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Academics

Centre for Learning & Teaching

A Comprehensive Academic Support System

The Centre for Learning & Teaching at St. Andrew’s College provides a variety of programs and resources designed to promote student learning and improve instruction.

The Guided Learning Centre

The Guided Learning Centre is unique to St. Andrew’s. Students who have not finished assignments on time are required to attend the GLC after school and are given guidance and time to complete their work. The GLC also provides teachers with support for students who may miss evaluation opportunities because of other school commitments.

The School recognizes that:
  • Some students have trouble keeping up with the rhythm of a course.
  • Some students habitually hand in work late.
  • Some students may go through a busy period, finding it difficult to balance commitments and they get behind in their work. 
  • Some students may benefit from the support of a supervised learning area.
A student can be assigned to the GLC if:
  • An assignment is not submitted by the due date.
  • The director of Middle School or the advisor feels that some short-term focus on academics is required.
  • The student voluntarily attends the GLC. A student will not be permitted to attend unless he acquires written permission or an email is sent from his coach/supervising teacher to the director of Middle School or the GLC coordinator approving the student’s missed co-curricular commitment. This permission should be communicated to the director of Middle School or the GLC co-ordinator 24 hours in advance of the GLC session.

Procedure:

  • Students can be assigned to attend the GLC for an assignment that has not been completed.
  • Failure to submit on the due date results in the subject teacher emailing student names to the GLC coordinator’s email account by the end of the class.
  • The student, parent, advisor, coach, and head of house are then informed of the GLC referral. The assignment must be submitted to the GLC coordinator on the fourth day following the referral
  • Ten percent (10%) is deducted from the assignment.
  • Starting on the day of the assignment due date, the student is withdrawn from his co-curricular commitments and must attend the GLC.
  • Students are not able to attend any co-curricular activities unless the assignment is completed before the co-curricular activity begins.
  • Once the assignment has been completed, the student will be allowed to re-join his co-curricular commitment.
  • When the closure date passes, the student will be required to submit the work that has been completed to the GLC coordinator. Marks will be awarded in accordance with assignment expectations that are successfully demonstrated. The portion of the assignment that has not been completed will be assigned an “incomplete mark” (effectively a zero).

Extensions

Occasionally, students will require assignment extensions for extenuating circumstances. Students must apply to their subject teacher for extensions at least 48 hours before the due date.

The GLC is considered to be an extension of the classroom. Attendance in the GLC is mandatory once a student has been assigned by their subject teacher. The student is then expected to complete all work in the GLC and submit it to the GLC coordinator.

GLC Plus

A similar program to the GLC, the GLC Plus identifies students who regularly neglect assignments or other school work. The GLC Plus differs from the GLC in that instead of permanently pulling these students from co-curricular activities, which can be detrimental to the St. Andrew’s experience, they are assigned to a weekly one-hour GLC session. At these weekly sessions, teachers work with students, helping them to better manage their academic portfolio.

Referral Process & Protocol

In conjunction with the GLC co-ordinator, team leaders, advisors, and parents, the director of Middle School will assign at-risk students to the GLC Plus. Students must attend GLC Plus once a week for the entire term.

The GLC co-ordinator will work with the identified students throughout the term to improve their academic standing. The student and the GLC coordinator will formulate a written remedial plan for the student to complete each week. Students will be assigned to the GLC for one day a week: Monday, Wednesday, or Friday.

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre is a division of the Centre for Learning & Teaching within the Towers Library. The Writing Centre coordinator is available every day – except Thursday – after school for students to access help with writing and research. Students can make appointments and drop in for one-on-one guidance with essay writing, information literacy skills, and university applications.

Math Centre

The importance of mathematics in so many university disciplines makes it essential that we provide students with a strong foundation. The Math Centre was designed to assist those students who struggle with mathematics through individual and small-group tutorial sessions. The program is facilitated by a University of Waterloo cooperative education student who is currently undertaking a degree in mathematics and is supervised by the staff of the CLT.

Missed Test Procedure

Students who miss a test due to participation in a school activity may make up the test at the GLC within three sessions of the missed test. The GLC is open on Monday and Friday from 3:45 to 4:45 p.m. and Wednesday from 2:45 to 3:45 p.m. in room R106. Whenever possible, a note from a parent should be provided when a student misses a test because of an out-of-school appointment.

Learning Resource Services

This is the designated office at St. Andrew’s that maintains the records of students with learning exceptionalities, certifies eligibility for services, determines reasonable accommodations, and develops plans for the provision of accommodations for students. For more information regarding the accommodations currently offered to students with learning exceptionalities, please contact the School’s coordinator of academic support.

Open Classroom

Teachers are committed to providing extra help to boys in their classes. This help will take place from 12:25 to 12:40 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays during Open Classroom. Faculty will be available during these times for boys to drop in for any minor clarification of work covered during class. If extensive assistance is required, the services of a tutor may have to be obtained.

Tutoring

Students who feel that they require additional assistance in an academic subject, or who would benefit from an “academic coach,” may opt to request a tutor. Tutors may be senior students or tutors engaged from outside the School community. All requests for tutoring should be made through the learning resources specialist.

Standing Committee for Excellence in Teaching & Learning

In addition to a comprehensive academic support program, the CLT is the locus of a faculty professional development committee called SCETL (Standing Committee for Excellence in Teaching and Learning). The group is currently engaged in developing a vision for the academic program to ensure that our policies, procedures, and programs are in line with our pedagogical beliefs.
St. Andrew's College
15800 Yonge Street, Aurora, ON L4G 3H7 Canada
Tel: 905-727-3178
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