Principal's Report

Dear families,

Last week I attended the Ballarat Diocese’s Leadership Gathering with principals from all other Catholic Primary and Secondary schools. At this gathering, we explored the vast research that demonstrates that family engagement in a student’s learning greatly enhances the outcomes that student attains. Five decades of research in the field attests to the fact that when parents are engaged in their children’s teaching and learning, children do better, stay in school longer, and like school more. With this evidence available to us, it becomes a moral, ethical, relational, and intellectual imperative to act on it. Parental engagement is not the same as parental involvement. Parental involvement in schools may include volunteering at the tuckshop, attending a mother’s day breakfast or spectating at a sports event. This involvement is welcome and creates a connection with the school and is therefore valued, however it is not engagement in the learning program. Engagement might look like asking your child what they learnt in each lesson, drilling down further by asking follow up questions (and not accepting “nothing” as a response). It was suggested parents could hold discussions about topical issues, such as the proposal for “The Voice to Parliament”, and together investigate both sides of an issue. I know some of you already do this. Other ideas might include reading the same text book as your child is reading in English or watching a movie together about the book. Over the next few months I will send more information out as to how parents and teachers can collaborate in our students’ learning. So for today, I ask you to ask your child what they are learning in each subject and consider what input you can contribute to each topic.

Stay safe,

Gerard Raven