A new year at Hogwarts dawns
Aug. 26th, 2014 11:26 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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alternityStudents: I do hope you have enjoyed your summer holidays, and trust that you are rested, rejuvenated, and ready to return to the task of learning.
I will obey tradition and introduce our new staff at the Welcoming Feast, but to save time -- and to save you all listening to me at the end of a long trip -- I will announce the remainder of the news I have:
— Beginning this year, students of all years may elect to add a language to their schedule. This additional study will be optional, and as of now there will be no NEWT or OWL given in any of the languages that are offered, but they will be taken into account for class standing. Classes will meet for one hour, twice a week, and will be graded on a pass/fail basis. Classes will be divided not by year, but by level of experience with the language; I know there are several of you who have studied some Latin already, for instance, and you will not be expected to go back to memorising declensions with the beginners.
At the programme's inception we will offer Latin and Greek; other scholarly languages such as German and Arabic may be added should there be interest. Students may choose no more than one language to begin with, with the option of adding others after your first year of study if your academic performance warrants.
— Also beginning this year, first and second year students will be required to take two years of Rhetoric and Composition. This class will teach the basics of academic writing and research, to provide you with a solid grounding in the arts of academic writing that you will draw upon for the remainder of your time at Hogwarts. This class will be three one-hour sessions per week, and you will receive a grade in the usual fashion.
Third through fifth years: while Rhetoric and Composition will not be required, we will be offering a one-hour elective version this year, tailored for each year's level of experience in writing and research. Again, the class will be offered on a pass/fail basis, and will be taken into account for class standing.
Sixth and seventh years: your version of the class, also a one-hour pass/fail elective, will be split between refining your academic research skills and helping to prepare you for the written portion of the NEWTs.
— Feedback from recent Hogwarts graduates and from the Wizarding Examination Authority regarding performance on the OWL and NEWT is clear that many aspects of the History of Magic curriculum ought be refined in order to best prepare students for their lives as adult citizens of our beloved Protectorate. As we have been unable to persuade Professor Emeritus Binns to undertake that curriculum refinement, we will instead be instituting a parallel track of classes for the subject of History. Your timetables will reflect the change in classroom.
We honour Professor Emeritus Binns and his many and distinguished years of service to the school. Students who wish to continue attending Professor Binns' lectures may choose to do so; however, you will need to make arrangements with a classmate to cover the material you will miss from the new History classes, as you will be tested on what is covered in those classes and not on the material Professor Binns teaches.
— Beginning in late September, Hogwarts will be hosting a fortnightly lecture series. We will be inviting many of the leading lights of the Protectorate to speak on the work they are doing, share the results of their research, explore the boundaries of human knowledge, or simply tell us fascinating stories -- in short, a diversity that reflects the diversity of the Protectorate itself.
Lectures will be on Sunday evenings and will run approximately an hour and a half, with an hour of reception afterwards at which light refreshments will be served. These lectures are open to the public, and announcements of the topic, the lecturer, and the dates and times will be placed prominently in the Daily Prophet before each lecture. I deeply hope you will join us even if your own Hogwarts days are long behind you.
I would like to thank Deputy Headmistress Vector for her excellent logistical work this summer, Professor Sinistra for her invaluable assistance in arranging the lecture series, and Mr Harry Marvolo for his passionate dedication to the institution of Hogwarts and to the cause of a well-educated populace. (And above all else, of course, the Lord Protector for His wisdom, and His confidence that I will be well suited for the Headmaster's role.)
I look forward to seeing you all on Monday.
I will obey tradition and introduce our new staff at the Welcoming Feast, but to save time -- and to save you all listening to me at the end of a long trip -- I will announce the remainder of the news I have:
— Beginning this year, students of all years may elect to add a language to their schedule. This additional study will be optional, and as of now there will be no NEWT or OWL given in any of the languages that are offered, but they will be taken into account for class standing. Classes will meet for one hour, twice a week, and will be graded on a pass/fail basis. Classes will be divided not by year, but by level of experience with the language; I know there are several of you who have studied some Latin already, for instance, and you will not be expected to go back to memorising declensions with the beginners.
At the programme's inception we will offer Latin and Greek; other scholarly languages such as German and Arabic may be added should there be interest. Students may choose no more than one language to begin with, with the option of adding others after your first year of study if your academic performance warrants.
— Also beginning this year, first and second year students will be required to take two years of Rhetoric and Composition. This class will teach the basics of academic writing and research, to provide you with a solid grounding in the arts of academic writing that you will draw upon for the remainder of your time at Hogwarts. This class will be three one-hour sessions per week, and you will receive a grade in the usual fashion.
Third through fifth years: while Rhetoric and Composition will not be required, we will be offering a one-hour elective version this year, tailored for each year's level of experience in writing and research. Again, the class will be offered on a pass/fail basis, and will be taken into account for class standing.
Sixth and seventh years: your version of the class, also a one-hour pass/fail elective, will be split between refining your academic research skills and helping to prepare you for the written portion of the NEWTs.
— Feedback from recent Hogwarts graduates and from the Wizarding Examination Authority regarding performance on the OWL and NEWT is clear that many aspects of the History of Magic curriculum ought be refined in order to best prepare students for their lives as adult citizens of our beloved Protectorate. As we have been unable to persuade Professor Emeritus Binns to undertake that curriculum refinement, we will instead be instituting a parallel track of classes for the subject of History. Your timetables will reflect the change in classroom.
We honour Professor Emeritus Binns and his many and distinguished years of service to the school. Students who wish to continue attending Professor Binns' lectures may choose to do so; however, you will need to make arrangements with a classmate to cover the material you will miss from the new History classes, as you will be tested on what is covered in those classes and not on the material Professor Binns teaches.
— Beginning in late September, Hogwarts will be hosting a fortnightly lecture series. We will be inviting many of the leading lights of the Protectorate to speak on the work they are doing, share the results of their research, explore the boundaries of human knowledge, or simply tell us fascinating stories -- in short, a diversity that reflects the diversity of the Protectorate itself.
Lectures will be on Sunday evenings and will run approximately an hour and a half, with an hour of reception afterwards at which light refreshments will be served. These lectures are open to the public, and announcements of the topic, the lecturer, and the dates and times will be placed prominently in the Daily Prophet before each lecture. I deeply hope you will join us even if your own Hogwarts days are long behind you.
I would like to thank Deputy Headmistress Vector for her excellent logistical work this summer, Professor Sinistra for her invaluable assistance in arranging the lecture series, and Mr Harry Marvolo for his passionate dedication to the institution of Hogwarts and to the cause of a well-educated populace. (And above all else, of course, the Lord Protector for His wisdom, and His confidence that I will be well suited for the Headmaster's role.)
I look forward to seeing you all on Monday.
Private message to Lionel Moon
Date: 2014-08-26 05:02 pm (UTC)If there is any other way I can be of service, please don't hesitate to let me know. I look forward to a continued excellent working relationship.
Regards,
Antonin Dolohov, CW, M. NA, D.Ph, D.Univ (jure dign.)
Headmaster, Hogwarts
Private message to Daphne Greengrass
Date: 2014-08-26 05:12 pm (UTC)You raised excellent questions, however, and I would very much like a chance to sit down with you and Mr Moon and discuss what I will be looking for from you both. (And, yes, to discuss how we will handle the tricky bits of conflicting authority, but as to that I'm certain we can all arrive at mutual agreement.)
I would hate to interrupt the last gasp of your summer. Shall we say Monday evening after the Welcoming Feast? The password to the Headmaster's receiving room is 'Adeste omnium'.
Best,
Antonin Nikolaevich
Re: Private message to Daphne Greengrass
Date: 2014-08-27 10:06 pm (UTC)I'm sorry to hear that my inquiries interrupted you at this time of transition, but I look forward to meeting with you on Monday for further discussions. I do hope you are as excited for the new school year as I am!
Sincerely,
D.G.G.
Private message to Linus Moon
Date: 2014-08-26 05:15 pm (UTC)I hope your summer has been pleasant, and congratulations again on your appointment.
I'd like to sit down with you and Miss Greengrass to discuss what I will be looking for from you both this year. If you would be so kind as to join me in the Headmaster's receiving room on Monday evening after the Welcoming Feast, once your House and your new ravens have been set to order? The password is 'Adeste omnium.'
Best,
Antonin Nikolaevich
Re: Private message to Linus Moon
Date: 2014-08-28 03:07 am (UTC)I shall be there. And may I say, sir, that your guidance is, as always, treasured.
no subject
Date: 2014-08-26 05:22 pm (UTC)In keeping with the idea of supporting broader education, I'd like to announce to students that I plan to host informal gatherings on Saturdays after supper in my office as I did a few years ago. These are entirely optional (for one thing, my office only holds so many), and you are welcome to come to as few or as many as you wish, or stay for a short while or the entire time, as your schedule demands. Other staff are also quite welcome to attend.
I expect that some nights we may start with a particular topic, perhaps related to an upcoming or recent lecture (in which case I'll post it in advance on the charm-linked slips on the notice boards I use to alert you to changes in office hours). Other weeks, we may see where conversation takes us, but I promise you that I intend to avoid my own field unless there's an exceptional reason not to. Besides the usual topics covered at Hogwarts, I hope to discuss music and literature of interest, as my own research mentor did with me during my apprenticeship.
There will of course be refreshments. Quite possibly also loans of books of interest.
Order only
Date: 2014-08-26 05:28 pm (UTC)More than that, I know quite well there are topics that get very limited time in class - most of Charms theory, for example - where knowing it would open up some possibilities for you all. If you think of similar things you'd like more knowledge about, do let me know, and I'll see what I can arrange, whether that's inviting someone to come talk about it, or reading up on it, or whatever.
Private message to Tosha
Date: 2014-08-26 05:30 pm (UTC)If I came for tea, you could tell me all about how many outraged or thrilled notes you've gotten by this afternoon? (Or you're welcome to come up here, if you'd rather a change of scenery - I should be done putting things to rights in the office by then. It looks quite different than it did, considering.)
Also, Sage sent me more cat toys, and I'd like to share.
Re: Private message to Tosha
Date: 2014-08-26 05:36 pm (UTC)I haven't changed the password, although I've the strangest feeling that if I could just poke at the castle magics a bit more, she'd let me know a way I could control which room of the office suite is beyond the door when it opens based on what password people give her. (Yes, yes, I apologise once again for every time I smiled indulgently at your sense of the castle. She's not sentient, not precisely, but she is definitely there.)
It's a good method of distraction. I do hope it works, dear heart.
Headmasterishly,
T.