From the Principal's Desk
Dear Parents & Friends,
Welcome back for term two and I trust that the vacation, intertwined with Easter and the Anzac Day ceremonies was a combination of rest, relaxation and special occasion. It is very rare that both significant events are in the one set of holidays.
Term Two is usually a busy but very rewarding term. Last term we had our Listening Assembly which was very useful in helping our school community set some future directions for our school. One aspect, that received considerable interest was the request to review our current school report. There were quite a few yellow dots placed on this new idea. Strangely as it may seem, this was already in the works. The school has been involved in implementing a new information management system called Compass. Part of this new structure, has been the development of a new reporting system that will be similar in all schools right across the diocese. Whilst we can request some minor changes, on the whole, the plan is to have one reporting format for all schools in the diocese. The reports will be posted electronically for the first time this term and naturally will be followed up with parent/teacher interviews.
The Listening Assembly was such a success last term, that I have been very keen to send out the summary to the parent community as soon as possible. I have decided to send this out with this newsletter so that all can see those aspects parents really valued and wanted to keep as well as the new ideas that came from the evening. Annemarie Lauricella (P and F President) and Daniela Ryan(P and F Vice President) assisted in the collation of the data in the final week of term and creating the summary provided with this newsletter. This is not in its final form, as it has yet to go to the staff and P and F for further input. However, it will probably take the term to get this done and I didn’t want to keep everyone waiting without any interim follow up. Another thing to keep in the back of your mind is that this is not a mandate to have those new ideas suggested, happen. It is about listening to the voice of the community and then, based on this, consider our future directions and initiatives. I will keep everyone closely informed as we begin to respond to some of the recommendations, some in total, some in partial form and some not at all. This document will have significant influence as we plan our school improvement journey each year.
This term also marks the beginning of a very busy time for parents as we begin our Kindergarten enrolment interviews this Saturday. Whilst the members of the Leadership team and parents give up give up their Saturday to do this, I still find it a very rewarding time to talk to parents about their “special” child who is hopefully to join our school community next year. Over the past twenty-three years as my work has stretched largely beyond the classroom, I have worked closely with families and learnt so much about the hopes and disappointments, and the joys and struggles that are part of every family. This is especially true for young families trying to build goodness, peace and fidelity into the relationships of parent to parent and parents to children whilst still learning what it means to have this rewarding yet challenging responsibility call mum or dad. I must admit, I’m also still trying to work it out and I still get anxious for my own children as they seek to create opportunities to make a career that will be rewarding as well as good income providing. I suppose the challenges, as a parent are always there, just somewhat different as those stages change. To those parents feeling this for your child starting kinder and having their interview last Saturday, I’m feeling it too as my children try to create their opportunities in the workforce at the moment. I am sure our God, who is loving and patient with us as we go through these different life stages with our children, smiles at our idealism for our kids, our disenchantment when we sometimes face reality and most of all our understanding and compassion which we give our children, as signs of maturity. Most of all, please know that your child is coming to a community that has a strong family spirit, where the children are loved and we do God’s work every day, teachers, assistant staff, administration staff, parent helpers, members of the P and F and fete committee and last but not least, the students themselves.
Go Gently
Michael Reardon
Principal
When you are faced with a challenge for your child at school
Last term, like in any school, there were a few challenges that required a number of meetings with parents in order to resolve a problem or assist the family in some form. One problem involved a child with some health challenges at the moment and it was such a highly successful experience, I thought I might share with you why it was so successful.
Every parent wants the best for their children, and that includes having great experiences at school. Like all schools, by and large, we deliver on these expectations. Parents have said to me that our school is safe for our kids, staffed by hard working teachers who have the best interests of their students at heart. Parents at St Paul’s have student achievement, discipline and well-being high on the lists of priorities and in nearly all cases the school delivers on these expectations.
However, despite best practice things still do go wrong at school. Most kids experience learning difficulties from time to time. Conflict and peer rejection are also a part of school life. The developmental nature of children means that there will always be some form of turbulence. During these times young people frequently experience a dip in their learning, as well as relationship difficulties. Kids often come home with grievances and call on you to assist. Your approach as a parent when your child has difficulty at school makes a huge difference to their resilience and their future relationships with teachers and peers. I wish to share with you six key strategies a parent of a child used at our school to overcome the challenges confronting her child, which in comparison to most were of the highest degree.
1.She always stayed calm and rational
Even with those natural instincts of protect and defend, which are a part of every parent, she stayed focused, was outcome driven, stayed keen to communicate and took time to find ways to resolve the challenge rather than placing all expectations on the school.
2.She had all the facts AND they were accurate
A child’s perception of reality quite often is not the complete reality. Whilst she could see the challenges for her child, she could see the desire for the school to work with her for the sake of her child, even through the wheels at times were moving incredibly slowly and this was frustrating. She was able to accept this and could see her place in trying to solve the problem.
3.Assess when is the appropriate time to go to the school
Some problems can be dealt with simply at home or in this case initially through an external agency first. Once the parent had covered both challenges first, she then sort out the school to come into the picture, rather than just placing the problem at the feet of the principal or class teacher and expecting the school to be the complete agent of change without her rolling up her sleeves too. Because she was the initial problem solver, much of the challenges had been worked through before the problem became our problem too.
4.She went through the right channels
She approached the school calmly, initially through the office, then the child’s teacher and finally with me. This parent had very little opportunity at this stage to develop a relationship with her child’s teacher, but still knew that the turn around would need to come with the teacher on board and worked closely with her. Due to this, my involvement in the resolution was more largely out of respect for me as principal than for any other reason.
5.Her focus was on looking for solutions rather than blame
She spoke to her child’s teacher about her concerns and focused firmly on what was best for her child. She was able to listen to the teacher’s viewpoint, principal viewpoint and the relevant system protocols to achieve the best outcome, which probably wasn’t everything she wished. She could live with this because she was also empathetic to the fact that the needs of the individual cannot take precedent over the better good of all.
6.She stayed in touch
She was realistic with her expectations, remembering some problems cannot be solved to only her satisfaction, nor could this challenge be resolved straight away. She worked closely alongside the teacher and the communication was supportive and helpful to the teacher.
Imagine how fantastic schools would be if this approach was the journey each time. I think there is a good lesson here on how to get the best for your child when things aren’t going well, whether it be relationships, learning difficulties, well-being matters or health matters. This very wise parent has given us the six steps for success when your child has a problem.
New Sandpit
At the bottom of Area One we are very close to finalising a sandpit for students. Before it is officially made available to the students we are organising for a weighted cover to be made, to be placed over it at the end of the day to keep any stray cats away from it. Roy Harb, a parent at the school, has constructed some seats around the perimeter of the raised pit for the student to sit on as they play in the sand. Thank you Roy for volunteering your time to construct the seats and install them, it is deeply appreciated. Katelyn Harb has also been involved in the completion of the sandpit and has spent much of her valuable time chasing up the cover.