We know there's nothing quite like trying something on to see if it truly is the right fit. That’s why we invite students on campus to join us for a Shadow Day so they can experience a day at BASIS Independent Silicon Valley!
What is a Shadow Day? It's an opportunity for a prospective student to spend the entire day on our campus shadowing the grade they are interested in. They will attend a full day of classes, eat lunch, have outside time, attend office hours, meet teachers, participate in classes, get to know a group of students, and so much more! This is not a requirement of the application process, just a perk!
We often hear from prospective families that they have questions about the transition, the academics, the culture, they don't know if their child can keep up with the schedule, etc. We believe the Shadow Day puts parents, and students, questions to rest. By being on campus and spending a day in classes with real BASIS Independent Silicon Valley teachers and students, they are able to meet students with similar backgrounds (i.e. public to private), learn what the workload is like from students actually doing it, and also learn how students, who had the same questions they did, transitioned with the help of their teachers and Student Affairs Team.
At the end of each and every Shadow Day, the Admissions Team has a check-in with the students. We always look forward to asking them about their day, favorite classes and/or teachers, what they did at lunch, and what they learned. We see some recurring themes from each Shadow Day; it's different than what they thought it would be, the teachers engage with students vs talking to them and invite questions from students, the community is welcoming, they met students that came from their current school, they loved it!
"I enjoyed my Shadow Day because I got to see so many different
classes and teachers and we went outside for lunch. I really liked English class, we learned a song to remember all the prepositional phrases."
- Female Student, Grade 6 shadowing Grade 7
Shadow Days for students applying for grades 5-8 are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning at 8:10 AM. Depending on your student's host, their day may end at 2:55 PM or 3:50 PM. They experience a real life day in our halls and classrooms. They eat lunch with their hosts and their new friends and even enjoy some outside time!
"I didn't think I would like moving around so much but this is so
different from my current school. I sit in the same class all day,
but here we moved every class and there was a different teacher in each class. I also liked that at lunch we could go outside, to the gym,
stay in the cafeteria, or go to teachers for office hours."
- Male Student, Grade 5 shadowing Grade 6
For students applying for grade 9, we host Group Shadow Days. These days are held on Fridays from 9:10 AM to 3:50 PM. These Group Shadow Days allow prospective high school students the chance to view the full high school experience here at BASIS Independent Silicon Valley in one day. It includes a short morning session with our Head of School and Associate Head of School, meetings with the Director of Auxiliary Programs, Director of Student Affairs, College Counseling and others, along with homeroom, class hours, and an elective of their choosing! Its a great way to view our High School Program in action.
"Compared to other shadow days I've had the teachers here really stood out. They were not just "talking heads" and they were truly engaged with the students. There was a dialogue between them. I've been other places where the students just sit and the teacher just talks."
-Female Student, Grade 8 shadowing Grade 9
Interested in having your student attend a Shadow Day? Submit an application for Fall 2020 and you will be sent an invitation!
BASIS Independent Silicon Valley is a grades 5-12 private middle and high school based in San Jose, California, providing students an internationally benchmarked liberal arts and sciences curriculum