Hi all
We will be moving to Edmonton around October and thus my daughter will not be able to complete her final exams for grade 11. I realise that we have left our move a bit late, but better late than never. She currently does:
English
Afrikaans
History
Business Economics
Travel & Tourism
Geography
Would it be advisable for her to repeat Grade 11?
Are there any links to websites that can help us?
Full Version: Grade 11
Ivans,
I think Karen should answer when she gets a chance.
For now, you need to understand that Canada has a schoolyear that runs from September to June.
In our case, our son arrived in Vancouver In August, and started a few weeks later in September.
He had NOT completed Grade 10 in SA. However, they tested him and decided to make him start with Grade 11 immediately, rather than make him repeat (from his perspective) six months of Grade 10. This is quite typical.
I suspect they will simply test your daughter, and if she is proficient enough in English, they may let her start Grade 12 from where she arrives. It would certainly mean at least a month of catching up.
Then again, I'm in BC...not Alberta. Maybe an Albertan can help here. I have tried various Alberta websites and they are frankly bloody useless and waste one's time....when they eventually load.
I think Karen should answer when she gets a chance.
For now, you need to understand that Canada has a schoolyear that runs from September to June.
In our case, our son arrived in Vancouver In August, and started a few weeks later in September.
He had NOT completed Grade 10 in SA. However, they tested him and decided to make him start with Grade 11 immediately, rather than make him repeat (from his perspective) six months of Grade 10. This is quite typical.
I suspect they will simply test your daughter, and if she is proficient enough in English, they may let her start Grade 12 from where she arrives. It would certainly mean at least a month of catching up.
Then again, I'm in BC...not Alberta. Maybe an Albertan can help here. I have tried various Alberta websites and they are frankly bloody useless and waste one's time....when they eventually load.
Hi
We are also in BC so not sure about subjects but this is what we did if it will help you at all.
My daughter had finished grade 8 in SA and we arrived here in February, our option was to let her go into grade 9 until June and then into grade 10 when school started again in the September or "repeat" a few months of grade 8 and start grade 9 in September. We went with the second option which worked out very well, there was no pressure academically and the time was used to settle in and make friends. No regrets at all about the decision we made and she agrees even though her friends in SA are in gr 12 already.
We are also in BC so not sure about subjects but this is what we did if it will help you at all.
My daughter had finished grade 8 in SA and we arrived here in February, our option was to let her go into grade 9 until June and then into grade 10 when school started again in the September or "repeat" a few months of grade 8 and start grade 9 in September. We went with the second option which worked out very well, there was no pressure academically and the time was used to settle in and make friends. No regrets at all about the decision we made and she agrees even though her friends in SA are in gr 12 already.
Sorry about the delay in replying, but I have been away for the long weekend in Montreal.
As I work and teach in Ontario, I have no knowledge about the subject requirements for Alberta, but I would imagine that your daughter will be given credit for most of the subjects she has completed in SA. Make sure you take along her report cards when you register at the school. Mostly, kids are placed in grades which are age appropriate for them. The school year is a semestered one, so it will be up to the administration to decide whether or not she needs an extra semester in grade 11, or can move on and do a few subjects at grade 12 level and some at grade 11.
The system is very flexible and there is no matric pressure as you know it. My advice is to allow your daughter to take her time to settle in and make friends and do whatever courses are recommended by the guidance department of her school. SA students are usually ahead of the game here and settle in soon enough and enjoy the different learning experience.
Just go with the flow once you are here and all will work out well.
As I work and teach in Ontario, I have no knowledge about the subject requirements for Alberta, but I would imagine that your daughter will be given credit for most of the subjects she has completed in SA. Make sure you take along her report cards when you register at the school. Mostly, kids are placed in grades which are age appropriate for them. The school year is a semestered one, so it will be up to the administration to decide whether or not she needs an extra semester in grade 11, or can move on and do a few subjects at grade 12 level and some at grade 11.
The system is very flexible and there is no matric pressure as you know it. My advice is to allow your daughter to take her time to settle in and make friends and do whatever courses are recommended by the guidance department of her school. SA students are usually ahead of the game here and settle in soon enough and enjoy the different learning experience.
Just go with the flow once you are here and all will work out well.
QUOTE
SA students are usually ahead of the game here
I feel more comfortable now that Karen has also said it, but this has been my experience as well.
I moved here when i was in Grade 9 around July so i never finished it and they put me into Grade 10 and honestly i don't know if it was because i was still in the younger grades but i defintley was ahead of the crowd she will most likely be bored
I believe I will be needing a Study Permit for my Daughter. Is this correct?
ivans, I see elsewhere that you will be coming in on a work permit. We did that too, and got student visas for the kids on the airport on arrival. Must say we were rather surprised that we would need that, and the added expense was rather unexpected, but when you're standing in line at the customs counter what can you do? But it's best to know about that ahead of time ... which you now do 
Hendie
Hendie
When I got here in the month of July in my Grade 11 year a number of years ago, I went with my parents to the school, and met the principal of our closest school. I didn't have to show my report cards, and I wasn't tested, either. The principal asked me what I'd taken, and what kinds of topics I'd covered. After a very brief conversation, she decided to give me full credit for all my Grade 11 courses (except Afrikaans).
I ended up starting Grade 11 again, but that was just because I wanted a COMPLETE change in courses. (I was absolutely SICK of Maths, Science, and Biology, and ended up selecting English, Literature, Spanish, Geography, Psychology, History, Marketing, and Law as my Grade 12 subjects here. If I'd taken similar courses as before, I'd have been able to go straight into Grade 12).
I ended up being able to take a university-equivalent course in my final semester in Grade 12, and ended up doing my undergraduate degree in three and a half instead of four years. No point, really, in repeating a grade if your child is to choose the same subjects as she had in SA.
Do be aware of the Grade 11 language requirement for university entrance: even if the school system waives it, the university won't. (After taking English, Afrikaans, Sotho, and Latin in SA, I was told that I had to take a "second" language for university entrance. By Grade 11, it was too far gone to take French, which is how I ended up with Spanish). Oh, for the record, after three semesters of Spanish in school, and up to third year university of Spanish, I can successfully conjugate verbs in Spanish, and can probably translate Shakespeare into Spanish, but will have difficulty in ordering a melted cheese sandwich in Spain! Don't for a moment think that requiring taking a new language actually requires LEARNING it!!
Your daughter should be prepared for MORE work than in SA, but it won't be more difficult. The two systems have different academic values - I could probably do a dissertation on that topic!
In short, unless the school REQUIRES repeating the year, or if your child is changing subjects significantly, don't repeat the year. Senior high is actually quite a good time to settle in: kids are, for the most part, beyond the "cool" stage, and are either interested in serious academics, or (sorry to say), but have already dropped out of school. (That's in BC, anyway - 79% graduation rate).
As for the study visa, for school level, that applies for public schools, but I think you may be able to get out of that if you go through the private system. At the private Christian school at which I currently teach, tuition is $130 per month, which, I THINK, is probably about typical.
All the best!! Keep us up to date!!
I ended up starting Grade 11 again, but that was just because I wanted a COMPLETE change in courses. (I was absolutely SICK of Maths, Science, and Biology, and ended up selecting English, Literature, Spanish, Geography, Psychology, History, Marketing, and Law as my Grade 12 subjects here. If I'd taken similar courses as before, I'd have been able to go straight into Grade 12).
I ended up being able to take a university-equivalent course in my final semester in Grade 12, and ended up doing my undergraduate degree in three and a half instead of four years. No point, really, in repeating a grade if your child is to choose the same subjects as she had in SA.
Do be aware of the Grade 11 language requirement for university entrance: even if the school system waives it, the university won't. (After taking English, Afrikaans, Sotho, and Latin in SA, I was told that I had to take a "second" language for university entrance. By Grade 11, it was too far gone to take French, which is how I ended up with Spanish). Oh, for the record, after three semesters of Spanish in school, and up to third year university of Spanish, I can successfully conjugate verbs in Spanish, and can probably translate Shakespeare into Spanish, but will have difficulty in ordering a melted cheese sandwich in Spain! Don't for a moment think that requiring taking a new language actually requires LEARNING it!!
Your daughter should be prepared for MORE work than in SA, but it won't be more difficult. The two systems have different academic values - I could probably do a dissertation on that topic!
In short, unless the school REQUIRES repeating the year, or if your child is changing subjects significantly, don't repeat the year. Senior high is actually quite a good time to settle in: kids are, for the most part, beyond the "cool" stage, and are either interested in serious academics, or (sorry to say), but have already dropped out of school. (That's in BC, anyway - 79% graduation rate).
As for the study visa, for school level, that applies for public schools, but I think you may be able to get out of that if you go through the private system. At the private Christian school at which I currently teach, tuition is $130 per month, which, I THINK, is probably about typical.
All the best!! Keep us up to date!!
At the private Christian School where I TA the school fees start at $180 for Kindergarten and progressivley get more per grade.
This year for Grade 3 my daughter's school fees will be $435 and that includes all field trips and supplies. It does not include uniforms.
This year for Grade 3 my daughter's school fees will be $435 and that includes all field trips and supplies. It does not include uniforms.
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