Q: When does SJSH’s Winter Lights Display begin?
A: Our winter lights display starts at 7 pm on December 1st and continues every evening/night, all winter until March 31st. Waterloo Region’s families are invited to come to St. Jude’s School – Scholars’ Hall any evening, 7 days a week, to view our Winter Lights Display. This was filmed in 2021. Every year we add more ! Enjoy https://vimeo.com/680652205/a1e1bb9b95
Q: How are grades reported?
A: Achievement is reported as a percentage within a range that corresponds with both the Ministry of Education’s four levels of achievement and the University of Waterloo’s reporting levels i.e. Level 1 = 51% to 59%; Level 2 = 60% to 69%; Level 3 (the Ontario Min of Education’s expected standard) = 70% to 79%; Level 4 = 80% to 89&; and Level 4+ = 90% to 99%. Report cards can be electronically delivered to parents as well as the traditional paper format. Report cards are sent home with a frequency that is double the public schools. Interim, mid-term and end of term report cards are sent out. Additionally, high school students will receive a report card at the end of each of the three semesters.
Q: What is your school calendar?
A: A copy of SJSH’s events calendar can be found here. There are no Professional Development Days at Scholars’ Hall during the school year. Details regarding summer programming can be found here.
Q: How do parent-teacher interviews work?
A: Parent-teacher interviews are held in the evenings when parents can come. Throughout the year there are 4-6 opportunities to schedule an interview.
Q: How much time is spent in the classroom?
A: The SJSH’s focus is on maximizing the number of instructional hours.There are very few field trips and any time outside the classroom is always related to community development or the current curriculum.
Q: What standardized testing is used at Scholars’ Hall?
A: Scholars’ Hall participates in the Grade Ten Literacy Test. Scholars’ Hall does not participate in the Grade 3, 6, or 9 Provincial tests. These tests are not normalized or standardized and they require a week to administer. We feel that this time can be better spent teaching.. Prior to admission of a student, a standardized assessment is provided to evaluate the academic strengths of each student.
Q: How does Scholars’ Hall approach homework?
A: Homework is assigned daily for all our students, and the amount of homework scales depending on grade level- 5 minutes of homework times the student’s grade i.e. a student in Grade 5 would have 25 minutes of homework each school day. It is the responsibility of the child and the school (not the parents) to ensure homework is completed. Homework is not done in class and students are expected to complete their homework daily. If homework is incomplete, students stay at school on Fridays until the outstanding homework from that week is complete. If it is not done up to a student’s personal performance standard, it gets done again!
Q: What is a Student in Good Standing and Scholar of the Month?
A: Every child can become a scholar! Every student begins every month as a Student in Good Standing. A student can retain their Student in Good Standing status and by avoiding any office trips, by being absent less than 4 days and by obtaining less than 8 homework strikes in that month. At the end of each month all Students in Good Standing are considered for the Scholar of the Month award according to above six criteria of the Standards of Good Conduct and Teachability. All students who earn Scholar of the Month or Student-in-Good-Standing are rewarded with a meal at a Buffet Restaurant!
