Learning

We are proud to offer a wide range of enrichment opportunities to promote the growth of character and resiliency with all our students, such as the provision of cultural, creative, sporting and leadership activities that develop key qualities such as confidence, communication, leadership, mentoring, service, and vocational skills. We want our students to develop a love of learning, a desire to succeed and a respect and compassion for others – not just for now, but also throughout their lives. The encouragement to excel on multiple levels promotes independence, and a growth mindset in all our students that has enormous influence on their future success. 

The Southpointe community is a pillar of strength and support for all, comprised of students, faculty and staff, parents, alumni and friends, and the wellbeing of every member is a priority. 

Junior School

Southpointe frames the Junior School curriculum through the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP). The PYP develops critical, creative and reflective thinking, fosters the disposition of international mindedness and nurtures student agency, self-efficacy and self-discovery. At its core, the PYP curriculum, in accordance with the British Columbia Curriculum, enables students to understand themselves as learners - and as global citizens.  

The PYP enables students to develop a strong foundation in approaches to learning (ATL) skills, such as thinking, communication, research, self-management, and social skills. These key skills are the differentiators for success in the mid-21st century and provide our young learners with the tools to inquire, question, investigate and imagine. 

The PYP is a concept based model of inquiry that challenges students to engage with significant ideas. As the IB states, “A concept-driven curriculum is the means through which students develop their conceptual understandings. Students co-construct beliefs and mental models about how the world works based on their experiences and prior learning. They integrate new knowledge with their existing knowledge and apply these understandings in a variety of new contexts. They learn to recognize patterns and see the connections between discrete examples to strengthen conceptual understandings” (PYP From Principles into Practice - Learning and Teaching).

Ultimately, our students learn to think critically and creatively, and they are able to understand the world around them at a deeper level so that they can make a difference in their lives and the lives of others. 

– Coralie MacIntyre, Junior School Principal

Middle School

The Middle School at Southpointe is a place where students are greeted every day with a warm welcome and where a culture of caring and connectedness is achieved through our Advisory Program. Our core values of Respect, Integrity, Responsibility, Perseverance and Kindness drive our teaching of character and academics. 

Southpointe Academy has chosen the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP) framework to deliver the curriculum in the Middle School. The MYP provides academic challenge and a holistic education that enhances the British Columbia Curriculum through engaging and personalized learning. The MYP fosters the social, thinking, research, communication and self-management skills that help students learn how to learn in order to succeed and how to make practical connections between their studies and the real world. Our IB educators explicitly teach our middle school students 21st Century skills through global contexts, to develop an understanding of their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet and to develop internationally-minded young people who can empathize with others and pursue lives of purpose and meaning.

– Cori Kusel, Middle School Principal

Senior School

The Senior School involves, instructs, and inspires our students in grades 10 to 12 to Learn, Lead, and Succeed. We achieve this with the support of a caring, inclusive learning environment, a dedicated, passionate and talented faculty, and the delivery of a world class curriculum.

The Advisory programme sets our students up for success by offering personalized support focused on the social, emotional, physical, and cognitive well-being essential to the development of global citizens in the 21st century.

Post-secondary planning also plays an integral role in our Senior School Graduation programme along with, of course, the opportunity to extend and accelerate learning through an array of rich but rigorous course offerings. Students have over 70 courses to choose from in Grades 10 to 12 including 12 Advanced Placement (AP) courses. 

The encouragement to excel and lead on multiple levels promotes independence and a growth mindset in all our students that have an enormous influence on their future success.

 – Gordon Cogan, Senior School Principal