Havergal College Course Calendar, 2018-19 Academic Year

When students are absent during the school day or for several days, upon their return, they must present a note to the DSO from parents or from Boarding School Dons clearly stating the reason for the absence(s). Students who miss exams must bring a doctor’s note upon their return. If a student skips a class or Prayers, she is referred to the Vice Principal School Life, Operations and is subject to a Saturday detention. Extended Absences Procedure There are two kinds of extended absences that, broadly speaking, 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 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 for elite athletes and exceptional family requests that may warrant students missing an extended period 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 student’s academic support where possible. Additionally, the school may ask for supporting documentation before it sanctions an extended absence request. Once the school has been approached by the parent and permission given for the student to miss an extended period of time by the VP School Life & Operations or Head, Junior School, teachers will provide appropriate face-to-face and online support. As well, students are expected to take responsibility for meeting with their teachers in advance of a planned absence and to meet the expectations established by the teacher in every course. This includes the completion of all assignments in a timely manner as specified by the teacher. Students must check their Veracross class page to see what they missed during their absence. Final summative examinations in Grades 7 to 12 must also be written by students when they are scheduled, unless extenuating circumstances warrant alternative arrangements being made. These special, case-specific arrangements are established by the VP School Life & Operations. Unplanned Extended Absences Sometimes it is necessary for students to miss school for an extended period of time when they are sick, injured or otherwise unwell. These, and other kinds of unplanned absences, can present at any time during the school year. In these instances, Havergal will do everything it can to reasonably accommodate and support the student. In general, however, when students are unexpectedly absent from school due to illness, they should check their Veracross class pages to see what was missed during their absences, talk to their teachers about missed assessments and take responsibility for catching up on what they missed. In more serious cases, the school will do whatever it can to support the learning needs of unwell students with compassion and resolve to help the student through a difficult personal time. These are uniquely considered on a case by case basis by the Head, Junior School, VP School Life & Operations, the Vice Principal of Teaching & Learning and the student’s Guidance Counsellor.

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