Welcome back to Term 2 learning!

A warm welcome back to all Shalom families. We hope that the Easter break was restful and that all students are feeling refreshed and ready for learning. Term 2 can seem particularly busy with many events, including the Shalom Musical, Athletics Carnival, Anzac Day March, and Shalom Formal, scheduled for this term. Taking time to review your child’s preparedness for the term and reflect on their organisational and study strategies for homework and assessment is a worthwhile step for encouraging a successful term.

Parents are encouraged to work with their students to develop appropriate homework and study plans – the Record Book is a helpful tool for this purpose. A Homework Study Planner is included for each term (see p.70 and 71 for Term Two). A monthly or term overview for your child’s study location at home is also a good strategy.

Learning Area Coordinators assign tasks in each faculty area and class teachers adapt these to specific days/lessons when applicable. Please be aware that some tasks with multiple components may be duplicated in the Due Work Calendar. Early each term, teachers review term planning and set dates for the term’s assessment. Parents can access upcoming assessment dates for their children via Sia. Each student has a “Due Work Calendar” that shows upcoming dates for checkpoints, drafts, and exams. To access this calendar for your child in the Sia Smartphone Application please select “My Shalom” and then “Due Work”. On the webpage, an option to select Due Work will show under your child’s photograph on the home page.

Encouraging successful and effective study habits can be difficult when you aren’t sure what is most effective. There is research that supports the use of particular strategies in revision and study. Some recommended approaches include interleaving, spacing and retrieval. For a short overview of these key ideas and how to apply them, presented by leading psychologists in the field of human learning and memory, try this short and engaging TEDex presentation:

https://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_bjork_robert_bjork_how_to_study_to_maximize_performance 

Mrs Patricia Allen
Acting Assistant Principal - Curriculum
allenp@shalomcollege.com