First Day Back at School for Our Kids

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-19-2003
First Day Back at School for Our Kids
11
Tue, 09-04-2007 - 1:56pm

Here in my area of Canada, school starts back up again today. My dd went into 11th grade and my son is enterring 7th grade. So I have two kids approaching their final years of their current schools.

Both were quite relaxed about today except for the usual "what to wear" (because dd wears a uniform at her school its "how to wear my hair" lol) and where to meet their friends. My dd usually walks to school with her friends (we are too close for bussing) but today one of the moms offered to give them all a ride as first day is usually rather busy with finding their lockers, getting their homeroom numbers etc.

Its going to be a busy semester for my dd, she has 4 rather challenging courses: World Religions, English, Dance, and Chemistry. In her arts course she is doing a "triple threat" semester where they have to learn other disciplines so besides dancing she has to do drama and voice. Everything is university/academic level so its alot of homework and a very fast pace as in the semester system she's done these courses by January and then starts another 4 courses. But she's got alot of friends in her classes and as she gets along in school, she's more and more with people who have similar interests and taking similar streams of study.

My son was funny this morning -- he's going into 7th grade and starting his self-conscious phase. He was very concerned with how he looked in his clothes (no uniform at his school) and was anxious to see how everyone had changed over the summer. At his young age, alot of kids are separated for the summer as people go to camp, vacations, etc so he's only seen 2 or 3 of his close friends. I'm very interested to hear about everything, how he likes his teacher etc.

Anyway, exciting first day...

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iVillage Member
Registered: 02-14-2000
Tue, 09-04-2007 - 4:03pm
Let us know how it goes for both of them!
Pam
Avatar for bookwormmom
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-22-2003
Tue, 09-04-2007 - 10:44pm
My kids start back tomorrow and neither of them is looking forward to it. Jaryd just doesn't want to go, he still wants to just hang out and have fun, but he'll buckle down to school quickly. Kelsie is upset about some of the social cra# that has been going on. One of the girls has started rumors about her and she feels like everyone is believing this girl and she is losing her friends. She went through losing her whole group of friends a couple years ago and doesn't want to have to deal with that again. The other time she just decided that she wouldn't put up with the way she was being treated and the things they were getting involved in. This time she thinks she is going to end up with a bad reputation. I'm hoping that she is over reatcting and I know her true friends will know who she is and stick with her.
We'll see how the first day goes tomorrow.
Kristie
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iVillage Member
Registered: 09-29-2004
Wed, 09-05-2007 - 8:15am


Grade 11 Chemistry is a challenge for most kids. English is also. But don't worry about the other two courses. Unless she is going into dance in university, that mark will not count
towards university. The university take 6 Grade 12 courses (English + required courses + fill up the 6 with highest academic marks). It is the English & the Chem, if she wants to go into Science, those are the classes she has to concentrate on.

Is she taking Physics & Math next term? Biology? She needs those three. She can drop Physics or Bio in Grade 12,depending on what she wants to study.

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-25-2007
Wed, 09-05-2007 - 9:23am

No Offense meant however, that's not quite how it works in Canada. I'm also a Canadian junior. All 30 level courses she takes count to wards her overall average, however you only need a Maxim of 5 depending on your program of choice. English, Math 30, as well as a Science if you plan on entering a science program. Math 31 can also complement your math 30. so for example say she gets 90 in her English and chem, but only a 70 in dance and decides not to use the dance 30 ( I'm going to assume it's a 30 it might only be 20). her 70% mark could still be used to find her overall average she'll have to use but you won't have to use that individual course if she took all three science for example?

to the OP this was just a general example i hope your daughter has an awesome time this year. I'm really nervous, it's an important year. I'm taking more of my gr.12 this year than i am gr.11.

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-19-2003
Wed, 09-05-2007 - 10:43am

Iteadrinker, my dd is in a special arts program at high school. They audition to enter the program for either dance, drama, visual arts, voice or instrumental music and then basically the arts program courses form the majority of their electives. In arts courses such as these, which are again only offered if you pass an audition and rigorous application process, you have to maintain a certain level of academic performance to stay in the program. At the end they receive a special type of diploma which, even if you don't specifically go into that performing art, is very attractive on a university application.

She isn't too concerned about the Chemistry as science is something she enjoys and does well at. But she isn't doing the Physics and Biology portions mainly because she isn't going into a science program after university. The chemistry just seemed the most attractive science option as she was required to take one science credit. The English is going to be challenging for her -- she already has a ton of homework. But her desired post-secondary field is in Writing/Journalism/Communication so English is a must. And she has to do well at it. Pretty much everything she is taking this year and next is gearing her up to enter an Arts education after high school and other courses in the maths and sciences are being taken in order to meet compulsory requirements in order to graduate.

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-19-2003
Wed, 09-05-2007 - 10:53am

Thanks! Yes, she will be looking into her alternatives for a post-secondary education. Based on her interests she has two universities, both in town thankfully, that offer the programs she wants. One is in the city and requires about a 45 - 50 minute commute. The other is very closeby and requires only a 15 minute commute.

The two are very different -- one is a traditional university with a general liberal arts focus for two years and then specializing in your major for 2 more years and post-graduate studies etc. The other is a "polytechnical" university where you enter the school knowing your major and the focus includes a mix of practical with the theoretical. Both are highly regarded programs. Both schools offer great incentives like entrance scholarships based on your grades coming out of school. Personally, I prefer the closer university as I attended the further one in the city myself and I found the distance and location somewhat "limiting" my university experience. The inner city university is in the heart of the city, residences there are astronomically priced and therefore there isn't truly a university "community" per se. Also group studies and late night studies were problematic because of safety issues getting on a subway late at night and walking through dark downtown areas. It meant I had to say no alot to social events etc.

The closer university is a fully self-contained traditional "campus". They have residence but given how close we live wouldn't be needed. The whole thing is because it is so close if there were a need to be there late into the evening or go in on a weekend, she would be so close that if she wanted she could always get a ride home. And the local bus in and out of that university basically comes to the corner of a nearby intersection every 12 minutes or so.

But in the end it will be up to her to weigh her pros and cons and she will likely apply to and visit both to ensure that her grade 12 courses meet all their requirements for entry. She also needs to do some extra-curricular this year like the school newspaper for example in order to build a bit of a portfolio.

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-29-2004
Wed, 09-05-2007 - 6:07pm

You are talking about U of *, I assume, and Y*** or is it R******.

Yes, Y*** offers $$ but most kids (over 90%) loose the scholarships. This is especially so with kids in arts & basic science programs. Universities like Y***, C******* & O**** U are actively trying to attract students. They offer entrance scholarships starting at 85%. But since marks tend to drop 15% in first year from high school (and even more depending on the course of study) and scholarships required 80% to be maintained, only the few manage to keep them. They bank on that. It allows them to offer more kids entrance scholarships. U of *, I know from a friend who taught there, banks on dropouts in the first year as well.

So, don't pick the university based on money offered.

It does not matter where she goes to university. It's all the same in Canada for a BA.

If you afford it, consider sending her to smaller universities such as Trent or Guelph or MacMaster's. They are all excellent places to go. And if she is able to get extremely high marks in Grade 12), try for Queen's. Queen's is a fantastic place to spend 4 years at.

PS.. For Americans reading this, here 80% is an A- average.

Avatar for bookwormmom
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-22-2003
Wed, 09-05-2007 - 7:55pm

<<>> Really? That is pretty lenient. For us an A- would be above a 90% and an 80% would be a C+

My kids went back today for a half day, only 15 min periods and an assembly. The 9th graders had a full day. Jaryd seems pretty satisfied with his schedule. He has kids in all his classes that he knows. Kelsie seems to be happy with her schedule too. Knows most of the teachers or at least their reputations already since she is a senior. Her worrying about the problems with the girl who was spreading rumors was all for naught. A few friends did ask her about what they hear and she told them that this girl was just telling stories. They seemed fine with that explanation.
So all is pretty well in our house after the first day of school.
Kristie

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Community Leader
Registered: 12-16-2003
Wed, 09-05-2007 - 11:51pm
Hope that they both had great days!

Ramona  Mom to 2 great kids and wife to one wonderful hubby since 1990!

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-29-2004
Thu, 09-06-2007 - 9:16pm


It is not lenient because you have to work to get an 80%. We mark harder.
So, you can not compare the two systems. If we marked leniently, then more than 50% of the students would earn 80%+ but that is not the case. Our "bell curve" spread is wider but peaked at a C average. An average class average is about in the 60s in most academic high school classes. In university, it is not unusual for class averages to be in the 50s.

And our universities mark tougher than our high schools. 70s is considered extremely good.
It is a B average.

That is why entrance requirements for US students coming up here to study are tougher than for Canadian, British or French students.

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