Dear Parents and Carers,

I continue to have a wonderful time here at Our Lady of Victories! It has been great to visit classes and see your children hard at work.

Recently I read an article by John Hattie, Professor from the University of Melbourne, Graduate School of Education. In 2008 he published the book Visible Learning: A synthesis of over 800 Meta-Analyses Relating to Achievement, which aimed to explain what works best to help student learning.  

He has continued to research this area and has a new book, Visible Learning: The Sequel.

In this article he mentions how the most important thing for teachers to do is to have high expectations for all students, seeing all students as learners who can make leaps of growth in their learning.

Hattie also talks about the importance of parents. He believes that parents are not “first teachers” but “first learners” – as the parents learn, so do their children. Parental expectation about learning is among the most powerful home influences, and at home it is important to promote a “language and love of learning”.

This means talking to your children about their learning, encouraging them to enjoy the struggle, failures and successes, and setting fair boundaries so that they take on increased challenges. It is an opportunity for parents to explain to their children what success looks like for them in all things they attempt, even what a ‘clean room’ looks like. And, if your child makes errors, talk about it as an opportunity to learn.

Have a great fortnight,

Craig McNee

Acting Principal