Brockton School Admissions Package by Brockton School

WEBSITE www.brocktonschool.com C O N TA C T + 604.929.9201 admissions@brocktonschool.com ADDRESS 3467 Duval Road Nor th Vancouver BC V7J 3E8

BROCKTON SCHOOL

Admissions

“Of all the children in my school, I may not be the tallest. Of all the voices in the land, mine may just be the smallest. But I can almost touch the stars, if I stand up on my toes. And soon my words might change the World, so you’d better listen close.” -Unknown

CONTENTS

Welcome. Community is a word that is frequently used to define the essence of Brockton School. Ours is not only just built from a common purpose, but it is created through the connections and collaborative approach of our staff, students, families and extended stakeholders. From our teachers who use innovative and inspirational approaches to teaching and learning, to our Head of School who creates the landscape for them to do so; from our Board of Directors who have a clear and forward thinking vision, to the staff who are dedicated to supporting that vision - it is the collective effort of its people that make Brockton so special. At the heart of all of this is the Brockton students. They are appreciated for their individual genius, and are provided with opportunities to explore and share that genius within the safe walls of Brockton and far beyond. There is something special about Brockton that can be felt the second you walk through our doors. We invite you to experience the magic that is Brockton by connecting with us at one of our upcoming Admissions events.

Welcome

Guiding Principles

Early Years Programme

Primary Years Programme

Middle Years Programme

Pathways to Graduation

LETTER FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

Imagine a school where every student matters, every family matters, community matters and learning for life matters. A school where priority is given to the holistic development of students, alongside a robust academic and extended day program. Imagine somewhere that there is genuine support and engagement from an authentic and diverse community - a community that has the courage to embrace the innovation and creativity needed for the future. A school where there is a sense of responsibility and purpose to inspire the growth of outstanding humans. Imagine Brockton School! As you look through our admissions package, I hope that you will get a sense of what it means to be part of the Brockton Community. In this extraordinary school you will find a safe, warm, caring and innovative environment where students are challenged through a broad and balanced

academic curriculum. As well as through comprehensive extended day programming (including athletics, the arts, leadership, service, and more). Students have the exceptional opportunity to engage with Brockton’s outstanding faculty and staff who are truly dedicated to supporting the needs of each student and their unique journeys. In addition, students benefit from the authentic and meaningful involvement of parents, alumni, families, and friends who are embraced as essential members of this engaged and supportive community. Through both its day to day efforts and its overall impact, Brockton nurtures its students to become self-aware and purpose-filled individuals - individuals who will succeed on their unique path whilst contributing in a positive way to their society. Indeed, Brockton inspires the growth of outstanding humans! As the Head of Brockton, I invite you to explore the magic of our school.

Karen McCulla Head of School

GUIDING PRINCIPLES MISSION: To inspire the growth of

outstanding humans.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES:

Brockton School is & will be: ● ● ● ●

where where where where

every student matters, every family matters, community matters, and learning for life matters.

As a Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12 International Baccalaureate World School, Brockton offers a unique and innovative learning

environment grounded by a comprehensive curriculum and approach that supports students in optimal growth and development. Using a personalized approach to education, our programming is developed, delivered and maintained by an extraordinary and dedicated staff who recognize each student for their unique gifts and areas for growth. The faculty challenge students to be self-aware and purpose-filled individuals by ensuring that social responsibility and personal character development is integrated into each classroom.

Brockton offers the following programmes: IB Primary Years Programme Junior Kindergarten to Grade 5 IB Middle Years Programme Grade 6 - Grade 10 Pathways to Graduation Grades 11 & 12 (including the IB Diploma and IB Careers Programmes)

EARLY YEARS PROGRAMME Brockton’s Early Years programme was created from the intent to lay the foundations of learning during this critical time in a child’s development. At the heart of our programme is our teachers. Our Early Learning teachers recognize the value of creative, hands-on classroom exploration, enhanced by learning outdoors and in our local community. They are committed to showing enthusiasm and compassion for each and every student in the programme. When visioning the Early Learning Programme, it was important to Brockton to promote an authentic and childcentred philosophy where the relationship between the children and teachers was both personalized and fun! Brockton believes in the value of learning through both structured and unstructured play. Through purposeful play, children take risks, develop literacy, numeracy and problem-solving skills, stretch their creative thinking, and develop crucial social skills. They experiment and experience the world, as well as expand their ideas, thinking, and personal connections. Brockton’s program has been thoughtfully created so children benefit from: ● Engaging in stimulating and supportive interactions with their teachers where the unique needs and strengths of each student are recognized ● Teachers who effectively design/implement/maintain a developmentally appropriate curriculum (Brockton embraces the inquiry-based International Baccalaureate Programme, adapted appropriately for developmental levels, as a framework for learning from JK through to Grade 12) ● Establishing healthy relationships with peers and the community at large ● Developing self-awareness, strategies for reflection and a growth mindset ● Receiving optimal attention through an appropriate ratio of teachers to students ● Learning from highly trained Early Childhood teachers who have a thorough understanding of the early learning years, childhood development and associated teaching and learning strategies.

Highlights Purposeful inquiry Experiment and experience Creative exploration Expand ideas & thinking Collaboration Specialist teacher support

Programme Structure ● Full-day, 5 days a week ● For Junior Kindergarten, children must be 4 years old as of December 31st

Supervision ● Overseen by Early Learning Years Coordinator ● JK has a 1:8 teacher to student ratio or better ● Kindergarten target - 2 classes of 14-16 students with one core teacher plus support teachers ● Additional staff to support the Specialist curriculum, recess/ lunch supervision and other special activities **Brockton supports an after school care program.

The IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) nurtures and develops young students as caring, active participants in a lifelong journey of learning. Children’s passions and unique personalities are recognized and celebrated within a strong community and team approach where students work together and feel comfortable with being themselves. Brockton models what it means to be human where mistakes are viewed as opportunities for growth and students are well supported to navigate the world around them. Through its inquiry-led, transdisciplinary framework, the PYP challenges students to think for themselves and take responsibility for their learning as they explore local and global issues and opportunities in real-life contexts. Through its thoughtful programming the PYP:

PRIMARY YEARS PROGRAMME

● Addresses both the academic and social and emotional well-being of our students ● Encourages and inspires independence and responsibility for ones own learning ● Supports students’ effort to gain an understanding of the world ● Helps students to establish personal values as a foundation for them to excel.

PYP Programme Benefits PYP students learn how to take responsibility for their learning. Teachers collaborate with students to deepen their learning and increase their confidence and self-motivation. The whole school community, including parents, are viewed as partners in learning, and actively contribute to a holistic educational experience

Curriculum The PYP is taught through the lens of transdisciplinary conceptual themes that are explored through units of inquiry. Such an approach supports the engagement of a higher order of thinking (e.g., beyond remembering, understanding, and applying, students are encouraged to pursue learning in a manner that has them analyse, evaluate, and create). In addition to the areas of esstential study, students are educated by specialist teachers in: Art, Music, Language, Physical Education, Design Technology, and Outdoor Education. Students/ families also have access to extensive additonal services through our Student Services office that offers learning resource support, personal counselling, and other valued programs. Extended day activities offer an array of opportunities to PYP students and include athletics, the arts, leadership, service and a myriad of other special considerations.

Highlights At Brockton we are committed to providing experiences that will optimize student growth/ development. These experiences include but are not limited to:

Excellent Student to Teacher Ratios At Brockton we offer small student to teacher ratios, as well as specialist teachers in Art, Music, Language, PE, Design Technology, and Outdoor Education.

Diverse Opportunities for Learning We have multiple opportunities to share and celebrate learning (e.g., field trips, presentations, events/gatherings, and the Grade 5 Exhibition) and provide connections across grade levels through our Reading Buddy program and House Team activities. Brockton also offers an outdoor education program, which aims to nurture a student’s relationship with nature and promote an understanding of sustainability, as well as physical and mental well-being.

Extended Programming We have an expansive extended day program which offers athletics, arts, leadership, service, and unique community opportunities through

MIDDLE YEARS PROGRAMME The Middle Years Programme is a five year programme that encourages students aged 11 to 16 to make practical connections between their studies and the real world, preparing them for success in further study and in life. The MYP aims to develop active learners and internationally-minded youth who can empathize with others and pursue lives of purpose and meaning. The programme empowers students to inquire into a wide range of issues and ideas of significance locally, nationally, and globally. The result is young people who are creative, critical, and reflective thinkers.

MYP Programme Benefits At Brockton School our grade 6 and 7 students are members of our Brockton POD - a program purpose built and staffed to support the unique needs and interests of this particular age/ stage of student development. By grade 8 and 9, students are prepared for the next phase of the MYP and are nurtured to engage in a growing sense of self-advocacy and agency. As students enter the grade 10 year, they have established strong foundations that allow them to take the next important steps of their journey into the BC graduation program. Brockton directs a sincere focus on healthy and positive relationships between students, parents, and faculty/staff as they navigate the Middle Years. In the Middle Years, Brockton aims to create a community where all students feel emotionally safe and free to learn, where they receive kindness, compassion, and caring from the teachers and each other.

Curriculum The Middle Years Programme (MYP) develops both subject-specific and interdisciplinary understanding and helps students to: ‘Learn how to learn’ by developing Approaches to Learning (ATL) skills for research, critical and creative thinking, communication, social and collaboration, and self-management. Identify key and related concepts; exploring big ideas that matter. Examine the relevance and importance of their study for understanding their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet. The MYP builds on the knowledge, skills and attitudes developed by the Primary Years Programme and supports students to become stronger more self-regulated learners.

Highlights POD Program The POD (grades 6 & 7) is a small, self-contained community within the broader Brockton community. It has been designed to help prepare students for the shift from elementary school to high school. While subject-specific academic classes are taught to the individual grade group, students in the POD remain together for their grade 6 & 7 years; this gives them a sense of stability at a time when they are establishing their identity and building their self-esteem and acts as a bridge between the PYP and MYP programmes.

World Music Program Brockton’s internationally recognized World Music Program begins when students enter grade 6. This unique program uses marimbas to teach students a number of skills in music theory and practice. In addition to the fundamentals of mu-

sic, students purposefully learn by design to collaborate, persevere, problem-solve, create, self-manage, and to see beyond themselves to the group as a whole. Skills which are transferable to life and to the growth of outstanding humans. Our music students have travelled internationally and played in some of the most famous concert halls in the world and Vancouver.

Greater Good Greater Good is a research-based program taught at some of North America’s leading research institutions like Stanford and Harvard. At Brockton it is helping our students build skills in: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills Students increase their emotional intelligence by learning about the way their brain works through the practices of compassionate communication, restorative circles, opposite strengths theory, role playing, outdoor challenges, & debriefs.

Teacher leaders in this course have trained through Berkeley University Greater Good Science Centre, the International Centre for Restorative Justice, and are certified mindfulness meditation teachers.

PATHWAYS TO G R A D UAT I O N

Career-related Programme (CP) Brockton School is proud to announce that they have become certified to add the IB Careers Programme (CP) to their curriculum; the first school in BC, and the sixth school Canada-wide to have done so. This programme exists as an alternative to the traditional IB Diploma Programme (DP).

Pathways to Graduation (Grades 11 & 12)

Brockton is a unique ISABC school in that we offer four pathways to graduation. We endeavour to truly personalize learning at Brockton, and know that each student shines when they follow a unique road to their next stage in life. Although there are four pathways to choose from, every student graduating from Brockton will secure the BC Ministry of Education Dogwood Diploma.

Students may choose to take any of the following pathways: ● Full IB Diploma Programme ● IB Careers Programme ● British Columbia Ministry of Education Graduation Program (referred to as the Dogwood), ● IB Diploma Certificate courses in conjunction with BC Dogwood courses. This program is called the IB Hybrid.

IB Diploma Programme (DP) The IB Diploma Programme is an internationally recognized, academically rigorous program. Students have a wide variety of courses to choose from to map out the best pathway towards life beyond graduation. Our Diploma students pursue post-secondary studies at the Universities of their choice, benefiting from scholarships and first year credits from their hard work in their final high school years. The Diploma Programme curriculum is made up of six subject groups along with the DP core. The DP core aims to broaden students’ educational experience and challenge them to apply their knowledge and skills using three core elements:

The CP allows for more hands-on and career specific study for the development of both practical and academic skills. The programme places emphasis on experiential learning to ensure professional success in an increasingly complex and demanding job market.

BC Dogwood Diploma The BC Certificate of Graduation or "Dogwood Diploma" is awarded to students who successfully complete the provincial graduation requirements. Students in BC require a minimum of 80 credits to graduate; Brockton students generally exceed this expectation. Students in the Dogwood Programme at Brockton have an enriched inquiry-based academic programme where they are supported to become educated citizens equipped with the knowledge, competencies, and skills they will need to transition successfully into higher education and careers.

Hybrid Programme Students will take between one and six IB Diploma courses as they work towards the graduation requirements of the BC Certificate of Graduation. This model enables students to follow a particular passion and level of challenge that is subject-specific.

Highlights Creativity, Action, Service & Leadership Unique to IB, is our CASCapstone course, where students demonstrate the knowledge, competencies, and passions that they can offer the world, as they integrate personal interests and strengths with preferred future possibilities. It is a representation of the student’s learning journey, and provides an opportunity to reflect and synthesize as well as showcase and celebrate. CASCapstone Projects are designed to have students think critically and creatively, solve challenging problems, and develop their Approaches to Learning skills; preparing them for post-secondary education, modern careers and adult life.

Community Action Teams One of the unique aspects of life in the Senior School is our Student Leadership System. In this system, students work on creating and leading community campaigns that focus on raising awareness of the importance of multiculturalism, mental health and well-being, environmental stewardship, poverty reduction and the importance of a safe and supportive school community.

Outdoor Education Outdoor Education at Brockton offers students the opportunity to explore southwestern British Columbia’s varied landscapes; develop personal leadership skills; practice authentic collaboration and community building, and be safely introduced to a variety of healthy and lifelong outdoor pursuits.

Extended Day Programming Our Extended Day Programs offer students opportunities to engage in various activities that stretch and facilitate their interests, abilities, and needs. These activities are focused around Leadership, Service, Arts, Athletics, and much more.

“ EDUCATION IS NOT THE LEARNING OF FACTS, BUT THE TRAINING OF THE MIND TO THINK.” - Albert Einstein