Boarding Life

Account Charges

Families receive a monthly statement of their school account balance through email and should direct any questions or concerns to Student Billing through the school’s Business Office, billing@branksome.on.ca.

The following fees and charges are a sample of what can be expected throughout the year:

A more complete list can be found in the Branksome Hall Handbook on the Portal. Note that daily meal costs (breakfast, lunch, after-school snack and dinner) are included in the Boarding fees.

Allowance

While Grade 9–12 students are encouraged to have banking arrangements at a local banking institution or a parent-approved credit card for personal expenses, we recognize that students in Grades 7–8 may be too young for this responsibility. The school is able to provide a weekly cash allowance to a student through her school account with the prior approval of her parents. For this service, it is required by the Business Office that parents set up a sum of money in the school account that can be distributed to the student in cash as allowance over the course of the year. Students authorized to receive an allowance must submit a request form to the Boarding Advisor each week when they would like to receive an allowance (forms must be submitted by Monday at breakfast to receive the money by Friday after school).

Furniture

Boarding staff are happy to assist students to set up their bedrooms in order to create a comfortable atmosphere that the students can enjoy all year long; however, any changes to the furniture configuration must be approved by the Director of Boarding to be in line with fire regulations. Students may not bring additional furniture such as bookshelves, tables, or chairs. Damage to the rooms will be charged to the student occupying the room. Any charges incurred for damage to the common areas will be evenly divided among the residents.

Luggage

All baggage/luggage must be stored in the designated storage areas. Suitcases and other boxes are not to be stored in students’ rooms. At the end of the year, students are permitted to store two boxes (provided by the school) over the summer and must sign a release form. All other items brought by the student must be removed from Boarding at the end of the school year.

Passports

Passports of all Boarding students must be kept on campus by the Director of Boarding. A student must email the Director of Boarding or Senior Boarding Advisor at least a day in advance to request their passport for purposes of travel and for proof of documentation when writing SAT/University exams. All passports must be returned to the Boarding office the following day for safe keeping.

Laundry

Students are responsible for washing their own clothes in the laundry facilities, available free of charge in each of the Boarding buildings. Laundry soap and dryer sheets are provided. Students need to label the machines on the white boards when they are doing laundry and remove their clean laundry in a timely manner so that other students may use the machines. Ensuring all clothing is labeled with the student's name is highly recommended. Boarding staff can help to facilitate dry-cleaning, and the cost will be changed to student accounts. We have a dry cleaning service available within walking distance of the campus.

Weekly Laundry Service

For the 2020-2021 school year, a mandatory laundry service will be provided each week for bed linens and towels. Students need to have two sets of sheets as one will be sent out each week to be cleaned. Boarding will provide each student two sets of sheets at the beginning of the year. There is no additional cost for the weekly laundry service.

Housekeeping

Branksome Hall’s housekeeping staff are responsible for cleaning the Boarding common areas (bathrooms, showers, common rooms, hallways) daily, removing waste from garbage cans and recycling bins daily, and washing the bedroom floors each week. Students are responsible for clearing off their floors to give access to the Housekeeping Staff. Increased cleaning protocols will be implemented for the 2020-2021 year and the houses will be sanitized based on a cleaning schedule.

Students are responsible for maintaining their rooms in an orderly and neat fashion. Room inspections are carried out once a week by the Boarding staff. It is the responsibility of students to keep their personal space orderly and also to contribute to the quality of community living. Please note: in an effort to reduce pests, food of any kind may not be kept or consumed in bedrooms.

Cooking

Students living in the Boarding houses are required to have breakfast and dinner in the Dining Hall from Monday– Friday. As such, cooking meals in the House kitchen is not permitted on weeknights. The students can, however, use a hot-water kettle or microwave to prepare a quick snack throughout the week. Students may also order-in food on Saturday and Sunday nights only. Please note that all electrical appliances such as kettles and rice cookers are only permitted in the Boarding kitchen. Students cannot have any of these appliances in the bathrooms or their bedrooms.

Boarding buildings are equipped with kitchen facilities where students are welcome to prepare snacks under the supervision of the Boarding Advisor on duty. Please note that the knobs for the stove/oven, knives and other sharp kitchen equipment are not in the kitchens, but are available and may be signed out from the Boarding Advisor on duty on Saturdays and Sundays only. These measures are in place to ensure the safety of each student. It is expected that students will act responsibly, however, parents must recognize the inherent risks of cooking, even with safety measures put in place.

Religious Services

As one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world, Toronto offers places of worship for many religions. Branksome Hall is a secular school; however, the Boarding staff can help direct families to services offered in the local area. During religious holidays, such as Passover or Ramadan, the Boarding staff work together with the students to ensure needs are met to the best of our ability.