We are into Week 4 of Term 1 and the realities of school life are starting to become apparent. It is important that we take stock of the first few weeks of the year. How is your child handling the changes thrust upon them? There are a number of students new to the College; starting at a new school has its ups and downs. The Year 7 classes have been taken from a one teacher home room model to multiple teachers in multiple locations. How are these students coping? Take some time to talk with your child and gauge their levels of comfort and concern.

It is amazing how technology has swept through the College. The role out of the 1 to 1 laptop program has been a great success. Have a discussion with your child about the use of technology in the class room. Check out the learning platform CANVAS; students have a digital classroom that they can take anywhere. Congratulations to our staff some of whom have created extraordinary resources for students in a relatively compact time frame.

I am enjoying my interactions with both students and parents within the College and out in the community. The feedback being delivered is helping to inform our actions into the future. It is vitally important for us to take the opportunity to have discussions which create the development of a positive growth mindset. Our perception of a problem is the start of finding a solution. If we continue to create open lines of communication, we will find ourselves developing a solutions-based culture.

Spending time visiting class rooms has been very rewarding. The introduction of Visible Learning strategies is gaining momentum. The basis of this way of working is in giving students clear understanding of the work they are to undertake and how they will know if they have had success. Our aim is for students to be able to answer the following questions. Try these when you ask that age old question, “what did you do at school today?”

• What are you learning at the moment in _______________? (select a subject)
• How well are you doing?
• How do you know?
• How can you improve?
• Where do you go for help?

It is our aim that all students will be able to develop this conversation with out hesitation. I am really hoping they don’t replay with the age old answer, “nothing.”

Congratulations to all the students involved in co-curricular activities at the moment. A special mention to our Laura Geitz netballers who finished 2^nd in their division last Sunday. Thanks to Mrs O’Brien and Ms O’Reilly for their efforts on the day and for Miss Crow’s work with the girls leading up to the carnival.

Check out some of images of our Middle Years students engaged in their learning including Year 5 students reading their novel, 'Deltora Quest' and some of the inspirational messages from Mrs Carter's Year 5 students to the people of North Queensland who were ravaged by the recent floods.

I’m looking forward to Week 5; I am hoping, so are you.

Steve Gillespie

Acting Assistant Principal Middle Years