Family Handbook 2018-19

Extended Student Absences 

There are two kinds of extended absences that can impact a student’s attendance record: (a)  planned extended absences occur when a student knows in advance that she will miss three, or  more, consecutive days of school and (b) unplanned extended absences that occur quite  unexpectedly throughout the school year for a myriad of reasons.  Absenteeism from planned or unplanned extended absences can seriously jeopardize a student’s  overall achievement in any subject and in every grade if too many classes are missed during the  school year. What follows is a procedure that Havergal has developed to accommodate the  learning needs of students who miss an extended period of time from school.  Planned Extended Absences  It is important that families think carefully before asking the school to approve a planned extended  absence. Our faculty are not expected to re‑teach the missed content of an entire lesson when  students: (1) extend their family holidays outside of published school vacation dates, or (2) miss  one, or more, weeks of classes because an international tournament or important training event  happens to conflict with the school’s calendar.  At Havergal, students can’t make up lost time by working to complete assignments in isolation or  with an outside tutor. Our students are expected to participate in class activities and discussions,  work collaboratively with their peers in small groups and complete assigned work throughout the  year by established deadlines. Taken collectively, these experiences are used by teachers to assess  student achievement in every subject and at every grade, which results in final marks being  documented for subjects on report cards. Academic penalties may occur if students do not (or  cannot) complete the required assessments in a timely manner. By year’s end, every student must  show sufficient evidence of success on overall course expectations as they have been prescribed by  the Ministry of Education.  As well, it’s important to note that students who assume leadership roles within the school cannot  fulfill their responsibilities in full when they miss extended periods of time throughout the school.  However, Havergal makes every reasonable accommodation when students plan to miss extended  periods of time from school. In such cases, parents must advise the school well in advance of  anticipated absences when possible so that we may make appropriate arrangements for a 

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

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