Monday April 27, 2020
Dear Parents/Guardians and Students in Grade 12,
I wanted to write to you all in order to give you an update (as much as I can) regarding all things to do with graduation. At the time of writing this letter there are still many unknowns. Despite this I feel it is important to share with you what I know and what I think may happen. I also want to ensure that the lines of communication are open.
We do not know if on site education will return before the end of this school year. If it does, it will likely not be a simple return to pre-spring break routines. I will certainly let you know when I have more information on this.
Guidelines will remain in place regarding grade 12 students that qualify for graduation. Grade 12 students must be 70% complete any SIDES courses required for graduation by May 1st. If extenuating circumstances present themselves then students must write me an appeal letter by May 15th (lchicanot@saanichschools.ca) outlining their request for an extended timeline.
I would like to remind all grade 12 students to continue engaging with their online learning. Students’ final mark in June will be a blend of the mark that was received on work completed before Spring Break and the work that has been done in remote learning since Spring Break. Students will not pass their courses if they do minimal or no work with their remote learning. Exceptions can be made for students in extenuating circumstances (email lchicanot@saanichschools.ca).
Grade 12s planning to attend college or university this fall or in the future should log in to the B.C. Ministry of Education’s Student Transcript Service to authorize the ministry to forward final transcripts to finalize the admission process. Offers of admission may be rescinded if the transfer of these electronic transcripts is not authorized. Students’ personal education numbers can be found on the top of students’ report cards.
Grade 12 students were issued a term 3 mark in all grade 12 level courses. If grade 12 students would like to see their term 3 mark they need to log onto their account through the Student Transcript Service mentioned above.
I can say with almost absolute certainty that there will be no graduation ceremony at UVic currently planned for June 24th and there will be no Dinner/Dance and Aftergrad planned for the same evening at Mary Winspear.
We do want to celebrate our grad class in some manner and ideas have been flowing. As a district we are waiting until the middle of May to make a determination on the nature of the grad celebration/ceremony. If you have any ideas, please feel free to email me with them (lchicanot@saanichschools.ca).
We will still be selecting two Valedictorians, two MCs and musical performers as part of the adjusted grad celebration. These speeches/performances will likely be done virtually. The application process for these positions will be posted on the Parkland website and will also be posted to the Grad 2020 Google classroom.
For students interested in applying for scholarships→
The deadline for District Authority Scholarships has been extended to midnight on Monday, May 4. Application instructions for the District Authority scholarships can be found in the Parkland Internal Scholarships attachment posted on the Parkland Grad 2020 Google Classroom (April 6 and 9).
Information about more local scholarships can be found on Parkland Grad 2020 Google Classroom. Refer to Jenny Wang’s (i.e., student helper for the Counselling Department) Grad 2020 Scholarships attachment on April 11.
Universities and colleges will also have online information about internal scholarships (administered by the post secondary institution) and external scholarships (administered by the donors). Many professional scholarship websites (e.g., Scholar Tree or Scholarships Canada) are also available to provide up-to-date information.
Email Mr. Choo (gchoo@saanichschools.ca) if you have questions about scholarships
If you are still interested in applying for UVic for the fall, many of their programs have extended their application deadlines to April 30th (check UVic website).
Students that have received conditional acceptance at UVic will need to pay a deposit and then select and register for courses.
And finally, a big thank you to all grads and their families for adjusting to this new reality. I hope you are all faring well and that we will be able to see one another in person soon.
Take care
Lizanne Chicanot
Principal, Parkland Secondary School
lchicanot@saanichschools.ca
(250-415-2418)