Assistant Principal - Pastoral Care
High Regard for Learning and Others
At a conference earlier this year, the former Education Minister Adrian Piccoli, presented research that examined student performance with a focus on the impact of home on a student’s learning. His conclusion was:
‘‘The commentary around education performance inevitably goes to what’s happening in the school, curriculum, school facilities, but it’s more shaped by the parents, the community, than it actually is by anything that happens in the school,’’ he said.
His presentation went on to show that “some of the best-performing suburbs in Sydney are in the middle or lower end of the earnings scale, but are dominated by new migrants who deeply value education, such as Carlingford and Hurstville.” That is, how wealthy a family was is not necessarily a good predictor of who will be successful. Newly arrived migrants have high expectations and strong beliefs in the importance and value of learning.
His research is supported by the work of Berliner and Eyre which I have shared with parents before. In Great Minds and How to Grow Them they argue that:
Based on the overall body of research, we believe the balance of evidence is that genetics have minimal significance on how well you can perform at school … we believe that a combination of potential and motivation underpinned by learning opportunities and support delivers high performance … and that parents are crucial in helping to mix that learning cocktail.
Research from both the US and UK shows that:
Children of parents who were involved with the school had fewer behavioural problems, better academic outcomes and were more likely to finish high school.
The more parents are seen by their children to be working in tandem with the school the more this reinforced the importance of learning to students.
One of the most fascinating findings of their research is that parental expectations have a significant impact on a child’s educational outcomes. They conclude:
“If you expect your child to be a high performance learner, they can be. You don’t need to be highly paid and highly educated to have expectations, you just have to have them. And the research proves this rubs off on your children.”
The redesigned Student Progress Report that was sent to parents and guardians at the end of Term 1 sought to provide specific information in key areas of student learning. In short, the report provides an insight to a student’s regard for learning and the learning work of others and their contribution to a productive environment. Students who consistently rated highly in all five domains were celebrated with a morning tea and a certificate of congratulations and are recognised below. Overall there were 123 students who attained this distinction.
Year 12
Brianna Elliott, Stephanie Creigh, Matilda U’Ren, Laura Moes, Indianna Diss, Martha Smith, Georgina Yip, Leah Rooney, Holly Bynge, Rebecca Cameron, Phoebe Porter, Sophia Samson, Tristan Reed, Eliza Dawson, Maeve Galvin, Sarah O’Toole, Hannah Kampe, Ebony Carr.
Year 11
Eleanor Carr, Marianne Flood, Clementine Monet, Marley Pitt, Arabhella Barbero, Ryan McKinnon, Amy Nawer, Bailey Collier, Cian Blackey, Katie Ringland, Grace Vuong, Justin Baldoza, Jesica Gallagher, Ashlee Kampe, Georgia Simm, Caitlin Downey, Geoffrey Larkham-Laino, Isabella Bramley, Abbey Trappel, Edwina Kayira-Thomas, Charles Kelly.
Year 10
Abigail Taggart, Caitlin Jackson, Annabel Kelly.
Year 9
Allyza Shania Baga, Ellisa Vu, Thomas Melville, Darcy Lyon, Hannah O’Toole, Vy Ho, Georgia Williams, Indiana McGregor, Mackenzie Blackwell, Samiel Morris, Archie Ringland, Mackenzie Scott, Gabrielle Miller, Kyra Mihell, Chelsea Miller, Blair Orman, Yulangelo Barbero, Ethan Allen, Olivia U’Ren, Hallie Scott, Isabella Bolsom, Aiden Lee, Demi Ashton, Charlotte Leonard, Jorja Easterman, Jackson Lane, Mitchell Scott, Bella Fox, Jack O’Neill, Kaitlyn Lovell.
Year 8
Alice Blackey, Baylee Whitworth, Lauren Barnes, Caitlan Myers, Hannah Briley, Hannah Pawsey, Katie Bui, Maria Shvili, Kaitlin Rheinberger, Mikeeli Tyrrell, Charles Missen, Maddison Bell, Jack Benjamin, Laura Davis, Penelope Hutchinson, Xyieneza Anito, Isobel Hargraves, Zach Whalan, Amber Burrow, Kaitlin Burgess, Natasha Lees, Cohen Wolter, Tilani Smith, Haydon Hunt, Seth Visser, Charlotte Lyon, Carter Thrift, Jossie Vince, Juliah White, Taylah Mace, Xzania Hutton.
Year 7
Huynh Mai Lam Nguyen, Paige McMillan, Zoe Bell, Janae Griffiths, Jacqueline Clemson, Matt Manzano, Penelope Torrens, Sienna French, Mia Gentle, Anna George, Erin Tickle, Grace Tickle, Elouise McCann, Sophie McMullen, Caitlin Dunstan, Dylan Mihell, Emma Taggart, Lainey Mackay, Logan Rust, Samuel Drew.
Mr Mick Larkin - Assistant Principal - Pastoral