Learning and Teaching

It has been a wintery start to Term 3 with the rain and cold temperatures welcoming students and staff back for the start of Semester 2. On Monday this week, staff gathered together for a day of professional learning and preparation for the term ahead. Discussion and collaboration between colleagues from across the school is always a highlight of days like these as we continue to focus on, share and refine our teaching practices to ensure the best possible learning experience for our students. 

It is, however, never quite right without the buzz of young voices and I know all staff were very excited to welcome back students on Tuesday. There was certainly lots of catching up to do after the three-week break. 

In Assembly this week I spoke to the students about the school values of Gratitude and Resilience in approaching their learning over the next term or semester ahead. I shared a short clip from a speech given by Roger Federer at Dartmouth University in the United States. It is well worth watching if you have a moment, as he spoke about his mindset and strategy as a highly successful tennis player. While he covers many life lessons within his speech to these university students, in the clip I shared, Roger spoke about the way in which he focused on each shot as he played it as though it was the most important shot of the match, and then when it was done, it was done, and therefore time to learn from it and focus on the next shot. It was the perfect illustration and reminder to our students to manage the task or learning in front of them at this time. As we begin the new semester, continuing some subjects and starting new ones for others, students will hopefully reflect on their learning from Semester 1 and set goals for this one. The next step then is focusing on the learning in front of them now. If there are things they wish they had done, encourage them to recognise this, be grateful for the learning it has given them and then focus on the steps ahead. In this way they build resilience as learners and see the pathway to individual success and achievement. 

Over the holiday break I had the privilege of reading the Semester 1 reports which were shared with you in the last week of term. It was truly wonderful to read and learn more about the efforts and achievements of them all. In particular I enjoyed reading the student reflections written by our Senior School students, which demonstrated engagement and a strong reflective capacity. If you have not already done so, I would strongly encourage you to sit down and read through these reports with your child/ren. 

Next Wednesday our Parent/Teacher/Student Subject Interviews will take place again online. These interviews are an opportunity to follow up on the Semester 1 Report with subject teachers. You should have received correspondence from me earlier this week with all the key information about booking interviews with your child/ren’s teachers. Please note that as the interviews are a follow-up from the Semester 1 Report, your child/ren’s Semester 1 teachers will be available for interviews. 

Also, a reminder that the submission of Subject Selections via the online portal are due this Friday 19 July for current Year 7-9 students. 

Thank you to the current Year 10 and 11 students for completing their submissions. I know the Subject Interviews for the Year 11’s have already begun and have been very successful. 

For students wishing to change electives for the current semester, there is a 2-week window where this can take place. Please ensure that your child/ren have contacted me via email prior to Friday 16th July so that we can review the change requests and complete the required paperwork for subject changes. A parent signature is required for this to take place. 

As always if you have any questions or need to speak with me, I can be contacted via email at arobertson@hamiltoncollege.vic.edu.au.