From Br Steve Hogan fsc
Greetings,
Firstly, thank you to the Parent & Friends Association and all the volunteers and generous contributions that we have received for our 17th Annual Gala Day, however we still need a little more such as the basket items and the car raffle tickets to ensure we meet our targets, and if you can volunteer an hour on Saturday or Friday afternoon, please reach out to the P&F. Further information is here: https://www.oakhill.nsw.edu.au... or pandf@oakhill.nsw.edu.au. I hope to see you all there on Saturday 31st May to celebrate as the Oakhill College family and in so doing you will help the College resource outside furniture, an AV screen for the undercover amphitheatre within the new Commons project and scoreboard.
The Oakhill College Learning Framework is based on best evidence regarding effective learning and 21st Century Learning Outcomes (www.21p.org). The Oakhill College Learning Framework, which is visible and accessible to students and parents, provides access to the teaching and learning in classrooms and also provides teachers with data on each student's learning. It is this data that we are now utilising better to inform teaching to ensure we teach to student’s needs in what is known as ‘targeted teaching’ or differentiated learning. This also allows us to provide extension to those more able and thus keep all learners motivated.
The Oakhill College Learning Framework is a pedagogy that includes the old such as practice, repetition and homework, with the new such as higher order thinking, analytical discourse, independence and ownership of learning. But as we know, boys more so, still need much guidance, supervision, explicit teaching, and short-term goals in their learning process. Celia Lashlie in her work on boy’s education once said, “boy’s overestimate their ability and underestimate the effort required to achieve it”. As we monitor student learning and analyse the data including NAPALAN, Allwell and HSC, we will continue to see improved academic achievement for all students.
Teaching and learning is a partnership between teachers, students and parents, and an essential element of the custom and culture at Oakhill College. In this Newsletter, I share with you four suggestions from a resource called ‘Education World’ (www.educationworld.com) that may be helpful for parents as they are very practical ideas that enhance learning at school.
A-Attendance is a critical factor in any child’s school success. Children should attend school every day, except when ill. It is impossible to replace the learning that happens on any school day with make-up work. Regular attendance and promptness are good habits that are expected and appreciated at all levels of school and the workplace.
B-Bedtime. On average children need 8-10 hours of sleep each night. Sleep is important for many reasons. Lack of sleep can cause children to be hyperactive, impatient, or cranky. It is more difficult for children to concentrate and learn when they are tired. Encouraging activities such as quiet reading just prior to bed is a great transition and helps children relax. It is most important the mobile devices are off and preferably out of the bedroom at night as many hours can be spent during the night unknown to parents when everyone should be sleeping.
C-Choices. According to Jim Fay, author of ‘Becoming a Logic Parent’, giving children choices is more effective than making demands. He suggests (i) never give choices if it causes a problem for you or someone else; (ii) give only two choices both equally OK with you. For example, Would you like peas or carrots? Or Do you want to do our homework now or in 15 minutes? If your child does not answer within 10 seconds, make the choice for them.
D-Determination. Children need to hear parents say that making an effort, working hard, and planning ahead are important. We need to encourage children to set reasonable expectations and celebrate with them when they make progress toward their goals. Children need to learn that sometimes they need to make sacrifices to achieve their goal. Struggling with learning tasks from time to time is part of a student’s 'job'. In the end, the feeling of accomplishment they will get will lead to bigger and better accomplishments in the future.
Congratulations to our Year 12. They were challenged prior to their mid-year exams to a target of 150 Band 6 results. The library staff and teachers provided many mentoring and coaching opportunities and we are proud to say that the Year 12 achieved 150 Band 6’s in their mid-year exams. The target for the Trails is 250 and the target for this Year’s HSC is 350, and we can do it!
Once again, I look forward to seeing you at the Gala Day on the 31st May.
Br Steve Hogan fsc
Principal
