Student/Parent/Teacher Conferences

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The BC Ministry of Education and School District No. 83 are in the midst of developing curriculum and reporting documents that better meet the needs of families. Our goal is to provide parents with a better way of understanding where their children are at in their learning journey.

Part of this change involves increased opportunities for parents to meet formally with teachers to discuss their child’s progress. To accommodate this change, the district has asked each school to schedule an early dismissal day in November, to provide time for scheduled Student/Parent/Teacher Conferences. Bastion Elementary will have an Early Dismissal on Tuesday, November 20th, at 12:05 pm.

These conferences will provide an opportunity for students, parents and teachers to discuss the child’s areas of strength, areas where development is needed, as well as set learning goals for the child’s continued academic and behavioral growth.

The format of the conferences will be as follows:

Part I – Review the strengths and areas of needed development of the student (5 minutes)

  • Are there any concerns or questions that should be addressed?
  • Suggestions or comments from the parents?

Part II – Goals and ways to support (10 minutes)

  • Are there any changes or additions needed for the goals?
  • Is there another goal that should be addressed based on parent feedback?
  • Address and confirm learning supports to achieve the goal at school?
  • Discuss strategies and techniques parents and students can use at home to achieve the goal.

Part III – Timeline to achieve goals and dates to review (3 minutes)

  • Set a timeline for students to achieve the goal(s).
  • Establish future follow-ups and methods to communicate learning and goal progress.

We know that community-building and establishing strong relationships between home and school are key factors in promoting learning in the most fundamental way. Therefore, dedicating two hours of learning time over the course of a school year to Student/Parent/Teacher meetings is a valuable use of instructional time. Research indicates that this method of reporting is more meaningful and informative for students, parents, and teachers.

Last year School District No. 83 piloted these conferences in twelve schools and received over 80% positive feedback from parents. After the conferences, we will be checking in with parents to ensure that this is a good use of learning time, and is supportive of your child’s learning.

We look forward to meeting with all of you, on November 20th, to discuss your child’s progress and set goals for the remainder of the school year.