08 June 2018
One of the great benefits of a Saints education is the range of opportunities that are available to the students. This applies equally to all students regardless of their age or interests. Whether a boy is passionate about the arts, sport, the study of a particular discipline, service learning, debating, mooting, coding, outdoor education or chess, Saints provides the opportunity for the passion to be pursued.
However, the whole-hearted pursuit of an interest or a range of interests, requires the opportunity to be fully embraced and this requires effort. This effort includes a time commitment, some degree of sacrifice, initiative, clever time-management, focus and determination. An opportunity is nothing without the drive to turn it into a tangible success. Often this is difficult and requires a willingness to take yourself out of your comfort zone, resist immediate gratification and strive for longer-term goals, put others’ interests ahead of your own, and persist along a path that is at times more difficult than anticipated.
I have been very impressed with the commitment of many Middle Years students to goals that they have identified and are pursuing. I encourage all boys who have considered giving something a go to embrace the opportunity whole-heartedly and ensure that you leave Saints with no regrets of opportunities lost. It is most often the opportunity we do not embrace, rather than those we pursue unsuccessfully, that lingers as the greatest regret.
Learning program
Middle Years boys will shortly receive a Semester 1 report that summarises achievements against prescribed learning outcomes from Term 1 and Term 2. Parents will be notified via email when these reports are finalised and will be provided with directions of how to access these documents electronically.
The changeover from Semester 1 to Semester 2 for all Senior School students takes place on Monday of Week 8 (18 June). This ensures that both semesters are balanced in terms of time, taking into account a long Term 1 and a shorter Term 2. Boys’ timetables will be updated automatically on the weekend immediately preceding 18 June, and students are encouraged to have a close look at this before commencing the Semester 2 learning program. For Middle Years students, changes will include the swap of semester subjects and potentially some minor changes to full-year subjects.
A reminder to Year 7 and 8 parents that Learning Curve provides live information regarding student achievement in Significant Assessment Tasks, including feedback from teachers to boys. Parents can log in via Keystone at any time to check the progress in every subject, and can use this information to enrich dialogue about learning progress with your son.
James Tamblyn
Head of Middle Years