"The highest reward for a man's toil is not what he gets for it but what he becomes by it."
John Ruskin (1819-1900)
English Writer and art critic
We are finally at the end of Term and judging from the sniffles and sickness it is probably time for a break. The boys and teachers have put in a tremendous amount of effort this term and not a quiet day has gone past in the past 9 weeks.
Registration is now behind us and I am pleased to say we passed with flying colours! This week we are working on the Annual Report which will be published on Friday. The government certainly likes us to keep up to date with reports!
This week are were upskilling our Year 2 – 5 Basketball players in preparation for Term 4 and 2020 sport. 2 x 3 hour training sessions over 2 days with the City of Sydney Basketball Association will certainly help them and the teachers be game ready for Term 4 and prepare Year 2 for their introduction to Saturday Sport in 2020. There are a wealth of holiday basketball camps taking place (see further on in the Chronicle) and I encourage you to send your son along if he shows an interest or is playing currently and could do with some more practice.
School reports will go out early next week and be published on the Parent Portal . Please ensure you have portal access prior to this taking place. If not, email the office by Friday and your password will be resent.
I wish you all a happy and restful holiday!
John Dicks
Principal
Reading your child’s report: Some tips from Parenting Ideas.
Reports can mean anxious times for children. Will my parents be disappointed or proud? This is the main concern of most children.
Could try harder . . . always does his best . . . lacks concentration . . . easily distracted . . . a pleasure to teach . . .
Do these comments, taken from a batch of student reports sound familiar? Student reports bring mixed feelings for parents. Pleasure and pride if they are performing well but considerable angst when children are not progressing as you hoped.
Reports can mean anxious times for children too. Will my parents be disappointed or proud? This is the main concern of most children. Children of all ages take their cues from their parents, so your reaction to their school report can affect the way they see themselves as learners and as people.
Before you open the link to the report, do a little self-check to see if you are in the right frame of mind:
1. Are your expectations for your son or daughter realistic and in line with their ability?
Expectations are tricky. If they are too high then children can be turned off learning. Too low and there is nothing to strive for. Pitch your expectations in line with your child’s abilities. A quick check of your child’s last report card may provide you with a good yardstick.
2. Do you believe that children learn at different rates?
There are slow bloomers, late developers and steady-as-you-go children in every classroom, so avoid comparing your child to siblings, your friends’ children and even yourself when you were a child. Instead look for individual progress.
3. Are you willing to safeguard your child’s self-esteem rather than deflate it?
Self-confidence is a pre-requisite for learning, so be prepared to be as positive and encouraging as possible.
Here are some ideas to consider when you open your child’s report:
Focus on strengths. Do you look for strengths or weaknesses first? The challenge is to focus on strengths even if they are not in the traditional 3Rs or core subjects.
Take into account your child’s effort and attitude to learning. If the report indicates that effort is below standard, then you have something to work on. If your child is putting in the required effort, then you cannot ask any more than that, regardless of the grading.
Broaden your focus away from academic performance to form a picture of your child’s progress as a member of a social setting. How your child gets along with his or her peers will influence his happiness and well-being, as well as give an indicator to his future. The skills of independence and co-operation are highly valued by employers, so don’t dismiss these as unimportant.
Discuss the report with your child, talking about strengths first before looking at areas that need improvement. Ask for their opinion about how they performed and discuss their concerns.
After reports are read and discussed, celebrate your child’s efforts with a special activity or treat. In this way you will recognise progress and remind them that the holidays are just around the corner when they can forget about assessments, tests and reports for a while.
