Message from the Headmaster – August 2024
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Over the last two weeks, your son will have received feedback from each of his subject teachers about his performance in the mid-year examinations. Such feedback is critical to his academic progress this Term.
Tomorrow, you will receive access to your son’s mid-year report, which will provide you with direct feedback on his performance and attitude over the year to date. I encourage you to discuss the contents of the report with your son, so that he can use it to maintain or develop a growth mindset towards his studies this term.
I raise a growth mindset with you at this stage of an important academic term. No matter what level of success your son experienced in the Term 2 examination series, working hard and persevering with class work now, and in the coming months, will allow him to progress and in Olympic-like language, achieve a personal best.
In recent assemblies we have been discussing Carol Dwek’s research into fixed and growth mindsets. We want all students to understand that if they use feedback and mistakes as opportunities to improve, they become more productive. This is what Dwek calls ‘purposeful engagement’.
For those who were unhappy with their final Term 2 examination results, I offered them the legendary US basketball coach’s advice, “You are not a failure until you start to assign blame. That’s when you stop learning from your mistakes – because you deny them.”
As you the discuss the marks, teacher comments and attitude grades on your son’s mid-year report with him, I also encourage you to discuss his goals for this Term. We have asked all students to review their examination results and to use this information to help set specific and measurable goals for this Term.
The process of setting clear goals will help your son’s motivation and thinking, as we progress teaching programmes that aim to support him to learn new subject content, while building in him the confidence and resilience to have his understanding internally and externally assessed.
Putting time aside now to set short- and longer-term goals may also help your son with his subject selections for 2025; a process that began this week with Option Briefings for Forms 4-6, followed by the Options Evening next week on Tuesday 13 August. For Form 7 students, having clear goals and aspirations will help their motivation as they set their sights on studying at a tertiary level domestically or internationally next year.
Finally, my best wishes are also extended to the many sporting teams and performing arts groups who will be vying for places in Auckland, regional or national finals in the coming weeks. It is a pleasure and a privilege to support teams and groups on sidelines or in theatres as they represent our School in exemplary fashion.
Per Angusta Ad Augusta
Tim O’Connor
Headmaster