The Class of 2014 and the Homestretch

The May 24th Graduation Ceremony will be here before we all know it and it's time to look ahead to important dates/events. The next two and a half months will be a roller coaster ride for the seniors and their parents and it all begins with mock exams next week.

Mock Exams - March 17 - 20
This year we decided to devote four days to mock exams. This change was based on feedback from students and teachers from the past several years. There are no classes for seniors these days so that they can focus on the exams. We decided on this new format based on feedback from teachers and past students. There are two main purposes for the exams are...

• to provide students and teachers with information on what knowledge and skills the students have mastered at this point in time. This information will then be used for review work and a semester exam grade.
• to provide students with an IB Exam type of environment that will prepare them for the real exams in May.

The procedures for the mock exams are posted here.

Important events/dates are listed below. We will be going over the details in several upcoming senior flex meetings.

 April 30 - Final Day for IB Students to Submit major coursework (including CAS Work)

May 2 – May 23 - IB Exams

May 9 - Junior/Senior Prom (2030 - 0030)

May 16 - Final day of classes for all seniors

May 20 - Final Grades Posted

May 20 - Senior Breakfast (0830), Graduation Rehearsal (1000 - 1200)

May 21 - Letting Go Workshop for Parents

May 22 - Graduation Rehearsal (1530 - 1700)

May 23 - Senior Awards Ceremony (1300 - 1510)

May 24 - Graduation (1400 - 1700)

Please contact Adelaide Garcia (adelaide.garcia@graded.br) if you have any questions about any of these events.

Class of 2014 Senior Sunrise

On Thursday, members of the Senior Class arrived at school at 6:00 am to enjoy the sunrise on their first day of school. They also broke out the hoodies. We're still trying to figure out when this tradition started. Anyone know?

Class of 2013 Graduation Week Activities

It seems like just yesterday when the seniors were celebrating the first day of school by coming to watch the sunrise on campus. The members of the Class of 2013 have less than two weeks left at Graded. The time will certainly be an emotional one with a mix of excitement and sadness. There are several events coming up that I want to share with you so that you are prepared. 

Senior/Junior Prom - May 17 from 8:30 pm - 12:30 am. A dedicated group of students and parents has been working months to plan this special event. This is the second year that the prom will take place on campus and we anticipate over 120 students in attendance. It's important to note that this is a school sponsored event and there will be faculty members serving as chaperones. This also means that all school rules are in effect. Three of the students will be DJ'ing the event and there will be plenty of food, drink (non-alcoholic beverages) and dancing throughout the night.
You can find the information that Mr. Bair has sent out to seniors here.

Senior Lock-in - May 21 from 9:00 pm - 7:00 am. A group of seniors have worked with Mr. Bair to organize this event and a field day on the following day. We look forward to having the class spend the night on campus with events planned throughout the evening. The entire group will be sleeping in the Black Box Theater. Again, this is a school event and all school rules will apply.
Senior Field Day - Wednesday, May 22 at 10:00 AM and will go until 2:00 PM. The seniors have planned to have various games, including soap soccer and food on campus throughout the day on Wednesday.
Graduation Rehearsal #1 - Thursday, May 23 at 1:00-3:00 PM. We want Saturday's ceremony to be special which means that we need to rehearse twice. Attendance is mandatory for both rehearsals. Dress is casual and we expect everyone to be on time.

Senior Breakfast - Friday, May 24 at 8:00 AM.  

A relaxed event in the morning with class mates and teachers prior to the final rehearsal and the awards ceremony.

Graduation Rehearsal #2 - Friday, May 24 at 10:00 AM. This is the final run through for the entire group as we strive to have a first class ceremony that everyone can be proud of.

Senior Awards - Friday, May 24 at 1:00 PM. The seniors process into the auditorium with gowns and crazy hats and we recognize individuals for their accomplishments in a variety of areas.

Graduation Ceremony: Saturday, May 25 at 2:00 PM  The seniors are expected to be in the gymnasium by 12:00 pm to prepare for the ceremony. The time before the ceremony is a special event. Please remember that only ticketed individuals will be able to sit in the auditorium. Tickets are also required for the live video feed that will be shown in the black box theater. Bernard Moss is the official photographer for the prom, awards and graduation ceremonies and his team of photographers will be taking photos and video during each of these events. Photo Information and the Order Form

Seniors and Early Applications

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44 of Graded's 91 seniors have applied early to 45 different overseas universities. Even for Graded this is an extremely high percentage of early applications. This means that for those 44 students, along with the support of their counselors, teacher and parents have been extremely busy these past months preparing their applications. This is in addition to their rigorous coursework. This also means that they will have decisions from the Universities in December or early January.

There are basically three types of early applications.
Early Decision - Applicants apply early and if accepted, they are contractually obligated to attend the school.
Early Restrictive Action - Applicants apply early and, if accepted, they have an earlier deadline to make a decision on whether or not to attend.
Early Action - Applicants apply early and, if accepted, they can still consider other options.

The Wordle shows the schools that the students applied to (the larger the name, the more applications)