Ah, the end of October and the beginning of November…This time of year always holds a special place in my heart. Yes, there are the spectacular autumn colours, celebrations such as Halloween, Diwali, Bonfire Night and Dia de los Muertos, and the prospect of lively family gatherings on the horizon. However, if I’m being completely honest, this time of year is always connected in my mind with the start of basketball season - in schools, universities and at the professional level.
The best basketball games to be a part of - whether you are a player, a coach or a fan - are those that are closely contested. The outcome of these contests hinge on both skill and strategy (as well as other elements such as stamina and luck). In order to maximise your players’ skill sets and to tip win probability in your favour, an effective coach will do all they can to make the most of halftime, time outs and the breaks between quarters. The breaks between quarters (including halftime) provide teams with a crucial break to assess their performance, analyse strengths and weaknesses, and make necessary adjustments. Coaches and players use this time to regroup, discuss what worked well, address tactical issues, and refocus on key objectives for the second half. Whether it's refining defensive strategies, improving shot selection, or boosting team morale, these breaks in play allow for a fresh perspective and an opportunity to set immediate, actionable goals to play more effectively and cohesively as a team.
Next Friday’s Parent Teacher Conferences are our mid-quarter break. Like a basketball halftime, these conferences provide us with the opportunity to consider the children’s sense of self and progress to this point, while looking ahead at the next quarter to consider what adjustments make sense to inspire and support their learning journey.
Parent Teacher Conferences will take place on Friday, 8 November, between 8:00am and 4:00pm. In the Elementary School, we prefer to invite parents/carers into the building for face-to-face conferences, allowing conversations to happen in the learning environment itself. If, however, you need to schedule an online conference instead, 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.*
The formal conferences are part of a vibrant, multi-layered communication process that should continue with regular feedback between and amongst parents/carers, students and teachers. Before the conference, I encourage parents to ask their children about the feedback they have received at school, the learning that they have particularly enjoyed, the areas they feel require further growth, as well as the places they are seeking more challenges.
The best education occurs when there is a dynamic dialogue between all of the stakeholders: students, families and teachers. 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.
We look forward to hearing your feedback, particularly through the CECs, on how well the current format of our conferences works to build a strong relationship between the classroom teacher and home.
*This year, we will use the appointment scheduling feature of Google Calendar for booking time slots for our Parent Teacher Conferences. If you haven’t already done so, please use the links on this document to book a slot with your child’s classroom teacher. When you click on a link, you will be shown a calendar booking screen, and you have to click on ‘Jump to the next available date’ as shown in the image in the doc.
Comments
Post a Comment