Message from the Principal

Student Learning Conferences: Parents as Key Learning Partners

This term, we are introducing a new approach to our traditional parent-teacher interviews through Student Learning Conferences. These conferences reflect our commitment to placing students at the centre of their learning while strengthening the important partnership between home and school.

Student Learning Conferences are designed to position students, parents, and teachers as key learning partners. Rather than teachers reporting on student progress, students will lead the conversation, sharing their achievements, reflecting on their learning, identifying areas for growth and discussing the goals they have set for the remainder of the year.

In preparation, students will work with their teachers to reflect on four key questions about their learning. During each conference, students will use this preparation to guide a meaningful discussion with their parents and teacher, with teachers providing support, feedback and strategies to help students continue to grow.

For parents and carers, these conferences provide an opportunity to:

gain a deeper understanding of your child's learning journey from their own perspective.
celebrate successes and acknowledge the effort and learning behaviours that contribute to achievement.
engage in open conversations about future learning goals and strategies for improvement; and
strengthen the partnership between home and school by supporting your child to take increasing ownership of their learning.

Research consistently demonstrates that when students actively reflect on their learning and families engage in meaningful conversations about progress and goals, students develop greater confidence, motivation and responsibility for their learning.

Our Student Learning Conference Day will be held on Tuesday 11 August, with conferences scheduled between 10:00am and 5:00pm. To maximise the opportunity for families to participate, the school routine for this day has been adjusted, with no formal classes operating. This variation has been endorsed by the P&C Association and allows students to attend conferences alongside their parent or carer throughout the day.

We have increased both the number of available appointments and the length of each conference. Each interview will run for 12 minutes, followed by a 3-minute transition period to allow families sufficient time to move to their next appointment.

As Semester 1 academic reports were issued later today, families are encouraged to use these reports to identify and prioritise the teachers they wish to meet with. For this first implementation of Student Learning Conferences, Years 7–9 students will prepare reflections for their core subjects, while Senior Secondary students will work with their teachers to determine which subjects will provide the greatest value in reviewing progress, discussing academic goals, and planning the next steps in their learning.

The booking system will operate via Compass and will be open for parents to select interview times with teachers from 2.00pm on Tuesday 21st July. Parents should review the subjects that need to be prioritised with their student across the day. The interviews will be held in our iBlock again on the bottom and middle floors.

A key feature of these conferences is the active involvement of the student. Students are expected to attend each conference in full uniform with their parent or carer and will lead the discussion about their learning. Their preparation and participation are central to the purpose of the conference, enabling students to develop ownership of their learning while fostering productive conversations between home and school.

We look forward to welcoming families on Tuesday 11 August as we launch this important initiative and continue working together to support every student's learning, growth, and success.

Timothy Barraud

Principal