The Thistle - An E-Newsletter of Scotch College, Perth, Western Australia

From the Head of Middle School

I gave the boys the Premiership Quarter speech last week. For the Year 8s this may have been the third time they have heard this one, but we still feel it is an important point to be made at this time of the year; following holidays and still seemingly a half a year to go to the next school report. The evidence I quote the boys, basically AFL statistics, all say that it is the team that makes the running in the third quarter, the team that turns for home with its nose in front, they, statistically, are the ones that win 91% of the time. The Gold Coast Suns win over Sydney 2 weeks ago was a brilliant, on cue, illustration. The third quarter, the third term, I hope I was not too subtle.

This term we want our boys to continue on with the energy and the focus they had at the end of last term and carry that into this term. To support this each Homeroom Teacher runs some goal setting sessions that allows boys to analyse in detail the commentary on their assessments from last semester, their grades and the requirements of different criterion across the subject areas. Then based on this information, they determine 2 or 3 goals that can be set and worked toward over Semester 2.

This week we open the online booking process for our Student Led Conferences held across Week 3 & 4. In these 10 minute conversations your son will share his goals, describe how he arrived at them and then with our help map out a plan to achieve these goals by the next reporting period. Whilst the goals and the actions are important, it is developing this reflection process in our Middle School boys that is the critical element. We want to send boys into Senior School with the habit of looking at what they have done, what they want to achieve and becoming increasingly accountable for how they achieve their goals. I think this is a good skill for life. I look forward to seeing many of you in the corridors in Weeks 3 & 4.

There are three significant events I wish to draw your attention to this term:

  1. Middle School Athletics Carnival: Week 5B, Tuesday 22 August is a fantastic day of activity, effort and colour. I hope you can join us.
  2. Year 8 Community Project Showcase: Week 8A, Wednesday 12 September. Year 8 boys are in the final stage now of preparing their presentations based on their projects.
  3. Highland Games in Week 9B, Friday 21 September: Painted faces, flying kilts and bagpipes, it is a fun afternoon, a great way to finish the term and a neat connection with College tradition.

Mr Richard Ledger
 Head of Middle School