Michele Marquet, Acting Head of School
Dear Parents and Carers,
Today, when online communication brings relational challenges we never knew as children, the speed of change is faster than at any time in history and the world and its problems are closer to us than ever before, the relationship between the School and our parents becomes even more important for our children. Opportunities to help us understand one another better, forge stronger links and provide practical information to make school life easier to manage are well worth embracing.
Although there are many elements that must be present for an excellent education to result, there is no doubt that if the best education for your son is to be achieved, then the parent-school relationship must be trusting, respectful and solid. You entrust your children to us and we take that responsibility exceptionally seriously. Parents and the School bring different perspectives to this relationship. As parents, you have intimate and ongoing knowledge of your child that we as educators can benefit from as we cater for his learning. That is why we ask you to speak directly to the teachers about your child through parent-teacher interviews and Meet the Mentor Day.
The way a parent communicates about their child as they are growing and changing is invaluable information for us. On the other hand, apart from subject expertise, school staff bring profound understanding of child development across large numbers of children and how children learn best in the school context. School is all about learning how to learn successfully in a group, collaborating, persisting and overcoming challenges. Skills which will prove to be essential as they leave school and enter the wider world where workplaces increasingly require us to be able to work in teams to solve problems.
When the individual knowledge about one child is interwoven with the broader knowledge of children at a certain stage of development and how children learn best in school, an extraordinary education can result. For that to happen, it is absolutely essential that we see each other as being on the same team, working in the best interests of the student. Working together, we can be a formidable team. That, of course, does not mean we will always agree about every single matter. However, the fact we are both striving to do the best for a child should enable all our interactions to be respectful and considerate, even if we may have different perspectives to share.
To facilitate this type of exchange, we often ask you to approach particular staff over different issues, so your concern can be addressed as quickly as possible by the people in the best position to assist you. It is also why we ask that email is used only to set up meetings or for very functional purposes. Teachers generally do not have time to read email during the course of a day and most concerns are better resolved face to face or on the phone. Our relationship is too important.
It feels like the year has started in earnest this week with many activities and onsite events being held. Over the last week or so, Parent Information Sessions have been held for different year levels and sections of the school. These have been opportunities to hear what is unique about that year level, garner important information to help the year run smoothly for your child and start to build relationships with the educators who will care for and teach them. Tonight, there is a welcome event for our Year 7 parents on the Mackay Lawn in front of the Chapel, another opportunity to forge valuable relationships within the Cranbrook community.
To foster those strong and trusting partnerships between parents, students and our School, we encourage you to attend when you can, the CSPA social events for your child’s year level; Senior School House Events for families; Saturday sport fixtures; or the CSPA/CETOP Family Fun Day at Dangar (16 March).
We look forward to a happy and productive Week 3!
Kind wishes
Michele Marquet
Acting Head of School