Middle & High School Program

At GBA we recognise that middle school is a time of many transitions for students. When students enter middle school, they are making a transition from being elementary children and moving toward becoming young adults by the time they complete the eighth grade and prepare to transition into high school. Our middle school program employs strategies in the classroom and through our comprehensive guidance program to help our students acquire new ways to learn and study, gradually become more independent, and cope effectively with the academic and social changes students in this age group must face.

We strive to support and teach our students as we prepare them for the rigours of high school material and expectations.

The experiences and opportunities we provide students cover the full-spectrum of academic and special subject classes in a learning environment that is technologically integrated and focused on ensuring that all of our students learn – and learn how to learn. Our goal is to ensure that we build upon the foundation provided to our students in early years and elementary in order to have the skills and resilience needed for their success in their current and future lives.

Our high school program and approach to teaching and supporting students aims to instil confidence, independence, creative and critical thinking, and the skills our students will need to be healthy and thrive in society and in a future setting that will bring challenges and opportunities that do not yet exist. The importance of knowing how to learn and how to find quality, reliable information for oneself cannot be over-estimated. We want our graduates prepared to successfully navigate which ever path they choose beyond high school, perhaps training for a career that does not yet exist. Our academic program is designed to build these skills through integrating tasks across subjects, requiring original thinking and problem solving, and using technological resources. Our IT courses have become project based, so that students immediately use the skills they learn to create real-world projects. In health class our students learn essential self-care skills for physical and social/emotional health. Our guidance and counselling program includes study skills, essential soft skills, decision-making, and extensive guidance and preparation for post-high school planning.