Monday, March 4th will be Day 1 and the blocks will be B-E-C-D-A. Tuesday, March 5th will be Day 2 and the blocks will be G-J-H-I-F.

Time of day can have a strong impact on learning for some students (and teachers). Rotating blocks enables students to learn different subjects at different times of the day to spread both the opportunities and challenges of specific times of day. The Lunch blocks (C, D, H and I) do not rotate as they carry additional logistics and complexities. The calendar of block rotations and key dates can be viewed HERE.

Students, please arrive a few minutes earlier than usual on March 4th so that you are able to get to your class on time.

During yesterday’s Flex Day, the Grade 8s participated in programming run by the Science Department. The Science classes were given a mission to build earthquake proof structures with limited materials. Their designs were tested and the teachers selected winners for the tallest and coolest designs. They spent their afternoon exploring nearby neighbourhoods in Advisor Groups, improving their spatial-awareness skills, and learning about design thinking through an experiential lens.

The ADST Department ran the Grade 9 morning Flex Day session. Students signed up to try out different Deep Dive activities, including coding, talking to AI, laser cutting, and creating a desktop catapult! In the afternoon, they participated in another Global Stewardship Workshop facilitated by Insight Global Education. They reviewed their previous day and described how and why their day went well or bad. They worked in small groups to exercise empathy for each other’s emotions throughout their day. 

The Grade 10s spent their morning doing a mix of University Counselling and Career Life Education (CLE), which involved career & post-secondary exploration as well as reflection on their Naviance Personality Test results. After lunch, they continued their CLE and participated in a Town Hall Session led by Mr. Paul, Head of Grade 10. Mr. Paul reviewed the Grade 10 year so far from his perspective, and added things to look forward to for the second half of the year. He gave them a mission to go out into the world and say something intentional with their actions, demonstrating the Core Value of Integrity.

The Grade 11s continued their volunteer placements in the morning, travelling to different locations around Greater Vancouver to develop connections and leadership skills. Many Advisor Groups visited their little buddies in elementary schools and did activities with them, including International Culture Bingo! Three Advisor Groups visited the Beaty Biodiversity Museum with their buddies and watched the documentary, featuring the blue whale skeleton in the museum. The afternoon session consisted of a mix of University Counselling and life skills workshops. These toolkits included how to make a burger, laundry life hacks as well as public speaking & networking!

The Grade 12s rotated activities throughout the day. They had a CLC session, time to work on their Capstone Projects, and did a toolkit workshop with Elaine Pitblado, an alumni parent, where they learned about financial literacy.

During lunchtime, we welcomed guests to help celebrate the Lunar New Year. There was a Martial Arts Workshop, a lion dance performance, and the Mandarin 11 class performed a dragon dance around the school!