Mary-Anne Jasinski, Elementary Principal

On March 13th and 14th, all classes in our elementary grades will be conducting Student Led Conferences. This is an opportunity for your child to share some of their learning with you. During these conferences, your child will lead you through a number of different activities They will have spent a great deal of time preparing for your visit and the pride in accomplishment and sense of personal responsibility that they will feel will be as motivational for them as it will be for you.

This type of student driven conference takes longer than a traditional parent teacher conference, as it is very conversationally based. In addition to showing you completed projects and participating in activities with you, your child will also be practicing real-life skills in the areas of communication, organization and leadership. Please plan to spend a minimum of 20 minutes with your child in their classroom. You may stay longer if time allows; the classroom teacher will schedule your visit within a particular time frame and will inform you of your appointment ahead of time.

Due to the nature of the student led conferences, the teachers will be present to assist students and answer general questions from parents, however, this will not be a formal interview setting. Several students and families will be in the classroom at the same time. If you have specific questions to ask regarding your child, it is important to request a private interview at a later date.

What parents say about student led conferences:

• “My child is more reflective, more self-confident, self directed, owning her work.”
• “I am so impressed with the enthusiasm my son shows in regard to learning more and understanding his school work.”
• “I stay at conferences as long as they will let me; the time is always too short.”
• “I want to thank everyone for the work they have done to prepare for this conference. I’m really proud of my son and I’m so impressed with his attitude and the way he conducted himself.”

What students say about student led conferences:

• “I love it when my parents both come. It encourages me to be very well organized.”
• “It helps bring out the best in me.’
• “I like creating and sharing my portfolio; I feel like I’m the one in charge.”
• “This helps my parents to understand what I do all day at school.”

Student led conferences offer students the opportunity to exercise choice, take responsibility for their learning and show their best work. I look forward to seeing you and your children enjoying this important school event together.