Principal Report
Dear Parents, Teachers and Students,
Parent Teacher Interviews and Reports
Reports and Parent-Teacher Interviews are a vital way to provide parents with specific information about their child’s achievement and progress. In response to the changed learning circumstances in Term 1 and Term 2, the timeline for and processes of reporting for Semester 1 have been modified. Parent-Teacher Interviews will be held in Week 8 and reports will be sent home on the last day of term.
Parent-Teacher Interviews will be held on Monday 15 June, 3:30pm to 5:30pm, Tuesday 16 June, 3:30pm to 5:30pm and Wednesday 17 June, 3:30pm to 6:30pm.
Interviews will be 15 minutes duration and, to maintain appropriate social-distancing, will be held in classrooms. All family members attending will be required to sanitise their hands when entering the classroom. No-one who is unwell or exhibiting symptoms of respiratory illness should attend an interview; we will be happy to reschedule if this is the case.
Interviews will, as usual, be an opportunity to discuss the individual achievements and progress of students and set learning goals for further development. In recognition of the significant efforts of many families to support their child’s remote learning, prior to reports being finalised interviews will also, if appropriate, be an opportunity to provide teachers with valuable insights into your child’s successes, challenges and overall engagement with learning from home.
Bookings will be open from 8am on Tuesday 9 June, Week 7, via SZapp and the school website. You will not be provided with any login details from the school; each family will need to create their own account using a valid email address. Alternatively, parents can contact the school office to make a booking.
The Semester 1 Report covers work completed in both Term 1 and Term 2. Student achievement will be reported as an A-E grade for Year 1 to Year 6 in the three core areas of Religious Education, English and Mathematics (Kindergarten students do not receive A-E grades; their achievement is reported using a three-point scale of Competent, Developing and Experiencing Difficulty). Other subjects and strands may receive a grade if the teacher has sufficient evidence of learning, otherwise ‘Not assessed’ will be displayed. This is in recognition that, although learning throughout the semester has been rigorous, the circumstances of schooling mean that in some subjects or strands it may not be possible to make an overall judgement about a student’s achievement against specific curriculum outcomes.
A new section ‘Engagement with Learning’ has been developed to replace the ‘Personal and Social Capabilities’. The new statements are based on the Australian Curriculum: General Capabilities and target four key areas of learning engagement: Thinking, Communication, Responsibility and Collaboration. The inclusion of the ‘Engagement with Learning’ statements means that the General Comment section of the report is not required; the statements give detailed information on your child’s approach to learning.
ThinkUKnow
ThinkUKnow is a national program aimed at providing parents, carers, teachers and students information, resources and advice about how to stay safe online. Over the coming three days, 3-5 June, The Australian Federal Police will be hosting a series of live ThinkUKnow cyber-safety presentations via Facebook. Click here to join the event: https://www.facebook.com/ThinkUKnowAustralia/
And speaking of cyber-safety, a couple of instances have been brought to my attention recently that make it worth a reminder to all of the importance of monitoring your child’s use of technology. Whilst each family will make their own decisions about their child’s access to social media, the mainstream social media platforms in Australia – Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, Snapchat – all have a minimum age of 13 in their terms and conditions; these must never be used by students at school nor have any content captured at school posted to them. Social media platforms are not the only apps that can cause concern. Chat and message functions, whether individual or group, can often expose children to inappropriate language and content. Your child's access and use of these services should also be regularly checked.
McAuley House
Under the House Spirit spotlight this week is McAuley House, winner of the House Spirit Cup two weeks in a row! McAuley House is named for Catherine McAuley, who founded the Sisters of Mercy in 1831 in Dublin, Ireland. Mount Carmel Yass was set up by the Sisters of Mercy in 1876. Within fifty years of the founding of the Sisters of Mercy, Catherine McAuley's order had reached the far corners of the globe. She is remembered for her compassion towards others and her astute organisational skills. The McAuley House Colour, Green, reminds us that Catherine McAuley was born on the Emerald Isle, and that our founding sisters came from Ireland. Our Mount Carmel Story owes its origins to the Missionary spirit of the Irish Catholic clergy.
Queen’s Birthday Long Weekend
And finally, I hope that everyone has a restful mid-term break for the upcoming Queen’s Birthday Long Weekend and that all who are on the roads travel safely.
May God’s peace be in your families,
Michael Green
Principal