From the Director of Primary

Top 5 questions parents can ask their children

Significant educational research states that one of the largest positive impacts on student outcomes are parents and carers.  This does not merely apply to early years which is without question a time of enormous growth – 90% of brain development occurs before the age of 5 years!  John Hattie suggests that the effect size of effective teachers is complemented by the effect size of engaged parents and carers.  On this note, I encourage parents to view the feedback provided to students online.  Furthermore, questions that you may like to consider are:

1. What did you learn today? How do you know?
2. What was the learning challenge you worked on today? What did you learn from it?
3. What feedback did you get from your teachers today and how did you use it?
4. How did you go about your learning today?
5. Did you make progress in your learning today? How do you know?

In the final week of the term, the students’ Mid-Year Reports will be released with Learning Conferences scheduled for the beginning of Term 3.

Remember: Premier's Reading Challenge

We are approaching the end of the Premier’s Reading Challenge and we hope that the students have been enthusiastic readers.  In the final week of term, students will be required to return their reading logs.  They may also like to complete a book review on the Premier’s Reading Challenge website.  Year 6 student, Eloise Hodgman recently received a book voucher for her review of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.   (https://premiersreadingchallenge.tas.gov.au)   

Woolworths Earn and Learn

Thank you to our families for the support given to Woolworths Earn & Learn promotion which concludes on Tuesday 25 June.  A huge number of Earn & learn stickers have been received at the College Office and as a result, the College will be able to purchase multiple resources from Modern Teaching Aids.  

Gratitude

During the past fortnight the Years 5 and 6 Leaders have encouraged students to express their gratitude for the people or opportunities in their lives.  The word ‘gratitude’ comes from the Latin word gratus, meaning pleasing or thankful. 

Positive psychology research has found neurological reasons why so many people can benefit from expressing thanks for our lives, even in times of challenge and change.  I encourage you to view the students’ Gratitude Tree in the yard and once again, thank the students for leading this initiative. 

ICAS (International Competitions and Assessments for Schools)

The ICAS Assessments series is designed to assess students’ ability to apply classroom learning in new contexts, suing higher order thinking and problem solving skills. These assessments provide a wealth of information about our students’ understanding and abilities as well as providing teachers with information to ask questions about curriculum, pedagogy and assessment practices.  In doing so, we are continually encouraged to pose the essential questions in relation to students’ learning – Where am I going? Where am I now? What strategies are required to move forward?

This year the ICAS Assessments are scheduled for Term 3. Next week, students will be invited to register online for the following assessments.

Caroline Wilson-Haffenden

Director of Primary