FROM THE DEPUTY HEAD OF COLLEGE, PATRICK BRENNAN
Winter Uniform
Just a reminder that boys will be required to wear the College blazer and tie, to and from the College, during terms two and three. As was the case last year, boys failing to do this will be placed on a Saturday detention.
The College has high expectations of our students whilst in public, particularly when travelling to and from school on public transport. The positive message we give to the public though our uniform and grooming is another extension of the ongoing cultural change we are seeing at the College.
Boys not in full winter uniform require a uniform pass from their Head of House prior to the start of the day.
Making the most of Parent/Teacher Interviews
Monday 9 April 2018, 8.30am to 6.30pm, Br J P Lacey Gymnasium
Monday sees the first major opportunity for all Year 7 to Year 11 parents to meet with their son’s teachers to discuss their academic progress in 2018.
The expectation is that students attend these meetings with their parents in their full summer uniform. Year 12 students have a study day on Monday and are not required to attend the meetings. The College Library will be available for Year 12 students during school hours if they wish to use this resource. No uniform is required for Year 12 students on this day.
Research shows that parents have a significant impact on their children’s educational achievements. The value of events such as Monday cannot be underestimated.
In fact, parental engagement overrides all other factors that have been shown to influence a child’s achievement. It is therefore critical that teachers and parents develop effective relationships to bridge student learning between home and school.
There are many opportunities for parents and teachers to communicate at Waverley College. While face-to-face contact is ideal, there are myriad other platforms that are used to send messages and share information including email, phone, Team App, Schoolbag, Twitter (@waverleycollege), Facebook and the Nurrunga newsletter.
There is no better communication tool however, according to the research than parent/teacher interviews. Waverley College strives to make parents feel welcome to visit the school and facilitate discussions. In 2016 the College identified the need for greater flexibly in parent/teacher interview time so the decision was made to allocate an entire day to this important event in the College calendar giving parents greater flexibility with regards when they attend. Numbers of parents attending these interviews significantly increased ensuring the structure would remain in 2018.
Parents are encouraged to take the lead of the ten-minute time slot and bring up issues they’d like to discuss. Teachers will then work through relevant affirmations and areas of improvement and subsequent strategies appropriate to the needs of your son. Yours son’s teacher will be armed with some very specific feedback of his performance thus far in 2018.
I would encourage all parents to take notes of their meeting, particularly when discussing strategies for your son. Parents can then refer back to these strategies with their son weeks and months late.
I, like all of the Waverley College staff, look forward to meeting with many of you on Monday.
