Thursday, November 10, will be a day to remember for this academic year. It was a day with such a brilliant buzz around the school as our whole community connected over discussions of academic progress, personal learning and considered construction of goals for the weeks to come.
We are of course referring to the conferences. It is difficult to overstate the importance of this day as not only was it the first face-to-face conference day since the pandemic came upon us, but it was also a day consumed by connection between parents and teachers, as well as parents and students and teachers and students in different ways to our ordinary days.
Outside of the scheduled meetings, there was a wonderful atmosphere throughout the campus as the entire FIS community was on a conference footing. People chatted while waiting between appointments in the Aula and corridors, bellies were warmed over more chitter-chatter in the cafeteria where our dedicated team cooked up a storm and worked the coffee machine harder than ever before, and in the dedicated spaces for students to rest and play while their siblings were attending conferences there was the laughter of children which surely helped gild this golden day for them.
Research has demonstrated time and time again that home-school partnerships provide a powerful impact on learning outcomes, and so with this in mind we thank you parents for the 2099 appointments you made last Thursday. For those of you who like statistics, here are a few more for you:
- The parents of 504 students attended, with almost all students attending with them.
- The grade level with the highest number of conferences was Grade 6!
- In every grade level, over 50% of parents booked conferences.
- The grade level with the highest proportion of students’ parents booking conferences was Grade 4, with 95% of parents booking conferences.
As you can tell, we love data too as it helps us improve. We have been surveying our teachers following the conferences and would also like to have feedback from parents and carers so that we can develop a deeper understanding of your experiences. Therefore, please spend a few minutes completing this survey.
Dan Slevin
Head of Primary School
Jessica Davey
Head of Secondary School
