Assistant Principal's Report

Subject Selection Form Returns

Planning for 2019 is well underway and we are on track for finalizing elective subjects for year 9 – 12 students; however, there are still a few students who have not returned their subject selection form and/or the $100 deposit. If your child has not returned this form yet, can you please have it returned as soon as possible to allow them the best opportunity to get the subjects they want. Any student who has not returned their forms once the options have been finalized, they will be required to select from the available options. If you know that you child/ren will not be attending Scoresby Secondary College next year can you please let the school know via a note.

Student / Parent / Guardian / Teacher Conferences

These conferences are a valuable opportunity for students, families and teachers to reflect on the individual’s learning over the semester so far as well as establish goals and develop strategies to achieve success for the remainder of the semester.

I encourage all families to attend these days and find out specific information about how your child is progressing so far. This allows families to be proactive with future learning and be able to continue to work with your child’s teachers to ensure your child makes the most of their learning opportunities.

When considering the information at the conference I would strongly advise that in discussions with your child you consider a growth mindset – people with a growth mindset appreciate anyone can build themselves into anything they want to be. They recognise that people aren’t ‘smart’ or ‘dumb’, that there are no talented geniuses; only hard-working people who have chosen to take their abilities to the next level. We encourage students to have a

8 tips for promoting a growth mindset:

1. Help children understand that the brain works like a muscle that can only grow through hard work, determination, and lots and lots of practice.

2. Don’t tell students they are smart, gifted, or talented, since this implies that they were born with the knowledge, and does not encourage effort and growth.

3. Let children know when they demonstrate a growth mindset.

4. Praise the process. It’s effort, hard work, and practice that allow children to achieve their true potential.

5. Don’t praise the results. Test scores and rigid ways of measuring learning and knowledge limit the growth that would otherwise be tapped.

6. Embrace failures and ‘missteps’. Children sometimes learn the most when they fail. Let them know that mistakes are a big part of the learning process. There is nothing like the feeling of struggling through a very difficult problem, only to finally break through and solve it! The harder the problem, the more satisfying it is to find the solution.

7. Encourage participation and collaborative group learning. Children learn best when they are immersed in a topic and allowed to discuss and advance with their peers.

8. Encourage competency-based learning. Get kids excited about subject matter by explaining why it is important and how it will help them in the future. The goal should never be to get the ‘correct’ answer, but to understand the topic at a fundamental, deep level, and want to learn more.

Mr. Chris Knight

Assistant Principal