It is hard to believe that half of the academic year is almost over, and if students have not received their semester reports, they will be soon.  Reports are always good for students and parents to reflect upon the progress that has been made.

As a father of three, I currently have one child in university and two children attending a private school.  Getting the semester one and end of year reports is always a bit of an anxious time, and it has been no different in my household.  Twice a year, at the start and mid year, I ask my children to write in a special book the grades they would like to achieve for each subject and a percentage.   Their answers become their goals for the semester.

When the report comes, they sit unopened in their envelope on the kitchen table, waiting for myself and my wife to come home.  Before we open the report, I like to ask them “am I getting value for money?”.  Over the years the answers have been varied from “yes”, “I have given my best effort” to “I could have done a bit better”.  We then open the letter and go through the report, celebrating the highlights and discussing any areas for improvement.  It is always encouraging being able to tick off the goals that have been achieved.  At the end, we then reset the goals for the upcoming semester or year and write them in their book.

It is something that we have always done over the years, and the children have been able to look back at many years of goals that have been achieved. It does take a bit more time and effort, but it has enabled some great discussions to take place and to gain some insights into what is happening in our children’s lives.

At the start of the year, all students had an opportunity to write down their goals both academically and for character improvement.  The students have had a chance to look at and review their goals over the semester.  As the reports come home, can I encourage you to have a discussion about the reports and the goals that were set.  As we head into a new semester, now is a good time to recalibrate and set the course for a new chapter of time.

Have a great holiday and I look forward to seeing you in term three.

Mr Trevor Darch
Head of Pastoral Care