Family Handbook 2023-24

STUDENT HEALTH AND WELLBEING

Guidance Upper School guidance counsellors work closely with Upper School students to help them navigate academic and social emotional changes and issues that define adolescence. Philosophically, the Guidance Department believes that in order to provide the best support and advice, it is essential to know our students both from an intellectual and an emotional dimension. The guidance counsellors support students with course selection in January for the upcoming school year and help students make sense of how their elective choices can impact their post-secondary admission prospects. Counsellors also work closely with teachers to support student success at Havergal College. Guidance counsellors work with students one-on-one, in small groups and with grade-specific groups. Students will have one designated counsellor for Grades 7 through 9, then will transition to a senior grades counsellor for Grades 10 through 12. Counsellors guide from academic, inclusive and social emotional lenses, providing students with exceptional support and individualized school strategies. Learning Support The Learning Support Team is responsible for supporting students, families and faculty in a collaborative model with the goal of supporting student learning. The team collectively monitors student progress, manages accommodations and liaises with outside service providers to ensure students experience an education that builds on their strengths and supports their areas of challenge. There are four Junior School learning support specialists for students in Junior Kindergarten to Grade 6 and one child and youth worker who supports the social/emotional needs of Junior School students. There are four learning support specialists for Grades 7 to 12. In the Junior School, early and intensive interventions are provided to students who may require additional support to meet grade level learning objectives. When students transition into the Middle School, the focus shifts to proactively supporting students through strategies designed to build their executive functioning, study and self-advocacy skills. As students move into the Senior School and prepare for post secondary education, they build their self-advocacy skills, develop an individualized toolkit of assistive technology and refine their executive functioning skills. The Learning Support Specialists review all psycho-educational assessments and create Individual Education Plans (IEP), which identify annual program goals and describe the support that is available for that student. The accommodations are aligned to those of universities, colleges, provincial assessments and other standardized tests. Accommodations include instructional, assessment and environmental strategies and supports. Students and parents are encouraged to contact the Guidance Department for information or assistance at any time.

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