Volume 7 3rd October, 2017
Newsletter of International School Suva Talanoa – Term 4, Week 4
Principal’s Report
Inside this Issue
♦ Gree ngs ISS parents, families, students, and friends,
Principal’s Report
♦ We are well into Term 4 and this a good me to focus on finishing the term well. That usually means comple ng any unfinished school work. Projects, missed work, or reading that will be included in Term 3 report cards should receive a concentrated effort in coming days. As always, helping our students ♦ stay focused is a joint effort between our teachers and parents.
The Powerful Play of
♦ O en parents ask what the best ways are to help their children with school work. That is an excellent ques on because many ins nc ve parental efforts can backfire. As parents, we o en want to rescue our children, keep them from being embarrassed, or make sure they get good grades. Those are good ♦ goals, but not the most important ones, and they o en lead to helping with the actual assignment too much, covering up for our children's lack of planning, or punishing them for being behind. ♦
Teams to Adelaide
Let me suggest some accepted and effec ve strategies, things I am sure you already know. These ideas are generally true for all ages, but, of course, they ♦ will look a li le different for each age. First of all, sympathize with your child's dilemma without judgement. Help them be willing to share with you about their schoolwork problems by calmly acknowledging they have a problem they need to solve and by being empathe c. Once they know you are on their ♦ side, you can move to step two. ♦ Second, help your child think through how to solve their problem. No ce I did not say, "tell them how to solve their problem." This is important because part of what your child needs is to learn how to problem-solve, a cri cal life-long skill. A good technique to control our urges to “come to the rescue” is to ♦ make ourselves only ask ques ons. That is harder that it seems, but ques ons make our children think and respond, not just listen quietly. Try posi ve, ♦ non-judgmental ques ons like, "What was the assignment?” “What ideas do you have for your project?” “What materials do you think you will need?” “How will that work?” “What will you have to do first?” You might have to bite your tongue to not take over the work, but you will find that your child is ♦ completely able to "figure it out" with your support! ♦ The third step you can provide as a parent to support your child is to help make a concrete plan based on your child’s own ideas about what needs to be done. Help them break the assignments down into manageable tasks, something children cannot always do on their own. Agree on melines, like, “Can we ♦ get these two things finished before dinner?” You can even write down the plan as in 1) clear off the table, 2) make a list of ques ons, 3) interview your ♦ grandparent, 4) gather all the materials you need, etc.
School Nurse
Learning Fiji Schools Swimming
Model United Nations Homes of Hope Visit
Travel & Tourism Counselor Wellness week Materials & Measurement
Library Art Exhibition Halloween Music Concert
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Advertisements
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Science Fair
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Year 7 Exhibition
Best wishes! Our children will achieve great things with parents and school working closely together!
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Upcoming Events
Steve Cathers Principal / Head of School
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2018 Term Dates
Finally, of course, “we” will not do the work; your children need to actually do the work so they can learn, but you can dedicate the rest of your me to being a cheerleader and making sure the plan is followed. With older children like adolescents, o en they will refuse your help, but when the alterna ves are failure, it is a good me to press your parental role. You can s ll peek over their shoulders and see if something is being accomplished. As always, consult with the teacher as needed so you are working together to make your child successful.