11 June 2021
Dear Parents & Guardians
Assalam o Alaikum
Alhamdulillah as we come to the end of Term 1 of the academic year 2021, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the support you have given both to your child and the school. I would also like to extend a special welcome to all the new families for their trust in and joining Australian Islamic College this year and thank you very much to all our returning families for their continued cooperation and patronage.
I feel pleasure to inform you that the school is keeping up with the booming enrollment of the new students with the additional construction of new classrooms both in Primary and High School. The new technology and science labs at high school with the state of art facilities will be inaugurated in Term 2.
Though the leadership and management of the operation of the school is ultimately the responsibility of the Principal; however, the school’s leadership team plays a significant and vital role in developing and implementing the school’s policies. Due to the expansion of the school population and resources the structure of the leadership team has been reformed. The reorganization provides an explicit and student-focused approach for academic and personnel wellbeing.
The school has facilitated the students, staff, and parents and restructured the roles & responsibilities creating additional roles in high school administration as follows:
- Deputy Principal Upper Secondary
- Deputy Principal Lower Secondary
- Dean Student Wellbeing & Pastoral Care (Boys)
- Dean Student Wellbeing & Pastoral Care (Girls)
- Dean Assessments, Events & Innovation
The college is committed to Academic Excellence, Character Development, Individual and Collective Well-being of the students. Due to the recent expansion and population growth of students, the school is fortunate enough to welcome 41 new staff members to our teaching faculty both in Primary and High School.
The new staff needs time to adjust and is supported by their Head of Learning Area, Curriculum, and Year Level Coordinators along with the school’s administration at every step of their integration and induction at school. I hope you have had taken the opportunity at the recent Parent-Teacher meeting to have valuable learning conversations with the teachers and you have been informed about your child’s progress and possible areas of improvement.
At the Australian Islamic College, we are committed to creating a promising and happy environment for learning. We are proud of our student’s achievements, mannerisms, and citizenship, we acknowledge when they are doing the right thing. The school promotes, Islamic values, mutual respect, tolerance, respect for school and staff, respect for school policies. School counsellors provide guidance and support students promoting a positive attitude, self-esteem, healthy friendship, and assistance for their academic success. Students Well-being and Pastoral Care Coordinators have direct responsibility for managing the behaviour of the students and ensuring the fundamental rights of everyone is maintained. I sincerely commend their rigorous efforts in this regard.
Term 1 is always hectic with a cluster of issues, I am concerned about the number of students who are persistently late for school, and we also have many who are missing a significant amount of time each week.
Arriving in school on time is great training for life. Children who attend school regularly and are on time are more engaged socially and academically and achieve greater learning outcomes. Therefore, it is our first and foremost expectation that all children are at school for the morning assembly at 8.25 am.
The following advice is adapted from the article “Effects of Tardiness on Your Child’s Education”.2016. Our Everyday Life.
This article clearly explains how frequent lateness to school impacts our children’s well-being and their learning.
We all run late sometimes. For your child, arriving late to school occasionally will not cause major disruption. Inevitably, children will feel sick or tired some mornings, or other situations will prevent them from being on time. But chronic lateness eventually takes its toll on a child’s overall educational experience. According to the national initiative Attendance Works, missing just 10 percent of the school year in the early grades causes many students to struggle in primary school, and lateness in later grades is associated with increased failure and dropout rates. Fortunately, parents can help prevent tardiness from becoming frequent enough to negatively impact their child’s school life.
Disrupted Routines
One of the most important aspects of school is that it is organized, scheduled and predictable. Students depend on the structure of the day. They know where they have to be and when. They know the main purpose for being in school is to learn and that routines are in place precisely to help them focus on that learning. When students are repeatedly tardy, these routines are disrupted. Children who are often late have trouble settling in and mastering routines. Tardiness can throw off their whole morning or even their day, especially if the late commute to school was stressful.
Social Criticism
The social experience has a powerful impact on a child’s feelings about school and his or her ability to be academically successful. When a child continuously shows up late to class, other students are distracted. Attention is drawn away from the teacher or assignment and toward the child who has just arrived. Over time, classmates may begin to criticize this child, affecting how they feel about themselves in school. During adolescence, children are especially conscious of fitting in and being accepted by peers. If your child is repeatedly tardy, they may become a target or outcast over time, and negative peer interactions can hurt their ability to concentrate on learning. According to the Encyclopedia of Children’s Health, children with steady friendships throughout the school year enjoy school more, and children who can make new friends tend to perform better academically.
Low Achievement
Perform Well, a nonprofit policy research and educational organization, reports that frequent tardiness is associated with lower grades and lower scores on standardized tests. It is also linked to low graduation rates. In addition, students who are routinely late at the primary and middle school levels are more likely to fail in senior school — or even drop out. In many classrooms, particularly at the primary level, morning routines are critical to daily lessons. Warm-up activities may introduce topics that will be learned later in the day, or review work offers students an opportunity to review previously learned skills.
Responsibility
Part of your child’s education is learning to be responsible. The school experience teaches children how to meet expectations. They learn to follow schedules, obey rules, complete assignments and keep track of their materials. Learning responsibility in school is a precursor to functioning in the working world, as noted by William Kirby in his 2010 article “School Attendance Tied to Academic Success”.
Attendance is one of the ways children show they can meet their obligations. In many cases, a child’s attendance depends on his parents’ ability to help him be on time. Parents can teach their children organizational techniques that will help them get out of the house faster, such as packing their bags and laying out their clothes the night before school. But parents who drive their children must also remember to be punctual and responsible. After all, you are the primary role model.
We understand that occasionally, there are unavoidable circumstances that will prevent your child from arriving at school on time. If it is a ‘one-off then fair enough, but when it is consistent lateness then we have to remind you that it is not acceptable.
Students will be receiving End of Term 1 reports during term break. If you have any concerns about your child’s attainment and performance, please contact the school. Students should complete their homework & assignments during term break and take advantage of the resources provided. It would be advisable for our Year 12 students to complete the given tasks and assignments and do their very best to solve past papers and act on the feedback given by their teachers regularly and by the deputy principal upper secondary throughout the past fortnight.
I want to appreciate and thank our staff for their commitment and perseverance. They are outstanding professionals who are continually making every effort doing their best to ensure our children learn. I sincerely commend the contribution of the teachers taking Numeracy & Literacy Enrichment classes after school hours and during the term break.
I wish you a happy term break and a blessed Ramadan Kareem. We look forward to forming a positive partnership with you so that we can give your child the best opportunities to succeed academically, socially, spiritually, and emotionally, in sha Allah.
Sincerely,
Br. Mohammed Nazar Khan
Principal