Information Night 2012

Colonel By

● Colonel By currently has 1115 students● Colonel By's IB program makes up about 55% of the

school population● The school is non-semestered, meaning students

take eight courses year round● We offer both an English and French Immersion

program● The school has achieved quite a bit of success and

acclaim for its programs and achievements in different fields

Academics● Colonel By is generally regarded as a strong

academic school within Ottawa and has been graded favourably by several different groups

● A Colonel By student has had either the highest, or second highest average in the OCDSB for the past four years

● Many of our students are on the honour roll (over 80% average), and many receive silver medals (over 90%)

● Students also perform far above the world average in their IB Diploma scores

Athletics● Colonel By has been a consistent top achiever in

athletics, being either first or second in the Ottawa Citizen sports rankings for the past 5 years

● We compete in nearly every competition sanctioned by the NCSSAA, and are very successful

● Many of the coaches are teachers who have extremely strong backgrounds in sport, including at the Olympic level

● Chances are, if it is not a sanctioned sport, we have a club for that sport

Community

● Colonel By is very in touch with the local and world community around it

● We normally log the highest amount of community service hours within the OCDSB

● Our caring contributes to, among many things, the Gloucester Food Bank, the Hospice at May Court locally, and building and maintaining girls schools in Africa globally

● Colonel By’s community is Ottawa

The IB Program: A Brief Explanation

● The IB Diploma Program is a 2 year course of study that formally begins in grades 11 and 12

● Grades 9 & 10 are “pre-IB”, years and are offered at an enriched level in key subject areas

● 9 & 10 are crucial preparatory years where skills are developed

● The program has an educational philosophy that is concerned with the development of the whole student in multiple areas

A Program for a Globalized World● The IB Diploma Program is internationally recognized

● There are currently 3,484 schools in 143 countries in the world that offer the IB program and 2 368 DP schools

● There are just over one million students in the world taking part in IB

● In fact, the IB program is the fastest growing education program in the world and opens international avenues

● Colonel By is one of the largest full diploma schools in Canada and North America, as well as one of the most successful

Group 1 – Studies in Language and Literature

● English A● Intense focus on formal literary analysis● Students develop commentary skills which set

them apart at university● These skills focus on literary analysis and

finding meaning in methods of writing rather than plot

Group 2 – Language Acquisition● IB promotes the need for students to be able to

communicate in different languages in our increasingly globalized world

● French A● Designed as a course for immersion/fluent speakers

of the language● French B● Core French for the student who has had exposure

to the language, but is not fluent● Spanish B ● A beginner course that also challenges students with

some exposure to the language

Group 3 – Individuals and Societies● History● Focus on research and analysis of primary

documents supplemented by the study of secondary sources

● Geography● Focus on developing an understanding of the

interrelationships between people, places and the environment

● Information Technology in a Global Society● Focus on the role that IT plays in our world and

its applications in solving world problems

Group 4 – Sciences

● Biology● Chemistry● Physics● The focus in all three of the sciences is upon lab

work and the practical application of scientific data, concepts, and terminology

● Colonel By is one of the few IB Diploma schools in the world which offers all three major sciences

Group 5 – Mathematics● Math Studies

● Meant for a student who is pursuing a Liberal Arts degree at university

● Typically completed in Grade 11

● Math Standard Level

● Comparable to MHF4U and MCV4U with some extra material

● Math Higher Level

● Contains all of Math SL, but with greater depth to the investigation and an emphasis on more theoretical and pure math concepts (university math)

Group 6 – The Arts● Visual Art

● Focus on the development of artistic skills, but increasingly asking students to apply their skills to cross-curricular areas

● Music

● Promotes synthesis-thinking while developing group playing skills

● Film

● Focus on the appreciation and development of film; students eventually produce their own short film

Core Requirements

● C.A.S. - Creative, Action, Service● Students contribute 50 hours in each of these three

areas in different activities for a total of 150 hours● It is a core belief of the program that the learning that

students do outside of the classroom is as important as what happens inside the classroom

● Promotes student well-roundedness and encourages students to take risks and develop new skills

● Experience in C.A.S. often helps contribute to university and scholarship applications

● Extended Essay● A research paper, maximum 4000 words● Subject and topic are chosen by the student● Work on the essay begins in the latter half of

the grade 11 year and culminates in the grade 12 year

● Students develop the skills for this paper throughout IB

● Students are supported in the undertaking of the paper by their Teacher-Supervisor

● Theory of Knowledge (TOK)● Unique to the IB program● Challenges students to think about how they

know what they know● The threads of this course weave through the

entirety of the IB program and elements are found within each IB course

● Each group within the IB Circle is considered within a ToK lens

Grade 9 IB Life● A typical grade 9 schedule might consist of the

following: English 1DE, Math 1DE, Science 1DE, Geography 1DE, Physical Education, Technology, French 1DE, Drama

● Students will have four of those subjects every other day

● Students will likely have homework in those classes :)

● Many of our grade 9 students are involved in school activities, be it a club, student council, or athletics, either before or after school

Why IB?● Skills Development: Put simply, IB pushes

students to become excellent in the art of time management

● University recognition: every university in North America will give a first year credit to students who achieve over 80% in a higher level IB course; some universities, notably McGill, will put you directly into second year

● Success at University: UBC's research indicates that a student who has shown the ability to just pass the diploma will perform as well as an 80% provincial graduate in 1st year

University Admissions

● “IB is well known to us for excellent preparations. Success in an IB programme correlates well with success at Harvard. We are always pleased to see the credentials of the IB Diploma Programme on the transcript.”— Marilyn McGrath Lewis, Director of Undergraduate Admission Harvard University

● “Send us prepared students a la IB…It is the “best” high school prep curriculum an American school can offer.”— Marilee Jones, Former Director of Undergraduate Admission, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

● “One of the advantages of an IB curriculum is its structure and quality. It is a coordinated programme, well established, well known and well respected. We know the quality of IB courses, and we think the IB curriculum is terrific.”— Christoph Guttentag, Director of Undergraduate Admission, Duke University

But, the most important reason...

● ....often goes beyond the percentage grades, beyond the scholarship dollars, and beyond the opportunities

● It is about students being able to go into first year university and have a worry-free, stress-free transition into what can be a very stressful time

The Application Process● Application reflects a desire for a well-rounded student

● Required documents for the Application Portfolio

– A Colonel By IB Application Form– A Colonel By IB Option Sheet (available 11/22)– The grade 7 FINAL report card– The grade 8 progress report– A sample of their best written work from English

class– A grade 9 transcript if applying for grade 10– A feeder school grade 8 or grade 9 Teacher

Commentary Form returned in a signed, sealed envelope, or sent through Board mail

● CAT (Canadian Achievement Test)

– Registrations prior to and following this session outside in the cafeteria and cost $20

– Students will sit for one of the test dates, either January 9th @ 4:30pm or January 12th @ 9:00am

● Scores are then combined together; students who are not successful in the first round are wait-listed in rank order after this

● All applications are reviewed under the supervision of the principal and IB Coordinator with collaboration from different departments within the school

● Applications are due back in the Main Office at Colonel By from December 11th – December 13th

CAT Registration

● Registration for the CAT will take place in the cafeteria

● All forms are available at

www.ibcb.ca/application.php