Preparing for the final two years of high school

The above presentation is from the January 29th Grade 10 Parent Afternoon. The note below is from Graded's IB Coordinator, Mr. Carinn Mariani.

Our goal for this afternoon was to provide the information necessary to make informed decisions regarding IB program selections and to come together as a community of IB parents, teachers and students.  

We know that a set of answers will open the door to a new set of questions. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any of your concerns, questions or comments. I would also like to know if the organization of the afternoon and the content contained within met your needs. Based on that feedback, I will be able to tailor the goals of our next meeting (early Grade 11).

Next Steps:

Grade 11 counselors have requested that all students schedule a course selection meeting with them on a Google Calendar, shared with students in mid-January. Conferences will run from February 3 - 28. We hope parents will be able to attend meetings. If not, the counselors will communicate the results of that meeting with parents. 

Other helpful resources:

The IBO website - you will find links to university recognition, assessment and curriculum details, research on the programs, statistical reports and much more. 

Summer Pre-IB Institute - OSC is a company that provides pre-IB summer courses.  There are many companies which provide this type of service, but students and parents have reported positive experiences with OSC.  This is an optional educational experience for students and is not required to do well in this program. 

Carinn Mariani:  IBDP Coordinator  carinn.mariani@graded.br

Amaral Cuhna:  Extended Essay and CAS Coordinator amaral.cuhna@graded.br

Todd Daniel:      Grade 11 Counselor Last Names A-K todd.daniel@graded.br

Susan Keenan:  Grade 11 Counselor Last Names L-Z  susan.keenan@graded.br

More on the IB Program: What is Theory of Knowledge about?

Ask five Graded teachers and/or students what Theory of Knowledge (ToK) is about and you'll get five different answers. Chances are that many of the answers will be totally off base. It's one of the classes that you have to experience to truly understand what it means. Of course, even after 3 semesters students leave the course with more questions than answers. According to the guide, the most central question is "How do we know?"

As of this year, the IBO opened up ToK to all students, even if you're not an IB diploma candidate. If you're looking for a taste of what this year's juniors have done, check out their "This I Believe" audio statements.  

  

As 10th graders are having important conversations around the IB diploma program with parents, teachers, counselors and friends and this article may offer you ideas. Thanks to Ms. Stoneman for sharing this recent article from The Independent newspaper.

Image from 71 Inspirations - Inspirations a Day

International Baccalaureate - 'It teaches you not to give up'

Below are a few excerpts from the article.

"Before starting the IB I felt extremely intimidated," admits Josh Hammond, a student at St Clare's school, Oxford. "I had heard countless complaints about the difficulties of the IB. But, once you get going, you become more efficient at time management and the work seems less daunting."

Although students need to sharpen their organisational and study skills, they needn't do it silently – or without support. "IB students are expected to be risk-takers and communicators," says Sarah Jinks, a biology teacher at St Clare's. "But the tasks we set are designed to help them develop those skills. You're not expected to have them when you arrive."

"They may struggle in one subject but be a master of another, and that can be very humbling," he explains. "But it's also really powerful, it will teach them not to give up and help develop their self-respect."

Do Graded IBDP students refer to themselves by their candidate number?

This seems like the perfect time to share this video that a former IB Diploma student posted on Youtube. 10th graders are considering whether or not to take on the full diploma. 11th grade diploma candidates are now in full gear and our 12th graders are counting the days until exams. What do you think about inothingam's 16 comments?