Grier School

Goals

List of 3 items.

GOAL 1: Raise the TOEFL-iBT® test and SAT® scores of our students to meet the requirements of highly competitive American colleges and universities.

Students who have never taken the TOEFL-iBT® test and those with TOEFL-iBT® test scores below 90 will be administered a placement test at the beginning of the orientation program to determine their levels of proficiency and be places in classes of intensive TOEFL-iBT® instruction. Students who have achieved TOEFL-iBT® test scores of 90 or above will be placed in classes of intensive SAT® instruction.

In order for students to be placed in regular and honors English classes during the academic year, Grier School requires at TOEFL-iBT® test score of 68 with a minimum of 17 in each of the four sections. Our main objective is to help as many students as possible reach that score.
GOAL 2: Help students meet the requirements as outlined for the rigorous college preparatory and honors courses offered during the academic year at Grier.

The program is closely aligned with the English, History, and Science Departments. Students will be studying literary fiction as they develop analytical reading and writing skills, U.S. history and current events, and key physics concepts.
GOAL 3: Provide students with challenging and varied extracurricular activities and cultural outings designed to trigger in our students a passion for learning outside the classroom as well as in the classroom.

Extracurricular activities might include: horseback riding, art, swimming, and sports. Cultural outings might include trips to New York City and Washington D.C.

Program Details

Students attend seven hours of classroom instruction with a two-hour supervised study hall throughout the week. The student to teacher ratio in the orientation program is 8:1, or lower, to provide for individualized instruction. A variety of materials, up-to-date language learning techniques, and digital instruction are used to provide a comprehensive preparation program.

Students study in the following classes six days per week for the duration of the orientation program. In the afternoon, students participate in a variety of activities such as horseback riding, art, and yoga.

Speaking and Writing
Reading
Listening Comprehension
Literature
US History and Current Events
Laboratory Science
Daily Enrichment Hour

Why Attend Orientation at Grier?

Students become familiar with campus, faculty, and peers. The orientation program helps girls maximize their Grier School experience and best prepares students to successfully enroll in Grier’s most challenging AP classes.
Adjustment to the US style of education is easier when there are fewer students on campus. This helps to make the first semester of classes, when over 300 girls are enrolled, more manageable.
Being in the US, on our campus, is the best introduction to the educational adventure of studying abroad and participating in a great variety of new activities.
Grier’s healthy environment and clean air offer a perfect place to develop wonderful friendships that will last a lifetime.
The combination of cultural exchange, enrichment opportunities, and educational weekend trips creates an orientation program designed for student preparation and empowerment unique to Grier School.

List of 2 members.

Jennifer Payne

Math Department Chair
International Student Orientation Program Director

jpayne@grier.org
Marie-Pierre Shaffer

ESL Department Chair
International Student Orientation Program Director

mshaffer@grier.org
Bio
Marie-Pierre Shaffer is a native of France who has been a member of the Grier faculty since 2002. She is a certified teacher with an MA in English and an MA in French as a foreign language from the Sorbonne Nouvelle, Paris 3, France. She holds a Pennsylvania Principal Certification. She founded the ETS certified TOEFL test center at Grier School. She teaches French and ESL, and chairs the ESL department. She is also director of the Grier summer program ISOP (International Student Orientation Program).

Marie-Pierre is married to John Shaffer, a native of Altoona, and they have a son, Zane. She loves teaching at Grier, where the beauty of the campus and the diversity of the student body create an exciting work environment.

About Grier

Founded in 1853, one of America's oldest boarding schools
Located in the beautiful mountains of central Pennsylvania
Near Penn State University (7th largest university in the United States)
Extremely secure campus in a safe countryside setting
Accredited by Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges

Grier College Placement

Students who attend the International Student Orientation Program are successful students at Grier and go on to earn acceptance at top universities, including:

Bates College
Bryn Mawr College
Carnegie Mellon
Cornell University
Emory University
Georgetown
Harvey Mudd College
New York University
Northwestern University
Smith College
UC Berkeley
UCLA
University of Michigan
University of Virginia
Vassar College

Top Elite Scholars who also have an interest in art have been admitted in recent years to such program as the Art Institute of Chicago, the Rhode Island School of Design, Pratt Institute, and Parsons' the New School for Design. To be admitted at these institutions, a student needs superb artistic ability, but also very high results on the SAT® test.