As Term 2 draws to a close, families are preparing to receive their child’s semester report and participate in various forms of parent/teacher/student interviews, conferences and conversations.
I want to take a moment to acknowledge the time, effort and professional commitment that goes into report preparation and interviews, undertaken alongside the day to day demands of teaching, supervision, assessment, planning, pastoral care and school community commitments. I imagine that staff rooms around the country will breathe a collective sigh of relief as the reports are sent!
Reports are an important summary of the student’s academic and pastoral progress, but they are also a helpful stimulus for a conversation to celebrate a student’s achievement and identify areas of challenge and opportunity.
As reports go out, and the student vacation period begins, we express our gratitude for the work of school leaders, teachers and support staff, who always carry significant responsibilities, but particularly in the final weeks of term.
The Hon. Scott Ryan
Executive Director
National Catholic Education Commission
Photo: Scott Ryan with staff from St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, O’Connor, ACT.