Senior School

List of 7 items.

• Academics

  In grades 9 and 10, two types of courses are offered: academic and open courses. Academic courses emphasize theory and abstract problems. Open courses are designed to prepare students for further study in certain subjects and to enrich their education generally.
   
  In grades 11 and 12, academic courses are offered to prepare students for their post-secondary destinations. These also include: university preparation courses developed in close collaboration with universities, visits to universities, and specialized workshops to support university and career readiness. In all grades, enjoy a range of open courses, which cover subjects such as visual arts, music, health and physical education.
   
  Technology is integrated throughout the curriculum in all subjects. Skills that were acquired in the Junior and Middle Schools are further developed and new skills are integrated, as appropriate, following the Information Technology continuum, following our Information Literacy and Digital Skills and Citizenship continuum.
   
  All Senior School students have their own personal laptop equipped with an SMLS suite of installed software. Updates are completed as necessary by the IT Department. Our use of technology, including a collection of web-based applications, is not limited to computers. Student’s curricular use of technology includes the following: video and digital cameras, tablets, interactive digital display screens, sound recording, scientific probes, GPS units, and Virtual Reality Headsets. Technology use is guided by the Acceptable Use Policy signed by parents and students.

• Co-Curriculars

  A strong focus on academics coupled with involvement in co-curricular activities makes for a well-rounded student. We encourage girls at every age and stage to participate in their choice of co-curricular clubs and activities, and offer a wide assortment to choose from. Involvement with peers in such activities outside the classroom creates a stronger sense of community and school spirit, and naturally helps to forge new friendships. Co-curricular clubs and activities encourage girls to explore their passions, develop new skills and challenge them to  discover new interests.
   
  SMLS students are provided with excellent opportunities to participate in a wide array of co-curricular activities in the form of clubs, drama/musical presentations, choir and bands, visual arts, Model UN, robotics, debate, and CISAA varsity team sports.

• Leadership

  Across all levels, SMLS students have opportunities for leadership.  In their final year, girls can apply to be Prefects, who serve as the student leaders of the school. 
   
  Each spring, staff and students from grade 6 through 12 elect their Prefect Council. The Head Prefect is the “head” of the whole student body. As such, she represents the school at all major school functions, leads the group, serves as a liaison between the staff and students, and helps maintain traditions and establish new norms, when needed. After a year of responsibility, her final duty is to give a valedictorian address at the Senior Closing Ceremony.
   
  The Prefect Council has a multitude of responsibilities as a team, and specific responsibilities are included in each portfolio. The roles include: Head Prefect, Games Captain, House Captain, Admissions and Marketing, Junior School Liaison, Middle School Liaison, Service and Sustainability, Social, Global Citizenship and Diversity, STEMR, and Wellbeing. The elected students are easily identified by their burgundy blazers. 
   
  Students from Grade 9 to Grade 12 can also assume leadership positions in various ways; for example, they can be leads for co-curricular clubs and councils, captains of athletics teams, student mentors for our younger students, or they can raise awareness of issues and events at our chapels and assemblies.

• Creating Community

  Millies of every age and stage learn the importance of service and generosity. They come to understand that service has far-reaching benefits, both locally and globally. In addition to building empathy, community service also helps the students understand that they have a role in the world and their actions can make a difference on a micro and macro level.

   

  Community Service opportunities are regularly provided by the school, and students are also encouraged to independently seek out opportunities within their own community. All students from Grade 9 through Grade 12 Year must complete a minimum of forty hours of community service to receive their graduation diploma.

   

  Senior School girls have opportunities to give back in many ways throughout the year by supporting charities and organizations such as Home Suite Hope's Empty Bowls’ signature event, supporting residents of Sunrise Senior Living, and our very own annual community fundraiser, Traditions of Christmas. Those in their final year are also encouraged to join our Grads Giving Back program. 

   

  These and other opportunities help support the completion of the Duke of Edinburgh Award at the Bronze, Silver, or even Gold level here at SMLS! Just as importantly, they help instill a strong sense of community and philanthropy at a young age.

• Social & Emotional Development

  All students in grades 9 through 12  are divided into advisor groups, where one staff member provides the pastoral care for each group of girls. They meet regularly two or three times per week, and follow a program designed to meet the moral, social and emotional development of our girls. Various school-related announcements and House challenges are driven through advisor groups, and advisors are the first line of contact to the parents/families on concerns of a general nature. 

   

  SMLS also offers a Circle of Care Team which includes Heads of School, Guidance Counsellors, Learning Strategists, Nurses, and Social Workers. This special group works to develop a school climate where all of our girls can thrive, and supports students and their families in a variety of ways.

   

  As a member of the Coalition of Single Sex Schools of the GTA (COSSOT), Senior School girls have the optional opportunity to engage with students from other single-gender schools, including social events, assemblies, and even international trips.

• Experiential Learning

  Our Global Citizenship Signature Program is an integral part of the school program at SMLS and is an integral and exciting part of the SMLS journey for all students. This unique and innovative program is designed to extend and enhance the compulsory Ontario Ministry of Education curriculum by giving students a meaningful connection to the world beyond the walls of the school, particularly through real-world learning experiences.
   
  Each year, in recognition of our goals to graduate young women well prepared for the 21st century, we extend opportunities to learn beyond the walls of SMLS. These real- world learning opportunities take many forms. Some are embedded within traditional courses of study and include external investigations and linkages through technology; some are unique programs and learning opportunities; others are purposefully geared towards character development and nurturing personal life skills.

• 2024-25 Senior School Course Calendar

  Our 2024-25 Senior School Course Calendar lists the various course offerings available for the 2024-2025 academic year. 
  
  Students use this listing to select their courses and help build their schedules alongside their Advisors and University Guidance Counsellors. 
  
  The Course Calendar also walks families through the routines and expectations of the Senior School. Click here to view the 2024-25 Senior School Course Calendar.