Director Learning and Teaching

Welcome back to Term Two, I hope all our families were able to enjoy some rest and relaxation together over the break. As I shared in Assembly earlier this week, while Term 1 offers us an opportunity to settle into a new school year, along with new subjects and routines, Term Two allows us to dig deeper into our learning and consolidate our understanding and knowledge. 

I shared three keywords to focus student's thinking about this topic and invited them to consider how they would demonstrate these throughout the term ahead. 

1. Integrity – being accountable and following through with decisions and commitments we have made.
2. Persistence - continuing to do something even though it is difficult. Skill comes only with practice, patience, and persistence. 
3. Curiosity – seeking to learn, know and understand, clarifying misconceptions or new ideas through asking questions of others, particularly our teachers.

I also discussed the nature of learning and reminded students that there is an inherent discomfort in learning something new. Recognising that challenging feeling of discomfort when learning as evidence of the learning taking place, can help students to develop persistence with challenging topics or skills, rather than feeling discouraged. 

Another busy term awaits us and we are also looking forward to many fantastic learning opportunities, in and out of the classroom, with events such as the Year 9 Experience to Melbourne, visits from Orchestra Victoria, and excursions to the National Gallery all taking place this term. As students continue their studies this term, they will also begin preparation for their mid-year exams, which will take place in Week 8.

Our Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews with subject teachers were also held on Wednesday this week, and we hope you found these meetings informative. As always, I reflect on the processes and delivery of these events, and I would encourage you to share any feedback about these interviews with me. You can contact me via email at arobertson@hamiltoncollege.vic.edu.au.

Anna Robertson

Director of Learning and Teaching