Learning & 

Teaching

Setting Routines and Expectations at School and Home.

Welcome back to our 2024 learning year! Each year at St Joseph’s we begin the year with our Start-Up program. This program runs for the first 2 weeks of the year and is designed to help students feel safe and confident in their new classes. A big part of our program is the lessons designed to support students to co-create, understand, and follow our learning routines and expectations. When students feel confident with their routines and understand the expectations for learning they are less distracted and feel safe to explore new learning opportunities. 

This is the same for learning at home. A key part of students retaining the learning is ongoing practise and exposure to the concepts they learn. When students engage in repeated practise at school and home they are more likely to establish the foundational skills and be able to apply them in more complex situations. As stated in our Home Learning Policy, there is an expectation that students complete some home learning each night. Like school, it is important to establish clear routines and expectations for this to be successful. 

Some tips for establishing successful Home Learning:

Get into a Routine - This will be unique for each family and student and should include consistent structures and times.

Choose the right time - This should be a time that suits both the students and parents to be focused on learning together. It is also a good idea to set a timer so the length of time remains consistent.

Make a space - Making a space for home learning will allow children to have all of the equipment they need and limit distractions.

Be interested and positive - Home Learning should not be a battle and should only be a practise of skills that your child has already learned. Praising their effort and showing interest in their learning can model the home/school partnership and encourage lifelong learning. 

Don’t Give the Answers - While it can be hard to watch your child struggle, giving them the answers can hinder the development of key skills for learning, such as problem solving, resilience and persistence. 

Ask the Teacher - If your child is struggling with their home learning, speak to their teacher. They are always happy to have a chat and make a plan that will support you and your child.

Teachers will share our home learning policy and expectations for your child in the next week. They will also continue to add learning to our Home Learning Portal each week. Here you will find timetables of your child's week at school, as well as activities that students will be learning in class. This will also allow students to keep learning if they are absent due to illness, holidays or other reasons. 

Home Learning Portal!

Please click on the link below to visit your child’s Home Leaning Page to stay up to date with their learning.