Welcome to St. Andrew’s College. For more than 100 years we have focused on providing boys with a rich and stimulating educational environment.

Our goal is to ensure that upon graduation our students are thoroughly prepared for university, and will depart St. Andrew’s eager to remain contributing members of their communities and the world for years to come.

While at St. Andrew’s, young men are required to challenge themselves and become involved in an abundance of ways. Recent studies have reinforced the merits of a single-sex education. Not only are students less inhibited and more focused in the classroom in a single-gender environment, but research indicates that those who attend all-boys schools are more than twice as likely to study art, music, drama and foreign languages, in addition to the traditional maths and sciences. This is largely because of the way teachers modify their approach according to the unique needs of boys.

Boys respond positively to more activity-based lessons and variety. When subjects are presented to them in this way, interest levels increase and retention of subject matter is far greater.

SAC students embody the school’s mission statement: “Dedicating ourselves to the development of the complete man, the well-rounded citizen.” A rigorous academic program with multiple Advanced Placement (AP) offerings is complemented by a broad range of co-curricular activities, which encourage and empower students to participate in all facets of school life. Morning, after-school, and evening activities and clubs, including athletics, music, community service, debating, theatre and visual arts, contribute to the development of each student. SAC’s advisory program, and residential and student life curricula reinforce many aspects of the well-rounded education we offer our students. Included in this ambitious program are extensive leadership opportunities through residential life, athletics, and school and club activities.

Perhaps most importantly, our dedicated faculty and staff foster a nurturing environment that helps to establish healthy values and a strong sense of character among our students. This caring community ensures the educational experience we offer our students is second-to-none.

Michael Paluch
Director of Academics

SAC Academic Vision 

At St. Andrew’s College, we are committed to:

… aligning the formal academic program with the mission of the School: “the development of the complete man, the well-rounded citizen”;

… educating boys to be physically, emotionally, and spiritually healthy;
 
… fostering within our boys the ability to adapt to our ever-changing world;

… developing instructional strategies that create ideal learning opportunities for boys;

… tapping into boys' propensity to problem solve by cultivating critical-thinking skills so they can make effective decisions based on a broad range of criteria;
 
… providing boys with opportunities to engage with the larger community and to celebrate the value of others;

… fostering integrity and a strong sense of character, promoting resiliency and leadership;
 
… implementing technology wisely to enhance learning;

… nurturing creativity and celebrating excellence in performance; and,

… channeling boys’ energy and curiosity in a student-focused, collaborative, and supportive environment that inspires an enduring love of learning.

Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD)

* Plus 40 hours of Community Involvement
* Plus successful completion of the Ontario Secondary Schools Literacy Test

All faculty members at St. Andrew's College follow a school-wide Assessment and Evaluation policy.

The following are the guiding principles for Assessment and Evaluation at SAC:

1. The primary purpose of assessment and evaluation is to improve student learning.
2. Communication about assessment and evaluation is ongoing, clear and meaningful to both the student and the parent.
3. Assessment and evaluation practices are fair and equitable for all students.
4. Students must be actively involved in and responsible for their own learning.
5. Evaluation practices by the teacher are regularly reviewed and refined.

To view our academic policy, please download the Omnibus pdf file.

Community Involvement Activities

As part of the OSSD diploma requirements, students must complete a minimum of 40 hours of community involvement activities in addition to academic requirements. These activities may be completed at any time during their years in the secondary-school program. This requirement is designed to encourage students to develop an awareness and understanding of civic responsibility and of the role that they can play in supporting and strengthening their communities while further developing their leadership skills. Records of student community service involvement appear on the June Report each year. Students can visit our website for up-to-date information.

Reports are mailed home three times during the School year; however, your son's results are always available online through the Academic Portal.

November Report

Teacher Comments: Cumulative numeric grade, learning skills, cumulative absences and comment.
Further comments by: Advisor, Coach, Co-curricular Leader, and Housemaster

March Report

Teacher Comments:  Cumulative numeric grade, learning skills, cumulative absences and comment.
Further comments by: Advisor, Coach, and Co-curricular Leader

June Report

Teacher Comments:  Cumulative numeric grade, learning skills, cumulative absences and comment.
Further comments by: Advisor, Coach, Co-curricular Leader, and Housemaster.

Assessment is based on both formative and summative evaluation. Teachers use a variety of assessment and evaluation strategies including: peer and self-assessments, tests, essays, independent study or group projects, oral presentations, portfolios, skills checklists, labs, and examinations. Seventy percent of the grade is based on assessment and evaluation conducted throughout the course, and 30% of the grade is based on a final summative evaluation aimed at determining achievement of course expectations. The final evaluation includes a required formal written examination and optional evaluations in the form of a performance, essay, oral presentation, or other evaluations suitable to the course.

Attendance at evaluation sessions is compulsory. Students should not make any other plans during the formal evaluation schedule from April to June. Students who miss a final evaluation will receive zero for the evaluation unless the absence is verified and legitimate. In order for the absence to be considered legitimate, the student must have visited his family doctor, the hospital emergency ward, or the SAC Health Centre, and provide the Director of Academics with a medical certificate stating the exact date(s) the student was seen for treatment. For any other absence to be considered legitimate, approval of the exceptional circumstance must be given by the Director of Academics or his designate. When the evaluation is deemed to be required to be completed, it must be done in an expedient manner.

Academic Integrity

We believe that the faculty at St. Andrew’s College has a responsibility to:

• teach its students to function with academic integrity;
• embed strategies in the curriculum that will enable our students to operate with academic integrity;
• offer an academic integrity policy that can be enforced in a consistent and measured manner, taking into consideration the unique nature of each situation;
• ensure students’ understanding of academic integrity is enduring and prepares them  for future academic success;
• create assignments that preclude the possibility of cheating; and,
• ensure our New Boys are abreast of the expectations and skills required at the grade level they are entering.

We believe that our students:

• must demonstrate honesty in all academic endeavours and approach academic endeavours as Andreans;
•  must take an active role in the learning process; and,
• have a responsibility to understand all academic integrity policies outlined in the Parent Student Handbook. 

The “spirit” of the law will always supersede the “letter” of the law in these matters.

Definitions

Plagiarism consists of (but is not necessarily limited to):

• misrepresenting someone else’s work as one’s own: e.g. copying another student’s paper or an article from a journal or website; buying an essay from a term-paper mill;
• patchwriting: writing a paper by simply patching together blocks of text, perhaps with slight modification, taken from one or more sources;
• paraphrasing or summarizing information from a source without citation;
• quoting material without the proper use of quotation marks (even if otherwise cited correctly); or,
• translating a work from one language to another without citation.

Cheating consists of (but is not necessarily limited to):

• using unauthorized notes or other aids in a test or exam, or copying from or being influenced by another student’s work during an evaluation or assessment;
• giving unauthorized aid to another student; allowing another student to copy or use one’s test, exam, paper, or homework;
• receiving excessive assistance with homework or take-home tests from a tutor, parent, or fellow student;
• using translating software or translations of texts studied in class without the permission of the teacher;
• submitting the same work for credit to more than one teacher, unless both teachers give their permission;
• misuse of technology, including, but not limited to, cell phones, calculators, laptops;
• using the intellectual property of another individual without acknowledging the source;
• file sharing without the teacher’s permission; or,
• the intentional manipulation of teacher/student feedback notes within any OneNote ‘shared’ file.

Process

Throughout the students’ academic career, the student is responsible for adhering to the Academic Integrity Policy. Those found guilty of plagiarism/cheating or other violations of the Academic Integrity Policy will be subject to the following range of disciplinary action:

Academic Warning:

If a student is referred to the Director of Academics as a result of a concern that the Academic Integrity Policy has been breached, the matter will be reviewed carefully. If no definitive conclusion can be reached, yet the student has behaved, whether advertently or inadvertently, in a manner where there may be the perception of academic indiscretion, then the Director of Academics reserves the right to assign the student an Academic Warning. The assignment of an Academic Warning is meant to trigger a dialogue between the student, parent(s), teacher(s) and administration on the topic of academic integrity. The student will be required to review the Academic Integrity Policy carefully with the Director of Academics and/or the Assistant Headmaster. Parents will be apprised of the situation.

In the case of a First Offence, the:

• advisor will be involved in the process as soon as possible;
• student will meet with the Director of Academics;
• student will be ineligible to receive recognition at the subsequent end-of-term Academic Assembly, including Prize Day;
• student will receive a zero for the work but will be afforded an opportunity to redo an assignment and receive up to 50% of the value of the assignment;
• student will lose his Good Standing Status for a period of three months;
• students’ current teachers and Housemaster will be informed; and,
• students’ parents will be informed.

In the case of a Second Offence, the: 

• advisor will be involved in the process as soon as possible;
• student will meet with the Director of Academics;
• student will be ineligible to receive recognition at the subsequent end-of-term Academic Assembly, including Prize Day;
• student will be required to attend a remediation session in the GLC and will be required to provide a statement of enduring learning following the session;
• student will lose his Good Standing Status for a period of six months;
• student will receive a zero for the work with no opportunity to make up the work;
• students’ current teachers and Housemaster will be informed;
• students’ parents will be informed, and the Director of Academics will confirm receipt of the message; and,
• student will receive a Tier 2 Gating.

In the case of a Third Offence, the:

• student will be expelled from the College;
• school will disclose the breach in matters such as university recommendation letters and applicable reference documentation.

N.B. Offences are cumulative in nature and will remain a part of the student’s file until graduation.

A Final Note

In the same way that the “spirit” of the law outweighs the “rule” of law in all cases where the academic integrity of a given work is called into question, the Headmaster reserves the right to pardon, modify a response to, or dismiss a student at his discretion.

Academic Honours

Term scholars are students who have achieved an overall average of 80% while carrying the required course load; they are awarded a Scholar's Tie which may be worn as long as the honours standing is maintained. In line with the School’s mission statement, those students who achieve 85% or better in each of their courses are recognized as members of the Headmaster's Honour Roll. Please note that scholars’ lists are calculated using only courses taken at St. Andrew’s College during the term the status is awarded.

The Academic Merit Pin is awarded each term to students who meet a high standard in their Learning Skills assessments. Further details are available in the Parent & Student Handbook.