Principal's Report

Parents as Partners

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

It has been wonderful to see the great turn out of parents to the various College Care Group, Information, Voyage and 'Out of the Box' evenings in recent weeks.

As partners in the education of your child, we are keen to connect with parents at various functions and meetings, to build relationships with you.  Those of you who are transitioning with your child from the primary to the secondary school setting will find that connections with school can be quite different at secondary school.

In primary schools, parents are very often involved by going into classrooms in the morning, helping with reading or in other ways.  Parents are often available to stay for Chapel or assemblies that often include class presentations. Parent volunteering to help with sports teams, on excursions and other extra- curricular activities make valuable contributions, often enabling different activities to occur that would not always be possible to be provided by staff in the school. Primary school students are also very keen to have parents in their classrooms or at events. I’m sure you can name many other ways that parents help to support learning and to broaden the experiences in the primary years.

In a secondary setting, parents can feel less ’needed’, because many of the activities  like camps, excursions and sports teams offered at the school are staffed by either teachers or support staff. In planning for events, teachers are required to ensure they have adequate staff-to-student ratios, and will generally ensure this ratio is met before offering the activity to students. This is not to say that parents aren’t welcome to assist in any of these activities.  If parents hear of an event they would love to assist with, they are encouraged to contact the organising staff member and let them know – this offer could assist the organisation of the event. Similarly if you have a skill set eg. sports coach, and have the time to train a team, and the flexibility to attend the competition, we would love to utilise your skills.  Already we have parents coaching Year 7 sporting teams, a parent who coached our senior boys’ basketball team and parents who manage our Pedal Prix team.  We have parents who help construct stage sets, do make-up and hair for drama productions, and parents who have coordinated small school bands. Some parents regularly help with transport to events. There are endless possibilities for those who have the time, passion and willingness to help.

If helping in this way is not possible, there are other ways to engage with your child’s education and to support their learning.  While it may not seem like much to you, simple things like attending events or functions your child participates in, coming to Learning Conversation evenings, taking the time to chat with a teacher about issues your child is having in the classroom, or just talking to your child at home about what they are learning, all help to build strong partnerships and strengthen relationships.  Sometimes young adults lose that enthusiasm for having their parents around, and can at times discourage your involvement.  Don’t be swayed by them – if you are interested in what they are doing, get involved in any way that you are able.

Parents that regularly attend events become familiar and comfortable to connect with others in our community.  We look forward to the opportunity to connect with you over the years your child attends Endeavour. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Blessings for the coming weeks

Heather Vogt

Principal

 ‘There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.  There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.’ 1 Corinthians 12:5-6