boarding at SMUS
Discover our Promise Five things we believe create an outstanding boarding experience: 1 Our boarding community values trust, respect and service toward others we strive every day to live by these ideals. 2 Our boarding staff is selected carefully, which shows in their commitment to students personal, social, and academic development. Each house has a senior parent who is also a faculty member, and many house parents have served over a number of years, providing consistency and continuity. 3 Our student leadership system allows boarding students to experience the personal fulfillment that comes with increased responsibility and trust. As they move up through the grades, students take on roles of greater importance and leadership within their house. 4 Our fully coeducational experience means that our students live and study together. Separate bedroom wings provide privacy, while shared living spaces promote a respectful atmosphere and healthy social interaction. 5 Our community recognizes that weekends are a chance for students to regenerate and renew their energy. Accordingly, we offer students an extensive slate of group recreational activities each weekend while also giving them support to structure their own down-time.
What do you want your child to get out of boarding life? The boarding experience is like a lot of things in life the more you re willing to put into it, the more rewarding the experience you re going to take away. Similarly, the more you feel a part of your boarding community, the more of yourself you re willing to put into that community. So if your son or daughter is looking for the chance to begin new friendships full of camaraderie and loyalty that will last a lifetime, and opportunities to develop social and leadership skills in a supportive environment all while building their independence and sense of self, you ve come to the right place. You already know that St. Michaels University School can provide your child with an outstanding education that nurtures the whole student. What our residential programs, facilities and social opportunities have to offer are equally important. Discover more online: Read about the philosophy and goals of our boarding program: www.smus.ca/boarding/philosophy Read and listen to what SMUS students have to say about boarding life: www.smus.ca/boarding/students Meet our boarding staff: www.smus.ca/boarding/staff
What do our residential facilities have to offer? Our residences are a home away from home, conveniently located next to classroom buildings. Three residential buildings accommodate students aged 12 to 18 from Canada, the USA and dozens of other countries around the globe. Each building is a three-story duplex that houses approximately 42 boys in one half and 42 girls in the other. Students share bright, spacious rooms with a private bathroom, shower and sink. There are two students to a room, each with their own telephone and internet connection. Individual furnishings include a single bed, bedside table, closet and desk. Just down the hall are the senior and assistant house parents who live on site in apartments within each of the six houses. Each building shares a common recreation room, complete with kitchenettes including a refrigerator and microwave, computers, games tables and a television. An infirmary, laundry services and extra storage are also located in the residences. Brown Hall, the school s dining room, is located at the centre of our campus and serves three meals a day as well as snacks at recess and in the evenings. Discover more online: Find out more about residence life: www.smus.ca/boarding/reslife Explore the services available to boarders: www.smus.ca/boarding/services www.smus.ca/boarding/dining www.smus.ca/boarding/healthservices What sets SMUS boarding apart is the sense of community found in house life. The boys houses Bolton, Harvey and Barnacle and the girls houses Timmis, Symons and Winslow give your son or daughter a place to belong. House dinners and outings provide opportunities to bond with housemates, while Outdoor Education, inter-house games and weekend group activities give them the chance to socialize with boarders in other houses.
What does our campus have to offer? Your child s life at SMUS will be enhanced by features unique to our campus: the presence of our day student population and the outstanding extracurricular programs. With just over 300 students, the Senior School day population is well-proportioned to our boarding population. The mix of these two groups gives the SMUS community a rich texture and provides additional opportunities that a boarding-only environment often lacks. Our boarders benefit from a daily influx of fresh faces from outside the residential community who share the same overall school experience. Our day students relish the opportunity to interact and socialize with students from other parts of the world an experience boarding and day students find mutually rewarding and beneficial. Discover more online: Both boarding and day students participate equally in the extracurricular activities that make the SMUS campus an exciting place to be. Sporting events, movie nights, international meals, poetry readings and musical performances are regular events. These shared activities foster a strong sense of school spirit and contribute to a happy, proud and unified community the community we call SMUS. Discover what the SMUS campus has to offer: www.smus.ca/boarding/campus
What does Victoria have to offer? Our location, in the heart of Victoria, British Columbia, provides our boarding students with unique opportunities. Victoria is renowned as one of the most beautiful cities in Canada; the cultural and recreational capital of BC; and one of the safest urban centres in which to live. With shopping within walking distance and Victoria s downtown only 15 minutes away, you don t have to go very far to experience the best a modern and urban city has to offer. Movies, coffee shops, concerts, restaurants, international sporting events, museums, galleries and world-class attractions are just some of the things you ll find in Victoria, and our planned weekend activities take full advantage of this proximity. SMUS boarding families appreciate the convenience of our location for easy travel. Victoria International Airport is a 25-minute drive from our campus and offers direct service to several Canadian and US destinations. Vancouver International Airport a major hub is a 15-minute flight away while Sea-Tac Airport in Seattle is a 25-minute flight. Our students also get to experience another side of life in Victoria through programs such as Boarders without Borders, where day student families extend invitations to enjoy a home-cooked meal and the banter of a family dinner table conversation. Additionally, our superior athletics program is complemented by the fact that Victoria is home to many elite-level sports programs, leagues and coaches, including soccer, rowing, rugby, swimming, triathlon, cycling, baseball, hockey and many more.
Discover more online: Explore the advantages of living in Victoria: www.smus.ca/boarding/victoria A life-changing boarding experience Contact admissions to get answers to your questions or to arrange a school tour: www.smus.ca/admissions/contact Start your application for admission to SMUS now: www.smus.ca/apply Selecting the right boarding school can be tough. With many quality schools to choose from, we understand the importance of getting this decision right. In our experience, the happiest and most successful students are those who choose St. Michaels University School because they see in the school a reflection of the person they hope to become. The SMUS philosophy of education and boarding has created a boarding school experience that is truly outstanding: outstanding in the support it gives to students; outstanding in the results we see from them; and most importantly, outstanding in the preparation of our students for higher learning and for life. When your son or daughter chooses to become part of the SMUS community, they become part of our commitment to see our students succeed through some of their most important school years. Our goal is to ensure that they leave here well prepared to tackle the challenges and celebrate the joys that lie ahead.
go places with SMUS St. Michaels University School is a coeducational, independent day and boarding school of more than 900 students from kindergarten to Grade 12, preparing students for higher learning and for life. Our boarding community includes students from more than 20 countries. We are located in Canada, on the southernmost tip of Vancouver Island in the city of Victoria, the capital of British Columbia. The St. Michaels University School boarding program is designed to meet the admissions standards of the best post-secondary institutions in Canada, the United States and abroad. Our program also gives our students confidence and independence, and helps them form the lifelong work, study and social habits they need to excel in higher education and in life. For further information: Paul Leslie Director of Admissions St. Michaels University School 3400 Richmond Road Victoria, BC, Canada V8P 4P5 Telephone: 250-370-6170 Toll free in North America: 1-800-661-5199 Email: admissions@smus.ca Visit us online: www.smus.ca