Parent & Grad Testimonials

peterloo on February 24, 2021

Testimonials

What our grads and our parents say about us

“I am Joao Victor, I have 17 years old, and I am from Brazil. I graduated from Bodwell in June 2020 and I have studied there for one year and a half. I feel that Bodwell was one of the best things for me; There I had the chance to know more about myself and the world around me, I also could always count on my friends and the staff for anything that I needed.”

Joao Victor Ishida Correa

– Class of ’20

“I had a privilege to be Joao Vitor’s counsellor for three terms in Bodwell High School. I remember the first time I met Joao in my office, in May 2019. Over that time, I was consistently impressed with his commitment to learning, focused attitude and organizational skills as well as his dedication and good humor. He’s a truly gifted young man, fast on his feet and able to deeply concentrate on his goals. I am sure and positive in Joao’s academic and life success, and, as Bodwell High School counsellor, proud contributing to it.”

Luchy Tejero

– Joao’s School Counsellor

“I had the pleasure to have Joao in two of my classes (PreCalculus11 and later on Calculus12) and I got to know him very well. Joao is the dream student that every teacher would love to have in their classes: he is respectful, attentive, almost always has a smile on his face and he is kind to everyone. During the two courses I’ve taught Joao, he was not giving up until he understood a topic and was very determined to figure out answers on his own. By the end of the Calculus12 course, Joao developed into a very confident and mature student and was able to communicate his creative reasoning skills in problem solving and applications.“

Fernanda Correa

– Joao’s Math Teacher

“I remembered João Victor’s first day at Bodwell school. My family and I dropped him off at the school, he was shy, afraid, and hesitant, but in a few minutes, he met friends who helped him with his uniform and other stuff. At that moment, I realized that he could do this, and he did. In my opinion, it was the best experience of his life, not only to acquire skills in class but for his life. For the first time, he lived alone in a different culture and place, with friends from different countries, and sometimes he had to make decisions without us. He grew a lot in many ways and we are very proud of him. I would like to thank all the teachers, advisors, and his counselor Alex. Everyone at Bodwell is amazing, and I am sure that we made the best decision when we sent him to study at Bodwell. Now he is going to a university and, because of that experience at Bodwell, I believe he will start university more confident.”

Fernanda Correa

– Joao’s Mother

“My mission as a citizen is to work supporting communities to get a better infrastructure through sustainability and technology. My journey at Bodwell encouraged me to comprehend different cultures and being diverse and inclusive with all people. A sustainable future depends on engaging all the nations to provide well-being for every single person in the world.”

Ana Beatriz Filgueiras Gonzalez

– Class of ‘20

“Although my daughter, Ana Bea, has just spent a year studying at Bodwell, she gained maturity and had outstanding academic results. Bodwell is remarkable not only in teaching but also in discipline and citizenship. I accompanied Ana’s personal growth and felt confident that she concretized several values, such as respect, honesty, and commitment. I am glad that my daughter learnt to be an independent woman having the capability and worldwide vision facing the overcoming challenges in her life.”

Carlinhos Gonzalez

– Father of Ana Bea

Joao Victor Ishida Correa

– Class of ’20

“I had the pleasure of being Billy’s counsellor for the last year of high school. From the first day I met with Billy, she impressed me with her ability to be articulate, well-spoke and well-read, her leadership traits, and her passion for listening and helping others. Billy is a talented student, and I am certain that Billy is going to continue to do great and creative things in her future. I will proudly observe her success in academics in life and cheer with her.“

Alex Poshyvanyk

– Billy’s School Counsellor

“Billy was ambitious student at Bodwell. She aimed to get the highest marks in her academic courses and would not accept less than the best from herself. She had high post-secondary aspirations and joined the Student Parliament at Bodwell to strengthen her university application. Juggling her academic, and Student Parliament commitments made Billy into a mature and responsible student with excellent time management. With these skills, she succeeded in getting admission into the post-secondary institutions she desired.”

Shane Chaffey

– Billy’s Humanities Teacher

Happy Holidays 2020

peterloo on December 1, 2020

Bodwell Bulletin

Dec 2020

Happy Holidays

+ A Happy New Year

The Year 2020, for all of its promise, will be remembered as the year in which the entire world, on top of all its existing challenges, was threatened by a new health emergency: the COVID-19 pandemic. The dramatic loss of millions of lives and the long-term impacts on many of those infected will be a worldwide setback felt for generations to come. Not only this – the interruption of learning by countless students and the loss of livelihoods by vast portions of the global workforce has been significant.

At the same time, the world has come together to try to adapt and overcome this crisis. We share a deep appreciation for frontline health care workers saving lives, scientific researchers racing to develop vaccines and treatments, and for all the public services and businesses providing essential services in our communities throughout this difficult time, often at their own risk. We are grateful to parents, students, and educators around the world for renewing their belief in the importance of learning and social development of young people through schools.

Here at Bodwell, we have been exceptionally fortunate. Safely running a vibrant and engaging school and boarding program this year for many students from around the world has happened thanks to the hard work and resilience of our entire Bodwell team, from program staff to support staff; our brave and cooperative students; and you, our caring and trusting parents. Without everyone’s courage, adaptability, and determination, we would not have been able to achieve such a successful result this year.

From our “bubble” to yours, we wish everyone a safe, peaceful, and healthy year-end, and a hopeful and restorative new year ahead.

With Care,

Stephen Goobie

Principal

Saturday Alternate Programming

Key Points

As you know, our Saturday Enrichment Program is on pause until Spring 2020 as an extra precaution against the spread of COVID-19.

Sports & Physical Health with Mr. Tom Walker
- Open Gym (Volleyball + Basketball) and Pool Open
IELTS Support with Mr. Happy Gosal
- Students taking the in-house IELTS in Dec or Jan are strongly encouraged to join these prep sessions before their test.
Outdoor Recreation with Mr. James Roche
- Off-campus hikes for small groups to local wilderness sites.

English Assessment and official IELTS Exam Updates

On November 17, all students wrote the English Progress Assessment (EPA), our in-house standardized assessment based on the IELTS Exam, with the following outcome:

Overall, we are pleased to see an improvement in the average result compared to the previous writing in Fall 2019, notably in the area of writing – an 8% improvement.

Grade 9 students showed the sharpest improvement among all grades. Great work!
Students who took both the Fall 2019 and Fall 2020 EPA improved their scores by 15%; writing was a large contributor to the score increase, improving by 24%. 46 students improved their score by at least one full point (on the IELTS scale, aiming for at least 6.5 for university entrance)!
From our data, we can see that students who score high on the EPA also tend to score high on the official IELTS Exam. The official IELTS exam includes a speaking assessment, so some discrepancy between the EPA and official IELTS result is to be expected.
Saturday IELTS Prep class appears to have a positive impact on students’ EPA results.

A large number of students wrote the official IELTS Exam here on campus this semester and recently received their results. We will bring updates soon on the overall analysis of the latest scores!

Winter Break

While a few boarding students will stay with local family over the entire break, most boarding students will remain on campus throughout the break due to travel restrictions. As a result, it will certainly be our largest and most lively group ever staying on campus for the holidays! We know some students will miss seeing their family at this time, especially those who could not travel home earlier this year.

Boarding-Activities-Calendar.20210113053620964

For this reason, we have planned for a highly engaging break program full of opportunities for students to stay active and healthy and to enjoy fun times together. As many venues and events have been canceled or temporarily closed in the community, our focus will be on providing a wide variety of social activities here on campus. Students may still apply for brief weekly leave passes as well as exercise passes, and some small group outings will be offered on a limited basis with extra safety measures in place. Some highlights of the many on-campus holiday activities include:

Pinball machine competitions
Hip hop dance class, boxing lessons
Archery tag, bubble soccer, laser tag
A Holiday Talent Show
Cultural Cooking Series with school counsellors

Boarding staff, nursing staff and many counsellors will continue to support students with their personal needs over the break so that everyone stays healthy and positive. It is important for students to talk to a staff if they are feeling down or have any concerns.

Grade 12 Capstone Presentations: January 18^th – 22^nd

The grade 12 Career Life Connections (CLC) classes have been working hard over the last 4 months to complete their graduation Capstone Project:

The Capstone Project is a research based project that focuses on students’ career and post-secondary goals by exploring a specific topic/inquiry question.
Students have spent time connecting with professionals in their desired field and creating a product that demonstrates their learning from the research they have done.
The Capstone also acts as a way for students to share their transformation from coming to high school, goals and future plans.
By doing this project, students get a chance to learn firsthand what it will be like to study their desired fields and enter the careers of their choice.

In January, students will be presenting their final projects to a panel of staff and students. It is always inspiring to see the amount of work students have put in their presentations and to hear their stories. All presentations will be recorded and can be shared with parents who are interested.

Co-Curricular Learning in Spring 2021

Fall 2020 saw the introduction of G-Block, in which students receive academic and language support from teachers as well as active learning opportunities in a wide variety of interest areas.

Learning Opportunities
Active Learning	Chemistry
Math	Physics
Science	English Development
Biology	English for Post-Secondary
AP Physics	AP Calculus

Language Support has included:
- “English for Post-Secondary” (helping students progress in their academic language toward a stronger IELTS score)
- Writing & Learning Clinic
- AEP (Academic & English Preparation) Tutoring.

Academic Support has included, for example:
- Chemistry/Biology
- Math Skills 8/9
- Post-Secondary Prep

Activity Learning has included, for example:
- K-Pop Dance
- Cross Fit Boys & Girls
- Grad Co-op Program, which has created a number of student-led initiatives

After a review of G-Block so far, we plan the following for Spring 2020:

All Bodwell students will take a minimum of two and a maximum of four weekly offerings in G-Block, within which:
- All Bodwell students will take a minimum of one active learning offering in G-Block .
- All Bodwell students will take a minimum of one English language support offering in G-Block, except those who are exempt. *Students in Regular Academic Grades 10-12 below an EPA/IELTS of 5.5 are recommended to take two blocks of language support.
- In addition to a & b, Grade 8/9 students will take an additional active learning offering and an additional academic/language support offering as needed in G-Block.
- In addition to a & b, Grades 10-12 students will take at least one additional offering in G-Block, based on their assessed individual need.
Students can request to be exempted from G-Blocks after midterms, pending their results.
All students will take two S-Block Enrichment courses (or one all-morning course) each Saturday based on their assessed individual needs, except those who are exempt.

Room Ventilation

As you know, we have prioritized ventilation and air quality as a significant measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19. We know from research that COVID-19 is spread through the air through droplets and aerosol particles.

Throughout this fall, our building team has been busy making additional improvements to our ventilation. High-quality MERV13 filters were received and installed in our HVAC system.

The building team has been monitoring CO2 levels in various rooms as a hallmark for accumulating aerosols. We have added fans exhausting air to outside, proving helpful to further lower CO2 levels.

As well, our mechanical engineer confirmed that “UV is very effective, particularly against SARS-COV-2 as it is highly susceptible to it.”

We have installed PURE AIR UV air purifiers and UV lights to several places in the school ventilation and air conditioning system, including:

Student lounges on boarding floors
Staff offices
Counseling offices
Nursing offices
Boarding offices

We are confident that these modifications, along with many other measures, are continuing to keep the risk of COVID-19 low for Bodwell students and staff – and so we can all breathe easier!

Arrival Procedures for Spring 2021

IMPORTANT!

All parents are asked to fill out the Arrival Planning Form by December 31, 2020. Do NOT book a flight before your arrival date has been approved by our arrivals team.

To keep our school and community safe, we need to ensure that students who arriving to campus have not contracted the COVID-19 virus. This challenge of this virus is that it can be spread even before the onset of symptoms. After a “safety window” of 2 weeks, we can be assured that someone living in isolation from others is not carrying the virus.

Currently, Canada requires any arriving traveler to self-isolate for two weeks. Bodwell will need new and returning students arriving for Spring 2021 via an airport to isolate for two weeks prior to joining our regular boarding population. This is to ensure our school upholds the highest safety standards for your children. Students who are living locally or who are traveling with their family members may apply for an exemption (see below); if approved, these students may immediately join our boarding population after a health check.

Airport Arrival

∙ Secure Pick-Up
∙ Transfer to Quarantine

On-site or Homestay Quarantine

∙ Two-Week Quarantine Program
∙ Exemption for local students

Join Boarding Community

∙ Semi-Isolated Campus
∙ Boarding 50% fee for arrivals before Feb 7

Our Quarantine Plan:
1. On-campus spaces for quarantine are limited and will be offered on a first-come-first-serve basis. Students are encouraged to plan carefully.
2. Should on-campus spaces be full, students will be placed in a homestay family
3. Should no space be available on-campus or in a homestay, an alternate travel date must be arranged.
Boarding fees during the quarantine
1. To assist parents, boarding fees before February 7 will be 50% of the regular fee, to be charged on a weekly basis. There will be an additional quarantine service fee of $500. The school will provide safe airport transfers, meal service, health checks, supervision, and meaningful routines.
2. Homestay quarantine will follow a similar fee structure.

For any additional information, please contact arrivals@bodwell.edu

Upcoming Dates

January 4

Fall 2020 Classes Resume

January 8

Professional Development Day: No classes in session

January 9

In-house IELTS Exam

January 22

AEP Standardized Test

January 26 & 27

Numeracy Exam

February 1 – 3

Fall Semester Final Exams

February 4 – 8

Term Break: Departing/Graduating Students to
Depart on February 4th

February 9

Starts of Spring Semester 2021

University Viewbook Links

peterloo on November 26, 2020

University Viewbook Links

Acadia University	Alberta College of Art and Design (ACAD)
Ambrose University	BCIT
Belmont University	Bishops’s University
Brock University	Camosun College
Cape Breton University Click here for International Viewbook	Capilano University
Carleton University	Columbus College of Art and Design (ACAD)
Concordia University	Dalhousie University
Dawson College	Douglas College
Emily Carr University	Fashion Institute of Design Merchandising
George Brown College	Humber College Click here for International Viewbook
Huron University	King’s Western University
Kwantlen Polytechnic University	La Salle College
Lakehead University	Langara College
Les Roches & Glion	MacEwan University
Marine Institute	McGill University
McMaster University	Memorial University
Mount Allison University	Mount Royal University
New Brunswick College of Craft & Design (NBCCD)	New York Film Academy
Nipissing University	Northern College
Nova Scotia College of Art & Design (NSCAD)	Ontario College of Art & Design (OCAD)
Ontario Tech University	Queen’s University
Queen’s University (BISC)	Quest University
Ryerson University	Saint Mary’s University
Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT)	Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD)
School of the Art Institute of Chicago Click here for International Viewbook	Schulich School of Business – York University
Selkirk College	Seton Hill University
Simon Fraser University (SFU)	St. Thomas University
The King’s University – Edmonton	Thompson Rivers University
Trent University	Trinity College
Trinity Western University	University of Alberta Click here for International Viewbook
University of British Columbia (UBC)	University of Calgary
University of Chicago	University of Fraser Valley
University of Guelph	University of Lethbridge
University of Manitoba	University of New Brunswick
University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC)	University of Ottawa
University of Regina	University of Saskatchewan Click here for International Viewbook
University of Toronto – Mississauga	University of Toronto – Scarborough
University of Toronto – St. George	University of Victoria (UVIC)
University of Waterloo	University of Windsor
University of Winnipeg	University of King’s College – Halifax
Vancouver Community College	Vancouver Island University
Western University	Wilfrid Laurier University
York University

Student Profile Template

peterloo on November 23, 2020

Grad Profiles

Sharing the story of our successful grads

Class of 2020

John Doe

From Generic City, Generic Country

ACTIVITIES: This and That Club, Student Parliament, Varsity Bowling
AWARDS: This and That Award, Video Guy Award
ATTENDING: University of Prestigiousness

Igpay atinlay isyay otnay anyay actualyay anguagelay . it’syay atwhay inguistslay allcay ayay “language game” . ayay anguagelay amegay (also ometimessay alledcay ayay “ludling” oryay “argot”) isyay ayay etsay ofyay ulesray appliedyay otay anyay existingyay anguagelay ichwhay akemay atthay anguagelay incomprehensibleyay otay ethay untrainedyay earyay.

Photo Journal

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Video Journal

Class of 2020

JANE Doe

From Generic City, Generic Country

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Video Journal

Class of 2020

John Doe

From Generic City, Generic Country

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“Description for this block. Use this space for describing your block. Any text will do. Description for this block. You can use this space for describing your block. Description for this block. Use this space for describing your block. Any text will do. Description for this block. You can use this space for describing your block.”

Video Journal

Class of 2020

JANE Doe

From Generic City, Generic Country

Photo Journal

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“Description for this block. Use this space for describing your block. Any text will do. Description for this block. You can use this space for describing your block. Description for this block. Use this space for describing your block. Any text will do. Description for this block. You can use this space for describing your block.”

Video Journal