We are really encouraged by the work that we are seeing occurring in classrooms and the level of detailed feedback that students are receiving from their teachers. This feedback and responding to it is a vital step in improvement of an individual task.

Please encourage your young person to read any feedback on drafts very carefully and ask them if they understand what the teacher is telling them about their attempts.

The other challenging step for junior secondary students is being organised enough to meet those timelines. As a parent staying connected to your young person’s deadlines and coaching them to meet these is one way we can work together in their education. Please discuss with them when their deadlines are and work with them to achieve this around their other at home commitments.

All these things will allow you to extend your support role in their learning which as a school we are grateful for and value the role you play in this as parents.

Reading for Learning

Students are now counting down to the holidays and ticking off assessment items. It is a very busy time for students and their teachers, with everyone focussed on achieving the best possible results. Attendance every day is critical to maximise learning and academic performance. 

At this time, students may be engaging in studying – perhaps for the first time. It is not uncommon for students to complain that they have studied for hours and remember nothing, or that they cannot remember what has happened in the novel they are reading. Education psychologists argue that to maintain ‘memory health’, one must eat and sleep well. It is also essential that students approach their reading with a focussed mindset – avoiding music and other distractions, and being determined to learn.

Beyond these strategies, it is recommended that students remember the acronym ‘SING’.

This means:

S – Stop at the end of each chapter or section. Pause and reflect on what has been read

I – Identify the main point of the story or writing

N – Never mind the details and

G – is for Gist. What is the gist of what has been read?

We know also that having to teach someone else makes learning easier, so have your child explain the chapter or section of work they have been reviewing.

School Based Youth Health Nurse

The SBYHN is on campus on Monday and Tuesday and can be found at E Block

Optima Team staff updates

Head of Year 

7 - Mr Hayden Jenkins

8 - Mr Andrew Jordan

9 - Mr Cameron Williams 

Dean of Students

Year 7-9 Ms Donna Condon

Deputy Principal

Year 7 - Mrs Tammy Burns

Year 8/9 - Mrs Wendy Wise