Tag: Parents

CAROLS IN THE COMMUNITY

December 7, 2017

Our community gathered under the stars on Saturday to kick off what will be a wonderful Christmas season. Hosted by Trinity North Uniting Church and St Stephen’s, Carols in the Community was a beautiful opportunity for families and friends to come together to celebrate Christmas – with a visit from Santa of course! Families also worked together to build traditional wooden mangers at the Make A Manger workshop to recognise the true meaning of Christmas.

“When They Saw The Star They Rejoiced.” – Matthew 2:10

Secondary Presentation Night

December 6, 2017

In our final Presentation Evening for 2017, the St Stephen’s School community recognised the efforts and achievements of our Duncraig Secondary students. Congratulations to all students for their many achievements throughout School life. A full list of award winners can be found on our website: http://bit.ly/2BLj6lF

“For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” – Proverbs 2:6

Students shine like a star

December 4, 2017

Last Friday Duncraig Secondary played host to the students from the Early Learning Centre (ELC) and their families. This event is a wonderful highlight to the end of the academic year.

The children and staff worked very hard practice to put on a such wonderful Christmas Nativity play. The students were excellent at remembering all their words and cues.

After the play Mrs. Jacques, Mrs. Gray and Mr. Deck handed out awards to students before the event ended with a prayer.

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Cou

nselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” – Isaiah 9:6

SEQTA – what to expect and some guidelines

November 23, 2017

Dear Parents

SEQTA is an amazing tool for schools and I would encourage both students and parents to check it regularly.

Please note that SEQTA is a resource to supplement teaching NOT an online substitute for the relationship between a teacher and student. Your child spends 320 minutes a day in personal contact with their teachers – and your child has every opportunity to receive help, ask questions and take ownership of their work. I would encourage parents to grow the independence of their children rather than to expect SEQTA to be the prime source of information.

SEQTA is a great insight for parents – but again, the conversations that are then initiated between parents, teacher and student are of the most value.

I would encourage parents and students to ensure that they are aware of the documents attached to each course: course outlines, assessment schedules and other resources are available in SEQTA for reference, saving or printing at any time. I would also encourage parents to ask for help and to keep an eye out for the SEQTA information evenings which are often run at the start of each year.

Teachers will on occasion deviate from their teaching plan because students may require extra time for understanding and consolidation. That is part of good teaching and might disrupt a plan previously put in place. We all know that parents and teachers constantly adapt as the needs of children evolve. Individual teachers will decide the format or formats for the submission of work – sometime these may be in hard copy, sometimes they might be uploaded to SEQTA, emailed or handed in on USB. This will depend on the nature of the task and the format the teacher feels is best. Teachers are striving to meet the expectations below. Some teachers already exceed these and use SEQTA very extensively. The expectations below are our target and while many staff will go beyond these, staff are not expected to.

The SEQTA experience for parents

Duncraig and Carramar Secondary

Cover Page

The purpose of the cover page is to contain an overview of the course. It should be an easy reference for information about the entire year of work.

It contains a copy (or a link) to the assessment schedule, program and syllabus.

Assessments

The assessment schedule should be developed at the start of the year. Lower school students are to have the entire semester of assessments visible to parents and students. Year 11 and 12 are to have the entire year’s assessments visible
Assessment titles should include the weighting and clear labels that are succinct.
Task sheet/assessment description and marking guide/rubric are to be added at an appropriate time.
Marks for summative assessments should be made visible, within three weeks of the assessment being finalised.
If there is more than one class, all marks are to be made visible at the same time.
Exam marks are to be released at the end of the exam period.
Formative assessments can be visible with a weighting of zero.
Assessment feedback will be placed in the Marks Book on a regular basis.

(Lesson) Planning

Students, parents/carers and other staff should be able to see what has been planned on a week-by-week basis (as a minimum). Clarity in lesson naming is essential.

Lesson Resources

It should be clear where students can access resources and links. Students may be required to enter homework themselves on occasion.

Documents Section

This is used to store documents that parents/carers might need to access at any point of the year.

Documents include anything from a Parent Information Night slide show, Curriculum Handbooks, and the Assessment Policy.

Bruce Titlestad

Head of Secondary

Dinkum Dads – Conversations about Fathering

November 17, 2017

The St Stephen’s School Fathering Project Schools’ Group, Dinkum Dads, is meeting 7 pm Monday, 27 November at Woodvale Tavern.

Come along and enjoy a meal and and opportunity to talk to other dads about the parenting journey.

No RSVP required

Community Freezer Warms Hearts

November 8, 2017

The Community Freezer originated from a desire to show God’s love, in a practical way, for families in times of need.

We aim to keep a stock of freezer meals and non-perishable items. If you are able to supply a meal, or other items, it would be greatly appreciated. Just one meal a term or even one meal a year would be invaluable.

Thank you for supporting this service to our community.

Cyber Bulling Presentation

November 3, 2017

Mr Bennet Andrews, Deputy Head of Care, gave a presentation on Cyber Bullying today in the Community Room.

In an informal gathering Mr Bennet covered a number of issues and advocated creating safe, online environments for children. The presentation was to help parents recognise the signs of cyberbullying and give them the resources to help their children.

“How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” – Psalm 133:1

Presentation Evening

November 2, 2017

Our 2017 Presentation Evening will take place on 5 December from 6:45 pm at the Carramar Sports & Learning Centre.

As well as being able to collect awards and celebrate achievements during the night, Presentation Evening is a chance for students and ex-students to catch up with friends and teachers and celebrate in each other’s successes.

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him.” – Jeremiah 17:7

Connecting in Conversation

November 1, 2017

Join us for a meaningful conversation about the school.

Meet Chair of Council Kevin Smout, Principal Donella Beare and the leadership team.

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.” – Hebrews 10:24

Maggie Dent Visit

October 26, 2017

It was lovely to have Maggie Dent speak at our Carramar campus last night. In her typical witty Maggie Dent style she shared anecdotes and information about nurturing kids’ hearts and souls to an interactive crowd. This was a special event organised by the Duncraig Primary School, supported by St Stephen’s School.

Maggie’s experience includes teaching, and counselling. She is an advocate for the healthy, common-sense raising of children in order to strengthen families and communities. She is a passionate, positive voice for children of all ages. Maggie is the author of ten books, several e-books and a prolific creator of resources for parents, adolescents, teachers and early childhood educators, and others who are interested in quietly improving their lives. She is the mother of four sons and a very grateful grandmother.