September Newsletter

Dear Grade 12 Parents,

Welcome to your children's final year of secondary education - it is hard to believe it is here already! We have had a few weeks of classes, so I thought this would be a good time to send out my September DP Newsletter. During this final year of the Programme, you'll receive a newsletter from me approximately three more times. I'll endeavour to keep them short and to the point, but I will also strive to give you a sense of what we are doing in the Diploma Programme and what to expect.

On Friday, August 16th, I met with your children during their Advisory class to discuss some of the items in this newsletter and a few other things to keep in mind as they develop and finalize assessments in their courses. I also emphasized the importance of setting goals that suit them and their unique situation and context. This final year is a tough one, but together with your support, we will help our Grade 12s achieve the goals they have set for themselves.

Finally, on Curriculum Night, there will be a brief session on CAS in the Diploma Programme; we look forward to seeing you there.

World Exam Schedule

Speaking of the end of the Diploma Programme, we have put together our CDNIS-specific World Exam Schedule, which is now available here. The schedule will also be accessible until the end of the exams in the "schedules" link here in the DP Communicator.

Experience Week

A reminder that all of the information parents and students should need in preparation for Experience Week is available here.

All of our students have submitted their Extended Essay drafts. If they were submitted on time, all students will have received feedback on their drafts by now.

The final version must be submitted by September 30; this will conclude a 10-month process. Based on the feedback from the Grade 12s in years past, completing this component early in Grade 12 was appreciated.

Internal and External IB Assessment Due Dates

We are required by the IB to distribute throughout the two years of the programme the assessments that are submitted to the IB in the Spring of the final year of the programme. Your children will often refer to these as "IAs" (internal assessments) and, sometimes, "EAs" (external assessments). The similarity is that they are both submitted to the IB; the difference is that only some of the IAs from a cohort are submitted for moderation based on our suggested marks, while all the EAs are submitted, and we do not provide an indication to examiners where we think students have scored.

All of the draft and final due dates for the IAs and EAs have been posted to your child's Google Classroom calendar by their teachers. However, to give you a sense of what their workflow is likely to look like this year, I have also prepared this document for your information.

Please take some time to review the following that I shared with you at the start of the programme. I find this information is more relevant to students and parents at the start of the second year of the Programme so am sharing it with you again.

A student will only qualify for the award of the Diploma if specific requirements have been met. The following is an overview from the IB of the various requirements that, if not met, will prevent a student from achieving the IB Diploma.

Our CAS programme will conclude shortly after the Lunar New Year, and CAS portfolio presentations will take place from March 4 to 7.

You will hear more from Mr. Lee regarding your child's progress throughout the next few months. However, I would encourage you to sit with your child and ask to see their "ManageBac" portfolio and have them share with you:

how they have maintained a balance of creativity, activity and service.
how they have met the seven CAS learning outcomes.
what their CAS project was (or will be).

If, in your conversations with your child, you find that they need help meeting their CAS requirements, please encourage them to contact Mr. Lee so he can support them in the process.

For more information on our CAS programme you can visit our CAS programme website.

Google Calendar & Late Assessments

Encouraging students to use Google Classroom and Google Calendar has become critical to setting our DP students up for success. All assignments, whether daily homework or formative or summative assessments are assigned through Google Classroom and, as a result, appear in your child's Google Calendar and on their "To-Do" list in Google Classroom. This also applies to their Theory of Knowledge and Extended Essay components. The calendar for our higher-level seminar classes is also available as a Google Calendar.

All of our students' summative assessments will be returned to them with their marks and, when applicable, their 1-7 grades using the grade book in Google Classroom. Parents are encouraged to sit down regularly with their children and explore their Google Classrooms.

The Diploma Programme can be intense and undoubtedly rigorous. As a result, there are occasions when students are unable to meet deadlines. To support our students, I share with you the Diploma Programme late assessment policy. Parents partner with teachers when assessments are late, so it is important that you review the policy.

Please encourage your son or daughter to check their Google Calendars and Classrooms regularly for their upcoming assessments and events.

September 19 - Curriculum Night
November 10-17 - Experience Week
November 19 - First Reports published
December 5 & 6 - Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences
March 4 - Second Reports published
March 20 & 21 - Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences
June 11 - Third Reports published

Diploma Programme Coordinator - Brian Hull: brianhull@cdnis.edu.hk
Head of Grade 12 - Hannah Bailey: hannahbailey@cdnis.edu.hk
CAS Coordinator - Gregg Lee: gregglee@cdnis.edu.hk
Theory of Knowledge (TOK) Coordinator - Chris Tyrrell: christophertyrrell@cdnis.edu.hk
Extended Essay (EE) Coordinator - Dave Perry: daveperry@cdnis.edu.hk

Report abuse