JanTerm

JanTerm is intentionally different from what students experience during their regular semester classes in grades 7 – 12. First, we are able to offer a greater breadth of curriculum. With multiple, unusual courses to choose from, students are exposed to a broader range of topics that they would not normally get an opportunity to study in school. Secondly, JanTerm gives teachers and students an opportunity to drill down and study these specialist topics in more depth. It’s no surprise that many students look back at their JanTerm experience as one of the highlights of their Bear Creek education and the time when their passion for a particular activity or area of study was first ignited.

Students sign up for four block classes, which meet for 70 or 80 minutes per day for eight days from January 6 – January 16, 2025, (no school on Fridays, January 10 and 17). For additional details, see Lunch and Activity Schedules.

On Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, students attend four 80-minute blocks as follows*: 

Block 1: 8:00 a.m. – 9:20 a.m.
Block 2: 9:35 a.m. – 10:55 a.m.
Block 3: 11:10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Lunch: 12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Activity Period: 1:00 p.m. – 1:25 p.m. 
Block 4: 1:25 p.m. – 2.45 p.m. 

On Wednesday, students attend four 70-minute blocks as follows*:

Block 1: 9:00 a.m. – 10:10 a.m.
Block 2: 10:25 a.m. – 11:35 a.m.
Block 3: 11:50 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Lunch: 1:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Block 4: 1:35 p.m. – 2.45 p.m. 

* There will also be a zero-period class for AP Computer Science A—check with the instructor.

Attendance: As stated in the Family Handbook, JanTerm is not an optional program―daily participation is expected and extremely important. Student absences from school during JanTerm are treated the same as absences during the traditional school year. If you know, in advance, that you will not be able to take part, please have your parent submit a prearranged absence form (see Forms). Finally, if you are certain you cannot participate, please do not register for JanTerm classes because that will take up spots in classes and, possibly, deprive other students from taking part in their favorite classes.

Before registering, please thoroughly review the JanTerm 2025 At-a-Glance Catalog (PDF) or browse the full online JanTerm 2025 Course Catalog to see what’s available. Think carefully about what you might be interested in rather than what your friends intend to select or even who is teaching the class. JanTerm is a great opportunity for you to study or experience something brand new that you wouldn’t normally get to do at Bear Creek.

Each grade level has a specific date/time when students may register:

• Grade 12* and 8: Friday, November 1, 7:00 p.m. – Saturday, November 2, noon
• Grade 11* and 7: Monday, November 4, 7:00 p.m. – Tuesday, November 5, noon
• Grades 9* and 10*: Wednesday, November 6, 7:00 p.m. – Thursday, November 7, noon

* Important: Upper School students enrolled in AP classes at Bear Creek must register for their AP class(es) as well. Students should look up the assigned JanTerm sections of the AP classes and register for their classes in the correct block. Please note that the group of students you are with during JanTerm may not be the same as those from your fall semester AP class.

Register

Important registration reminders (please read!):

• Do not register before the time allotted for your grade level (see above). If you register early, your registration will be deleted.
• If you are unable to register during the specified time, your parents can register for you using their login credentials (a friend or other relative can also do this if you share your username and password).
• Some classes fill up faster than others. Make sure you have a back-up plan with several reserve choices in case a preferred class is full. Please do not contact teachers directly and ask if you can join a class if it is full. 
• You must select one class in each of the four (4) blocks. The software will prevent you from selecting more than one class per block. If the same class is repeated twice in different blocks (e.g., grilling), you may only sign up for one of the blocks. AP students, remember to select your AP classes too (see scheduled classes). If you are worried that selecting AP classes will delay the registration process, you can always register twice: once for your non-AP JanTerm classes, then another time for your AP JanTerm classes as you are assured spots in the latter.
• You will only secure your spot in a class when you click on the Confirm Program Selections button. Note: If you have reached this point and one of the classes is listed as full, I strongly recommend that you proceed with your other class selections by clicking the Confirm Program Selections button. Then go back into the registration portal again to select a different class for the block for which you were unable to register because your original choice was not available.
• If your registration is successful, you will receive a confirmation email listing the classes for which you have registered. The email will be sent to your school email address. Please double check that the confirmation email shows you are registered for four (4) JanTerm classes. Note: If your parent registers for you using his/her own credentials, he/she will get the confirmation email.
• If you don’t see four (4) classes listed in your confirmation email, it may be that you either did not select four (4) classes or one or more of the classes you selected was filled up while you were in the process of completing registration. If that was the case, you should go back into the registration portal, select a different class, then proceed as you did before to the Confirm Program Selections button. You will only need to re-select a class for the missing block.
• All class choices are final. Changing classes is not permitted after JanTerm registration, except under special circumstances, so please choose wisely. 

Watch the recorded guide to JanTerm registration below.

If you have further questions, contact Director of Student Information Systems James Woollard (jwoollard@tbcs.org).

We have several opportunities for parents, grandparents, alumni, and friends of Bear Creek to volunteer to teach a JanTerm class in January 2025.

What is JanTerm?
JanTerm is like a collegiate mini semester. Students will choose four topical, 8-day seminars that offer a greater opportunity to explore new course topics which may not fit into the traditional academic year but are perfect for shorter, more intensive study. Courses are taught by current grades 7 – 12 faculty, and there are also a few opportunities for others to teach a class.

When does JanTerm take place?
JanTerm 2025 runs for eight days, from January 6 – 16, sandwiched between Christmas vacation and the start of spring semester.

What does the daily schedule look like?
On Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, students attend four 80-minute blocks as follows: 

Block 1: 8:00 a.m. – 9:20 a.m.
Block 2: 9:35 a.m. – 10:55 a.m.
Block 3: 11:10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Lunch: 12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Activity Period: 1:00 p.m. – 1:25 p.m. 
Block 4: 1:25 p.m. – 2.45 p.m. 

On Wednesday, students attend four 70-minute blocks as follows:

Block 1: 9:00 a.m. – 10:10 a.m.
Block 2: 10:25 a.m. – 11:35 a.m.
Block 3: 11:50 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Lunch: 1:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Block 4: 1:35 p.m. – 2.45 p.m. 

Note: Volunteer teachers would teach just one class during one of the blocks (1, 2, 3 or 4) 

What types of classes are we looking for?
JanTerm gives us a unique opportunity to offer classes that we would not normally be able to offer in school. It’s this breadth of curriculum and the ability to dive deep into these specialist topics that makes JanTerm so special. In short, we want this to be a fun, eye-opening, and different experience for the students. For an example of the kinds of courses offered, please review the JanTerm At-a-Glance Catalog or the full JanTerm Course Catalog.

Are guest instructors restricted to teaching students in a particular division? Is there an age group where you have greatest need for volunteer teachers?
Guest instructors are not restricted to teaching a particular age group. For example, you may offer a Middle School-only class for grades 7 and 8, an Upper School-only class for grades 9 – 12, or a combined class for grades 7 – 10 or 7 – 12. That said, we would love to increase our class offerings for the younger students, so classes designed specifically for grades 7-8 are particularly welcome.

What are the next steps?
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer JanTerm teacher or coach, please complete the information in the JanTerm Volunteer Course Submission Form. Please respond by Monday, September 30, to allow sufficient time to build the JanTerm 2025 Course Catalog. Feel free to reach out directly to James Woollard (jwoollard@tbcs.org) with any questions.