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Many think that Little Flower Academy (LFA) is a scary, academically-driven school with terrifying nuns that hunt down girls from wearing makeup and short kilts.  However, it is nothing like that at all.  LFA is a very normal school; there are high expectations, but that is what makes the school great.  The only exception from a public school is that it is all-girls and girls need to wear uniforms.

Grade 8 is not easy to survive.  For a girl new to high school, many problems, such as teachers, homework, projects, and peers, can be hard to manage.  However, being aware of the academic expectations, the policies and rules, and the daily life, helps when trying to survive grade 8 at LFA.  Here are a few tips to keep in mind.

Category A: Academics

1) Lined Paper: Even though it seems obvious to have your own lined paper, it is important to have enough.  It seems like we go through whole trees in each class.  Keep a good supply, and you’ll be in good shape.

2) French: Many students declare their hatred for French.  Do not worry.  If you study and pay attention in class, it will be fine.  Rien set impossible, non?  The French tests are not that difficult.  They are mostly in multiple choice format.

3) Tests:  We get a lot of tests; probably every week or two.  At times, it can be three subject tests in one day. The majority of the tests/quizzes come from social studies.

4) Social Studies: Many students consider socials a “deadly” subject.  You will need to memorize a lot of facts and dates.  Teachers like to give out a lot of quizzes that do not count for a lot of marks, but they are good practice for exams.  Teachers also give out assignments and paragraphs to write.  Be prepared for a lot of work!

5) Projects: Most of the projects are from Socials class. The teacher gives you a very short amount of time for each assignment.

Category B: Policies and Rules

1) Uniforms: Many girls get in the habit of rolling up their skirts to make “mini-kilts”.  Our school allows girls to roll it up once only, and shirts can only have the top two buttons undone!

2) Honour Roll/Distinction: To get on Honour Roll, you need an average of 86% and above.  To get on Distinction, you average needs to be 80-85%.

3) Rules: School starts at 8:17am, and Homeroom starts at 8:20.  Do not be late.  If you are, you will need a late slip from the office, and it goes on your report card.  It does not look good.

Category C: Socializing

1) Contact with Other Schools: LFA participates in many sports events that involve other schools.  Most of them are Catholic schools, such as Notre Dame, St. John Brebeuf, St. Thomas Aquinas, and St. Thomas Moore.  This year, we hosted the provincial volleyball championships, so we interacted with various schools in BC.

2) Brother School: Vancouver College (VC), an all-boys Catholic school in Vancouver, is the brother school of LFA.  At the beginning of the year, we invited the VC boys over for an Internet Safety seminar.  Moreover, our LFA proms include the VC boys.

Now that you know a little bit more about LFA, you do not have to worry about grade 8.  You can just concentrate on working hard, making friends, and trying out new clubs and activities!

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