wide variety of required and elective courses (see pages 32-42 for more details). In these grades, we encourage students to see their choices as part of a two-year Graduation Program. Some courses have prerequisites, and some have recommended standings in previous courses. Some students will have identified required courses to be eligible for specific universities or programs. In all cases, we encourage students to look at these years in a holistic way: selecting courses that offer challenge and also the opportunity to return to areas of passion or interest from previous years. This is the time to see the seeds planted in previous years of experimentation and depth blossom.

There are a number of advanced and accelerated options available to students, increasing through Grades 9-12. These courses are labeled as Honours, +Competition, or Advanced Placement (AP). These courses are characterised by:

• Increased pace.

• Increased complexity of learning outcomes.

• Increased number of learning outcomes.

• Increased responsibility on the student for independence in their learning including actively reviewing and previewing. There are a number of reasons students might consider an accelerated or advanced course. Rather than focusing on the grade students hope to earn in a course, what matters most is that they select a course that is the right style, pace, and fit for them—and that they’re able to do their best within that “sweet spot” of challenge.