Since our brochure was printed there have been some important changes and improvements at our school. The changes are as follows:

New Graduation Requirements
For the school year beginning in September, 2004 there are new requirements for high school graduation in British Columbia. Until June, 2004 the graduation requirement was 13 designated courses in Grades 11 and 12 for a total of 52 credits. For students entering Grade 10 in September, 2004 the requirement will be 80 credits (normally 4 credits per course) over Grades 10, 11 and 12.
Therefore, it would be wise for most international students to begin their high school studies in British Columbia t the Grade 10 level.

The Sequence of Grade Levels at St. John’s International High School

Transition Grade 8 – for students who have completed Grade 7 in their home country but are not yet ready to enter the full Grade 8 program. These students would, however, be allowed to take at least two regular courses for credit. Usually these courses would be Science 8 and Mathematics 9 because these courses require less English usage.

Grade 8 – students whose English language and academic skills are adequate will enroll in the regular Grade 8 program.

Transition Grade 9 – for students who have completed Grade 8 in their home country but are not yet ready to enter the full Grade 9 program. These students will be allowed to take Science 9 and Mathematics 9 but would have to take extra training in English skills.

Grade 9 – students whose English language and academic skills are adequate will enroll in the regular Grade 9 program.

Transition Grade 10 – for students who have completed Grade 9 in their home country but are not yet ready to enter the full Grade 10 program (usually because of inadequate English skills). There students will be allowed to take Science 10 and Mathematics 10 but will have to take extra training in English skills.

Grade 10 – students whose English language and academic skills are adequate will enroll in the regular Grade 10 program.

Transition Grade 11 – for students who have completed Grade 10 in their home country but are not yet ready to enter the full Grade 11 program. These students will be allowed to take two science, technology or mathematics courses but will have to take extra training in English writing and speaking skills.

Grade 11 – students whose English language and academic skills are adequate will enroll in the regular Grade 11 program.

Grade 12.

Valuable Free Tutorials
At St. John’s International High School we believe in offering excellent classroom instruction. We also believe that we can offer more help to students by providing free tutorials after school. These tutorials are conducted in small groups with qualified instructors who can offer extra help in all subject areas. Students who are achieving less than 60% in their class work are REQUIRED to attend the appropriate tutorials. Other students MAY attend if they want to do so.

Homestay Arrangements
Our school has entered into an agreement with CVI Homestay, an agency which has been placing students in homestay for sixteen years. All our homestay arrangements are managed by CVI homestay in cooperation with St. John’s International High School.

Uniforms
After experimenting for one year without uniforms, St. John’s International High School will again require uniforms for ALL students beginning in September, 2004.

The School Year
After experimenting with a three-term year, we are going back to two five-month terms-September 2004 to February 2005 and February to June 2005. There will also be a one-month summer school in July.

Summer and Winter Programs
This year we are offering our first Summer School for Academic Courses. This one-month summer school allows students to complete another four-credit course. We will be offering this summer program every year for the convenience of students.

Please feel free to contact the school for more information.

Sincerely,

Lawrence Fast,
Principal.