It was wonderful to see so many families connecting with teachers at the Year 7 and 12 Parent Teacher night last night.
We have continued to utilise the virtual platform for parent-teacher nights because so many families have let us know how just how user friendly our set up is and also how wonderful it is to be able to sit on the couch at home whilst conducting interviews. These nights are a critical opportunity to strengthen the partnership between families and teachers.
For Year 7 and 12 families, the interim reports also came out this week. Hopefully you found them an excellent starting point for a discussion with your child around their learning. It will also help to be able to use the language that we use here, the language of Positive Learning. We truly believe that these 5 pillars of learning are key in developing in our young people an optimal attitude towards learning and that’s why we report to you regularly about them. How is your child Engaging in, Persisting in, Managing, Respecting and Valuing their learning? Years 8 – 11 Interim reports will be out later this term.
How is your child going with homework this year? I think it has been difficult for some students to readjust to the procedures that had been in place before the disruptions of the last couple of years. Those times of at home learning were really challenging for students to keep homework a part of their normal routine and some are still trying to re-establish the habit of completing quality homework on a regular basis. Can I ask you to engage with your child about the best ways you can support them with their homework? Maybe suggestions like cleaning some space on a table away from distractions like televisions or their bedroom and laptops could help. Maybe offering to hold their phone for a few hours if that has been a distraction for them in the past or perhaps offering to be a practice audience for the speech they are preparing. Ask every now and then if they would like to go on a 15 minute walk with you before getting back into it. I am sure you have your own methods. These are some of the strategies I try with my children.
Finally, my thoughts have been with the families within our community who have been impacted by the recent flooding, impacted by Covid and also those with ties to Europe, who I imagine are finding the situation in Ukraine particularly upsetting. Our staff are praying for you all at this time.
Thanks for all of your contributions towards the flood relief mufti day we held today.
Please spread the word about our College Open Week (March 21 – 26) if you have any friends in your communities that are looking into schooling options for their children.
