Parent Teacher Interviews

The registration window to book a time for Parent Teacher Interviews via the Parent Portal has now closed. Depending on your child’s teacher availability, the interviews will be held on Monday and Tuesday in Week 9 and Tuesday in Week 10.

These interviews are a valuable opportunity to discuss your child’s learning progress, goals, behaviour, study habits, learning support plans, along with how your child is displaying the traits of a Lourdes Learner and living the Lourdes Way.

Not only is it a time for parents to gain an insight into their child’s day at school but it is a wonderful opportunity for teachers to learn more about their students from parents. Collaborative discussions with a focus on continual improvement and growth will be most beneficial for teachers, parents and ultimately our students.

Interviews are scheduled for 15 minute sessions. We ask that teachers and parents are respectful of these times to ensure that interviews run to time. If 15 minutes have passed and you still have items to discuss, please arrange another mutually agreeable time.

To respect the privacy of all, and to minimise interruptions during these interviews, we ask that parents wait in the following locations. Teachers then will be able to welcome you in once previous interviews are completed:

• Prep to Year 4 classes will have chairs placed outside classrooms for parents to sit.
• Year 5 parents please wait in the general learning classroom located between the Art Room and the 5MG classroom. To access, use the stairs outside of the main Admin entry and enter via the upstairs Art room door.
• Year 6C parents chairs will be placed in the undercover eating area.
• Year 6M parents chairs will be placed on the handball courts.

Lourdes Learners and the Learning Pit

You may hear us talk about being Lourdes Learners and our focus on the traits of a learner and a global citizen. A common reference in classrooms is the Learning Pit and seeing failure as an opportunity to grow. We challenge each other at Lourdes to check our thinking and tell ourselves some of these effective mantras to help our learning:

“My effort and attitude determine my abilities”

“I can learn anything I put my mind to.”

“Mistakes help my brain grow.”

“I will have a go and try new things.”

“I will not give up when I am in the Learning Pit.”

“What are some strategies I can use to help me get out of the pit?”

“I can learn from others’ thoughts and problem-solving strategies.”

The way we think is vital to whether we succeed or not and whether we learn or not. Students learn best when they think about the concepts they are learning about and use strategies, dispositions and a positive belief about themselves as a learner to overcome challenges.

The Learning Pit was created by James Nottingham as a model to help students understand and articulate their learning process, especially when they encounter challenges. The concept encourages resilience, a growth mindset, curiosity, and criticial thinking skills.

The idea is that when learners face difficulties, they enter the "pit" which is where they struggle and feel challenged. However, this struggle is essential for deep learning and understanding. As they work through the challenges, they eventually emerge from the pit with a better grasp of the concept and a sense of accomplishment

Practising strategies to think, retrieve knowledge and use or apply that knowledge helps make learning stick. Simply asking your child what they learnt when reading today or what they learnt in Maths, helps them think about the learning and retrieve knowledge. This strengthens learning. If they discuss challenges, ask what strategies they have already tried to help them get out of the ‘learning pit’.

The Learning Pit – Adapted from James Nottigham

Thanks for reading,

Miranda

Miranda Murray
Assistant Principal