Professional Documents
Culture Documents
● Home-based involvement
● School-based involvement
○ Volunteering at school
● Academic Socialization
model, the black dot represents the negative aspects about their behavior or school systems, the
white square represents the majority of things that are positive. By focusing on the black dot, we are
forgetting the white square and risk setting a negative tone, which can lead to negative relationships.
more specific detail on the content and concepts covered in class, check the Curriculum Handbook, which was shared on
Back to School Night. Most importantly, communicate directly with teachers when you have questions - for subject specific
questions contact the teachers directly, for more general queries please contact Mark Jobling (AP: MS: Teaching &
Learning) and Alan Johns (MYP Coordinator). The better informed you are, the more natural it is to talk about what is being
learned in class.
schedule a number of formal occasions throughout the year for reporting and to meet in person, we encourage you to be
proactive in sharing your perspective and asking for feedback. There are times where we need clarification or are
concerned about a particular lesson. In these instances please contact the subject teacher and/ or Head of Subject with
your feedback and questions. Discussing your concerns among parents and in front of your children, without
understanding the teacher’s perspective, makes a positive and constructive solution more difficult and can have a
measure this. As described in this article, however, such comparisons can have negative ramifications on a child’s
development. It is far better to gauge their performance against the baseline they set themselves and for conversations to
of failing an assessment can be scary and students put themselves under pressure to avoid this. By reducing the stakes on
assessment, through changing the language and focusing on learning, rather than grades alone, teachers and parents can
reduce the anxiety of students, raise their self-esteem and, consequently, their academic achievement.
behaviour or stress caused by poor organisation or conflict with peers. Once a plan has been made to resolve the situation,
take time to reflect together on what has been learned from this experience. Such skills are as much a part of their
the language of “choice” and “consequence”, when reflecting with students on these occasions: “You chose to wear the
wrong uniform/ arrive late/ talk over the teacher, as a consequence…”. We are sharing our practice with teachers, parents
and students in our Choice and Consequence document, for transparency, consistency and to encourage self-regulation
from the students. This is most effective when the message from school is supported at home.
what to do and when. Yet they still need guidance with their time-management skills. Aim to avoid nagging your child
about homework, by helping them establish work patterns that encourage autonomy and efficiency. This may include a
timetable that they share with you for Monday through to Thursday and then Friday to Sunday, in which you help them
calculate how much time to devote to their studies, but they choose when they will work. We suggest that you have them
explain the task before they start and how long they plan to spend on this, then ask them to show you their finished work,
9. Growth mindset
Carol Dweck’s work on Growth Mindsets has been influential in recent years in shaping the language we use with young
people. Grounded in her background in psychology and neurology, Dweck presents evidence for the impact on
achievement of having a “growth” versus a “fixed” mindset. You will note the centrality of this approach in many of the tips
suggested above. This is not an approach to be used only by teachers, we encourage parents to use such language when
of a balanced diet has a huge influence on a child’s ability to concentrate and on their mood in general, as does adequate
sleep. The benefits of exercise include stress relief, the development of social skills, improved energy and brain function
and an enhanced immune system. Support your child by making this part of their routine.