Parent / Teacher Interviews…It is that time again when our students and their parents have the opportunity to meet with the class teacher. It's an excellent way for parents to connect with their child's teacher and understand what's occurring in their child's academic life. It's always a great way to partner with Northern. As you are aware, we believe parents and carers are primarily responsible for their children's education. The Bible contains many passages stating that parents are responsible for training their children: 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home, walk along the road, lie down, and get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them to your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and your gates.' (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)
When I was at school as a student, I still remember my brothers and I feeling quite worried at the time of the year when our parents were about to receive our school reports and book parent interviews. Of course, we had nothing to worry about, although my brothers still took the liberty to go to the Library after receiving their school reports and slice the 'Parent Interview Request by the Teacher' section off with the guillotine. But this did not change the outcome, and our parents attended the interviews. I still remember the encouragement and praise we all received after the interviews. I am so thankful that my parents were committed to partnering with the school I attended and showed an interest in my life there. Next week's interviews are another excellent way for you to show interest in your child's learning, which speaks volumes to your child/ren. School reports will be sent home this week. These always provide some direction for the questions you may wish to ask at the interview. You will have 10 minutes to chat with the teacher about your child's learning and wellbeing at school. Please see some tips/suggestions for parent interviews that I hope are helpful. Pray: Pray first! I encourage you to pray before the interview and ask God to help your child and yourself not to be anxious and pray that the discussions will honour Him. Attend: Actually attend the interviews and show your child, the teacher and the school that you are interested and invested in the 25-plus hours your child spends at Northern Christian School each week. If possible, we encourage you to bring your child as this is a beautiful way for them to share their learning. Talk to your child first: I encourage you to ask your child if they have anything they would like you to bring up at the parent interview. Are they struggling in an area or unhappy about something? I would also suggest discussing your child's school report before the interview. Encourage and remind them that this is a valuable opportunity to show you their work, classroom and learning goals. Prepare a list of questions: Prepare specific questions about your child. Not too many - you only have 10 minutes. Be ready to take notes on your phone/notepad: Your child's teacher may offer suggestions or highlight areas for improvement or may even recommend a resource or website to help your child at home. Please arrive on time: Parent-teacher interviews are scheduled back-to-back. Please be on time. If you are even five minutes late, it will affect other people's timeslots. Teachers will be having a dinner break from 6.00pm – 6.30pm on Tuesday, so if the classroom is unattended when you arrive, please keep this in mind. Listen and be honest: Listen to one another and be honest. Adults, especially, need to be reminded to listen, including teachers. If your child is refusing to do their reading at home, or you have news that may be affecting your child's behaviour, or struggling to come to school, talk to the teacher as they have suggestions you may be able to put in place at home to support your child's learning journey. And remember, our teachers dearly care about your child and want to see your child improve and succeed. Book another appointment if needed: You may not be able to cover everything in your interview, or you may not be able to attend the interviews next week. Please feel free to speak with or email your child's teacher for another time. Parent / Teacher Interviews will be held on:
Tuesday 5 July from 3.20pm - 7.20pm
Wednesday 6 July from 3.20pm - 6.20pm Please use our online booking system to book an interview with your child’s teacher. Thank you and feedback: I want to thank you for making parent interviews a priority. It's another way to show that you are invested in your child and their education and value partnership with Northern. I would love to hear from parents with comments or suggestions about our parent interview process. Why and how has an interview gone well? Can we improve how we do this? Please feel free to email me with your suggestions, ideas and feedback.
Bethany Armstrong - Principal
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