Grade 6: Virtual Student-Led Conferences on November 20, 2024
October 23, 2024
Dear Parents and Guardians,
On the night of Wednesday, November 20 we will be conducting Virtual Student-led Conferences for our 6th graders. These are conferences where parents sit with their students and review their portfolios containing work samples to see what they have learned so far this trimester. Students come prepared with reflections and artifacts from each class and they work with their advisors to organize their materials and improve their communication skills. Many of you might be asking, “Why do we do this?” There are several important benefits:
- Students learn how to set goals and to evaluate themselves as learners. They need to know their own strengths and weaknesses so that they can become independent learners.
- Parents will gain valuable insight into their students’ school lives and be able to have meaningful dialogues with their children. We know that parents speak with their children at home, but this will be a deeper conversation with no discussion about grades.
- Students will discuss what they learned and why it is meaningful. They will become more aware of the connections across disciplines as they internalize the knowledge and skills they acquired.
- Rather than saying, “I got an A on this science lab” you will hear, “This science lab was focused on _____. We learned that ___ and ___ are important concepts to understand and I improved my writing skills by ____ and ______. This topic also connects to what I learned in ___ class because…”
We want you to push your students by asking questions and helping them see connections to life outside of school.
The conferences will be done at home and everyone will join a virtual classroom with the two teacher advisors. Students should be setting up a quiet place where you can both be comfortable. We will be giving students ideas on how to make the evening special at home.
There will be no discussions about grades. These conferences are about learning, not grades. Students will set goals with your input and the goals cannot contain anything about grades. The goals should focus on improving something about themselves. Students will learn about goal-setting in advisory.
On Friday, during their advisory lesson, sixth graders will get an introduction to student-led conferences. As we approach the evening of the conference, each family will be given instructions on timing and links to sign-in. Teacher advisors will help everyone get started and be available to answer questions. At the end of the presentation, you and your student will fill out a Google Form of S.M.A.R.T Goals which will be shared by the teachers. Students will bring home portfolios and return them the next day.
SLC night is a special event every year and we look forward to seeing you virtually on Wednesday, November 20. If you have any questions, please call me directly. Thank you for your help and support.
Sincerely,
John Fabbo, Principal
201-816-4905