A Key to Academic Excellence - Engagement with Lessons and Activities

A key characteristic of the CBC gentleman is that he strives to be his best, and understands the inherent value in doing so. Part of the culture at CBC is the understanding that giving your best is an inherently noble act. Even when we fall short of our goal, we can never offer more than our maximum effort.  Any student who can reach the end of a day, a week, or Term and reflect with pride on their efforts should be celebrated.  

Although effort is no guarantee of an outstanding result, often when a student gives their best, they can achieve incredible outcomes. On Tuesday morning, it was a pleasure to attend the Academic Excellence Assembly, where we celebrated the achievements of the students whose efforts in Semester One placed them at the highest achievement levels in several areas. Congratulations to the students who were inducted into the Academic Excellence Program, as well as those who were recognised for their outstanding contributions to Drama and Sport.

At the assembly, Mr Burgio spoke about four key actions that are the keys to achieving academic excellence:  
1.    Intentionally prepare and be organised for class
2.    Engage with lessons and activities
3.    Seek support where required
4.    Build a habit of home study

Each of these is worthy of a separate newsletter article. However, today I'd like to focus on the second key to academic excellence: Engagement with lessons and activities.

There is a misconception that being engaged in lessons and activities means being quiet, and compliant. Sitting behind a desk, completing written questions studiously and efficiently. For many parents (including myself), this was the expectation of an engaged student when we were in school. Although there will be periods of time where this more traditional approach is required, this is far removed from what we mean when we ask a student to engaged with their lessons and activities. At CBC, one aspect of being an engaged student means to be aware of the many opportunities available to help you learn, and willing to step outside your comfort zone to try something new.

Since joining the CBC community, I have been continually impressed with the dedication of staff in regard to offering learning opportunities to students outside the confines of the traditional classroom. Just in the first few days of Term 3, I have seen and heard:

• Students engaging with First Nations culture, a notable highlight being the Bush Tucker BBQ;

• In response to the increasing numbers of manga and graphic novels being borrowed from the Library, students were given the opportunity to attend an illustration and graphic novel design workshop with manga author and illustrator Kenny Chan;

• The launch of the Year 8 Love of Learning Project which allows groups of students to develop 21st Century skills such as collaboration, clear communication and creative thinking while attempting to construct an innovative solution to a problem;

• The establishment of new community partnerships with Kailis Marine and additional Curtin University programs joining the dozens of community partnerships providing opportunities for interested senior students.

This is in addition to the many sports, clubs and academic help groups which run weekly as additional opportunities to engage in further learning, helping students grow in not just their academics, but also in their personal characteristics.

CBC offers our students many opportunities. However, this is only worthwhile if students are willing to engage with them. Perhaps this week in your conversations with your son, you could consider one of the following questions: 
1. How are you making sure you give your best effort in the classroom?  
2. What is working well and what is something that you could change? 
3. Are you aware of the opportunities outside the classroom that are available to you? 
4. What would you like to be more involved in and how can parents/school support you in this?

Year 10 students have already started the process of selecting subjects for 2025. All other students will soon begin the process as well, considering which opportunities they would like to engage in as they move into the next phase of their schooling. As we continue into the Term, I look forward to seeing more and more students engaging in, and taking advantage of opportunities they may not have considered before. You'll never know unless you give it a go!

Wishing you a safe, happy, and engaged Term 3.

Mr Jean Paul Papineau
Deputy Principal - Teaching & Learning