Special Programs
INCENTIVE PROGRAM
Palmer's Incentive Program provides a rigorous and challenging academic high school experience for students of strong ability, talents, and motivation, with the intent to prepare such students for entry into university or college. Students in the Program take the core curriculum in English, Social Studies, Mathematics and Science, but with added enrichment and/or accelerated topic coverage at each grade level. Critical and creative thinking skills, project work, topic acceleration, group presentations, independent research and study in areas of special interest are all integral parts of the program. Incentive students will take their remaining (elective) courses in regular classes, such as French, Music, Art, Drama, Technology Education or Physical and Health Education, etc.
The Incentive Program is a cross-grade, cross-curricular program designed to challenge motivated students to reach their full potential. Besides the strong academic focus, a wide variety of supplementary interests are embraced, including opportunities for leadership and team-building, outdoor education, theatre exploration, and community service - all designed to advance the physical, mental and social development of our students. Specifically, the aims of the Incentive Program are to encourage and stimulate the following in our students: self-reliance and self-discipline; perseverance and determination; initiative and creativity; social responsibility and leadership; the strive for excellence; the spirit of adventure; and fitness of body and mind.
Accelerated Courses & Overall Scope of the Program
In Mathematics and Science, the curriculum is accelerated such that students will complete Mathematics 8-10 and Science 8-10 in two years (during Grades 8 and 9) rather than the usual three years, thus giving students the opportunity to advance one year ahead of grade level in their Math and Science studies. If successful, students may then take regular PreCalculus Mathematics 11 or Enriched PreCalculus Mathematics 11 in their Grade 10 year, as well as any of the Grade 11 Science courses. In Grade 11, students may then take Grade 12 level courses in these subject areas, and finally in Grade 12, qualified students may then apply to take any of the various Advanced Placement (AP) courses offered at Palmer. AP courses provide students with university-level learning and preparation for the rigors of post- secondary study. Please refer to the section on Advanced Placement later on in this booklet for more details about AP.
The complete scope of the core courses in the Incentive Program is shown in the following table.
|
In all Incentive courses, students explore subjects and topics in more depth and with more rigor than they would in a regular class. In addition, students are provided with opportunities to develop and improve on their creative as well as critical thinking skills, both of which are equally important in the development of a well-rounded individual. In summary, the goal of the Incentive Program is to develop students with a broad personal profile who will continue to flourish in their post-secondary education and beyond.
- Incentive – Application Process
Students apply for admission to the Incentive Program via the program’s website (www.palmerincentive.com). Included in the application process are a Mathematics Entrance Exam and an English writing assessment, an interview, and a Grade 7 teacher evaluation. Acceptance is based on the student's demonstrated ability, motivation, task commitment, and parent and teacher recommendations. Preference is given to students enrolling in all four Incentive Program subjects (English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies).
Note: Students can apply for entry to the Incentive Program in Grades 9, 10, and 11, as each year a few openings become available. Interested students are asked to see the Incentive Program Coordinator or visit the website (www.palmerincentive.com).
• Program Expectations
To remain in the Incentive Program, the student is required to exhibit good citizenship, maintain an Achievement standing of “B” or Proficient or above, and demonstrate excellent work habits in all courses. As well, students are required to participate in the extra-curricular activities of the Incentive Program that include Camp Squamish and Camp Strathcona, as well as the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Incentive students are also encouraged and expected to immerse themselves in some of the many extra-curricular opportunities available at the school. These include clubs and activities or various sports teams. Many of these clubs and activities take part in various local, regional, provincial and even international competitions to stimulate the strive for excellence. The Incentive Program expects students within the program to take an active role in their own learning as well as in the life of the program and the school.
• Camps and Fieldtrips
One of the cornerstones of Palmer’s Incentive Program is the camps and fieldtrips planned throughout the year. First in the year is Camp Squamish (required for Incentive Grades 8-10), usually occurring over three days during mid-October (approximate cost $300). This is followed by Camp Strathcona ($750) on Vancouver Island for five days at the beginning of May (required for Incentive Grade 8, optional for Grade 9). In late April - also for five days - is the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland ($980), required for Incentive Grade 10 students (and optional for Grades 11 and 12). Other trips or camps may also arise from time to time, all of which are intended to broaden and enrich the overall learning experience for our students.
ADVANCED PLACEMENT (AP) PROGRAM
The Advanced Placement Program consists of a set of first-year university/college level courses geared towards academically talented and motivated high school students who intend to pursue post-secondary education. It is administered by The College Board, the US-based organization that also administers the SAT exams. Students who write the official AP Exam for the AP course in which they are enrolled may use their exam score (minimum of 4 on a 5-point scale, although some post-secondary institutions accept a score of 3) to gain credit and/or advanced placement in various post-secondary institutions around the world. The three major BC universities (UBC, SFU and UVIC) all accept students with AP credit. For more detailed information about AP course credits and/or advanced placement consideration at various BC post- secondary institutions, please visit our Career Information Advisor.
For more detailed information about AP course credit/acceptance around the world, visit,
https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/about-ap/discover-benefits.
Advanced Placement benefits students in a number of ways:
- Provides students with both acceleration and enrichment.
- Provides students the opportunity to learn with other highly capable and motivated students.
- Provides students with opportunities to experience rigorous and academically challenging courses - similar to what they would experience at university/college – while still in high school.
- Allows students to develop the study skills, habits and discipline needed for university while still in high school.
- Provides university courses for free, except for the College Board AP Exam fee (most first year courses cost between $350 - $500).
- Provides students with an opportunity to gain advance credit or placement – or course exemption – at many colleges and universities around the world.
Palmer has historically offered one of the most comprehensive and successful AP programs in the Richmond School District. The large majority of Palmer students who go on to write the AP Exams each year tend to score 4 or 5 out of 5 on these exams, and are thus well-prepared for the rigors of university or college education.
Traditionally, the AP courses offered annually at Palmer include AP Biology, AP Calculus, AP Chemistry, AP Physics, and AP Psychology (AP Psychology is offered with Richmond Virtual School - which is hosted at Palmer). See your Counsellor for more details.
LIBRARY SERVICES
The Palmer Library Learning Commons (LLC), located just off the main lounge, is the “the heart of the school.” We have a fully automated catalogue, desktop and laptop computers for students to use to access the Internet, create presentations, and word-process their documents. Classroom teachers regularly book their classes into the facility for general orientations, research projects, reading advisory, and various lessons essential to good research practice. Individual students may visit the library during class time, with a library pass from their subject teachers; students with study blocks often use the LLC for study or leisure. The facility has tables for group work, study carrels, and a comfortable reading lounge. Our growing maker space provides students with access to materials such as a 3D printer and Cricut Maker for creating projects. Laser printers (regular and colour) are available at a minimal cost.
Our holdings include a wide variety of non-fiction and fiction materials. We strive to include books by and about the diverse cultures and communities we serve at Palmer. Fiction choices include easy, light reads for the beginner, right through to challenging adult prize winners. We have a number of picture books and an expanding collection of graphic novels. The LLC is also developing a virtual presence to support research, reading, learning and digital citizenship.
Think about becoming a library monitor or book reviewer, too. We run a healthy program with about 30 monitors and book reviewers earning service hours and valuable work experience. Some of our book reviewers are even cited or linked to by publishers! The Library staff is happy to help with your research or leisure reading needs: we welcome you to the Palmer Library Learning Commons – “the heart of the school.”
ATHLETICS
The athletic program at Palmer has a strong and proud tradition. We do our best to offer teams at all levels in as many different sports as possible. We believe that our athletic program does an exceptional job of teaching students about the value of sportsmanship, leadership, discipline and commitment. Possible offerings for 2024-2025 school year may include:
|
Fall Season Volleyball Soccer Boys Co-Ed Swimming
|
Winter Season Basketball Gymnastics Table Tennis
|
Spring Season Track & Field Golf Tennis Soccer Girls Ultimate Badminton Gr. 8 & Gr. 9 Volleyball Boys
|
CLUBS
We anticipate a broad range of club opportunities for students in the 2025-2026 school-year. These activities provide students with knowledge, skills and attitudes in a variety of outside-the-classroom opportunities. Planned club offerings include:
|
Art/Photo/Yearbook Club Book Review Club Breakfast Club Dance Squad ECO Team First Responders Club
|
Foreign Film Club Global Network Club Grad Committee Journalism Club Library Monitor Club Living Beyond the Horizon Club
|
Math Club Nutri Kin PC Gaming Club Rainbow Club Student Council
|