Learning together the Canvas Way

This new platform was fully introduced across all levels of the College from the commencement of the school year on January 31st. As a management tool, it has many exciting learning and teaching opportunities for us to draw upon as we become increasingly familiar with all its distinctive features.

One key strength is that it enables students to receive specific feedback provided to target improved outcomes. The advantage of this feedback is that it can be more personalised, timely and relevant to the learning needs of each child. Parents and guardians will be able to view this feedback and the associated results their daughter or son receives as it is made available to the student, thereby providing the chance to be directly engaged in conversations about how each child is performing as well as discussing what suggestions and strategies have been offered to help him or her progress from that point.

By early next week, the primary family contact will receive an individual email that includes a unique Canvas logon as well as a link to a brief video introducing them to some preliminary features of Canvas prepared by Mr. Roddy Nash, our E-Learning Coordinator.

Please note that this Canvas logon is a different logon to the Xuno Student Management System logon and only one logon contact can be issued per family.

Given this more interactive level of engagement, the school will not prepare or distribute interim reports later this term as it is our expectation that parents and guardians will be following their daughter or son’s progress via Canvas.

However, we will be providing parents and guardians with important opportunities to discuss student performance and progress with teachers during parent/student/teacher conferences to be held on March 26th and 27th.

These conferences will be vital opportunities for all students and parents or guardians to be able to discuss their progress prior to the commencement of Term 2.

It is our desire as a school to develop students with high expectations and empower them with the skills to know how to monitor their progress and be able to know what to do next in terms of taking their learning to the next level.

Canvas provides us with an interactive tool where we can build on prior learning to instil challenge and build confidence in our students to know how they learn. It is our goal to ensure our classrooms are inviting places where all students want to come and learn and we believe Canvas is one key tool that will help to foster the exploration of ideas and as yet untapped curiosity.

Across this term and indeed the year, we will continue to provide information about Canvas and how it can complement student learning but for now I invite you to logon and view the introductory video prepared by Mr. Nash as we set out on the Canvas journey together.

Mrs Annette Chidzey Deputy Principal [Learning & Teaching]