Tag: experiential learning
Teachers Prepare for Moving the Classroom Online
SMUS faculty prepares for remote learning after Spring Break
Compassion, Empathy and Community Engagement
Kathleen Cook highlights how compassion and empathy are woven into Junior School lessons
Unexpected Lessons Outside the Classroom
Reagan Daly writes about how the themes of sustainability, leadership and service are embedded in the Grade 10 Experiential Program
Student-Run Café Supports Green Coffee Farming in Brazil
Grade 10 students give back to a small coffee farm in Brazil to help it become a more environmentally friendly business
Grade 10 Students Brew Up a Unique Coffee Project
Business students and Grade 10 experiential students work together to roast, market and sell coffee beans
Whodunit? Grade 10 Students Investigate
Senior School Head of Science, Mr. Benson Young, takes us through a forensic investigation with plenty of intrigue.
The Race Car Design Challenge
by Julie Harris, Middle School Program Specialist
Grade 6 students have been using the Engineering Design Process to build race cars and deepen their understanding of...
Grade 10 Students Sail Aboard the Pacific Swift (VIDEO)
Climb aboard the Pacific Swift with Grade 10 students who are learning outside the classroom! Watch them talk about their outdoor ed sailing experience
Grade 8 Students Create ‘Les Caravanes Gastronomiques’
At lunchtime one day last week, our Grade 8 students opened for business their own "caravanes gastronomiques" a.k.a. food trucks! This year, the Grade...
Grade 10 Students Depart for Experiential Learning Pursuits
Grade 10 students head out on 'the pursuit' to immerse themselves in real-world activities and environments for experiential learning
Grade 10 Students Reflect on Experiential Opportunities
Three students write about their experiences so far in the unique Grade 10 experiential program
The Pursuit – The Culmination of a Grade 10 Experiential Year
After extensive research and collaboration, SMUS faculty designed a unique program for Grade 10 students focusing on experiential learning. Weaving hands-on and real-world opportunities...
Innovation Hour is “Personalized Learning at Its Best”
What is your passion? Every student at SMUS has a different answer to that question. For some their passion lies somewhere in the realm of arts or...
Experiential Learning: Was Mr. Buckingham Murdered?
Was it Mr. Jackson in the lunch room with the knife? Or was it Professor Plum in the laboratory with the lead pipe?
It's early Monday...
French Speakers Head Downtown for The Amazing Race
French students at the Middle School are learning about places, towns and how to effectively navigate a city using directions, so what better way to...
Grade 4 Students Try Their Hand at 3D Printing
The mechanical buzz of the 3D printer moving back and forth is what first catches their attention. Then once the students see (and learn...
Personalization and Experiential Education
At SMUS we talk about personalization and experiential education as two distinct themes that will shape education in the next decade or more. While...
Eggs-periential Learning: Grade 2 Classes Welcome Baby Chicks
Mr. Giggles, Cottonball and Fluffy are the three newest members of our Grade 2 population, after the trio of baby chicks hatched in class Tuesday...
Toward Personalization
Most parents and alumni who read School material, and this blog, will know that the theme of personalization has been a steady, increasingly visible...
My Week as a Gene Researcher
My interest in science began at a hospital when my grandmother was diagnosed with diabetes. I was intrigued by the thought that there were...
Victoria – A Hub for Off-Campus Learning Opportunities
One of the many advantages of SMUS’s location is our ability to participate in opportunities that exist in a thriving city like Victoria. Looking...
Higher Learning and Life: A Look at Our Grade 10 Experiential Program
This September the school took a big step forward in offering a Grade 10 experiential program that blends into everyday classes, applies the lessons...
B.C. Curriculum Changes Reaffirm SMUS’s Technological Vision
by Ms. Maureen Hann, education technology specialist
In December, SMUS students participated in the Hour of Code, a worldwide initiative aimed at introducing school-aged children to...
Students Walk All Over Canada to Learn About Country’s History
What is in the humongous black tube? That was the mystery Grade 4 social studies students faced when they returned to SMUS after their winter holiday.
Before...
Law 12 Students Head to Court for Mock Trials
by Mr. Bruce Maxwell
The two Grade 12 Law classes participated in mock trials this week. One class experienced firsthand a criminal case, while the other had a civil...
Math 10 Students Use Trigonometry to Solve a Crime
A newscaster (very much resembling math teacher Mr. Steve Bates) comes on the television to deliver breaking news.
"At precisely 7:47 this morning, Mr. Andy...
Three ways to support our young leaders
Shifting from summer mode to the pace of September at SMUS can be a significant transition and the amount of information at this time...
Taking ‘Appropriate Risks’ to Make for a Great School Year
When Mr. Andy Rodford (Director of the Senior School) addressed students this week at the opening day assembly, he encouraged students to take "appropriate risks" over...
Transformed Grade 10 Program Opens Doors to a World of Experiences
On Tuesday, we hosted our Course Information Evening to provide insight and information to parents and students about the programs SMUS has to offer in the coming...
A Sanctuary of Experiential Learning: Swan Lake Christmas Hill
Microscope Discoveries is a school program offered at the Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary.
On a warm but rainy fall morning, Grade 6 students...
My Journey to Gene Researcher For a Week
by Cindy Kim, Grade 11
I was a sickly child, living in hospitals more than I did at home as my body attracted all kinds...
Experiential Education
I imagine every reader of this blog has heard the phrase, “experience is the best teacher.” Usually when one has “learned by experience”, the...
Finding the Magic for Term 3
Beginning with an Orientation Day at Camp Pringle last week, the Grade 10 Experiential Program got underway for the term. After circulating through a...
Adventures in Experiential Education
Every year at this time, a group of eager Grade 10 students challenge themselves with an experiential education. For the third term, the students...
Reflection: the Key to Experiential Learning
by Becky Anderson, Director of Leadership
“Tell me, and I will forget. Show me, and I may remember. Involve me, and I will understand.”
- Confucius
I...
Senior School Leadership Opportunities
It is time for you to take stock….reflect on what you have done this year so far that has challenged you, scared you, pushed...
SMUS Leadership Definition
I feel that is important to begin each year with intention and clarity. With that in mind, I look to our leadership definition to...
Grade 11 Leadership Opportunities for Grad 2012
The time has come for Grade 11 students to think about the role they want to take on at the school next year. As a...
Reflections and Action – International Service Trips
"Life's most persistent and urgent question is: 'What are you doing for others?'"
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
On the heels of a motivating chapel...
Girls on Ice!
Girls on Ice is a unique, FREE, wilderness science education program for
high school girls. Each year a team of 9 teenage girls and 3...
Junior School Students Learn to Save Lives
by Nicky Newsome, Grade 5N teacher
The Junior Lifeguard Club has completed another successful year! Students in Grade 4 and 5 participated in a six-week...
