Parents are encouraged to call or email faculty or staff at any time. All Cathedral School faculty and staff members have email addresses and are expected to check their email regularly.
Emergency messages should be left with the Front Desk for delivery to the classrooms. Similarly, parents who bring their son’s forgotten books or other materials to school should leave them at the Front Desk to be delivered at an appropriate time. Telephones at the Front Desk are not available for the boys’ use except in the case of illness, injury, or other serious emergency, or if there is a change in the athletic schedule. Phone calls for any other reason must be approved by a teacher. Cell phones should not be in use during school hours. Evaluation of Academic Progress Regular Reports: The Lower School academic year for grades K–4 is divided into three terms, each accompanied by progress reports. Upper School is also on a trimester schedule. Upper School boys receive report cards at the end of each term. These report cards include checklists evaluating Approaches to Learning and subject- specific criteria. Fifth graders do not receive letter grades, and will receive narrative comments in all terms. Students in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades receive letter grades in each term, and narrative comments at the end of the first and second terms. Upper School Grading System: Achievement grades for sixth through eighth grade are shown in the conventional way, like letters, and indicate progress toward mastering the content of a given subject. They may be read as follows: A 93+ B+ 87–89 C+ 77–79 D 60–69 Testing: Standardized tests of aptitude and achievement are annually given in grades three through seven. These tests provide certain useful information on a boy’s performance in relation to both national and independent school norms and, more importantly, provide valuable help in the constant work of curriculum development. In addition, boys in the seventh and eighth grades take the Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT), application for which must be made separately. Parents interested in the results of any of these tests and their significance are encouraged to discuss them in a conference with the Division Director or the Headmaster. Parent-Teacher Conferences: We have two formal conference days during the school year at the end of the first and second terms. Conference days are scheduled for parents to meet with teachers to discuss academic and social progress. These conference days are set aside to meet with parents to communi- cate your child’s progress. Teachers take into account multiple factors, including sibling conferences, when scheduling in order to allow for efficiency. For this reason, please be prompt and keep the confer- ence on the scheduled day. If possible, the School would like all parents/guardians to attend these A- 90–92 B 83–86 C 73–76 F < 60% B- 80–82 C- 70–72
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