From the Assistant Principal - Teaching and Learning

Parents as partners in their child’s learning journey.

The staff at St Andrews College work alongside parents to support their child’s learning journey. It is important that parents build supportive relationships with their children and work hard to maintain these when difficulties arise. Conversations at home should communicate the value of education and the importance of setting learning goals for the year and for your child’s future aspirations.

We encourage parents to regularly ask their children about their learning and what they are doing in class and to look through their Canvas classwork together. It is important that parents praise real effort and discuss the feedback that is received from the teacher.

As we approach the Year 12 reporting period, we would like to emphasise the critical importance of attending student-parent-teacher interviews. These interviews provide an invaluable opportunity for parents to gain detailed insights into their child's academic progress, strengths, and areas for improvement. By actively participating in these discussions, parents can better understand how to support their child's learning at this crucial stage of their education. Year 11 and 12 student-parent-teacher interviews will be held on Wednesday, 26 March.

Positive relationships with class teachers should also be discussed at home and modelled for children. If you have concerns about your child’s learning progress, please contact your child’s Leader of Learning Wellbeing to discuss ways in which you can be updated about your child’s classwork and any concerns that can be addressed.

Everything Counts

All Assessment Handbooks have been published on our College’s Student Information Hub. I strongly encourage that parents read through these with their children and create a timetable of when formal assessment tasks will take place. In Years 7-10, parents will notice that there are TWO formal assessment tasks for each course that their child is studying. This is part of our ‘everything counts’ approach to learning. Your child’s report grade is based on the culmination of their classwork, homework and formal assessment tasks. 

Canvas provides access to parents for ongoing feedback on their child’s learning, where parents can view the work set for the lesson and tasks that students are required to complete to demonstrate their achievement of the outcomes for that course. We thank parents for their patience as we continue our learning journey in setting up Canvas to ensure that your child has access to an online learning system that is focused on learning growth and strengthening communication with parents. 

In 2025, the College will continue to focus on improving literacy and numeracy outcomes for all students. We encourage parents to engage with this focus at home, perhaps by incorporating reading time into daily routines or discussing mathematical concepts in everyday situations. By working together, we can create a learning environment that nurtures strong literacy and numeracy skills, setting our students up for long-term success that will support them beyond their schooling years.

Ms Josilin Kalifa 

Assistant Principal - Teaching and Learning