Dear Gr.

5/6/7/8 Parents, On Thursday, March 7 students will be released early at 12:00 noon, and we will have an afternoon of Student-Led Conferences, which is a change in our conference format for second semester. The student-led conference is an opportunity for students to share their learning with their parents and teachers and the goals of a student-led conference include the following: To encourage students to accept responsibility for their learning and progress. To help students recognize and take ownership for the things that interfered with their learning success. To teach students the process of self-evaluation. To facilitate the development of students oral communication skills and self-confidence. To enhance communication between student and parents. On that afternoon you will accompany your child to each class for approximately ten minutes and have the opportunity to discuss samples of their work. For PE classes, parents will have the opportunity to engage in activities led by their child. As such, parents are encouraged to dress comfortably in attire and shoes so that they can try out some of the activities. We hope to see as many parents as possible getting involved and trying out the fitness activities. For conferences, students will be divided by surname. Students whose last name falls between A K will have conferences from 12:30 2:50. Students with last names starting with L Z will have conferences from 3:30 5:50. Similar to the Open House format, parents will follow their childs schedule and visit each class. For student-led conferences, parents will not need to schedule appointments. You will take part in one of two sessions (12:30 2:50 p.m. or 3:30 5:50 p.m.) together with your child. We encourage you to attend the first session if your surname begins with the letters A-K, and the second session if your surname begins with the letters L-Z (although if you need to attend the other time because of conflicts this is acceptable. Please note that if both parents are unable to attend the student-led conference, your child is expected to go home at dismissal and not remain on campus. Attached please find a more detailed copy of the program guide and schedule for the afternoon. Printed copies will be available for you at the start of the conference time. We look forward to implementing this conference format and supporting your conversations with your child about his/her learning. Yours in Education,

Simon Gillespie Middle School Principal

Clarissa Sayson Middle School Assistant Principal