Here is an update from our Principal, Mr Mark Peggrem in regards to Wednesday Timetable Changes for 2023.
Thank you to the roughly 200 parents that gave feedback in regards to our Wednesday afternoon timetable changes in 2023. It was clear from the data that overall there was support from parents in regards to this change, however we do appreciate some parents were concerned about transport methods for their child.
It was also very clear that parents supported the idea of additional intervention or tutorial lessons during this period 5 lesson.
Some parents were also concerned about behaviour in the community during this lesson time. We appreciate your concerns and we will be addressing this and ensuring staff are in these local community areas to monitor this.
Parents are reminded that we will have supervision here at school for students who cannot make it home, or for parents who do not want their child left unsupervised during this time. It will be an expectation that students who will be at school on a Wednesday afternoon will bring some form of educational work to engage with. This could be catching up on classroom work, homework, assessment items, study or revising notes for exams, continuing an art project (that isn’t too messy), or reading (either a school novel or personal one). Video games, or gaming of any nature, will not be permitted.
We also understand some families were concerned about missed class time. The timeslot being utilised was not a scheduled curriculum lesson, so they will not be missing out on additional curriculum learning time. Previously this lesson was our ‘Pathways’ lesson, and this time would often be used for assemblies, guest speakers, or for students to work on developing career goals. Whilst we continue to hold this work as a priority, these sessions have traditionally been under attended with ongoing high absenteeism which is why we will be reworking this process.
We understand this structure may seem strange to families; however, we can assure all families that this arrangement is run very successful in many schools, not only on the Gold Coast, but throughout Queensland. In some instances, this model has already been running for 5 or more years without issue. If you still have concerns, please have a look through our full Initial Concerns FAQ page on our website.