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Volume 5 - 25 February, 2014 Dear Parents & Students Amidst the many curriculum changes that are currently under considera on at both State and Na onal level, it is pleasing to observe the enthusiasm and professionalism of our Loreto teachers in their commitment to teaching excellence.
As part of the con nuing emphasis being given to “Visible Thinking and Learning” which forms a vital part of Loreto’s Teaching and Learning Framework, this year our teachers are working in partnership with EDUCAA to further promote and develop a “Culture of Thinking” at Loreto in keeping with our philosophy “to be seekers of truth”. This requires our thinking to be cri cal, curious, reflec ve, discerning and challenging. The development of a culture of inquiry, deep thinking, engagement and crea vity will further enhance the learning of our students and our teachers.
“Making Thinking Visible” is our primary goal for 2014. In partnership with EDUCAA we seek to further develop in ourselves and our students thinking disposi ons that promote understanding, increase metacogni on and make thinking visible. During our staff days in January and again last Friday and Saturday, the teaching staff generously and enthusias cally gave their me to engage in professional discussion and reflec on about student thinking and learning at Loreto. Leading us in this were Ms Annelies Hoogland and Dr Bern Nicholls from EDUCAA and Mark Church (co‐author of Making Thinking Visible). Annelies Hoogland is an experienced school leader and educa onal consultant. Her passion and enthusiasm is the crea ve process of leadership for learning. Her most recent focus has been on the development of processes and systems that facilitate quality improvement in learning environments and reflec ve prac ces. Annelies has been involved with Project Zero (Harvard Graduate School of Educa on) ini a ves such as Teaching for Understanding, Visible Thinking and Cultures of Thinking since 2000. She has worked interna onally for twenty years and has served as Principal for interna onal schools in the Netherlands, Egypt and Thailand.
Jus ce
Freedom
SINCERITY
Verity
Felicity