IB Thursday’s Thoughts Newsletter | September 18, 2025

Thursday’s Thoughts – 9/18/2025
 
Upcoming Visits to Hillcrest from College Admissions Representatives 
Most visits are held in the Presentation Room (across from the attendance office on the 1st floor) from 9:05 – 9:45 unless noted below. Parents are welcome to attend. We’ve added Stanford and Yale to our list of upcoming college visits. 
 
Students are encouraged to come prepared with good questions for these admissions reps.

9/23/25 – University of Chicago 
9/29/25 – Stanford University (2:30pm Presentation Room)
9/30/25 – Tufts University
10/1/25 – Colby College
10/7/25 – Rice University
10/7/25 – Yale University (2:30pm Presentation Room)
10/10/25 – Vanderbilt University 
10/28/25 – Northeastern University
 
We had two excellent college visits this week from Princeton University and The University of Denver. Students are asking excellent questions. 
 
Mentor/Mentee
Next week we will have our Mentor/Mentee meet and greet. Every IB Diploma junior has been assigned an IB Diploma senior to be their mentor. This can be a great resource for our junior IB students and help them navigate their first year of their IB studies. Please encourage your students to speak to their mentors with any questions they have. We tried our best to pair students up who have a similar schedule, especially in Math and the Sciences. We will meet during the school day 2 times per quarter for official mentor/mentee check-ins with treats for the students, but I encourage mentors/mentees to reach out often for any questions or extra needed help. If there are any concerns about a mentor or mentee, please contact Mr. Olsen. 
 
IB Academic Integrity Policy 
Please see the IB Academic Integrity Policy attached to this week’s message. Each IB student will need to read over the policy and sign that they have read and understood this policy. As the policy states, “Let’s work together to uphold the values of honesty and responsibility in our Hillcrest learning community. All students, parents, teachers and stakeholders need to strive to maintain the integrity of our Hillcrest IB academic program. This is crucial for students’ future success and to uphold the value of their education. To ensure a fair and equitable assessment environment, we need all students to attend their scheduled exams. Missing an exam not only impacts individual performance but also disrupts the integrity of the entire assessment process.”

Important Dates
Sept. 8 – Oct. 30 – 1:1 student meetings with Mr. Olsen to go over IB exam plans for the May 2026 IB exam session. 
Nov. 15th – IB exam fees due. Exam fees will be paid in the main office. If you’d like the fee to appear on skyward, your student can let the main office know, then you can pay from home. Students will bring home invoice of IB exams they are taking. IB exams are $123.00/exam.
 
Academic Integrity Reminder of the Week
“Be a content creator, not a content imitator.”
 
Please reach out with any questions or concerns. Thank you!

John Olsen
Hillcrest IB Coordinator
john.olsen@canyonsdistrict.org
 
Cassidy Adams
CAS Coordinator
cassidy.adams@canyonsdistrict.org