Family Handbook 2018-19

4. If a student is having consistent difficulties completing assigned homework according to the  guidelines above, she is expected to discuss this difficulty with her teacher.  

Teachers want to know if a student is struggling to understand a concept in class. Some students  are comfortable advocating for their own learning needs by asking questions in class when  warranted. Others are more hesitant to seek help in this way. Please encourage your daughter to  approach her subject teacher during class, or after class, when she is not grasping a concept. And  while Havergal encourages students from Grade 5–12 to reach out in this way, the truth is it takes  time and practice. Please reach out to your daughter’s subject teacher if if your daughter struggles  consistently with completing assigned work and/or she seems to take an excessive amount of time  completing it. The amount of homework assigned to students will vary depending on their grade as  described below:  a. Kindergarten: Parents are encouraged to read to their daughter regularly and  discuss the day’s learning. Students will bring reading or math activities home at  different times to work on with a parent. Students in kindergarten may also bring  home “just right” books.  b. Grades 1 to 6: Homework should normally take no more than 30 minutes a day, in  addition to regular reading for at least 20 minutes per night to improve their  comprehension, fluency and decoding.  c. Grades 7 to 12: Homework assignments in total should typically not exceed two  hours per day. Students are also expected to read for at least 20 minutes per night  to expand their vocabulary and improve their reading comprehension skills.  Extra Help  All teachers are available to provide extra help at least one day a week during the school day by  appointment. Students may attend, or be requested to attend, these scheduled tutorial sessions.  Students should reach out to the teacher in person or by email whenever they feel it may be  warranted. In general, teachers are relatively flexible in meeting students before, during and after  school. But here it is important to note that teachers have other duties and responsibilities that  shape their professional lives at the school. Scheduled tutorials, therefore, must accommodate a  teacher’s schedule. 

Last Updated August 17, 2018 Havergal College Family Handbook 2018–19

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