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Welcome to Langley Secondary School! Langley Secondary has a student population of over 700 students, from grades eight to twelve and offers a variety of curricular and co-curricular activities to challenge you in your personal pursuit of excellence and to make your high school years memorable.
The International Student Program (ISP) Department at Langley Secondary School will assist you with course planning, career planning, school concerns, personal and home difficulties, or if you just need someone to talk to. Ms Lee is available in Room 83 or you can email her at home !
Counsellors are also here to help you. Seeing a counsellor is easy - come to the Office during break, lunch or after school to book an appointment.
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The support centre offers you help if you are having difficulty with your courses. You may request help yourself or your homestay parents or a classroom teacher may refer you. See Mrs. Ware in Room 82.
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Look like a student - have visible textbooks, notebooks, pens and pencils; don't sit too far back in the room.
Be ready to start on time. When the class starts and the teacher arrives, put away the comic books and end your extra-curricular conversations. Get rid of the gum, soft drinks and potato chips.
If you must enter the class late, make an acceptable entrance. Smile in an apologetic way and take the nearest empty seat, quietly. Don't cross right in front of the teacher. Lay low the rest of the period. Try not to repeat the offense.
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Check the bulletin board in room 82 for messages or notices about upcoming events!!
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| ISP Room: |
Room 82: lots of friends, comfortable couches and large tables to study on. |
| Cafeteria: |
Food and cool cafeteria ladies!! |
| Castle Lobby: |
Benches and stairs plus lots of windows. |
| Outside: |
Track, swings, benches and scenery. |
| Upstairs: |
You can sit near the big windows or beside your locker. |
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 The need for homework has been a much-debated topic over the past few years. Although research has given us no conclusive evidence as to its value, many studies conclude that regularly assigned homework leads to immediate, higher academic achievement, as well as to improved study skills and attitudes.
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Homework can range from routine spelling and math drills to visits to local industries. Its form depends, to a large extent, on the purpose for which it was assigned.
Some of the purposes are:
- to reinforce lessons taught during class time
- to give students extra drill in an area where they may need practice - to teach students to budget their time
- to help students develop self-reliance and good study habits
- to enable parents to see their children's progress
- to gain experience in research techniques
- to strengthen the ties between home and school, particularly when parents can help in some way with assignments
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- Have your homework done a day before it's due whenever possible. This will mean no last minute stress and you'll do better if you don't do it scribbling frantically as you walk to class to hand it in.
- Copying off other students doesn't work. Even if you do get away with it a few times when the tests come you won't know the information because you never did it.
- Make sure to do your homework. Especially in classes like math, one thing builds on the next. If you don't do the work now you may really struggle later when things get more complex.
- Ask your teachers questions and get help, that's what they are there for.
- Keep a healthy lifestyle. Try getting the food, exercise, and chill time you need and your brain will work better too.
- Unless the assignment is really important try not to cut into your regular sleep time. If you want A's and B's you need your Z's.
- When you have a lot of work to do take breaks every once in a while so you can refocus.
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- Every study guide published in the last 25 years starts by advising you to settle upon one location to do your studying. That is still good advice, whether you choose the kitchen table, your bedroom or the family recreation room. Choose a place with lighting, preferably with a firm chair and desk, and where interruptions or distractions will be at a minimum.
- Make out a study schedule for one week, allowing yourself breaks to reward yourself, and make an honest assessment of how well you did at the end of the first week. Revise it, and then try sticking to it for the rest of the school year.
- Psychologists say we have a good chance of retaining new information if we recall it within 24 hours. If we recall it once again within a week, the memory hangs onto it. That's why it is essential to look back at the notes you took in school that day, and to review them again before the week has ended. Simple as this sounds it is often the difference between average and excellent marks, or between passing and failing.
- Try to do more than the bare minimum that is required. Your interest in a subject will jump dramatically if you read some of the supplementary material recommended by the teacher.
- Understand what you are supposed to do in your homework before you leave the classroom. It's no good trying to figure out at 9 o'clock that evening what the mathematics teacher meant by something they said just before the second last period ended. Find out during class.
- Try to prepare ahead. Both your interest and your retention rate will soar if you have read material that your teacher will be presenting in advance. Often, what you thought might be a boring class, turns out to be fun.
- Organize yourself so you complete chores before you start your homework. Some students try to complete phone calls before homework. Others allow themselves the reward of a break to make social phone calls.
- Take a close look at the way you take notes and ask yourself whether you could improve your methods. The most successful students organize their notes immediately after taking them rather than waiting a few days or a week. If you feel you're still having problems, speak to the teacher of the subject which is giving you trouble.
- Don't let yourself fall behind. Nothing is more discouraging than the realization that you've missed an assignment deadline while other work is falling behind. Try to provide time in your schedule for assignments. If you're still falling behind, take a closer look at your schedule and make adjustments.
- Finally, learn to type, if it is at all possible. Not only is typing a skill that could mean the difference between getting a job or not later in life, but teachers in both high school and university confess that they tend to give higher marks for neatly typed assignments. Neat typing won't disguise a sloppily researched assignment, but it is far better than almost illegible handwriting.
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Let's say you've just been told that an important test is one week away. Here's what you should be doing:
- Review your notes. Start with the main points before you return to review the material in detail.
- Set up a schedule so you know what you will be reviewing each night, and know that you can cover everything in that time.
- Listen closely to the teacher's tips on what may be in the examination (e.g., which chapters to cover).
- Never assume that something won't be on the examination and skip over it for that reason.
- Be sure you know what type of examination it will be (e.g., essay questions or true and false). If you're in any doubt, don't hesitate to ask.
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- Use a loose-leaf notebook. That means that you can take out or add material.
- At the end of the week (or month), put your notes in a marked folder, which you keep in a safe place at home or at school. Nothing is more tragic than seeing a student spill a whole year's notes in a crowded corridor between classes.
- Date your notes and number the pages. You'll be extremely grateful in April that you started doing it in September.
- Write your name and school at the top of each page. Notes are often found but seldom returned because it is impossible to find out who wrote them.
- Don't ignore points that the teacher puts on the blackboard. Follow the same organization in your notes.
- Almost everyone has a different way of taking notes. The important thing, particularly if you plan to attend university or college, is to develop your own form of shorthand and which key phrases will recall information. Try to put material down in your own words, rather than the teacher's because that will mean more to you later.
- Review your notes no later than the same evening that you take them.
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The tips and advice included on this web site are based upon the experience of literally thousands of students, plus assistance from experienced guidance teachers. That's why we are confident in predicting that you will soon notice a difference in your own study habits and your marks, if you follow the advice, but don't plan to start next week. Start tonight.
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- You want to see a counsellor - Come to the office to book an appointment to see one of the counsellors.
- You get sick at school - Go to the office, the secretaries are great.
- You have a problem at home, at school, or with your work - Tell someone because we can't help you if we don't know about it. Talk to Ms. Lee, your favorite teacher, counsellor, or vice-principal, or a secretary. WE ALL CARE.
- You need some information - Ms. Lee, the main office or the Counselling centre is always a good place to start. The secretaries and counsellors know a lot.
- You ride your bike to school - There are bike racks in the front of the school right beside the vice-principal's offices.
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- English Practice! Most importantly, living with a Canadian family requires you to practice your English outside of the classroom. A homestay provides a complete immersion into English and the Canadian culture. The students that live in homestays see a lot of improvement in their conversation and listening skills.
- Personal Attention! A homestay will provide you with the personal attention you need in order to make the adjustment to living in Canada. Many host families have travelled a lot and understand what it is like to live in another country and speak another language. Homestay families also value the exposure to different cultures and perspectives.
- Learn about Canadian culture and traditions! A homestay is a great way to meet Canadians and learn about Canadian culture and traditions. Living with a host family will give you the opportunity to really experience Canadian culture including learning about Canadian holidays, traditions, foods, movies and music.
- Trips and Outings! Many families take students to the movies, shopping malls, sporting events, zoos, museums, and nearby attractions.
- Safety and Space! A homestay will provide you with a safe and comfortable place to live.
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| Air Canada |
800-776-3000 - www.aircanada.ca |
| Air France |
800-237-2747 - www.airfrance.com |
| Air India |
800-223-7776 - www.airindia.com |
| Alitalia |
800-223-5730 - www.alitalia.it |
| American Airlines |
800-433-7300 - www.aa.com |
| British Airways |
800-247-9297 - www.british-airways.com |
| Continental Airlines |
800-525-0280 - www.continental.com |
| Delta |
800-221-1212 - www.delta.com |
| Gulf Air |
800-223-1740 - www.guifairco.com |
| Iberia |
800-772-4642 - www.iberia.com |
| Japan |
800-525-3663 - www.jal.com |
| KlM Royal Dutch |
800-374-7747 - www.klm.com |
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Although your experience may vary, these are the typical stages of cultural transition:
| Honeymoon stage |
When you first arrive, you may experience exhilaration, anticipation, nervousness, and excitement. Settling in takes a significant amount of time and energy. |
| Hostility stage |
After some time, you may begin to notice annoying details about your new environment. It may seem like people here don't understand you or you may have difficulty understanding them. You may feel frustrated or depressed when you have trouble communicating or getting things done. You might wish things could be like they are at home. Don't despair! These feelings will fade as you gain confidence. |
| Acceptance stage |
After some time, you may start to appreciate the differences between your country and your new environment. You may regain a sense of humour and feel more balanced. The minor mistakes and misunderstandings that would have frustrated you before may now just make you smile or even laugh. |
| Adaptation stage |
Eventually, you will begin to feel at home and find greater satisfaction personally and academically. |
- Give yourself time to adjust to your new environment.
- Get involved in clubs and activities so that you meet new people and make friends faster.
- Write letters, send emails, or make phone calls to friends and family back home. If you are using the phone a lot, keep track of your calls and watch out for the long-distance charges. Using a phone card is an inexpensive way to stay in touch with friends and family back home.
- Talk with other students about your cultural transition - you will be surprised how many of them have had similar experiences.
- Talk to an International Student Advisor or counsellor if you are having difficulty. Talking to professionals is an acceptable way of dealing with problems.
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Canada's population is multicultural and diverse. Because of this, it can be difficult to generalize about Canadians. There are, however, some commonly held values and attitudes in Canada. While you're bound to find exceptions to the general rules we describe above, you will find these descriptions helpful.
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