From the Deputies

Year 7 and 8 Space and Time Events

Monday and Tuesday night of Week 10 at Mazenod kicked off with our Year 8 Fathers and Sons and Year 7 Mothers and Sons "Time and Space" events.

These were an opportunity for our community of young men in Year 8 and Year 7 to come together and spend time with the significant male and female mentors in their lives, and be given the Time and Space to engage in conversation about their experience during the sometimes difficult period of early high school with other parents and students.

We were fortunate to have fantastic investment and attendance from our parent and student community in this annual event and we look forward to continuing to offer opportunities for our community to engage in meaningful and productive work in the wellbeing space. 

Many thanks must go to Lisa and Bill Jennings from Time and Space for facilitating the events, their work in this space is both profound and powerful.

Sam Dawson

Deputy Principal (Students)

Interim Reports

By now you will have received your interim reports and I wanted to make a short comment on them. These reports should generate rich conversation at home and it is important that you discuss them with your son.

Firstly, this is important because the language and support for the learning process sets the tone for students at the home for what they then bring into the classroom. The same is true for homework but also conversations about learning generally. Conversations should emphasise the value of application and purpose in learning as well as the celebration of growth. When a student reviews a report with you our messages should resonate at home and in the classroom. These questions for a learner are good starting points – what have I been learning? How am I going? How do I know? How do I improve? Where can I go for help? A student should be focused on personal excellence that bridges the gap from what that know to don’t know. It is bridging this gap where learning happens. A focus on this growth, and maximizing it, that leads to ongoing academic performance. The value you put into that process, visibly with encouragement and understanding, is vital.

Secondly, these reports are a snapshot of progress. You will see a notional academic progress indicator that gives us a glimpse of progress based on limited assessments to date and the expert opinion of the teacher.  We see this as a good touchpoint for considering whether your son is meeting that metric of personal excellence but also a very early indicator about meeting or exceeding the achievement standards of each year. I really encourage you to also talk about the indicators of behaviour and engagement. We want students behaving productively and helpfully in the class. It is a hurdle to their own learning and that of others if they are not. Another useful set of questions for that conversation: How productive have you been in the class? How helpful have you been to the learning of others? We have implemented The Productive Classroom this year, that provides guidance to the classroom community, about what helpful and respectful behaviours look like and what unhelpful behaviours look like. You’ll see this guide attached to this page and linked in SEQTA. We want students to be a positive and supportive influence on others. This must come from a place of respect to the teachers and peers and so much of the impetuous for that comes from those rich and supportive conversations you have about learning and the need for helpful behaviours in the classroom.

Parent Teacher Interviews

You will also see an indictor requesting interviews. I strongly suggest if a meeting has been requested you should book one. If you have concerns or would like to have a general check in, please also book an interview. They can be useful to foster those conversations at home, whether it is about a need to improve the application of personal excellence, learning needs, or a celebration of all those wins that accumulate through a term. 

You will have received our correspondence about booking an interview on the same day as getting your report. If you haven’t please contact our College administration. A reminder that bookings occur through Booked, formally PTO. The interviews will be online, via Zoom, to accommodate the gym use for School of Rock (tickets on sale now too!). Details will be supplied once bookings close.

Have a safe and restful holidays.

Michael Anderson

Deputy Principal (Teaching and Learning)