From the Head of Teaching and Learning

As we embark on Week 4 of the academic year at Pittwater House, the familiar pace of the school week and the regular routines that accompany it, is evident for both our students and our colleagues, as we commit to an EXCELLENT year of HEROIC learning. We welcomed twenty-two new teachers to join our dynamic community, and it is apparent that they have settled into their new school, feeling welcomed by their colleagues, and forging positive relationships with our wonderful students. No doubt over the coming weeks and months, you as parents and carers, will have many opportunities to meet our new staff and forge reciprocal relationships of trust and openness, as you partner with them in your child’s learning journey. A new school year is always approached with optimism and this year we are very optimistic about the continued growth of our school, both in student number and in academic strength. 

‘For last year's words belong to last year's language.

And next year's words await another voice.’― T.S. Eliot

The above quote is pertinent to both my own professional affection for TS Eliot (a modernist poet and essayist) and as a precursor to introduce our school goals. This year we are focussing on the Deep Learning competencies of collaboration and communication as a whole school COMMUNITY. We know that words have the power to both affect change and cause destruction, depending on how they are used. More than ever, we believe it is apparent for young people to be aware of the importance of communicating positively to develop critical thinking skills and enjoy a sense of belonging, in our rapidly evolving world. We are wise of the importance of effective communication between teachers and students, to foster a culture of trust and rapport. Positive teacher-student connections are associated with higher levels of student involvement, motivation, and academic accomplishment. Student-student connections based on inclusivity and shared passions and ideas, promote happy learners. With all this in mind and with a determination to continue enriching our academic culture, we have set our School Goals for 2024 high: ‘inclusivity and acceptance of diversity’ and ‘explicit literacy/numeracy strategies’. 

As an extension of ‘HEROIC Habits’ (learning dispositions) introduced in 2023 to engage our students in learning, we have launched ‘HEROIC Heights’ for 2024 as a direct action of our school goal: ‘explicit literacy/numeracy strategies’. Each subject/class will allocate 1-2 episodes of rapid writing (15 mins) per fortnight, directly targeted to ensure each student from Kindergarten to Year 12, reaches new ‘heights’ in literacy/numeracy, essential for success in Pittwater House learning, NAPLAN and the HSC. As we focus on literacy and numeracy this year, we too are deliberately finding focussed opportunities to blend our pedagogies, to ensure our HEROIC learners can both embrace powerful learning technology, yet also move away from the screens at times, to write and create. Our Mobile Phone Policy continues to evolve and adapt to ensure focussed learning, whilst meeting the needs of our students as they grow older.  Current research is compelling: Researchers from the University of Texas in Austin found a 10% decline in cognitive performance when a smartphone was in close proximity. The researchers suggested, ‘The mere presence of a smartphone reduces brain power, even if it’s turned over and even if it’s off.’ Researchers refer to this as “smartphone-induced ‘brain drain’”, whereby having your phone on your desk had a small but statistically significant impairment on individuals’ cognitive capacity. Simply, a part of your brain is concentrating on ‘not looking/checking your phone’ and therefore that part of your brain can’t focus on learning. I encourage you to have an open conversation with your child about their home study space and the proximity of their smartphones to encourage your child to adopt similar strategies to combat ‘brain drain’ as the ones we offer our students at school; by placing the phone on screen limit, on grayscale or better still, outside the room. 

The Year 11 Retreat last week was a wonderful opportunity to set the tone in the pursuit of excellence for our Stage 6 learners as they transition to a Stage where greater focus on self-regulation will be critical for their HSC journey. The Heads of Department and Mrs Katie Thomas (our Head of College) and I led a series of workshops aimed at ensuring our Stage 6 learners realise the success they aspire to achieve. The workshops were entitled; ‘Ace Your Assessment’, ‘Meet your Markers’, ‘Secrets of the Syllabus’ and ‘To Scroll or not to Scroll’; a new workshop designed to present the research on the effects of mobile phones as distractions to study, sleep, and brain activity, whilst calling upon their maturity as Stage 6 students to discern the right path forward with regards to their own self- regulation.

A letter went out to all parents and carers in Week 1 to detail our HEROIC Learning model, outline our school-wide goals and unpack our Class Construction model for 2024. Emphasis was placed on our clustered approach to our learning environment, that places our students in classes based on their demonstrated levels of ability, their learning dispositions as well as their socio-emotional needs. Many hours were devoted to the class construction process K-12, using both external and internal data sources and of course teacher feedback in the closing months of the 2023 academic year, as discerning each child’s class placement is multifaceted with many careful considerations to apply.  Please continue to inform me about your child’s learning, especially as your child continues to navigate the start of the year ‘settling in’ period. I am looking forward to an opportunity at the start of Term 2, to survey parents and carers on our academic approach and our approach to the promotion of well-roundedness in learning. At Pittwater House we value above all else, our partnership with you, as we collaborate to nurture and promote your child’s talents at the ‘School for HEROIC learners.’ In 2024, I look forward to continuing to celebrate with you, all that is HEROIC about your child and their learning.