Hi everyone, I hope you are using the flexibility of EBUS to enjoy the spring weather! We are down to 8 weeks of classes before the June 14 deadline for course completion this school year. Lots for full time high school students at EBUS to be aware of, please make sure you keep on top of the newsletters and announcements. The remaining newsletters will go out by email April 19, May 3 and 17th, June 7th and the final one for the school year is June 21st.
REQUIRED GRADUATION ASSESSMENTS
Students graduating under the 2018 or 2023 graduation programs will need to complete a possible total of 3 assessments to meet graduation requirements; Literacy 10, Numeracy and Literacy 12. These assessments must be written under the supervision of a teacher and are written generally in high schools across BC.
The next session EBUS will arrange for students is June 10-14 2024. EBUS can help you find a school close by for you to write in. You can register for that HERE by May 17 2024. Someone from EBUS will respond to your request in June once we hear from schools later in May.
You can get all the details about the assessments at https://ebus.ca/welcome-package/grade-10-12-homeroomnews/graduation-assessments-provincial-exams/
For students looking at post-secondary education, UBC requires students applying there must score a 3 or better on the Literacy 12 assessment, with no requirements for the Literacy 10 or Numeracy. Currently, other colleges and universities have not indicated the Literacy 12 result will be used as part of their admissions requirements, and students are responsible to research their future college or university to ensure you meet all admissions requirements.
For the required graduation numeracy and literacy assessments, all BC students will need government issue photo ID. A BCID card or a public school ID card will qualify. If you need a school ID card please send a current colour photo to ebusresources@sd91.bc.ca well in advance of your assessment date.
SUMMER SESSION 2024
EBUS will be running summer session in 2024, info found at https://ebus.ca/online-learning-programs/summer-program/ The courses we will be offering are now listed on our website.
Full time students can take 1-2 courses with teacher supports in the summer, with the firm expectation to finish by the end of August, aiming for August 23. Full time EBUS students can email me after April 26 with the course name to register for a summer session course. It is strongly recommended students take one course only as you will have a very high success rate of completion.
Some students wonder think about taking 2 summer courses. Summer session is significantly more challenging compared to the regular school year and we want to see you successful and not disappointed or frustrated.
Because summer session is only 2.5 months long, compared to 10 months for a regular school year course, you will need to carefully plan your schedule. Also note that students who are not 80% complete by August 23 will not get an extension, and those that do must finish the course by the end of September at the absolute latest, or the student will be withdrawn and need to retake the entire course.
We are asking all students who are requesting 2 courses for summer session to email me a detailed plan with the following:
- What other activities, jobs, sports or trips or holidays you have planned for the summer and the dates these are happening
- When you will begin the course and submit the first completed assignment before June 10th
- Which days of the week will you be working on assignments and how many hours each day you will schedule for course work completion
- Confirmation that you have discussed this plan with your parent/guardian
Once registered, the student is immediately put in the course with access to the first unit. Around June 20 the rest of the course will be opened and then on July 2 they will have full teacher supports. As teachers return to their regular school year job in early September, it is essential students finish their course by the end of August. Note that due to ministry policy, courses started between September and May 7 cannot be moved to summer session.
COURSE SELECTIONS FOR THE 2024-25 SCHOOL YEAR
For students continuing with EBUS for the next school year and wanting to do your course selections, we have arranged the following presentations:
Students going into grade 10 Tuesday May 7 10AM Pacific Click here to join the meeting
Students going into grade 11 Tuesday May 7 1:30PM Pacific Click here to join the meeting
Students going into grade 12 Wednesday May 8 10AM Pacific Click here to join the meeting
For students considering leaving EBUS for the next school year, I recommend you contact the new school you are considering as they will be doing course selections much earlier, often around now. If you plan to leave EBUS at the end of June, please be sure to send your advisor a heads up so we can transfer your file. If you are staying with EBUS, all you need to do is course selections by the June deadlines.
WELLNESS PROJECT SOCIAL MEDIA
This month’s wellness project focus is on social media. What may surprise you is that prior to 2004 nearly all the social media platforms, and things like smart phones, were not present in our lives, so this topic is very next historically speaking. Social media has many uses that can positively benefit us, but it also has many downsides as well. Like most things, moderation is key to the best fit for you.
One thing to be aware of is how much time you spend behind the screen, especially with social media. It is recommended students spend no more than 2 hours a day combined on all social media platforms and have no screentime about an hour before bedtime. Give this a try and see what improvements you see!
Over the years we have collected a number of free online resources to help with mental health. I encourage you to email me if you have a great free resource not listed here.
IMPORTANT DATES
- April 26 Pro D – teachers unavailable, courses open
- April 29 full time students can email their summer session requests to cmushumanski@sd91.bc.ca
- May 7-8 course selection presentations
- May 10 Pro D – teachers unavailable, courses open
- May 17 graduation assessment registration closed (requests received after this date will be accepted but we cannot guarantee they will be processed)
- May 20 Victoria Day – EBUS closed, courses open
- May 25 grad ceremony in Vanderhoof
- June 1 grad ceremony in Vancouver
- June 10-14 Graduation Assessment session
- June 14 year end work submission deadline
- June 22 grad ceremony in Kamloops
- June 27 report cards available on EBUS dashboards
- June 28 EBUS closed for the school year
PARENT ACCESS
Parents, you can access your student’s progress and report cards on the EBUS parent portal: https://my.ebus.ca/parentportal/login.php We recommend parents log in with their student at least once a week to stay actively engaged in their learning and progress. Students, you can access your report cards from your dashboard, look for the A+ icon in the upper right-hand corner. Report cards are published 3 times a year; December, March, June and for summer session courses only, September.
As I get asked this often, students working in a semester fashion should be about 65% complete. And for students working in a linear fashion to complete by the June deadlines, they should be about 85% complete at this time.
PHONE APPOINTMENTS
Currently I am working from home. To book a phone appt with me, use https://tinyurl.com/yyrbnz7p and select the appropriate amount of time you need when you are available for my call. My calls will show up as SD91 for School District 91. EBUS Academy as also set up Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) phone calls so I now have a phone number you can reach me at! I am available at 1-250-567-4413 ext 7409. Booking a phone appt is the easiest was to ensure you will reach me, but I will answer calls during the workday when available.
The next newsletter will be May 3.