With the parent/teacher conference season still dancing in her head, we sat down with Colleen Pettus, Head of the Middle School at Holy Child, for her “report card.”

 

By Robin Jovanovich

 

With the parent/teacher conference season still dancing in her head, we sat down with Colleen Pettus, Head of the Middle School at Holy Child, for her “report card.”

 

What Pettus likes about the system in place is that the first set of conferences is held right after the first trimester grades arrive in parents’ mailboxes.

 

“Open, honest partnership is essential,” she said. “Our job is to build a foundation of trust with students and parents. Those middle school years (grades 5-8)are on the cusp of child/young adult. The girls need our support in helping them become more accountable.”

 

Pettus continued, “Students have a home self and a school self and these conferences give parents and teachers the opportunity to discover if what each is seeing is happening on the other front.”

 

Every parent/teacher conference begins with a positive, explained Pettus. “Children are not one-dimensional. If they don’t excel in every academic subject, they have talents and skills that are worthy of discussion.”

 

When an area needs improvement or there is a call to action Pettus said the teachers are very specific. “They put their notes on index cards. Parents can use the same strategy.”

 

Even though most conferences take less than 15 minutes, parents are encouraged to share every concern — from the need for extra teacher support at home to shifts in friendships.

 

In Middle School, Holy Child looks at each grade individually as a step. “These students need organizational skills, study skills early on,” said Pettus. “We ask them to think critically and make sure that they’re asking the right questions. At this age, students are getting to know themselves as learners.”

 

New in fifth grade this year, reported Pettus, is “Build It,” which lays the groundwork for engineering through teamwork and problem-solving.

 

At Back to School Night, parents had a chance to do a little building themselves. For materials, they had spaghetti and marshmallows.

 

Holy Child is always sprucing up its learning landscape and has created a strong middle school foundation.