Havergal College Course Calendar, 2019-20 Academic Year

Parent-Teacher Conferences Two parent-teacher conferences are scheduled during the school year: one in October and a second in March. During conferences, parents and teachers discuss the academic progress of your daughter(s). Parents are welcome to schedule meetings with teachers, Guidance Counsellors, Learning Support Specialists and/or administrators at other times, as needed throughout the year. Report Cards Written reports at Havergal take two forms: a Full Report and an Update Report. Full Report The purpose of a Full Report is to communicate your daughter’s progress in terms of her academic achievement as well as demonstrated learning skills and work habits to that point in time. You can expect to read subject-specific comments from each teacher that contextualize you daughter’s standing. Full reports are provided to parents and students in December and June. The purpose of an Update Report is to provide parents with a snapshot of a student’s academic achievement in each subject as well as indicating a student’s demonstrated learning skills and work habits to that point in time. Teachers are not required to write comments on Update Reports. However, depending on the circumstances, comments may be written to expand upon the learning skills descriptions or provide more context for the current academic standing noted on the report. An Update Report is provided to parents and students in March. Learning Skills and Habits : Teachers assess six learning skills and work habits on an ongoing basis and collect evidence that will allow them to indicate the consistency with which a student demonstrates them in class. These are noted on both Update and Full Report Cards. Targeting specific learning skills and work habits as areas for improvement will positively impact your daughter’s academic success. Grades: Report card grades are determined by examining all of a student’s assessment data to date, looking at the most consistent level of performance with more focus on more recent evidence. The assessment picture usually changes throughout the year as students have more assessments and the pattern in their understanding becomes clearer. More detailed information on assessment is outlined in the section on Assessment Practices. Update Report

Report Cards and Parent Communication

The school year at Havergal is viewed as one academic period rather than a series of discrete terms. The school communicates with parents through face-to-face meetings and three report cards. The parent communications include: • September: Upper School People and Program Nights Grades 7–8 and Grades 9–12 • October: Parent Teacher Conferences • December: Full Report Cards (marks, learning skills and written comments) • February: Progress Report (marks and learning skills) • March: Parent Teacher Conferences • June: Full Report Card (marks, learning skills and written comments)

All final marks for credit courses are recorded on the Ontario Student Transcript and recorded in ON-SIS.

Transcripts may be requested by students through their Guidance Counsellors.

Importance of Parent Communication Establishing and keeping open lines of communication between the school and home is essential to the maintenance of an excellent learning environment and promoting wellness in our students. For academic issues, parents are encouraged to meet directly with their daughters’ teachers whenever there is a question, concern or commendation. Teachers will reach out to parents by phone and email to do the same, as needed throughout the year. In general, parents should never be surprised about their daughter’s academic progress in any subject. In most instances, you can expect your call or email to be returned within 24 hours on a weekday. However, some issues or concerns may require several contacts to be resolved satisfactorily. Additionally, parents (and students) who email teachers at unreasonably late (or early) times during the day should not expect to receive an immediate reply. People and Program Evenings The People and Program Evenings provide parents with opportunities to learn about the academic program, teacher expectations and classroom routines that your daughter will experience during the school year. It is a time for parents to meet their daughter’s teachers.

8  HAVERGAL COLLEGE | Course Calendar 2019–20