Deputy Principal

Monitoring Progress – Student Dashboards

In the business of the school day and working week, I am mindful of the ways in which we can keep ourselves on track. From a student and parental perspective our learning management system SIMON offers some useful options. Asking your son to display his dashboard provides a great overview. As a parent and student, you can identify the number of tasks which are currently being undertaken and if there are any currently overdue. It is a great resource to the “Have you got any homework?” or “Do you have anything due at the moment?” questions. A quick check of your son’s dashboard will provide quick answers to these questions. 

SIMON: Parent Access Module (PAM)

Continuing with the theme of monitoring progress, PAM provides a great insight into the final product produced in class. With the options to see the work submitted by your son and to read the feedback provided by the teacher. Far too often does the teenage mindset go straight towards the associated mark or grade. Reading the rubric carefully prior to commencing the task but also post submission to see where there were areas of success and growth. Conducting attendance/absentee updates and getting in touch with teachers are also some key features to be utilised within PAM. If you are having any technical issues regarding your access, please get in touch with our Admin staff to reissue login details. 

Maximising our time

With the term quickly getting away from us with our sights becoming drawn to Term 4 and all of the wonderful end of year arrangements, it is a timely reminder, especially for our Senior School students in Years 10-12 to be maximising the time they have remaining in order to finish off strong. Some key takeaways and reminders for our young men include.

• Exam revision and preparation should be occurring now, with the most valuable resource being, class time.

• Communicate with your teachers: Ask, ask and ask some more on how you can improve. 

• Be organised: In class work/tasks, major assessments, key resources should be organised in a manner which makes them accessible to you.

• Routine: After school dedicated time should be structured into your busy week. 

• Ask for help: If you are feeling overwhelmed or struggling, please communicate so we can put things in place to support.

• Focus on the present: Sometimes we can focus too much on what is happening next, without focusing enough on the here and now. Have a focus on staying up to date and on top of your demands that are in front of you now. This will enable you to better prepare for the elements which are around the corner i.e. exams.

Student Leadership

Over recent weeks it has been so pleasing the see the huge uptake in students attending leadership training sessions and ultimately leadership applications and interviews. Whilst not everyone will receive an official leadership role, we require more leaders beyond this process, and I strongly encourage our young men to consider their role within it. 

Some food for thought on what we mean when we use the term student leader.

Leadership is often seen as a title or position — the president of a club, the captain of a team, the class representative. But real leadership is much more than that. It’s about making an impact, about inspiring others, and about serving your community with passion and integrity.

Each of us has the potential to be a leader. Leadership is not reserved for a chosen few — it’s a quality we can all develop through courage, empathy, and commitment. When you choose to lead, you choose to be a role model, a problem solver, and a source of encouragement for others.

I commend our young men for engaging with us during this process.