Term 3, 2010
Tues 13 July 2010
to
Friday 17 September 2010
Useful Links
"Students practice democracy in action" on ABC
Come and See Morning Tea
Tour of classrooms, chat with parents and staff
Please be ready for a 10am start
Term 3, 2010 dates:
Tuesday 3 August 2010
Wed 18 August 2010
Thurs 9 September 2010
For more details and bookings please call 07 3378 5466
How do BIS graduates transition to mainstream high school?
This is probably the most frequent issue that prospective parents want addressed. Well, the answer is "it depends", but overall, "very well".
Preparation
BIS teachers are well aware of the responsibility of preparing their students for high school, and take a number of steps to ease this transition when the students are approaching high school age. They have a little less freedom in their last year at BIS, and deadlines become less negotiable. They also have to spend longer times concentrating and sitting in their chairs to prepare them for the lesson structure at high school.
Adaptability
Yes, the BIS experience is very different to the Year 8 experience. Our view is that the transition from primary school to high school is a big change for ALL students; but BIS graduates have been given skills - in self-direction, social confidence, leadership, and relating to adults - that stand them in good stead in the high school environment. The experience of our hundreds of graduates is that they make friends easily and enjoy productive interactions with their teachers.
In 2008, Indooroopilly High School will have a BIS graduate as School Captain for the second time in the last few years. Congratulations, Emma, we are so proud! Given that BIS contributes an incredibly small proportion of students to Indooroopilly High School relative to local state schools, our graduates are dramatically over-represented in the school captaincy. We believe this is at least partly due to the leadership and communication skills gained at BIS.
Where do they go to high school?
Wherever their family chooses! For geographic reasons and some similarities in philosophy (eg no uniforms), BIS graduates tend primarily to go to Indooroopilly High School, but there is no formal relationship between the schools. Many graduates have also gone to prestigious private schools and other state high schools. The achievements of our graduates have been extremely diverse and are something of which we are proud - we have artists, doctors, lawyers, scientists, musicians, and many others amongst our graduates. One thing that they have in common is that they are more inclined to know what their passions are and pursue them, than to be influenced by what's expected. They also tend to have a particularly well-developed sense of social justice and community responsibility.
Academic performance
Academically, they find that they are ahead in some areas and need work in others, depending on the individual student. Overall, BIS performs at or above standard on compulsory literacy and numeracy testing.