Clear and open communication is vital to a student’s growth and success. We believe that communication needs to take place on a daily basis. Parents, teachers, and students are always up-to-date with respect to the student’s progress through Mentor’s 4 branches of communication: the homework book, scheduled teacher phone calls, ongoing evaluation, and Edsby.
At Mentor, teachers follow a schedule of contacting parents by telephone on a monthly basis. This contact includes anecdotal comments about the student’s social and academic development as well as the marks and progress achieved in subject areas. These formal contacts are another way in which Mentor College can boast that there are “no surprises” at report card time, as the parents are already aware of their child’s accomplishments. In addition to the monthly phone calls, parents are welcome to call the school at any time to speak to teachers directly.
A school-supplied “homework book” (or student agenda) provides an ongoing dialogue between teacher and parent. The homework for the evening is noted in this book. In the Primary and Intermediate grades, the agenda is initialed by the teacher to ensure that the entries are complete. When completed, the student shows his/her parents the homework and the parents initial the book. The following morning, the teacher checks the homework and notes the parental signatures.
Mentor College is a school that sets high performance standards for its students. There are regular tests, quizzes, projects, and ongoing evaluation by the teachers throughout the year. Examinations are scheduled regularly for students in Grades 4 through 12 and each student receives a formal, written progress report three times a year. This report card is not the first time you will learn about your child’s achievements; it is a summary of the progress discussed during the frequent teacher/parent communications throughout the term.
Edsby is a cloud-based software application that combines communication with class and student management features. It is a learning management system with data aggregation and analytics features for Mentor students, teachers and parents.
