Hi Jane
We have recently rebranded our Parent Teacher Interviews as Student Learning Conferences – putting students at the centre of the meetings. We also moved the first one of the year from end of Term 1 to the start of Term 2. Feedback was that this was not the preferred option by about 50% of staff and parents.
The second SLCs occur in Term 3, Week 8. In both cases the SLCs are for all year levels and the focus is on what has been taught, what the student has learned/achieved and what could be improved.
Hi Benadette,
We too run 5 x 60 minute periods per day over a 10 day cycle. Greater flexibility with the 10 day cycle as mentioned previously.
David
Hi Sam,
At St Peter’s, we avoid the cross campus travel as much as possible.
If staff have to travel as they are teaching on both campuses, we also give them 1 period (1 hour) per cycle for travel.
We now tend to use video conferencing and combine cross campus classes when student numbers are small. We also give teachers 1 period per cycle for the cross campus class.
DPs who are cross campus don’t get this period for travel.
We use Maths Pathways at Years 7-9. It is taking us time to get full benefit of this program. Teacher professional learning is essential for fidelity of implementation. I like the differentiation offered and the excellent access to student data. Need to have a good relationship with the MP support person for your school which we have and this is helping to improve.
We will be at St Peter’s but just waiting for some direction from our governing body (DOSCEL) to determine what it will look like. We are thinking we will employ former retired staff, CRTs and pre-service teachers (including former students) in this role. Our concern is that government schools are ahead of us in terms of employing tutors and they may be harder for us to find.
At St Peter’s College, we have two campuses that runs an identical pastoral care system of 8 Houses. Clyde North campus has 5 vertical Tutor Groups and Cranbourne campus has 6 vertical Tutor Groups. Each group has approximately between 13-20 Year 7-12 students in them. The difference in campuses is mainly due to the lack of available class rooms to run 6 Tutor Groups at Clyde North rather than the 50 or so less students. The aim would be eventually to run both campuses identically. Works well.
