Teaching and Learning

Safe And Friendly Environment

In my new role, as Acting Assistant Principal: Teaching and Learning, I'd like to extend a warm welcome to all our 2018 returning and new students and their families. 

The first week of school is already over and students across the school have all been energetically engaged in start-up programs designed to encourage students to behave and think like 21st century learners.

A big focus has been on establishing a safe and friendly environment:

• Getting to know others in the class by interacting with them in some fun and tricky taster learning tasks

• Developing learning schedules and practicing daily organisational routines

• Co-creating classroom rules and guidelines that reflect the schoolwide positive behaviour support values of being safe, respectful, responsible and being a learner.

Start Up Programs

Our start up programs will continue for the next two weeks before the more formal learning programs are firmly initiated. In this time teachers are getting to know your children and young adults as learners, they are using formal and informal assessment tools to gather reliable data and develop draft Student Learning Plans (SLPs).  Assessment for learning is critical for planning to meet the needs of your child.  Section planning teams combine to use this data to further collaborate on a wide range of optimal learning strategies.

At the ‘Meet the teacher Night’  this week, you will find out more about what the programs look like and how you and your child can engage in the learning partnership.

In the last week of term 1 (starting Mar 26th) the SLPs will be sent home and parents and carers will have an opportunity to attend a Student Support Group (SSG) meeting with class teachers. In this meeting you will have up to ten minutes to discuss the key learning goals and reflect together on how we can support your child to be successful.

This year, our secondary students will participate in 3-Way conferences at our SSG meetings.  3-Way Conference means that the student is part of the interview process, so they can celebrate their learning with you and their teacher

This is an exciting change to the traditional interview process. This new initiative aims to improve student engagement in the reporting and assessment process and is strongly supported by our school council. The 3-Way interviews involve your child as a key, active member of the interview and enable them to demonstrate understanding of their learning.  As parents you can ask questions, express ideas and help make plans to support your child’s learning at home. Teachers will support students and parents by clarifying, elaborating and responding to specific questions and concerns. Over the next month secondary students will explore their personal learning strengths and weaknesses and will co-construct appropriate learning goals and contribute to the SLPs.  I look forward to meeting you all at the BBQ at ‘Meet the Teacher Night’. 

Helen Edmonds

Acting Assistant Principal