How wonderful was it to see all our Early Years students begin the term so enthusiastically? The sight of FULL classrooms was a joy, and students were extremely keen to get back into the routines and learnings of the classroom. In fact, most students were ready to start the day prior to the bell actually ringing!

This week, all Early Years families will have received an email informing you of the new dates and booking instructions for the rescheduled Student-Led Conferences, which will now take place on Wednesday 4 May and Thursday 5 May. Students are to attend with parents as they will lead the discussion around:

• What they are learning
• How they are going
• What they need to do next

Students will prepare for these conferences in the same manner as they prepare their learning in the early years – by answering the dot points above. This is a wonderful opportunity for them to share this with you in a powerful and meaningful way.

How will this work?

• Students will attend with parent/carer and take a lead role in the conference setting
• Teachers will support the students throughout the process as needed
• Students will share with you what they are currently learning
• This will look different from Prep through to Year 4 and may include showing you how they learn with concrete materials, a work sample to discuss, a focus on a particular subject area, or a personal-social goal they are working on.

What do I need to do to support my child?

• Book a time through Parent Portal (Sentral for Parents). Bookings will open on Friday 22 April and will close at 6:00pm on Tuesday 3 May.
• Let your child know you are an interested participant in the Student Led Conference – it is a very important time for them and impacts positively on their learning!
• Discuss the conference at home in the days leading up to the actual conference date
• Come – with your child 5 minutes prior to the actual conference time
• Listen – Your child will do a lot of talking
• Prompt to support your child if necessary – your child’s teacher may have prompt cards to help you with this. Some ideas for prompts are included at the end of this letter.
• Enjoy the opportunity to see your child in his/her learning environment
• Celebrate your child’s progress to date

Important things to remember

Your child will run this conference—not you, not the teacher. As part of their regular learning, all students have been putting considerable time and energy into reflecting on their learning and preparing for this. If you cannot attend, please arrange for another significant adult in your child’s life to come to the conference.

The conference is about learning, not behaviour or social issues. If you wish to speak to the teacher privately, please make an appointment for a different time.

I look forward to seeing many of our families on Friday at the Cross Country!

Possible Prompts for Parents to use during Student-Led Conferences

• What were you learning to do with these sound cards/piece of work?
• What were the steps you went through to learn this?
• How can you make it even better next time?
• What helped you to learn this?
• What do you need to learn next?
• What are you most proud of? Why?
• Which area of learning do you find easiest? Why?
• Which area of learning do you find trickiest? Why?
• What do you do when you don’t know what to do next?
• What happens when you are in the learning pit?
• What could we do together to help you with this learning?

Katrina Walton

Assistant Principal Early Years