Havergal College Course Calendar, 2019-20 Academic Year

Student Absences Parents of Day Students are requested to telephone or email the Day School Office (DSO) before 8 am when their daughter is absent or late. The DSO will call home if no call or email is received. Boarding School Dons inform the DSO about Boarder absences. Note: The Day School Office hours are from 7:30 am to 4:00 pm, Monday to Friday. DSO Telephone Number: 416.482.4723 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 Dean of Senior School Students and is subject to a Saturday detention. DSO Fax Number: 416.483.5789 DSO Email: dso@havergal.on.ca

Planned Extended Absences 1.

Parents reach out to the Head of Junior School, Head of Middle School, Dean of Senior School Students or Head of Boarding School to request a planned extended absence. 2. The request is considered and parents may be required to meet with the VP Teaching & Learning if the school has concerns about the timing and length of the planned absence. 3. 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 planned absence. Email all teachers to alert them of the upcoming absence; in this message, indicate that you will be seeking them out for a face- to-face meeting in order to plan work and set dates for missed assessments. Ask them what time/location would be best for this meeting and then confirm that you will be there. Write this into your agenda. Do not miss these appointments! 2. Visit every teacher in person at an appropriate and pre-arranged time (i.e., not right before class starts). Ask them what work will be covered and what you must do to ensure this work is completed. During this time, you should make arrangements to complete any assessments. Students must complete the school’s shared Google document so they can track their responsibilities while away. 3. Students are responsible for providing assessment evidence for the overall and specific expectations missed during their absence. Students must use their class pages on Veracross to stay up-to-date with their classes. 4. When it is possible, students should complete assignments in advance of the absence. 5. When students return to school, they must submit all assessment evidence and complete all quizzes or tests and meet with their teachers to confirm they are up-to-date with missed class material. 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 & Student Wellness and VP Teaching & Learning. As the duration of an absence increases and opportunities to demonstrate the learning required in a credit* course decreases, the academic success of a student becomes uncertain. How Students Should Prepare For a Planned Absence 1.

An Unplanned Absence If students are unexpectedly absent from school, they should check their class pages on Veracross to see what was missed during their absence, talk to their teachers about missed assessments and take responsibility for catching up on what was missed.

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. 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 entire units and lessons when students are absent. However, they are expected to support students upon their return by providing extra help, explanations and clarification after students have reviewed the missed material. At Havergal, 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. Students on extended absences miss the rich learning and rigor that occurs in class. Havergal also makes every reasonable accommodation for elite athletes and exceptional family requests that may warrant students missing an extended period of time from school. The school may ask for supporting documentation before it sanctions an extended absence request. 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.

30  HAVERGAL COLLEGE | Course Calendar 2019–20