Academic Support

Throughout the year, BCS will issue various academic reports on a student’s effort and academic performance in each of their courses. Consistent feedback on effort and achievement/performance, throughout the academic year, is used to provide guidance of individual progress and assist teachers in monitoring and tracking student progress within individual subject areas as well as adjust teaching and learning accordingly.

Effort Ratings

Up to twice a month, students are assessed by teachers on their approaches to learning. Effort Ratings are not about performance; they are an evaluation of a student’s self-management and collaborative skills, attitude, and general engagement. These ratings serve several purposes: they encourage students to further grow as a learner; they help identify students who may need extra attention or supervision during prep time (homework); and they keep parents informed of their child's progress.

Mid-term Progress Reports

Students receive progress reports twice yearly, in October and in April. The categories on this report are behaviour, participation engagement in class, self-management skills, completion of assignments, and meeting course objectives.

Report Cards

Students receive academic marks and comments for every subject twice yearly, in January and in June. The Term 1 report card reflects 40% of the student’s final mark; the Term 2, 60%. Each report card includes the student’s grade and the class average (except for Form VII) for each subject. Additionally, each subject teacher comments on the student’s performance in the course by highlighting their strengths, challenges, and general progress on reaching the learning objectives. Teachers may also suggest targets to focus on for next reporting period.

Parent-Student-Teacher Interviews

This is a time when the parent(s) or guardian(s) as well as the student can discuss the performance in the course with each of their subject teacher. The interviews usually follow a reporting period for which a report card was issued.

Every student interaction with the various academic supports in this document is carefully tracked, noted, and communicated within the BCS Academic Support Services mobile app. This password protected application allows the confidential sharing of all pertinent student data including profile information, scheduling, and tracking of the accessed support services, real-time session notes, and all progress reports associated supports.

All BCS students are paired with an Advisor from the start of the academic year. The goals of the Advisor Program at BCS are to provide a support/mentoring system in a framework other than the classroom or the residence. The Advisor provides support on both a personal and academic level. The program ensures that students are exposed to themes and resources that support their learning i.e., approaches to learning (e.g., self-management), SMART goal setting, academic IB DP presentations, current affairs discussions. The program focuses on these learning objectives:

• Students know themselves as learners and as citizens of the BCS community.
• Students explore their academic strengths and weaknesses to best approach their studies and life at BCS.
• Students use approaches to learning to enhance their knowledge and understanding in the classroom and beyond.
• Students think critically about current affairs, global issues, or other interesting topics to gain different perspectives about the world they live in and help them overcome challenges.
• Students learn about how to make choices linked to their academic pathways.

Our Advisors ensure that the program’s learning objectives are met, provide guidance and feedback to advisees on a personal and academic level. In addition, they facilitate the exchange of ideas, experiences, and information between advisees during advisory sessions. Throughout the year, the Advisors establish a trusting and supporting relationship with their advisees so that they all are on the path to success and ready to face any challenges.

The Advisor is also a liaison with the parent(s) of the student in addition to the Houseparent or individual teachers. The Advisor communicates with the family of each of their Advisees several times during the year. The parent is more than welcome to contact their child’s Advisor at any time during the year to discuss important issues.

Advisor groups include up to approximately 10 students in the same Form level. These groups meet once a week for 20 minutes on Thursdays.

Our school counsellor is available Monday through Friday from 8:50 AM-4:30 PM for confidential individual or small group meetings with students regarding, for example, academic stress, time management, life skills, social-emotional learning. Our school counsellor also works in collaboration with teachers, Houseparents and external services to support individual needs. Appointments can be made in-person or by email. Our school counsellor is available after hours for emergencies.

Learn more about health & wellness at BCS
 

As part of the varied daily schedule at BCS, students are given the opportunity for evening study in their house or residence. ‘Evening House Prep’ takes place from Sunday to Thursday evenings between 7:15 – 9:00 PM. It is a quiet time for students to focus on their school tasks or assignments (homework). ‘Evening House Prep’ is supervised by the Houseparent or by a faculty member, whose expertise in a particular subject is helpful to students. The ‘Teacher on Duty’ (TOD) also helps students stay on task or discusses with them any concerns they may have about their academic program. ‘Evening House Prep’ is a BCS tradition that helps to establish the routine and structure necessary for our students to learn lifelong study habits that will help them achieve excellence well beyond their years on our campus.

The R.D.W. Howson Enrichment Centre (EC) helps equip students with the tools they need to excel in their studies and life in general. Recognizing that not everyone has the same learning styles or needs, the EC team works collaboratively with students to help them set goals, manage their time, rank their priorities, and find strategies to help them succeed. They also work in conjunction with teachers to help students develop confidence in their own abilities.

Subject-specific support is coordinated through the R.D.W. Howson Enrichment Centre and provides all students with the opportunity to improve or develop their skills in various subjects. Subject-specific support is offered from Monday through Thursday between 7:00-9:00 PM. In addition to the regular classroom support during the school day, students may need additional help with an assignment or with the preparation for a summative evaluation (e.g., test, exam, project).

The EC support team members are current BCS teachers, retired BCS teachers or university students with a particular area of expertise, for example, Math, Science, Chemistry, Physics, French, History, or English. These educators work with students in a one-on-one or small group setting, depending on the specific needs.

Each subject area is assigned one or two evenings per week, depending on student demand. The schedule for subject-specific support is communicated with students at the start of the school year and, if necessary, it is adjusted accordingly. Students, faculty, and house staff receive daily updates and reminders on this type of support. It is also used as a resource for teachers to send students if they need the extra support at the end of the day.

A student signs up for support in a specific subject such as Math on the EC sign up document located on the BCS Portal.

Learn more about the R.D.W. Howson Enrichment Centre

The role of the Academic Coach is to support students who must miss one or more classes due to extracurricular commitments, for example, sports teams who travel for tournaments or students who attend school-related events for several days. The sports events and leadership opportunities are an important part of BCS life; students are encouraged to participate in these extracurricular activities, with the reassurance that they will not be disadvantaged in their academic program.

The teachers and EC staff work collaboratively to support these students. The teacher provides any school work missed to the EC staff. When the student returns from their activity, the Academic Coach meets with the student, normally on Monday or Tuesday, from 3:30-4:30 PM the week following an extra-curricular activity.

The Academic Coach is also an advisor to the varsity and prep hockey team members and their families. This allows an added BCS faculty member to help support and guide athletes and their parents to the suitable faculty member. From the commencement of the academic year, the Academic Coach holds meetings with the hockey team members, in order to establish a working relationship, to allow for a smooth transition into the new academic year and to answer any concerns or questions pertaining to academics. Examples of the approaches to learning which the Academic Coach focuses are time management, organization, and wellness.

The teacher or sports coach refers the student to the Enrichment Centre for additional support after a sports event or extra-curricular activity; or the student makes arrangements with the teacher and the EC staff to complete an assignment the week following an event.
 

Learn more about the R.D.W. Howson Enrichment Centre

The ‘Return-to-Learn’ and ‘Return-to-Play’ supports are implemented as part of BCS’s overall Concussion Protocol and procedures for those students who have suffered a concussion. The BCS team of certified professionals work in collaboration to oversee prevention, detection and management of concussions. The BCS professionals on the concussion protocols and management team include a doctor, a nurse, a physiotherapist, the Director of Athletics, and a learning strategist. The various constituents (that is, parents, the Head of School, teachers, coaches, and residential life staff) are kept informed of the student’s progress within the concussion protocol.

The Return-to-Learn Strategy

The Return-to-Learn (RTL) Strategy is used to guide a student through a gradual return to full school participation. An initial period of 24-48 hours of rest is recommended before starting the Return-to-Learn. We recognize that concussions have different levels of severity and types of symptoms, resulting in a different rate of progression for each student. The gradual ‘Return-to-Learn’ protocol is coordinated through the Enrichment Centre, the Infirmary and the BCS physiotherapist. The concussion protocol includes the following steps to support the student:

Stage	Aim	Activity	Goal of Each Step
1	Daily activities at home that don't give the student-athlete symptoms.	Typical activities during the day as long as they don't increase symptoms (i.e. reading, texting, screen time). Start at 5-15 minutes at a time and gradually build up.	Gradual return to typical activities.
2	School activities.	Homework, reading, or other cognitive activities outside the classroom.	Increase tolerance to cognitive work.
3	Return to school part-time.	Gradual introduction of school work. May need to start with partial school day or with increased breaks during the day.	Increase academic activities.
4	Return to school full-time.	Gradually progress.	Return to full academic activities and catch up on missed school work.

McCrorey et al. (2017) Consensus statement on concussion in sport - the 5th international conference on concussion in sport held in Berlin, October 2016. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 51(11), 838-847.

 

The Return-to-Play Strategy

The Return-to-Play (RTP) Strategy is used to guide athletes, coaches, and health care professionals to make a gradual return to their sport. An initial period of 24-48 hours of rest is recommended before starting the Return-to-Play. There must be a minimum of 24 hours symptom free before progressing to the next step. If symptoms present or worsen, the student must return to the previous stage.

Stage	Aim	Activity	Goal of Each Step
1	Symptom-limiting activity.	Daily activities that do no provoke symptoms.	Gradual re-introduction of work/school activities.
2	Light aerobic activity.	Walking or stationary cycling at slow to medium pace. No resistance training.	Increase heart rate.
3	Sport-specific exercise.	Running or skating drills. No head impact activities.	Add movement.
4	Non-contact training drills.	Harder training drills (i.e. passing drills). May start progressive resistance training.	Exercise, coordination, and increased thinking.
5	Full contact practice.	Following medical clearance.	Restore confidence and assess functional skills by coaching staff.
6	Return to sport.	Normal game play.

McCrorey et al. (2017) Consensus statement on concussion in sport - the 5th international conference on concussion in sport held in Berlin, October 2016. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 51(11), 838-847.

 

Contact

Katelyn MacDonald, MScPT, Cert. Sports PT
Physiotherapist
819.566.0238 x441
email

According to the IB, inclusion is an ongoing process that aims to increase access and engagement in learning for all students by identifying and removing barriers to learning. Consequently, upon receiving a psychological report with psychological/ psycho-educational/ medical report (paid and organized by the family) and educational evidence such as teacher observations or work samples, a student can benefit from various accommodations for assessments such as access to:

• additional time
• a scribe
• a word processor
• a speech recognition or reading software
• transcriptions
• practical assistance or modified papers

These accommodations are usually part of an Individual Education Plan (IEP) because the student has to practice using the accommodations throughout the academic year and not only for final examinations.  

Learn more about the R.D.W. Howson Enrichment Centre

The Enrichment Centre manages, implements and oversees Individual Education Plans (IEPs) for students with neuropsychological assessments. There are three IEP meetings throughout the academic year: the initial meeting at the start of the year (September or October), the mid-session review (February) and the final review/report (May). The constituents who may participate in an IEP are the student, the parents, the student’s teachers, the EC team members, the counsellor, and the Director of Academics. The meetings focus primarily on the strengths of the student, specific learning strategies to be implemented, areas of improvement, along with confirming and setting up entitled accommodations. The students are monitored through the EC and there is communication with all constituents involved throughout the academic year.

The IEP is a working document developed by the EC staff following the reading of assessments and recommendations, the IEP meetings, and implementation of strategies and support. The goal is for the student to feel at ease in developing and using strategies and accommodations that will help them to demonstrate their learning and to work to their full potential.

Learn more about the R.D.W. Howson Enrichment Centre

Students who need an increased level of accountability and supervision may opt-in or be referred to Supervised Prep sessions by their teacher or their Advisor. These sessions happen at the same time as the Evening House Prep (7:15-9:00 PM) but take place in the Enrichment Centre.

In Supervised Prep, there are between 10-15 students. The EC supervisor checks with each individual student the schoolwork to be completed, helps students stay on task and provides them with guidance on study skills. Each evening, the supervisor completes a brief report on the students’ progress during Supervised Prep. A student can be placed on Supervised Prep from one to four nights a week, depending on the support they require.

A student is referred by a teacher or EC staff to attend Supervised Prep. If a student wishes to develop more fully their organizational skills, they can request to attend Supervised Prep, instead of staying in their house for Evening House Prep.

Learn more about the R.D.W. Howson Enrichment Centre

Students who want to improve their general knowledge and understanding in a particular academic subject or who want to improve their overall performance or grade, can benefit from having a tutor. The tutor will essentially teach and explain in a variety of ways the concepts the student wants to focus on or learn more about. At times, the tutor can help with homework or assessment preparation. A tutor usually costs approximately 40$/hour and is organized by the EC Coordinator.  

Learn more about the R.D.W. Howson Enrichment Centre

The ESL course and the ESL Plus (+) program cater to non-native English students with a curriculum designed to support their language development. It differs from English Language Arts (ELA); rather than providing learning within a specific subject area, ESL or ESL+ provides essential tools that will span across all subjects in the academic program. Students will apply the language skills acquired in the ESL environment to understand concepts throughout their educational experience.

The ESL course and the ESL + program is offered by dedicated ESL Coordinator and the ESL tutor. These are designed to enhance students’ written, oral, reading and listening comprehension skills, whilst ensuring that students are engaged in content that would resemble that of a regular English class. Depending on the Form the student is in, he/she will be doing ESL+ instead of another language such as French or other subjects not part of Ministry examinations.

For some new students in Form II (Grade 7), who are learning new material through the medium of English, which is either their second or third language, a History class is adapted to allow for extra time to develop the required language skills such as reading and writing. The English as a second language (ESL) tutor works closely with the subject teacher and the small group of students who are taught not just historical content, but also the language skills essential to accessing this content.

Throughout the year, continued assessment is geared towards ensuring that the student is placed and moved into the appropriate level. Continued assessment also ensures that students who have improved their language skills by reaching established objectives may be moved into a regular English Language Arts (ELA) group.

The ESL+ program is associated fees.

Contact

Marianne Laramée
ESL, ELA Teacher; ESL Coordinator
819.566.0227
email

Some students may need support to learn mathematical concepts that perhaps were not part of the curriculum in their home country or that they find challenging. BCS has one or two dedicated Maths teachers who work one-on-one or in a small group setting with these students to develop the knowledge and understanding of mathematical concepts. Generally, students are referred to the Maths Support Teacher and the Math Department Head schedules the required sessions.

CONTACT

Tanna Sanchez-McMillan
Mathematics Department Head
819.566.0238
email

With the support and guidance of our highly experienced librarians, students have a wide spectrum of research databases and collections at their disposal. 

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The Post-Secondary/University Advising Department works closely with students and their families throughout their time at BCS to support and guide each step of the university admissions process.

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