Dear Grade 11 and 12 Families,
We are making some changes to the schedule for students in the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Diploma programs when we return from Winter break on January 9, 2018. These changes are a result of the desire to increase the instructional time teachers have with students in rigorous college-level AP and IB Diploma Higher Level courses. Moreover, the shift is recommended by the International Baccalaureate Organization and College Board to maximize instructional time.
In effect, we are shifting instructional time between IB Diploma Standard Level to Advanced Placement and IB Diploma Higher Level courses. This shift supports the IBO’s recommendations of less instructional time for Standard Level courses. This means that one class every two weeks will be shifted from class time to Independent SL time. The IBO encourages the idea of Independent Standard Level time to work on other areas in the Diploma like the Extended Essay, CAS, TOK and IA’s.
Our NEW schedule increases instructional time for our IB Diploma HL and Advanced Placement classes.
- Currently we have longer lunches of 55 minutes on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 12:40-1:35 (Mondays and Tuesdays are 35 minute lunches).
- Students that have an IB Diploma HL or Advanced Placement class during the last block of the day would have a shortened lunch of 35 minutes and start class at 1:10 and end at 3:00.
- All other non HL or AP students would retain a longer lunch of 55 minutes (12:40-1:35).
- Most grade 11 and 12 students have 3 HL and/or AP classes, so over the course of two weeks they would potentially have 3 long lunches and 3 shorter lunches.
- To ensure that all HL and AP students have equal access to extended time, blocks D and F (on Mondays) will have extended hours after school from 3:00-3:30 pm.
- Any student that has an HL or AP class during blocks D and/or F will need to stay at school until 3:30 on those days. If these students use school bus transportation they can take the after school activities bus home.
- This schedule change only impacts grade 11 and 12 students and a small number of grade 10 students taking Advanced Placement courses.
Since we are making this shift mid year, some IB Diploma Standard Level teachers may require students to attend their classes from time to time during the Independent SL time to ensure that all material is covered as planned by the end of the year.
We encourage you to talk to your children first about these changes, as they will better understand them. Additionally, we will be offering two parent information sessions regarding these changes before winter break. Each session is identical in content on Wednesday, December 13th in the MPR. Vietnamese, Korean, and Chinese translators will be available to help answer your questions.
- 8:15-9:00 am
- 3:15-4:00 pm
Warmest regards,
Jacob Hendrickson
SSIS High School Principal
