Fairhills Forum

Associate Principals' Report 

Something that many of us had hoped was finished with, but again we found ourselves as a school community in the situation of having to move into remote learning mid-way through the term. Interestingly there seem to be some students who thrive under this situation and are well organised, self-motivated learners who enjoy the ability to focus on their own work without other distractions. Others again found the disruption to normal patterns, the lack of social interaction and the need to structure their own time and manage the workload more difficult.

 

However, on the whole our students and families managed to cope with the latest lockdown and were able to continue with their learning. The feedback from teachers during the last period of home schooling suggests that more students were able to engage in the Webex sessions for each class, successfully complete and submit set tasks electronically. As a part of our community I was pleased to see the continued efforts of our teachers and ES staff to support their students with appropriate lessons and learning materials, as well as the continued excellent work of the Wellbeing Team who reached out to many students and families to check in on their situation and provide ongoing support. Providing a supportive environment for all members of our school community is a key part of our new vision.

 

“Resilience” refers to a person’s ability to withstand adversity and bounce back from difficult events. What we also noticed after the return to the classroom was a continuing development of a more resilient attitude in many students. The positive way that most students have returned to school, re-engaged in their lessons and got straight back into focusing on completing their final assessments for the semester was fantastic. It was also pleasing to see the Year 10 and 9 students cope with a rescheduled exam timetable, focus on revision and this week complete their first round of formal exams. Hopefully this may be the last time we need to go into remote learning, but if it does occur again we will be sure to continue to develop our students resilience and provide a supportive learning environment. 

 

 

Paul Donaldson

Associate Principal 

 

What a busy and eventful term it’s been with many improvements underway both next term and into 2022.  It’s been a long term, and I am aware that all the staff and students are looking forward to a well-deserved rest away from the busy life of our school.

 

Over the past term the leadership team, comprising principals and senior teachers, have been working collaboratively together to further understand the importance of providing effective professional development for the staff.  We are working to ensure that all our teachers have the best opportunities to improve their skills.  Much of what has been learned in our professional development sessions, has centered around the effective use of data to inform change, and the impact that inquiry-based and formative assessment has on improving student outcomes.

 

Much of what we do at Fairhills High School, is reflected in an article written by Shaun Killian who has summarised the strategies of educationalists, Robert Marzano and John Hattie.  The article focuses on identifying what all good teachers should do to improve learning outcomes. This information describes the effective teaching and learning practices undertaken by our staff at Fairhills.  Our staff work diligently to: 

  1. Provide a clear Focus that outlines what students need to learn.  Our teachers understand what students need to know; they understand the importance of making the work challenging and relevant to the students’ current knowledge and the lesson goals are shared with students.
     
  2. Offer Explicit Instruction.  Our teachers understand the importance of explicitly teaching students what they need to know and the impact it has on their learning. 
     
  3. Understand the need for students to Engage with subject content across all KLAs.  Our teachers do this by developing their knowledge of effective questioning techniques, ensuring students understand how to undertake effective note taking and how to summarise their lessons.
     
  4. Provide effective Feedback.   Teachers outline students’ strengths and weaknesses and help them to understand how they can improve their learning.
     
  5. Provide students with many Exposures.  This strategy assists students to fully understand the subject content.    Our students rehearse and review their work so they have a solid grounding in the content. 
     
  6. Effectively apply their Knowledge.  Students are taught how to think logically and teachers assist students with guided practice.
     
  7. Work Collaboratively together.  Students work independently and in small groups so they can share their knowledge with their peers.
     
  8. Build Self-Efficacy.  Our students develop their confidence so they can master a given task.  Students understand that self-efficacy influences their success.

So as our new school vision states, we are all:

   

“Inspiring and empowering members of our community to achieve their potential in an inclusive and supportive environment”

 

Teaching and learning is an evolving and a continuous process.  Our staff are committed to developing their skills and providing best practice to improve teaching and learning.   

 

 

Karen Dean

Associate Principal