Warners Bay High School logo

Warners Bay High School

Warners Bay High School

Quality Education for All

Telephone02 4954 9488

Emailwarnersbay-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Parent Teacher Interviews

Parent-teacher interviews provide an important opportunity to discuss your child’s progress with their teachers.

At WBHS, three parent/teacher nights are held throughout the year:

  • Year 7 - end of Term 1
  • Years 11, 12 - early Term 2
  • Years 8, 9, 10 - early Term 3

Bookings are made through the Sentral Parent Portal. Usually two weeks before each Parent/Teacher Night, information is emailed to families advising when bookings will open and how to book.

Year 11/12 Parent-Teacher Night 2023

The Year 11/12 Parent-Teacher Night is coming up on Monday the 1st of May (Week 2 of Term 2), sessions will be available between 3:30pm and 6pm. Bookings will be available via the Parent Portal ( https://wbhs.sentral.com.au/portal/login ) or the Sentral for Parents App, from 9am on Wednesday the 5th of April until 5pm on Thursday the 27th of April. 

Staff are grouped by faculty and banners/signs will assist you to find the teacher. We have an audible and visual indication to help you know when it is time to approach a teacher for your time slot. If five minutes isn't enough time, let the teacher know and a follow-up call or meeting can be arranged. 

Maths, Science, English, Languages and History faculties will be in the MPC. TAS will be in the ground floor E block classrooms while PD/H/PE, Social Science and CAPA are located in the Library (D block). It can take a few minutes to move between buildings, so its best to avoid back to back bookings unless it is with another faculty in the same location. Signs and maps will be available to assist with navigation. Availability can sometimes go quickly, so booking early rather than later is recommended.

If you have any questions or difficulties booking interviews, you can phone the school office during the school day. Should a staff member you've an interview booked with be absent on the day, an e-mail will be sent out by lunch time to let you know, plus a whiteboard near the MPC entrance will indicate if any teachers are away.

See below for tips to get the best out of your time with your child's teachers.

Arrange for an interpreter if needed

If you need an interpreter, let us know before the interview. Call 131 450 and ask for an interpreter in your language. The operator will get an interpreter on the line to help you. This service is free.

Do your homework

Take a few minutes before the meeting to jot down any questions or comments you have. Common questions may include:

  • How is my child fitting in with other children?
  • What are the children working on now?
  • Is there anything about my child’s needs that I should know?
  • Does my child ask questions, participate in class discussions and other activities?
  • Is my child’s progress satisfactory?
  • What activities does my child seem to enjoy the most at school?
  • Who are my child’s friends?
  • Does my child join in with other children in the playground?
  • What kinds of things will the class be doing over the next few weeks?
  • How is my child progressing in comparison to others in the year?
  • Is there anything I can be doing to help my child at home?
  • Do you have any concerns about my child?
  • What is the best time and way to contact you if I have a concern?

Also, list anything that might be happening at home that may be helpful for your child’s teacher to know. If your child has seen a specialist for example, there may be some information that is important for the teacher or the school counsellor to know.

Go with a positive attitude

Approach the interview with a positive and relaxed attitude. Remember you and the teacher are partners in your child’s learning. Be clear and confident in raising any concerns and allow the teacher to answer or clarify your questions and worries.

Teachers want to help students achieve their best – you’re on the same team.

Walk away with an agreed plan

If the teacher raises issues about your child’s learning, development or behaviour, your goal will be to understand the plan to manage that during the school day and how you can help at home.

For example, if your child is struggling to pay attention in class, a behaviour diary which travels between class and home every day may be a good suggestion. The idea is the teacher updates you with a short, written account of your child’s day, so you can discuss it with your child each evening.

Ask the teacher what sort of strategies they have in mind and how you can help.

Plan to communicate

The parent-teacher interview is not the only time you can discuss your child with the teacher, but many parents and carers find it’s their only opportunity to visit the school. Ask the teacher how you can best communicate with each other in the future. Many teachers make appointments to see or call you outside of school hours. Others find email works well.

Between 8:30am and 3:30pm is non-stop for teachers, and their primary responsibility each day is to teach their students. Teachers can’t leave their class unattended to talk with you so it’s best to come up with a plan to stay in touch.

After the interview

It’s important to discuss the meeting with your child and really congratulate them on their strengths. If the teacher made suggestions of things you could do at home, discuss these with your child and commit to following through with them.

It can be easier to approach the teacher or the principal when you feel part of the school community. Volunteer if you can, or stay connected on social media or online.

Don’t let issues brew

Stay in touch with the teacher and the school. Make contact if a concern arises before or after the parent-teacher interviews. Let the teacher know what your concern is so they can prepare for your conversation.  For example if you’re worried your child isn’t making friends, the teacher may want to observe them in the playground before you talk. Or if you’re concerned your child isn’t performing as well as expected, the teacher may want to check last year’s notes, talk to colleagues or review assessment results.

If there’s something happening at home with your child or another family member, it can affect your child’s learning and behaviour at school, so please let the school know.

Get to know child’s year adviser

Once your child is in high school, the year adviser is a great point of contact when you have a question or problem that’s not specific to one subject area. For example if your child doesn’t seem to be on top of their homework (or says they’re not getting any homework) the year adviser would be the person to call. They can have a chat with the teachers involved and get back to you.

The same goes with social problems your child may be having. Year advisers try to get to know all ‘their’ kids on a more personal level and can keep an eye on how your child is progressing.

Seeking more help 

If you’ve talked to the teacher and still aren’t satisfied with the outcome, you can always make an appointment to discuss your concerns with the head teacher, year adviser, assistant principal, deputy or principal. You can bring a support person with you to any meeting at the school. If you need the help of an interpreter, let them know when you make the appointment, so they can arrange to have someone on the phone or at the meeting to help you.