THE EXPECTATION OF RESPECT FOR ALL IN OUR SCHOOL

One thing I have learnt over my educational journey is that good teachers understand that a culture of mutual trust and respect supports effective relationships in the classroom.

Culture is the characteristic and knowledge of a particular group of people, encompassing language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts. Respect denotes both a positive feeling of esteem for a person and also specific actions and conducts representative of that esteem. Respect can be defined as allowing yourself and others to do and be their best.

It is a common goal of any school to create a mutually respectful atmosphere between all individuals involved within our school, including administrators, teachers, staff members, students, parents, & visitors.

As such, all entities are expected to remain respectful to each other at all times. Students and teachers especially are expected to greet each other with kind words, and student/teacher exchanges should be friendly, in an appropriate tone, and remain respectable. The majority of student/teacher interactions should be positive.

Respect is often discussed, but more importantly, is modelled daily by teachers in the classroom, out on the yard duty and through daily interactions. Students will not thrive in an environment where this does not happen.

Mutual respect in the classroom encompasses more than the interaction between students and teacher. When there is an atmosphere of mutual respect it means that students also treat each other properly. The result is a classroom where more learning takes place as students feel safe, motivated and, of course, respected. Achieving this atmosphere takes considerable effort on the part of the teacher as well as the students. Once established, however, students will usually work to maintain a positive classroom environment.

My expectation on all teachers at St Ita’s is that they have one basic rule in their classroom – RESPECT FOR ALL. Students are expected to respect their teacher, each other, themselves, their work, and their property. This also clearly outlines to students what they can expect from their teacher as well.

It is the responsibility of both Parents and Teachers to educate children about respect, why it is important and what it looks like. Teachers discuss with their class the language that makes them feel respected and disrespected. Teachers reinforce in students the idea that respect is something that everyone wants and is capable of giving to others.

Inline with our Whole School Approach to Positive Behavoirs, the expectation is that all teachers, students and parents model respectful behaviour at all times.

We are currently in the process of participating in the DOSCEL School Renewal which runs over a 3 day period. The opportunity to participate in school review enables us to improve the performance of our school through a process of self-assessment, benchmarking, critical reflection, forward planning and external peer review.

OUR NEW SCHOOL GATES AT REC RESERVE

The gates at the Rec Reserve are back up and operating.  The installation of new gates are due to an incident last week involving a car in the rec reserve grounds. We thank all parents for their patience and understanding whilst we worked through this interruption to drop off and pick up. A reminder that all parents parking and waiting for their child/ren must leave their car and collect your child/ren at the main double gates.

BUILDING STRONG PARENT-SCHOOL RELATIONSHIPS AT A SCHOOL LEVEL

At St Ita’s we understand that as a parent you are the first, and foremost educators of your child. You know your child better than anyone else does. The expectation of all our staff, is that we build healthy respectful relationships with all students as part of our Whole School Approach to Positive behaviours.

When things happen at school and your child comes home feeling upset, disconnected, misunderstood, angry or sad. It is human nature to want to support them. For this very reason it’s really important that the child’s teacher is always the first point of contact. Often kids put their own perspective on academic, social or emotional issues that relate to them, which can have significant impacts on their schooling.

When you have a strong and respectful relationship with your child’s school and teachers, you’re in a good position to give them information to help your child get the most out of their education. You and your child’s teachers can work together to support your child’s learning and wellbeing.

When everybody is working together in the best interests of your child, your child is likely to reap academic and social benefits, like:

• regular school attendance
• positive school results
• a positive attitude towards school
• good social and relationship skills
• a sense of wellbeing
• school completion
• progression to post-secondary education like TAFE, university or an apprenticeship.

You can help your child get the most out of school by communicating and building relationships with teachers, other parents and students from the very first day. This is better than having contact with your child’s school only when there’s a problem, either at school or in your family.

How you can help build a strong parent - school relationships

You can build a parent-school relationship in several ways:

• Say hello to teachers and other staff at school pick-up and drop-off times.
• Ask teachers for information or feedback about your child, and share your child’s special events or achievements outside school.
• Go to parent-teacher interviews and parent meetings.
• Check the school website, alerts and emails regularly.
• Be involved and help out in the school community in whatever ways you can.
• Go to school performances, school barbecues, events, school functions and parent webinars.

Not all parents can be involved in school as much as they’d like, but you can still let your child know that school is important to your family. Talking about school with your child, and being positive about the school and its staff sends the message that you value education and are interested in what’s happening for your child at school.

Parent-teacher interviews

Parent-teacher interviews at primary school  are one of the main ways that many parents find out how their child’s education is going. Interviews can be a great way of getting all the important people – you, the teacher and your child – talking together.

It’s important for the teacher and school to know about anything that’s affecting your child’s wellbeing. For example, your child might have a health condition, you might be concerned about bullying, or there might have been a change in your family, like a death, separation or divorce.

Getting involved at primary school

There are often many opportunities to be involved in primary schools, because they tend to be smaller than secondary schools. You can get involved at your child’s primary school by:

• volunteering – for example, helping with classroom activities like reading groups or excursions or in the school canteen
• attending parent groups or committees – for example, school councils, parents and citizens committees, or building and maintenance sub-committees
• working on school fundraisers and events – for example, school fairs and raffles
• doing social activities with other parents and families
• helping with after-school clubs like chess, or coaching school sports teams
• attending events like assemblies, concerts and Book Week parades.

Changing relationships as your child grows
Your child will start developing more independence, which might affect the way you communicate and connect with your child’s school. You’ll probably have less physical involvement with the school. And your child might be able to take more responsibility for communicating with their teachers.

Even if you’re less involved with the school, you can keep creating a supportive environment for education at home. This might involve simply talking about schoolwork with your child, discussing your child’s plans and ambitions, or talking through the links between your child’s schoolwork and future goals.

A great conversation starter for parents linked to your child’s schooling is to play the “Name it Game.” It’s a good game to play at the end of day pick up or a conversation maker at the dinner table.

NAME IT GAME

Rules (work around the participants in a clockwise motion)

3 positive things that happened to you today

3 things to be grateful for

3 things that made you smile

Andrew Osler

St Ita's Principal