On October 27th and 28th, Steller will be holding student-led conferences for all students. Student-led conferences are a chance for parents and students to meet with advisors to discuss student’s successes and struggles at the beginning of the new school year. The staff at Steller feels that student-led conferences will benefit all students by opening up lines of communication between parents, students, and the advisor. We will be holding a second set of conferences in February to check back in with families and students. We believe that student involvement in the conferences makes learning active, provides opportunities for students to self-reflect and evaluate their performance, and encourages students to accept responsibility for their learning.
To prepare for the conferences, students will create a portfolio representing work from all of their classes during the first quarter of school. The students will conduct the conference detailing skills and processes learned, and share goals they have set to further improve themselves. Students will be taught how to select representative work, how to write self-reflective evaluations, and how to diagnose their own strengths and weaknesses. It is critical that your child is present to lead his/her conference.
Conferences will be scheduled on Wednesday October 27 from 12:30 to 3:30 and 4:30 to 7:00. The same schedule will take place on Thursday the 28th of October. Students will be dismissed at 11:45 on both days. A twenty-five minute time block will be scheduled with your family in advance for the student-led conferences. Scheduling options will be sent home through advisors.  The advisor will be present to support students and parents during their conference, but the students will be leading the conference.
Advisors, students, and parents all play important roles in the student-led conferences. The following are some tips to help parents feel better prepared.
Before the conference:
- Confirm a conference time that works for you and your family
- Make a list of questions to bring with you to the conference
- Arrive on time with your child
During the conference:
- Listen to your child and offer encouragement
- Ask follow-up questions to help you child reflect on his/her learning
- Take notes to help remind you of possible discussion points
After the conference:
- Schedule an additional conference if you feel you need more time or further clarification or wish to meet with a specific classroom teacher
- Remember to fill out an evaluation about your conference to help us improve our implementation
Thank you in advance for supporting your child’s education in such an important way.