READING YOUR CHILD’S SEMESTER ONE REPORT

Semester One Academic Reports were sent out to families via COMPASS yesterday, Wednesday 25th June.

Before reading your child's report we invite you to take a couple of minutes to watch the clip below from Michael Grose who is founder of Parenting Ideas and one of Australia’s leading parenting educators.

https://youtu.be/QQcsjQTyhs8

Michael says that the last report may be used as a benchmark. This is true not necessarily to compare the grades from previous reports (remember they are a point in time report) but rather the broad view of the report - specifically: socially, attitudes to learning and behaviour.

Be mindful that your child will operate differently to his/her siblings or friends. It is important to take a broad view of learning - not all learning is academic and your child’s commitment to their learning is extremely important to their success.

When giving feedback to your child try to ensure that they take on some of the responsibility of learning. You can’t learn for them, and neither can their teacher/s.

So:

• Be mindful of their confidence levels.
• Be honest with them and positive about what they have achieved.
• Be constructive - make plans with them about their improvement. Ask them where they feel they need to improve. They will surprise you!
• Be inclusive: make sure they are involved in the conversation. Children need to be challenged in their learning but with high support.

Your child’s achievement for each key learning area is reported using a five-point scale (Elementary, Basic, Sound, Thorough, Extensive).

The five-point scale lets teachers report student academic achievements at any point in time using clear standards. The teachers have made a professional on-balance judgement to decide which grade best matches the standards your child has achieved, based on assessment information they have collected.

An on-balance judgement does not just focus on a single piece of work.

The standards have two important components. These can be thought of in terms of what students are expected to learn and how well they have achieved.

The outcomes state what students at each stage are expected to learn. The five-point scale describes how well students achieve.

What is the five-point scale?

The five-point scale summarises the standard (or quality) of achievement associated with each scale. The scale describes:

• the depth of knowledge and understanding and
• the range of skills that students working at that standard typically show.

Your child will get the achievement scale that best matches the standard of their achievement. Teachers are not limited to set numbers of each scale within their class or school.

Scales are one aspect of school reporting to parents. Other important tools include:

• teacher comments and feedback
• parent-teacher interviews
• information about student effort and application
• the work samples and
• the scale descriptors

Making Progress During a Grade -

If a student receives the same scale for two consecutive reports, they have made progress.

Between the two reporting periods, the student will have learned new knowledge and skills of a more advanced nature. To receive an ‘Sound’ on the second occasion the student has a sound knowledge and understanding of the main areas of content and has achieved an adequate level of competence in the processes and skills in relation to this new and more challenging material.

Attendance at Parent/Teacher Interviews - Week 10 -

The half yearly reports do not have a general comment. This is consistent with all schools across the Wollongong diocese. However, what is equally beneficial is the opportunity for you to meet with your child’s classroom teacher and it is an important part of the half yearly reporting process.

Parent/Teacher Interviews provide an important opportunity for teachers, students, and parents to acknowledge student progress and achievement and discuss some clear steps forward for future growth.

Following are some tips offered by Michael Grose – Australia’s leading parenting educator - to help make the interview a successful experience for everyone involved:

Prepare well.

Before the meeting, list any questions that you want to raise. Writing information down in advance ensures that your point of view is expressed, and that critical information is covered. You may also like to take some notes during the meeting so that vital information isn’t missed.

Stay solution focused.

When your child’s learning challenges are discussed, it can be difficult not to become defensive or sceptical however, it is important to stay open-minded.

Try to view the information shared as an opportunity to discuss your child’s strengths and needs as well as any further support required.

Trust the teacher

Teachers view your child through a different lens than you and their conclusions and solutions can seem at odds with your own views. At these times, you need to trust the professionalism of your child’s teacher who has more than likely experienced these same challenges before.

Ask what you can do.

Show your commitment to supporting your child’s progress by asking about ways you can best support your child at home.

Information on how to book your appointment online has been posted on Compass.

These parent interviews will remain open via COMPASS until this afternoon, Thursday 26th June. If you need assistance making these bookings, please contact the school office. Thank you for prioritising this time to meet with your child’s teacher.

Students from Years Five and Six are invited to be part of these meetings.

Tell Them from Me (TTFM) Survey Results 

We have received the results of the Tell Them from Me (TTFM) Survey. We look forward to sharing some of this valuable feedback from our students and parents via the school newsletter next term. This will provide an opportunity to share the survey results and engage in further dialogue on school improvement, with our parent community.

Thank you for taking the time to respond to this survey.

THANK YOU AND FAREWELL

Next week will be the final week for Samantha Holowczak from Camp Australia. Sam has been in her current role at OLHC for the past nine years. During this time, Sam has always been supportive of school events and initiatives. This includes attending assemblies, Whole School Masses, and open classrooms.

Sam has been a wonderful asset to our school community, by building positive relationships with the students and their families who attend Camp Australia. Sam’s positive attitude and support of the students at Camp Australia will be greatly missed.

We wish Sam all the best for the future as she begins an exciting new chapter at another school setting.

ICAS REMINDER - Year 5 & 6