As we enter our tenth week in lockdown and eighth week of remote learning I am constantly challenged by how I can maintain a sense of belonging and positive school morale for our students whilst most aren’t in fact here in person. However, I do know that a school with a strong sense of belonging helps those children who feel, especially during this time, some dislocation in their lives or a loss of what was once normal.  This is why the teachers and all staff are trying to maintain that connection with your child/ren where they can.  The one thing we do know is that school, even when accessed remotely, still offers the children some sense of community which is welcoming for them in such tumultuous times.

Everyone desires to belong to some form of caring community, and we as a school must continue to find ways in which we are able to do this.  Much of our pastoral care is done through the casual and incidental conversations had with the children.  Even through our zooms, the goal more than the learning is to be truly present, where the students still have the opportunity to gather.  The school yard, classroom and canteen area may not be there at the moment, but the sense of the personal can still be achieved.

My  ridiculous behaviour in the weekly You And Me And A Cup Of Tea videos is purely a desire to help the children stay connected with the school in some form.  Over the past weeks my focus has been to provide them with the opportunities to do something away from the computer and to find fun in the simple things we once took for granted.  The first week was about creating their own little vege patch, the second week about creating their own kid cave in the garden shed.  This was really about having fun cleaning out the garden shed with you.  Finally last week was about having some fun cooking something with mum or dad.  I have yet to determine the message behind this week’s antics that I intend sharing with the children!  

The school captains, Holly and Dylan, have tried to help the children stay connected through their videos and interviews with the staff.  Whilst some may see this as a small thing, it has a huge positive impact on our children as they are able to stay close and personal to school life through such rich relational experiences of the heart.  The thing that makes me even more proud of Dylan and Holly is that they came up with their contributions and they had to go beyond their own needs as they have made every attempt to give back to the community through their selfless efforts.  Random acts of kindness like theirs are sometimes the most powerful in keeping the children connected to their school.

I am very much aware that each class teacher continues to create every opportunity possible to make each day in some way personal. This is why they have now increased the amount of feedback given when the students hand in their work tasks.

I hope our efforts to show our care are heard by all in our community.  Whilst literacy and numeracy always remain crucial for the school’s effectiveness, pastoral care for each other at this time will surely wish for the children of St Paul’s to carry beyond the school a vision of what might be for a better world.  How we create this mindset is now more important than ever.  Whilst my weekly video exhibits the bazaar of charos theory personified, just watch the eyes and faces smile as the children sip on their cuppa tea because that to me is what pastoral care today really needs to be.

Apologies if this is a little too deep for people today, but to see the efforts from the staff in such challenging times just makes me sit back and reflect in awe and admiration for them as they do their best to keep St Paul’s school your child’s school, even when they aren’t here in person.

Finally I leave you with this definition of pastoral care, so apt at this time:

Care may be defined as the sharing of something of myself
to give life to another.