Dear Parents

As we immerse ourselves in exams it is important that we help our students see the purpose of them.  Too often adults can make a “big thing of exams” which in turn causes the students to stress simply because of the event.  As I reminded the staff, we need to see exams as a snapshot of what we know and can do now, and hence, what we need to work on going forwards.  They are better seen as a kind of learning analysis tool rather than an event which can appear as a looming pass/fail gateway.

I am not sure why exams have earned such a bad image in our country.  Success is based on practice, the moment(s) of performance, and then reflecting (often with the aid of a coach or expert) on the performance and what needs improvement….next steps.  I believe exams help us with this learning cycle provided they are used wisely for reflection and next steps.

I hope you can enjoy calm and reflective household during this period.

Regards

Russell Brooke
Principal