ELC and Junior School news
Congratulations to our Parent Association for their wonderful Tavern night a few weeks ago. In my short time at Oakleigh Grammar, I have heard much about ‘our community’ and the gift it can be.
The Tavern night showed me first-hand what it felt like and looked like to be embraced by our school values, our pillars and our roots.
It was the coming together which truly stood out to me. Board members dancing with teachers, teachers dancing with parents, students dancing with their Principal and new friends dancing alongside each other for the first time. As Head of Junior School I speak to prospective parents about our community, it is probably the most asked question for families entering Junior School.
At the Tavern night, we walked the talk, we came together, we loved, we danced, we gave, and we thrived! We were a community that had finally united as one.
I have patiently waited for 3 years for this moment (I probably should have spent that time working on my Greek dancing) my expectations were exceeded. Congratulations Oakleigh Grammar PA, congratulations families, you came together, you shone, and you are a community!
We need to keep this feeling alive, we need to remember the human spirit of joy and kindness. At the end of the day, we all yearn for the same thing: to be respected, to be included and to be welcomed.
Junior School - let’s keep building this.
Shelley Parkes
Head of Junior School
Student-led conferences are an effective and positive framework to introduce, consolidate and build on new levels of personal ownership over learning experiences. We were excited to recommence our Junior School Student-led conferences this term after pausing these with Covid restrictions. The overarching goal of any student-led activity is to encourage students to be active participants in their education. Ultimately, this helps create life-long learners with strong senses of self and community.Inviting students to actively talk through their experiences with learning can have a big impact. In their conferences, students shared strategies for improvement discussed their connection to self-selected pieces of work and highlighted their strengths and progress. These conversations are an opportunity to increase engagement but more importantly, they set the stage for additional growth and excitement!
Self-advocacy is a proven determinant of academic success. Student-led conferences let learners build these skills in a supportive environment. By preparing for the conference with a slow release of scaffolding, our students are learning how to effectively advocate for themselves and to keep growing these skills as they progress through Junior School. Many of our parents commented on the high level of articulation even our youngest students have mastered, whereby they can explain their learning, their academic goals and their steps towards achieving these. From Prep to Year 5, there was a buzz of excitement and a sense of pride as parents were welcomed into classrooms to share in the learning from the perspective of their child.
Sarah Caffrey
Head of Curriculum Junior School