1. WELCOME TO HAINES CITY HIGH SCHOOL AND THE INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE PROGRAM INFORMATIONAL MEETING!

2. WHAT WILL I GAIN FROM TONIGHT’S MEETING?
Zoning for the two traditional public IB schools, Haines City and Bartow. Lake Wales Charter also has an IB program.
The selection process for Polk County’s IB programs.
An overview of the IB program, including the mission of the organization, the components of the program and the course of study.
The advantages of being a part of the IB school.
Expectations for IB students and parents.

3. For information contact Lake Wales Charter Schools at 863-678-4222.
ZONING FOR IB
Haines City IB Bartow IB Lake Gibson Sr. Lake Wales Sr. Haines City Sr. Bartow Sr. Ridge Community Mulberry Sr. Winter Haven Sr. Frostproof Sr. Lake Region Sr. Ft. Meade Sr. Auburndale Sr. George Jenkins Sr. Tenoroc Sr. Lakeland Sr. Kathleen Sr.
Lake Wales Sr. has also been approved to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program curriculum.
For information contact Lake Wales Charter Schools at

4. How did YOU get here tonight?
Letters were given to all eighth grade students who ended the 7th grade with a 3.25 grade point average or above.

5. Selection Process Complete the Online Application
I’ll provide instructions at the end of the presentation.
Register for one of the Entrance Exam Locations:
Arrive early and do the best you can on the exam
Letters sent to all applicants (admitted or denied)

6. Organization: What is the IBO mission
Organization: What is the IBO mission? We are motivated by a mission to create a better world through education.
Mission
The International Baccalaureate Organization aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.
To this end, the IBO works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment.
These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.

7. WHAT IS THE IB DIPLOMA PROGRAM?
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Program is a rigorous two year pre-university course of study.
Students participate in a pre-IB program in grades 9 and 10 to develop a strong academic foundation for the IB Diploma Program.
The Diploma Program is specifically the 11th and 12th grades.
Students take six IB subjects and each subject culminates in an exam at the end of the two years.

8. THE DIPLOMA PROGRAMME CURRICULUM

9. CURRICULUM Language A- 4 credits Grade 9: Pre-IB English I
Grade 10: Pre-IB English II
Grade 11: IB English III
Grade 12: IB English IV
Language B- 4 credits
We offer Spanish, French and German
Grade 9: Pre IB World Language I
Grade 10: Pre IB World Language II
Grade 11: IB World Language IV
Grade 12: IB World Language V
If you have already taken and passed High School Spanish we will evaluate you individually.

10. Curriculum, Continued Individuals and Societies- 4 credits
Grade 9 : American History Honors
Grade 10: AP World History
Grade 11: History of the Americas
Grade 12: Contemporary History
Experimental Sciences – 4 credits
Grade 9: Pre-IB Biology I and AP Environmental Science
Grade 10: Pre-IB Chemistry I
Grade 11: IB Biology II or IB Chemistry II
Grade 12: IB Biology III or IB Chemistry III
-If you have already taken and passed High School Biology we will evaluate you individually, AP Biology may be the appropriate placement for you.

11. CURRICULUM CONTINUED Mathematics- 5 credits
Students will follow this progression:
-Algebra 1
-Geometry
-Algebra 2
-2 years of IB Math Studies or IB Math SL or Math HL
-If you have taken and passed any of the math courses we will start you in the most appropriate placement. From that point all additional math courses will be taken on campus with HCHS/HCIB staff.
Sixth Subject:
This group includes Visual Arts, Music or Psychology

12. CURRICULUM CONTINUED
The Core: CAS: Creativity, Activity, Service Theory of Knowledge: 1 credit* Extended Essay of 4,000 words on a personal research project. - *completed during the 11th and 12th Grades

13. COMMUNITY SERVICE
Community service is an integral part of the IB program. 9th and 10th grade students are required to take on 2-4 activities which benefit the community, county, state, country or world each year.
Over the 11th and 12th grade years, students take on CAS* projects which benefit the community, area, state, country or world each year (*creativity, activity and service).

14. COMMUNITY SERVICE
Credit for activities can begin the first day of 9th grade and in theory never end.
How do you get credit for your 2 reflections?
Reflections: Students are expected to reflect on the activities they have done in anyway that feel represents the learning that has taken place. Some past reflections have been done through essay, picture book with notes, ongoing conversations with a supervisor, video as you go…
The activity and the reflection combine to make up the learning experience.

15. COMMUNITY SERVICE
For students participating in extra curricular activities:
Students can use extra curricular activities for experiences such as band, JROTC competition, sport competition, chess competition etc.)
Activities must include taking on something that is challenging, there must be actual physical activity and new learning taking place.

16. IB DIPLOMA REQUIREMENTS:
Complete and pass courses from the six content groups
Complete the CAS requirement quality reflections on experiences
Complete and pass the Theory of Knowledge course
Complete and pass the Extended Essay
Take and meet the IB standards on the six exams
Students who meet all the requirements will receive a HCHS Diploma and a IB Diploma.
Students who meet all requirements with the exception of the exam scores will earn a HCHS Diploma and Course Certificates for exams they passed.

17. Transportation?
Yes, if you are zoned for one of the traditional high schools that feed HCIB you will have transportation provided by the county.
Transportation is arranged based on your address from your current school. Check to see that PCSB has your correct address.

18. SCHOOL HOURS: IT’S EARLY!!!
SCHOOL BEGINS AT 7:00 AM AND RELEASES AT 2:00 PM. (subject to change)

19. How does the IB program fit into Haines City High?
The IB program has a different curriculum and graduation requirements than the standard diploma track. However, students may take electives within the high school and of course, participate in all of the extra curricular activities HCHS offers.

20. SPORTS AND CLUBS Some of the clubs on campus include:
Key Club: a service organization
CAS Club: a service organization
Interact Club: a service organization
Chess Club: a competitive team
A Team: a competitive academic team
Drama Club
Ceramics Club
History Club
We also have Student Government , National Honor Society and National Arts Honor Society .

21. SPORTS AT HCHS Sports offered: Football Baseball and Softball
Volleyball
Track and Cross Country
Soccer
Weightlifting
Basketball, girls and boys
Tennis: girls and boys
Golf, boys and girls
Swimming
Cheerleading
Wrestling
Athletic Director: Ms. Mel Gables

22. Attitudes and Skills of a Successful IB Candidate:
An eagerness to work hard and learn at a fast pace.
It is highly suggested you use a planner/calendar to help manage your time.
Time Management and work ethic will be a deciding factors of your success in the IB Program.

23. Skills continued A willingness to be responsible for yourself
Uses note taking as a habit
Arrives to school and to class well prepared
An ability to ask for help
The willingness to work diligently and consistently for the entire four year program

24. WHY SHOULD I BECOME AN IB STUDENT?
IB Candidate Schools must undergo an exhaustive application process for authorization to offer IB courses. Once authorized, schools are required to participate in IB professional development and be reviewed each five years. This ensures adherence to the high standards of the IB curriculum.
All Diploma Programme teachers are trained by the International Baccalaureate Organization.
Our students are members of a small learning community, receiving individual attention from their teachers, and getting to know classmates very well.

25. College Admissions
IB students often have an advantage in the admissions process at selective universities. Here are a few examples:

26. ADVANTAGES CONTINUED
Students who earn the IB Diploma qualify for the Florida Academic Scholars (FAS) of the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program, which is the highest level of assistance at Florida public institutions.
Opportunity to be a part of a curriculum which emphasizes a global perspective and encourages active citizenship.
Our diploma students are earning college credits!
Most of our students are starting college as Sophomores and beyond. In many cases that means you save $20,000, $30,000, $40,000+ in tuition.

27. College Admission Officers Comments:
Harvard University, Marilyn McGrath Lewis, Asst. Dean of Admissions, “Success in an IB program correlates well with success at Harvard, we are always pleased to see the credentials of the IB Diploma Program on the transcript.” GPA is not nearly as important a factor in university admission as the IB Diploma. If a student has to choose, choose the Diploma over protecting the GPA.”
Cornell University, Angela Herrera – Associate Director of Admissions, We do look at the context of the school via the School Profile. We are looking at each individual student and the classes they have chosen to take and what the grade in the class is - not the weighted grade. We do not use GPA as it does not tell us about the classes. The grade scale doesn't matter to us because we are measuring your students against your students only, not other schools and their scales.

28. MIT, Marilee Jones Former Director of Undergraduate Admissions “Send us prepared students a la IB…It is the “best” high school prep curriculum an American school can offer.”
Virginia Tech, Dr. Eugene Carson “. . . IB students who attended that university (Virginia Tech) as freshmen significantly outperformed all other freshmen, including students who had taken Advanced Placement courses.”
University of Michigan, Cliff Sjogren, former Director of Admissions “A transcript that reveals a student’s enrollment in International Baccalaureate courses serves notice to the admissions officer that the applicant is someone who accepts rather than avoids educational challenges.”

29. Information from our 2013 and 2014 Graduating Classes
89% or our May 2014 Class earned the IB Diploma
85% The May 2013 Class earned the IB Diploma
(Both are above the World Average)
All additional students earned multiple Course Certificates
Scholarships totaling:
May 2013: $ 4,033,292.00

30. WHAT NEXT?
If you are interested in proceeding with the application process, please complete and submit the entire one page contact sheet we passed out on your way in. Please be sure to add the correct address (student and parent).
Public school, charter school, home school and private school students will begin taking the exams as scheduled by the Office of Magnet, Choice and Federal Programs.
Contact the Office of Magnet, Choice and Federal Programs at to schedule your exam after you have completed the online application.

31. Application
Then proceed to the Polk County School Board Website and complete the Online Application in the Parent Portal.
Applications must be completed between November 18th and January 9th.
Applications Won’t Be Accepted Outside that window so apply right away!
If you don’t have a Parent Portal Account you will be able to set one up at the website listed above.
Don’t panic this will be posted on the last screen and on our webpage.

32. When will we/you know? Exam Dates: January 10th, 24th, and 31st
Various Locations around the County
Students will be notified by mail as soon as we determine the cut line and prepare the acceptance and denial letters.

33. Speakers:
Sarah Castro University of South Florida Class of 2011 Haines City IB
Collin Trimarche Florida Polytechnic Electrodynamics Student Class of 2013

34. All Applicants Exam Registration Contact:
All interested must apply at: Online Application in the Parent Portal Applications must be completed between November 18th and January 9th Applications Won’t Be Accepted Outside that window so apply right away!
All Applicants Exam Registration Contact:
Contact the Office of Magnet, Choice and Federal Programs once you have completed your application.
Our webpage :
International Baccalaureate Organization
Feel free to me with questions: