Valleyview Secondary
School
Grad 2015
News
April 20, 2015
Important Grad Dates
May 4
May 13
May 27
May 28
June 4
June 4
June 6
July 30
April Government Exam results released
Grad BBQ
District Honours Reception
First Nations Graduation Ceremonies
Grad Rehearsal
Banquet and Commencement Ceremonies
Grand March/Reception/Safe Grad
June Government Exam results released
Graduation 2015
Parents and Graduates:
This year our Commencement ceremony and banquet will
take place on Wednesday, June 4. Please note that all
grads are required to attend the grad rehearsal. Bussing
will be provided.
 Graduation Commencement ceremonies will take place
at the McArthur Island Sports Complex starting
at 7:00 pm.
 The Banquet will take place at McArthur Island
Sports Centre at 5:00 pm. Students should arrive
at 4:45 pm. The banquet is for the graduates.
Parents do not attend the banquet.
 The Grand March will take place at 7:15 pm at the
TRU Grand Hall. The Grand March is for
parents, family members, and graduates. Parents
should arrive at 7:00 pm.
 The dance will follow the Grand March and is
primarily for graduates and their dates. If parents
wish, they may join their graduate for the first
few dances.
If you have any further questions please contact
Mr. Gartrell at 250-372-5231.
First Nations Graduation
The District First Nations Graduation ceremonies are
being held at the TRU Grand Hall on Thursday May 28.
The ceremony starts at 5:00pm. This graduation ceremony
is open to all School District #73 First Nation students
and their families.
For more information, please contact the District
Principal, Mrs. Sebastian, at 250-374-0679 or First
Nations Education Workers, Mrs. Yamelst and Mrs.
Regnier at 250-372+-5231.
Who is eligible to participate in Grad activities?
In order to participate in Grad activities, a student must
be working on and passing the last four classes required
for graduation. Every year some students lose their
eligibility because they stop working in school.
Grad fees must be paid.
Grad Transitions/Planning 10
YOU WILL NOT GRADUATE IF THESE COURSES
ARE NOT COMPLETED.
Planning 10 is an online course that is a requirement for
graduation. Grade twelves have had over two years to
complete this course and some do not have a final mark.
Please don’t let an incomplete Planning 10 course be the
reason you have not graduated.
Note: Planning 10 and Grad Transitions are now linked
so students will not receive credit for Grad Transitions
until the Planning 10 course has been completed.
Grad Fees - now overdue
Grad fees cover the cost of most but not all of the costs
associated with graduation. The following items are
included:
Grad gown and stole purchase
Cap and tassel purchase
Facility rental and decorations
Banquet, Flowers
Printing of Programs and Invitations
Commencement diploma and photograph
Miscellaneous items (security, PA, etc)
Grad fees for 2015 are $120 and are payable at the Main
Office.
Scholarship Information and Grad News
Transcripts for Post Secondary Institutions
Keep up to date on scholarship and grad information via
email. Add your name to the email lists by visiting the
following websites:
http://lists.sd73.bc.ca/mailman/listinfo/vss-gradparents
and
http://lists.sd73.bc.ca/mailman/listinfo/vss-scholarships
The counselling office will also be able to help you with
this, if needed.
If you are planning to attend a post secondary institution
in September of 2015, the Ministry of Education will
grant access to the institution to view your marks. This
way, you will not have to return to Valleyview Secondary
for copies of your transcripts. To set up the account
yourself, the website is www.bced.gov.bc.ca/exams/ Be
sure to have your PEN (personal education number)
available when you sign up. This process only takes a
few minutes to complete. See your counsellor for
assistance, if needed.
Grad Gowns for Photos
If you wish to take your own photos or have them done
by a company other than the school photographer,
Valleyview Secondary has purchased 2 grad gowns for
rental. A cheque for $70.00 is required as a deposit along
with a $5.00 rental fee. The cheque will be returned
when the grad gown is returned to the school.
Mrs. McKenzie in the counselling office will be handling
the rental of these grad gowns.
Note: the cap and gown you will be using at the
Commencement ceremony are yours to keep.
June 2015 Provincial Exam Schedule
Date
Subject
Time
June 19
Friday
Science 10
English 12
9-11 am
1-3 pm
June 22
Monday
Communications 12
9-11 am
June 23
Tuesday
Apprenticeship and Workplace
Math 10
Foundations of Mathematics
& Pre-Calculus 10
Note: Math exams are
written online
June 24
English 10
Wednesday Social Studies 11
9-11 am
Provincial Exam /Scholarships Update
Students are required to write Science 10, English 10, a
Mathematics 10, a Social Studies 11, and English 12
provincial exams. If, for some reason, you have not
written one of these exams, please report to the
Counselling Office and sign up for the next session. You
will NOT graduate if you have missed even one of these
exams.
The Ministry of Education awards Provincial Exam
Scholarships worth $1000 to students who attain high
provincial exam marks. Students must achieve at least a
“B” (73% or above) final mark (combined provincial exam
and school mark) in one of the Language Arts 12 courses.
Based on their percentage scores, if a student ranks
among the top 5000 in the province, they will receive a
$1000 scholarship.
Scholarships will be awarded in mid October after the
August exam results have been released.
Provincial Exam Marks Released
To view your Provincial exam results, go to
www.bced.gov.bc.ca/exams. If you have not created an
account for yourself yet, be sure to have your Personal
Education Number with you. It can be found on your
report card.
Safe Grad
Please keep up with the latest Safe Grad news by logging
on to the Facebook Grad page. Updates will be coming
out early next week (April 27).
9-11 am
1-3 pm
*All Provincial Examinations are designed to be
completed within 2 hours. Students are permitted an
additional one hour, if required.
Any student arriving one half hour (or later) after the
start time for an exam will not be permitted to write.