Thank you to everyone who attended the Virtual Open House! For those who could not attend, or would like to rewatch a specific part, here is the recording of our entire webcast:
Prior to the Open House, we invited anyone interested to ask us questions about the school. Click on the questions below to read our responses.
The content and pace of most Immersion and Regular classes are very similar, but the language of instruction is different. Students in the Immersion program take their Science, Social Studies, and Ethics courses in French, while students in the Regular program take those classes in English. The Français langue seconde course's content will be a bit more advanced in the Immersion program, however.
The transition from elementary to high school is definitely a big step, but the staff at Mac will make sure that the transition doesn't "feel" too big or overwhelming.
At high school, you will have many teachers teaching different subjects, and there are a lot more activities offered at lunch and after school, so organization and time management becomes important, but your teachers will definitely help you build your organization skills throughout Grade 7 and beyond.
Honestly, the thing that stresses Grade 7 students the most is often trying to figure out how to use a combination lock for their new lockers - something they become experts at in just a few days!
In order to support students with mental health concerns, we encourage them and/or their parents to seek help from our Guidance Department. Our Guidance team has advanced training in mental health support services, and strategies, alongside a strong knowledge of, and experience in treating teens.
We also direct students and families to the LBPSB's Center of Excellence for Mental Health, where they will find invaluable information, resources, and links to support overall wellbeing.
In Grade 7 and 8, students in the Enriched program will be enrolled in the Enriched group for all their core academic courses. As of Grade 9, students can take some courses in Enriched, and others in Regular (for example: Enriched Math and French, but Regular English).
There are loads of activities happening during lunch hour to keep everyone entertained. Here are some examples:
Intramural sports and "open gym" activities
Exercise in the Fitness Centre
A classroom dedicated to watching movies and playing board games
Foosball
School Play rehearsals
Some clubs such as the Nature Club, or Photography Club meet at lunch
Leadership classes host events at lunch pretty frequently - especially during our many Spirit Weeks.
The library is often often for students to read, chill out, work on projects, play board games, and complete puzzles.
Battle of the Books
The 2021-22 GMAA athletic season is still a little different from normal years due to Covid restrictions, but most sports teams and individual competitions are up and running this year. We are currently creating a new athletics website with up-to-date information about Mac student-athletes and GMAA competitions, but for now you can see a list of sports offered and our Fall sports calendar here. Stay tuned!
Some class bands may also have one guitar and/or piano player. These positions are attributed through an audition process in September and require the student to be already fluent in reading music (notes, not tabs) as the materials used in class consider these musicians as accompanists and not "students" being introduced to guitar or piano for the first time.
Macdonald High School is proud to offer a wide variety of support services for students with learning differences, in order to ensure their success academically and socially.
Our Resource Department consists of 4 resource coordinators, 2 special education technicians, an in-school support teacher and a team of integration aides.
Support services to students may be provided both in class or in small group settings and we also help strengthen our students' organizational, social and life skills.
Macdonald High School offers a dance program for dancers of all skill levels, no previous experience is required. You can also audition for our competitive dance team if you are not currently competing on another team. Auditions are held at the beginning of September and competitions usually begin in March or April.
The dance program allows dancers to explore a wide variety of dance styles such as lyrical, contemporary, ballet technique, hip-hop, and jazz. Come join us in our brand new dance studio! Follow us on Instagram to stay up to date on all things dance @macdonalddance.
Everyone gets their own personal locker, you do not share with another student.