Year 8 Pastoral Guardian

Welcome to 2021 – a new year with new beginnings to look forward to.  My name is Colleen Goodin, and I am your daughter’s new Pastoral Guardian for their Year 8 journey.  I am looking forward to getting to know the girls and undertaking this journey with them.  I have spent the last six years at Mt St Michael’s College in Ashgrove, working mainly in the Middle School area, specifically in the Maths and Science departments.  I have been teaching for over 30 years and have worked in both primary and secondary schools in Brisbane, New Zealand, and England.  I am excited about being a part of the community here at Mount Alvernia, and have been warmly welcomed.

The start of the year is always hectic as we move back into the daily routines after the long summer holidays.  Professor John Hattie, Professor of Education and Director of the Melbourne Education Research Institute at the University of Melbourne, has undertaken extensive research into what he calls the ‘parent engagement effect’.  His fifteen-year study analysed the impact of parental influence on student achievement and found it added extensively to their overall achievement. 

What this involvement entailed was: setting goals together; displaying enthusiasm for learning; encouraging good study habits; asking questions; valuing experimentation and learning new things; and enjoying reading.  This involvement resulted in greater success in school through better attendance and more completion of homework.  The longer-term benefits included positive attitudes and behaviour, higher graduation rates, increased enrolment in post-secondary education, and greater achievement in life generally.

With this research in mind, here are a few ways to involve yourself in your daughter’s school life this year.  Hopefully they will help to reduce your daughter’s anxiety and deal with the stress she may feel during the school year.

• Be calm, firm in your expectations about your child completing the set work to the best of her ability, and non-controlling.
• Use the Assessment Calendar, ask your child to map out the term’s assessment on the Mount Alvernia Study Planner.  Pin this planner near your child’s workspace.
• Create checklists.  Ticking off tasks is a great motivator and builds self-efficacy.
• Create routines and spaces for work at home.  Set homework/study times; working at the dining room table; additional electronic devices (phone) in another room; monitor screens for distractions.
• Email your child’s teachers for support and clarification of details.
• Ensure healthy eating and sufficient sleep.

We welcome five new students into our Year 8 family this year. They are: Lauren Gates, Jenna Hampson, Bonnie Martin, Amaeh Reed, and Charlotte Holbrook.

I look forward to meeting with you this year.  If you have any questions or worries please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Colleen Goodin