I wrote in the first newsletter about our current COVID conditions for boarding at Launceston Grammar and would update you with any changes.
Thank you for your feedback and written concerns. I have met with Nick Foster (Head of Senior Campus) to see what we would do to allow access and if any developments have taken place since this was last put in place.
I am delighted to say that the School has carefully listened and worked through a plan to get you back into the Boarding House. When you return from the long weekend you will need to do the following to enter:
- Sign in with the check in Tas app (for contact tracing)
- Sanitise hands
This will allow you access back into each of the Boarding Houses. Please note that if you present any signs of a cold or flu like symptoms please do not enter.
The term is flying along and already we have seen the Grade 7s go out on camp, the Grade 10s have just completed their Activity and Retreat Week and the Grade 12s are gearing up for their annual fundraising event, the Walkathon
Academic
Throughout this year I am inviting staff to watch some webinars based around boarding as part of their personal development. One from last week was centred around the three core ingredients to student success, by A Team Tuition Founding Director, Hayden McEvoy.
The notion that ‘Any student can achieve success with the right Mindset, Strategy and Support’ forms the underpinning belief based on the three pillars of success.
Achievement = Skill x Effort (Duckworth & Psychol).
Success = Strategy x (Mindset x Support)
Three Pillars of Success
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Pillar 1 – Mindset
High performance Mindset
- Resilience
- Growth Mindset
- Self-motivation
- Independence
- Self-Belief
This mindset is achieved through pairing with a successful mentor who embodies these traits. Launceston Grammar have them in the form of tutors in prep, boarding staff and other students. After the long weekend we are educating your child on these traits and how to develop them using the ‘Pygmalion effect’ where staff believe in your child before they believe in themselves.
Pillar 2 – Support
“You are the average of the five people closest to you”. (A team tuition)
Driving accountability through support. Accountability and Data is key for this to work through:
- Attendance
- Engagement rating
- Perceived confidence rating
- Homework completion Y/N
- Specific assessments preparation and progress
- Term planning progress
Working on the rule “What gets measured gets done” will form the bases of our conversations with each student in boarding. The first few weeks have seen staff building relational over operational with all the students living in boarding, we are now shifting gears into creating the experience of importance around homework and assessment preparation.
This has been met with mixed reactions by our student group and seems to be one area that will require some effort in developing.
Pillar 3 – Strategy
Our staff are currently interviewing each student to go through the strategy of what we can measure. This looks at “last year’s report/results”, then what goals your son/daughter can set for this semester, and finally we look at how they can achieve this through a structured study plan that works for them.
In line with this, I sent all staff at Launceston Grammar an email to strengthen the connections between day and boarding. Part of that email said.
As a team, we:
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Look forward to close monitoring of each student’s academic and pastoral development thought the Learning Area Leaders and Head of House Leadership team both in the day and boarding systems.
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Provide a strong link for this to occur on a regular basis.
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Believe that nurturing a boarder’s academic achievement is essential, as it has a significant value and a high importance as a developing trend for families to register their child to attend boarding schools
Ash Keatch
Head of Boarding