Teaching and Learning
It's a masterpiece I say
They will cheer every word, every letter
I wish I felt that way
I believe I can put it better
‘The Egg’ by Sherman Edwards from ‘1776’
Feedback
In terms of my introductory quote, while Year 7-10 students are nearing the end of their courses for the year, our new HSC students who commenced in Term 4 (Year 12 in 2020) have assessment tasks in most courses in the next few weeks. It is important for students to aim for a “masterpiece” by seeking feedback from their teachers to maximise their marks, as these marks count towards the 2020 HSC.
Reading at Home
In 2020, all NSW public schools will take part in a process to strengthen their school targets. One of the areas of focus is reading. I will soon send home information on ways to make reading a priority in the family home by purchasing inexpensive book bundles to increase the availability of books in your home.
One study suggests that a student will perform one and half grades better if there are 75 books in the family home compared with none. As a parent, make sure you prioritise reading time and you lead this activity in the family home to model the importance of reading for your children.
HSC Results and ATARS
A reminder that HSC results are being released earlier than normal this year. HSC results will be available on Tuesday, 17 December 2019 and ATARs will be released later that day at 1pm.
Attendance
I was recently provided with this breakdown of statistics for a hypothetical student with 90% attendance:
- There are 200 school days each year
- There are 13 years of school education
- Therefore, there are 2600 school days in total (200 x 13)
- 90% attendance means a student would attend 2340 out of 2600 days
- 90% attendance means 260 days or 1.3 years of education would be missed!
We will have a renewed focus on attendance in 2020 with the shared understanding that attendance is critical to a student’s education and that every day counts.
Homework
I sent a letter to parents in June 2019 about homework expectations. It is important to remember that high school students need to have the basics in place as this establishes a firm foundation for learning. For example, timetables are assumed knowledge for high school students and the following chart can be used to reinforce multiplication/division facts:
Spelling and vocabulary is also very important. The following website contains spelling lists with online quizzes. The Grade 6 and Advanced lists are appropriate for high school students. The website contains printable worksheets which can be used at home.
Smiling Mind
I regularly come across research on the benefits of mindfulness as a way for young people and adults to stop, reflect and reset. Our school is currently exploring some resources to support our students in this area and we are starting a partnership with the Smiling Mind organisation. There is a useful app that can be downloaded with free 10 minute daily activities using mindfulness.
Parenting Resource
The schooltv.me website contains a wealth of parenting information covering numerous topics and this month’s focus is resilience. It is a very useful resource that is worth accessing.
Our talented students
Thank you to our wonderful staff members who are dedicating their time and effort to ensure a successful Showcase Event for 2019. Join us and enjoy an evening of performing arts brought to you by our talented students. Tickets available for purchase now.
P&C Meetings
Our next P&C meeting will be held at 6:30pm on Monday, 2 December 2019. There will be a repeat session at 9:30am on Thursday, 5 December 2019.
I look forward to continuing to work with the staff, students and parents of Cecil Hills High School, the best school in NSW.
Mark Sutton, Principal