Cotswold School .::. Reporting To Parents

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Reporting To Parents

Regular two-way communication between home and school is an essential part of the learning process. The Cotswold School reports on individual progress to inform parents and promote better learning in the future. We report to parents in a variety of ways including:
*	Interviews with the parents/caregivers of new entrants around their sixth week of school
*	Meet the Teacher afternoon/evening during the third week of the school year
*	Goal setting learning conference for all students towards the end of Term 1
*	Portfolio assessment and report learning stories
*	Learning conferences involving students, parents and teachers at the start of Term 3
*	Informal parent interviews
*	Contacting parents if unusual or significant issues affecting their child's learning become apparent at school
*	Celebrations of learning
*	School and class newsletters
*	School review documents
*	Board annual report
Cotswold School reports to parents twice each year on how their child is doing in Reading, Writing and Mathematics in relation to National Standards. The standards show what New Zealand children are expected to be able to do in reading, writing and mathematics at each period or year of schooling. The standards have been designed so that students who meet them will be on track to achieve NCEA Level 2. Doing well in reading, writing and mathematics gives children the skills they need to do well in other curriculum areas at school. At Cotswold School your child will receive this report card after one year at school, after two years at school and after three years at school (Anniversary Reporting) and also in June and December. This report card is part of our reporting to parents. Teachers will also talk to you about your child's progress and achievement, including against the National Standards, as part of parent-teacher interviews and meetings, informal discussions and/or student-led conferences. To work out where each child is at, teachers will make an overall teacher judgement (OTJ) using a range of assessments, including:
*	What they have seen in the classroom
*	Talking about learning with students
*	Children's assessment of their own and each others' work
*	Results from formal tests
It is not expected that students will show all the skills or understandings for a level. Students start at different points and progress in their learning in different ways and at different rates from one another. Principals, Board of Trustees and teachers set annual goals for their students and their schools that are challenging, but achievable. Cotswold School's Annual Goals and Student Achievement Targets are included in the school Charter which can be accessed for the school website www.cotswold.school.nz or collected from the school office.