GREATER VICTORIA SCHOOL DISTRICT – BRITISH COLUMBIA
Greater Victoria School District – British Columbia
About the Program
The Greater Victoria School Districts International High School Programs prepare students from around the world for success with a variety of quality education program options.
Proficiency in English and a familiarity with North American culture are key elements of our programs. For more than 15 years, we have been preparing our graduates for the future, whether they choose to continue their education at a postsecondary institution, or return home to pursue other goals.
The Greater Victoria School district is located in Victoria, the ‘City of Gardens’ and capital of British Columbia, Canada, and covers five municipal areas. The student population is over 20,000 and there are approximately 2,800 regular employees, which makes Victoria SD the sixth largest public school district in the province. In 2006 approximately 500 international students from 17 different countries attended the 47 community schools.
If you are a serious, hard-working, motivated student with a desire to live in a new culture, our Academic High School Program may be for you. International students are fully integrated into their school community and the proportion of international students to local students is low (about 5%). This affords an excellent opportunity to make Canadian friends and practice English. The Program includes a supportive homestay environment with a host family near each school, as well as friendly and caring teachers and staff, and VIHSP International Student Advisers.
About Greater Victoria Secondary Schools
Expand Your Horizons - Victoria’s high schools offer an amazing array of elective courses for students to choose from. Each school also provides a consistent, world class academic program accredited by the British Columbia Ministry of Education. Students can further develop themselves physically and intellectually by participating in the many extra-curricular opportunities available. The healthy size of Victoria’s high schools – which average a student population of 1,000 – allows for the perfect end of program diversity and individual attention. With seven schools to choose from, every student will find a place to learn and thrive.
Students are placed at schools by the VIHSP office. School placements are made based on information given on the application form, seat availability, international student numbers and diversity at each school, and homestay availability.
There are 7 Secondary (Grades 9-12) – and 10 Middle schools (Grades 6-8) – in the Greater Victoria School District. Students enrolled in the Victoria International High School Programs will be placed in one of the following schools:
Secondary High Schools
- Esquimalt Community Secondary School
- Lambrick Park Secondary School
- Mount Douglas Secondary School
- Oak Bay Secondary School
- Reynolds Secondary School
- Spectrum Community Secondary School
- Victoria High Secondary School
Link zu Kurzprofilen Sec. Schools
Support for Students – Homestay Program
- Homestay is an important part of the program.
- Ensures safety, well-being, and success.
- Provides students with total immersion into the Canadian way of life.
- Allows students to focus on their studies without worrying about domestic needs.
Students can practice their English skills in a relaxing environment
- The Victoria School District Homestay Program places international students in supportive, stable homes with active Canadian families.
- Homestays are arranged and supervised by the VIHSP office.
- Placement is determined by the profile information provided with the application form, homestay availability, and school placement.
- Host families are well-screened and safe.
- Host families meet their international student at the Victoria International Airport to begin their stay.
- Host families provide the student with a private room and three meals a day.
- Students are strongly encouraged to participate in all family activities.
- Homestays are close to the schools, many within walking distance.
- The Homestay Manager and Cultural Homestay Placement Officers provide comprehensive support to international students and host families.
- Support is also available in Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Thai, Korean, Spanish, and other languages
Victoria High Schools offer a wide variety of elective courses to match students’ personal needs and interests. Electives can include the following:
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Extra-Curricular Program Activities
- During the year, for an additional cost, full-time international students are offered special activities such as skiing, skating and excursions to Vancouver. In addition, each school has its own set of special offerings such as:
- theatre, dance, band and strings, chorals work, theatre productions, media studies, vocal jazz, or sports: tennis, rowing, cycling, track and field, golf, rugby, badminton, basketball, bowling, field hockey, scuba, soccer, softball, tennis, volleyball, water polo, wrestling.
- or Clubs: anime, aquarium, band strings, chess, choir, cricket, dance, drama, film and television, fitness and conditioning, improvisational theatre, jazz band, band and strings, choral works, juggling, karaoke, knitting, leadership, meditation, musical/theatre production, opera, vocal jazz, peer tutoring, photography, politics, speech and debate, student, newspaper, tai chi, media studies, and archeological and ecological study excursions.
Situated at the south end of Vancouver Island off the west coast of Canada, Victoria, The ‘City of Gardens’, is a medium-sized city of 350,000 with a distinct European flavour. Downtown streets are lined with handsome heritage buildings, quaint restaurants and a variety of arts and draft shops. A focal point of Victoria is the Inner Harbour. Victoria and the east coast of the island enjoy a year-round moderate climate and are home to some of the finest scenery and recreational activities anywhere in the world.
Victoria is a safe city where government, the arts and advanced learning are major activities. The city has two renowned universities and a college, a world-class museum, a symphony, an opera company, three professional theatre companies, professional dance, many golf courses and a major regional art gallery. Victoria is also home to world class Olympic athletes in rugby, field hockey, rowing, softball and basketball.
