Welcome to the Richmond Secondary School Program Planning process for 2023-2024. Program planning or course selection is an important undertaking that students in Grades 7 to 11 complete in January and February to prepare for next year.   As students move from Grade 8 through to graduation, we encourage you to keep an open mind and explore and learn in a wide variety of curricular and extracurricular areas. While your future is very important, high school is not just about preparing for university and a career.  Our hope is that you learn interesting things about yourself and the world, develop your ability to communicate effectively using many platforms, refine your critical, reflective and creative thinking skills and grow your personal and social awareness and responsibility.  Over the next five years, we also hope  you discover where your interests and passions are and plan for the kind of education or training you will pursue beyond high school. Program planning is building your timetable for next year, so choose, check and confirm your requests in the spring very carefully, including alternative selections and any summer school plans.  Course and timetable changes are not always possible after school begins in September.

For current Grade 7 students, course selection in Grade 8 is limited as it is purposely designed to provide our youngest students with an opportunity to explore a wide number of courses to find your strengths and interests. Our counsellors will visit your school to help you complete this process. RHS students have a little more choice in Grade 9 and this flexibility increases steadily each year through to Grade 12. Remember that your official Ministry of Education graduation transcript will show all final marks from Grades 10, 11 and 12 courses and many universities, including UBC, are currently changing the courses they will use for admissions purposes. As you plan for your graduation, students should be thinking about their post-secondary plans. However, students are still able to consider a wide variety of high school courses while completing necessary university and college prerequisites. Our counsellors and Career Information Advisor can help you understand the courses you need to graduate, the courses which are prerequisites for post-secondary programs, and the courses which may be of benefit for future careers. 

Our course descripitons are designed to give you as much information as possible about the options you have. This is intended to be used in conjunction with the information you will receive from our counsellors and teachers.  Think about your goals for your future, including any summer school plans you have, and talk to your parents, teachers, other students and counsellors to find out more. Don’t be afraid to ask for help - this is your future you are planning!

KEYS TO REMEMBER in SELECTING COURSES:

1. Students will complete and submit a paper course selection form and must also enter their course selections online via their MyEducation BC account. Please make your course selection choices thoughtfully. Choose courses you are interested in (and perhaps not just what your friends are taking) and will help you get to where you want to go. Remember, it is difficult to change courses once school begins in September.

2. Choose 'alternative' courses carefully - these will be courses you will take if your first choice is full, if there is only one class and it is in conflict with other courses you have selected or if the course is not offered due to insufficient enrollment. Please note - in all programs in the school, if not enough students select a course, it will not be scheduled. This is applicable to all courses and programs offered at our school - including I.B. courses.

3. Ask questions - current teachers, parents, older siblings and other students, the I.B. Coordinator and your counsellor are all great sources of information.

4. Your paper form and online course selections must be completed by Thursday, February 9, 2023 - this is very important! Submit your completed form to the main office. If you do not engage in this process, you may not get the courses you want. Students will receive a paper course confirmation sheet later in the spring that your parents must also sign.

5. If you are entering the I.B. Diploma Programme in Grade 11, go to this website: https://rhsib.wordpress.com or contact the I.B. Coordinator Mr. Miller directly if you have questions at dmiller@sd38.bc.ca