Parent Teacher Interviews

With Parent Teacher Interviews just around the corner, all SJV parents are invited to attend an individual parent teacher meeting at the school, at which the teacher will discuss the student’s progress. These interviews are an essential link between the school and home and attendance is strongly encouraged.

Parents and teachers have a joint responsibility for the spiritual, intellectual, social, emotional and physical growth of the child. Parents who have a genuine worry regarding a child are encouraged to discuss the matter with their child’s teacher in the first instance. A seemingly complex problem may in fact turn out to be readily solved or intercepted through an early meeting of parent and teacher. Reports are issued at the end of each semester in June and December. 

Ask Questions

• How is my child fitting in with other children, at the moment?
• What are the children learning now?
• Is there anything about my child’s overall needs that I should know?
• Does my child ask questions, participate in class discussions and other learning activities?
• Is my child progressing positively, reaching their SMART goals?
• What activities does my child seem to enjoy the most at school, what do you see as their gifts?
• Is there anything I can be doing to help support my child at home so they can reach their full potential?
• Does my child need extra help in a particular subject?
• Do you have any concerns about my child?

Also, list anything that might be happening at home that may be helpful for your child’s teacher to know. If your child has seen a specialist for example, there may be some information that is important for the teacher or the school counsellor to know.

Walk away with an agreed plan

Admittedly, there are times when the news isn’t all good. If the teacher raises issues about your child’s learning, development or behaviour, your goal will be to understand the plan to manage that during the school day and how you can help at home.

For example, if your child needs to stay focused during the delivery of instructions for learning, a behaviour diary which travels between class and home every day may be a good suggestion. The idea is the teacher updates you with a short, written account of your child’s day, so you can discuss it with your child each evening. Ask the teacher what sort of strategies they have in mind and how you can help.

After the interview

It’s important to discuss the meeting with your child and really congratulate them on their strengths. If the teacher made suggestions of things you could do at home, discuss these with your child and commit to following through with them.

Teachers like to talk about the good stuff too

If you don’t go to parent-teacher interviews, you’re also missing out on the chance to hear the many positive things about your child that they may not tell you themselves. It’s just as rewarding for teachers to share good news with you and to highlight your child’s positive growth points.

Next week during our Semester Parent Teacher Interviews, we ask you to check-in at the Front Office using the Canberra App and proceed to your child’s classroom. If you need longer than your allocated time, please just make another appointment with your child’s classroom teacher. The Teachers are really looking forward to sharing just how wonderful your sons and daughters truly are and what a joy they are to teach!

The Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD)

NCCD takes place every year. The NCCD is a collection that counts:

• the number of school students receiving an adjustment or ‘help’ due to disability
• the level of adjustment they are receiving to access education on the same basis as other students.

Students are counted in the NCCD if they receive ongoing adjustments at school due to disability.

This ‘help’ allows them to access education on the same basis as a child without disability. The NCCD uses the definition of disability in the Disability Discrimination Act 1992. Schools provide this information to education authorities.

Further information regarding the compulsory collection of data can be found in the parent fact sheet.

Joanne Reed/Assistant Principal