Dear Parents and Carers,

Evidence Forum 2
Next Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday I will be in Melbourne participating in Evidence Forum Two. When the idea of the Evidence Forum was conceived, it was all about principals leading a system-wide move toward achieving greater pedagogical coherence. In that spirit I will be representing both our school and the system on this tour – our school as an instructional leader and the system as a representative of leader-led change. The tour group made up of Principals, Leadership Team Members, Catholic Education Staff and the Director will be given opportunities, tools and time to start answering some of the big questions about pedagogy that have been on the system radar for a while. This is the second gathering of this type, with the first Evidence Forum visiting high performing schools in Perth earlier in the year. It will be a very busy few days in Melbourne and hopefully extremely worthwhile.

Yes I can!
In preparation for the trip to Melbourne the participants have been doing a lot of study of research into pedagogy and what particularly it is that high performing schools are doing. One thing that keeps coming through in the evidence and research is the need for a Growth Mindset and a “Yes I can!” attitude to life.

As you are aware over the last few years we have been working with our students to develop a Growth Mindset and the same ‘Yes I can!’ attitude to their school work. A Growth Mindset is about seeing that we are growing and learning all the time and our failed attempts today lead us to successful achievement in the future. Our students have learnt to acknowledge their achievements and say ‘Yes I can!’ and, when they are struggling with learning something new, to say ‘I can’t…yet!’. May we together strive to grow optimistic, confident children who persevere and support others in their learning.

Thank you for your ongoing care and partnership in your child’s learning.

God bless.

Rachel Smith
Principal