This time we’ll be covering classes, quills, house points and awards.
You’ll be able to take a range of fascinating classes here at HOL. There are the magical subjects we see in the Harry Potter books, like charms and transfiguration (you might hear people call those canon classes). Then there are plenty that Harry and his classmates never got the chance to take, including classes on languages, literature, mythology, science fiction and lots of other intriguing subjects.
As you’ll have noticed by now, doing classes at HOL involves reading the written lessons provided by your teacher and completing the matching assignment. For more details on how to submit work, have a look at this guide. Providing you send in your assignments by the deadline, you can do the work whenever suits you. Each part of the assignment will be worth a certain number of house points.
The school year is split into two terms: Autumn Term (September to January) and Spring Term (February to June). Classes can last one term (5 months) or a full year (10 months).
Everyone is allowed to take up to 5 classes per term. You aren't expected to take the full 5 classes though, as we all understand that balancing HOL and real life can be challenging sometimes. While you’re picking, keep in mind that a full-year class will occupy a slot in both your autumn and spring term schedules.
When choosing which classes to take, it's generally a good idea to check what the assignments are like before you sign up. Some classes can be more demanding than others. Also, you might like assignments that focus more on writing, graphics or even puzzles. Alternatively, you might prefer having a variety, where you can pick and choose which assignment options you do.
If you have a disability or other circumstance that makes it difficult for you to complete part of an assignment, your teacher can work with you to find something else that suits you better. Accessibility is something we take very seriously here at HOL as we want everyone to be able to enjoy themselves here. Make sure you let your teacher know in plenty of time if you think you’re going to need an adjustment.
Each class also has its own set of requirements that you need to meet to pass. This generally involves earning a minimum number of house points, such as 150 points out of the 300 available. It could also involve submitting a particular assignment, like the final exam. For example, in this class, we ask you to do the assignment that covers your house to pass as well as earning 150 points. Make sure you check what you need to do for each of your classes.
Another very important thing to check is when the deadlines are. Some classes do things on a monthly schedule, with an assignment due at the end of each month (assignment 1 due in September, assignment 2 in October and so on). With other classes, such as this one, everything is due at the end of term. Remember not to make life hard for yourself by leaving all your work to the last minute though!
If you need an extension for an assignment, you can request one ahead of time from the person teaching the class. It’s usually not possible to get an extension for a deadline at the end of the term though - the teachers also have a deadline for when they need to have done all their class admin by.
If you meet the requirements to pass a class, you'll earn a quill for it. You'll earn one quill for passing a one term class and two quills for a full-year class, providing you meet the requirements in both terms.
You need quills to move up through the school. To graduate from one year (eg. First Year) to the next (eg. Second Year), you will need to have earned at least 2 quills during the school year. Even if you earn more than 2 quills in a year, you will still only go up one year. Graduation happens at some point over the summer.
Just like Hogwarts, HOL has a yearly House Cup tournament between the 4 houses. You can always check the current standings on the homepage.
You can earn house points in several ways but the main one is by completing class assignments. As mentioned in the previous section, each class offers the opportunity to earn 300 points per term. This means that the maximum points available from a one term class is 300, whereas you can earn a total of 600 from a full year class (300 per term for 2 terms).
You can also earn points through participating in HOL-wide activities (special events, usually on the HOL forum) and submitting projects to the Art and Library Departments. You’ll also be able to contribute to the HOL newspaper for points. We’ll cover those things in more detail next lesson.
The Head Office need to approve points every time they’re submitted to make sure there are no mistakes. That’s why it will take a day or two for points to show up on your profile after you’ve got the notification about them.
HOL offers a monthly award to the top points earner and several of the houses do as well. Do your House proud, and you might find yourself the owner of one of these shiny trophies!
Awards are a way of recognising your contribution to HOL. You can earn them through classes, participating in activities or clubs, or simply being involved in your House and the HOL community.
Some classes offer a range of awards to reward hard work (such as submitting all the assignments) and creativity (putting effort into writing or art-based tasks). You’ll be able to find info about the awards offered for a particular class on the class website.
Each House has their own set of awards that they give out to recognise the efforts of their members and sometimes to visitors as well. It’s possible to earn awards from events, clubs and other extracurricular activities too. These are usually given out for completing a certain amount of the things on offer.
Any awards that you earn will go on your profile so that others can see your achievements. You can also visit other members' profiles to have a look at what trophies they’ve earned.