Elementary School Parent-Teacher Conferences
I hope your Parent-Teacher Conferences are very productive next week, and that follow-up talks at home serve to both acknowledge the effort your children are making and to provide clear expectations about goals and how to achieve them. The formal conferences are part of a communication process that should continue with regular feedback all year between and amongst students, teachers and parents/carers. Please note that Thursday, November 9, and Friday, November 10, are both non-student days, so the children will have a three-day week (Monday to Wednesday) next week. Naturally, there will be no after school activities on Thursday, November 9 and Friday, November 10. More information will come your way soon about the status of after school activities on Wednesday, November 8.
In the Elementary School, the conferences are face-to-face meetings by default. If, however, you need to ask for a virtual conference, please indicate this to your child’s classroom teacher so that they can generate and issue a Google Meet link for the time slot that you have booked. For those families that have one parent abroad or who are otherwise unavailable, it might seem like a good idea to record a meeting to play back for them at another time. However, while I understand the intentions behind this, I would have a word caution. If you had thought that you might do this, please double check with the teacher that this is acceptable to all parties before making any such recording. All things considered, I would instead suggest that you reschedule the conference to a different day or time that would work for everyone, rather than ask for a recording.
Our Assistant Principal, Paul Bertolotto, regularly speaks in quite eloquent terms about the importance of triangulating our approach to a holistic education, which includes both social-emotional and academic development. The Parent-Teacher Conferences are opportunities to strengthen the relationships between students, teachers and parents/carers. Through our conversations and shared observations, we can ensure that we are working together to support the children on the next steps in their learning journeys.
Responding to illness
On the subject of triangulation and ensuring that we have a shared approach to all we do at ISA, I would like to ask that families adhere closely to the guidelines we have around sickness. In order to prevent the unintended spread of an illness, it is important that children are kept home if they have been sick (i.e., if they have vomited) and/or if they have a fever. If a child is sick at school or if they have a fever, we will give you a call to come and pick them up from school. Please understand that a call home from school to come collect your child is never made without due consideration to all the pertinent factors. We are certainly aware that such a call is often inconvenient and will rarely come at a “good time”. However, keeping children at home in such circumstances is in their best interests - as well as in the best interests of the wider community.
Restorative Practice
I would also encourage you to read this week’s Thistle Talk article written by Mr. Stuart MacAlpine, the Middle and High School Principal - even if you don’t have a child in that section of the school just yet. His article is an eloquent and thoughtful exposition of the restorative approach to dealing with children who choose actions which breach our values - an approach which guides our work in the Preschool and Elementary School, too.
Comments
Post a Comment