Our student contribution this week is from Mohammad Parsa Salari who is from Iran. Parsa speaks the Persian language and has shared a poem with us. The poem is from the well-known poet, Rumi. As with many of this Sufi’s poems, he writes of love. With love, we don’t need anything else. Do not worry about the universe, it is not worried about you. Just live with love.
This poem gives us pause for thought. (and yes, the setting out is on the right hand side of the page!)
Levelling Week
This week all students completed a writing task. The writing task will be levelled next week by a team of teachers who are especially trained for diagnostics.
Reports
Please expect to receive your child’s written report in Week 11 of this term. The reports will show a writing level result on page 2 of the English for Academic Purpose reports and in the English as an Additional Language subject for years 11 and 12 students. Please have your child compare this writing level with their first level taken when they first arrived.
Destination Schools
Soon, our first 2023 students here for English language support, will move to their destination schools.
Some students will move on the date we first planned. Other students will go to their school later, staying longer than first planned. Occasionally, a student will progress very quickly or not need much help with their English. These students may move to their destination schools sooner.
What do we use to make a decision about a student’s readiness for transferring to their destination school?
We use many pieces of information to make a decision about a student moving to a destination school.
- Is the student likely to be successful and work at a similar speed to the students in the class they are going into?
- The student’s writing level – is the student within 3 levels of their year level?
- The student’s ability to follow classroom instructions.
- The student’s ability to show what they have learned in different text types.
- The student’s wellbeing, confidence and attitude.
- The ability of the destination school to take the student.
I realise some of you will have meetings with us over the next few weeks.
Please know, that whatever the outcome, all decisions are made with the best interest of the child in mind. After talking with the destination school, if both we and the destination school think your child may not be successful yet, the destination school will extend their stay. We always talk with parents and schools about these decisions.
We work closely with the destination schools to make decisions about when a student is ready to move. Please contact Ms. Rosie Broaderick who manages AISA for questions about moving to destination schools. [email protected]
Activities
This week our students explored the CBD of Adelaide. Our students saw the Art Gallery, Adelaide University and the Central Markets. Walking in the warm dry Adelaide heat, the students appreciated the more gentle autumn weather and the many different backgrounds of local Adelaide people.
This week, a group is visiting us from Japan. The students and their teachers have explored in and around Adelaide. They have stayed in homestays and joined classes with us during the school day. We love students visiting us from all over the world. The Study Tour program is often busy at this time of year.
Please contact [email protected] for more information.
Zara Phillips
Director of Teaching and Learning.