Principal's Page

Week 4 already - the term is flying. 

This Friday is the Feast of the Assumption, a Holy Day of Obligation, which means that the Catholic community celebrates by attending Mass. Aside from every Sunday of the year, there are two Holy Days of Obligation in Australia. These are Christmas Day (25 December) and the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (15 August). These two holy days are to be observed each year, regardless of the day of the week on which they fall.

Christmas Art Exhibition

This afternoon saw the launch of our Christmas Art Exhibition. I was lucky enough to attend the preview. I am so impressed with the talent of our students. Well done year 5 and 6. 

A very big 'Thank You' to Nicole Worland and Helen Cheggwidden for their work in getting the show together and the assistance they gave to our young artists.  

McAuley Day

McAuley day will be held on Thursday 25th August. This will be a day of fun and celebration. We will start the day by attending the Parish Mass at 9:30. From 11:30 - 1:00 we will hold our annual McAuley Has Talent show. In the afternoon Hit Squad will broadcast form the grounds of Catherine McAuley and there will be fun activities for the students to engage in. A note will be sent out on COMPASS closer to the date and I believe the SRC are preparing a Facebook post with more information about the Talent Show and an audition timetable. 

Reading 

A gentle reminder of the importance of reading with your children daily. The more they read, the better readers they become. As reading is a fundamental literacy skill, it is important that children read daily and practice. Recently we had a book fair at school and the excitement shown by the students highlighted their love of reading. A huge Thank You to Mrs Garnan for organising the Book Fair.

Want to Raise a Confident Young Leader? 7 Proven Strategies That Work Fast

Unlock Your Child's Potential and Transform Their Future Success

Michael Grosse

Raising a confident, capable child is easier than most people think.

You just need to get your focus right, and the rest will fall into place quickly if you follow through with the right actions.

So what is the correct thing to focus on?

It’s something most parents know about, but often think is not for their child.

It’s leadership.

Often, when we think of "leaders," we envision school captains or corporate executives.

However, leadership is far more fundamental – it's about problem-solving, empathy, communication, and taking initiative.

And it’s needed in all areas of life - at school, at work, in the community and in families.

Leadership begins at home.

As a parent, you have countless opportunities to cultivate these vital traits in your children.

Be mindful - the goal isn't to groom every child for a student leadership position, which can inadvertently create undue pressure.

Instead, the focus should be on developing the underlying traits and mindsets of a leader so that when opportunities arise, your child is naturally equipped and confident to step into those roles.

Here are seven practical ways you can actively develop children’s leadership capabilities in everyday life at home:

1. Develop a Leadership Mindset In Kids

As an adult, you’ve probably experienced the power of mindset.

For instance, if you develop a fitness mindset- that is, you think like a fit person thinks- physical activity becomes second nature.

You’ll take the stairs, not the lift, because that’s what a physically fit person does. You’ll walk swiftly, rather than meander. You’ll eat healthily as a good diet and physical fitness go hand in hand.

Pretty soon, physical fitness becomes an integral part of your identity, making physical activity and healthy eating unbreakable patterns rather than mere habits.

The power of mindset works with kids too.

Encourage kids to think like leaders by introducing leadership language into family life. 

Use simple, two-word terms related to leadership characteristics such as teamwork (“Work together”), presentation skills (“Speak out”), emotional intelligence (“Tune in”) and Responsibility (“Be accountable”).

Then focus on broader aspects of leadership such as delegation, problem-solving and integrity by using phrases such as:

“Share the jobs around.”

“This is a problem you can solve.”

“Do what’s right, not what’s easy.”

If you think your child is ready and old enough, challenge them to approach different situations with a leadership mindset. “How would a leader think and act in a game of sport?” “How would a leader think if they made a mistake?” “How would a leader treat a friend who is struggling at school?”

Leadership Development Strategy: Incorporate the language of leadership into your family’s proprietary language.

2. Make Agency An Aim

My daughter organised her own six-month student exchange to Denmark at the age of fifteen. We live in Australia, so that was quite an achievement!

My wife and I insisted she organise the trip (with some help from us when needed) because we wanted to be sure she had enough independence to manage on the other side of the world, for such a long time, without her parents.

She did! It was a memorable, life-shaping experience.

Her sense of agency just didn’t miraculously happen.

From a young age, she was given a lot of agency and control over her own life.

As a Foundation student, she usually prepared her breakfast. By the end of primary (elementary) school, she cooked an evening meal once a week and made her own lunch daily when she started secondary school.

Her siblings followed suit.

When you develop kids’ agency, not only are you developing their independence, but you are developing the core competencies of leadership, including problem-solving, resourcefulness, confidence and resilience.

Leadership Development Strategy: When children are able, allow them to do it.

3. Give Genuine Responsibility

“What does your child do that someone else relies on?”

Hopefully, your child helps at home without being paid so that they learn to contribute to the family's well-being.

And hopefully those jobs add real value – the garbage is emptied, the dishwasher is stacked, and the pets are fed – so that kids learn that their contribution is an integral part of family life.

And they’re not rescued if they forget or neglect to do their chores. For instance, you don’t serve the evening meal until the knives and forks are on the table. Now, whose job is that?

True leadership begins with accountability at home.

Leadership Development Strategy: Create a chores roster that assigns kids the responsibility to remember their tasks.

4. Make The Most Of Mealtimes

Regular shared family mealtimes provide a great chance to build leadership qualities like sharing, teamwork, and communication skills.

Food and conversation are shared, and everyone has a stake in the meal process, whether it’s cooking, grabbing some ingredients from the pantry, setting the table, clearing away dishes, and the like.

Okay, not every child will participate willingly, and there may sometimes be arguments, but to the best of your ability, focus on making mealtimes memorable rather than just quick refuelling sessions.

Leadership Development Strategy: Ask your kids, “Who did you help at school today?”

5. Encourage Volunteering

Leadership is about contribution and serving others. It’s not about power, being captain of the team or the boss of others.

Volunteering their time and effort to assist others is an excellent way for kids to develop a ‘benefit' mindset, where they think ‘we’ rather than ‘me.’

In my student leadership work in primary (elementary) schools, it’s evident that those students who’ve volunteered their time to help others (by putting out the bins for an elderly neighbour, helping through Scouting, or helping pick up rubbish on Clean Up the Community Days) have huge head starts in the leadership stakes.

Leadership Development Strategy: Volunteer your time and effort so you model contribution to your child.

6. Allow Leadership To Flourish

As a child, did you ever set up a stall to sell lemonade, biscuits or some such thing?

If so, you showed real initiative by getting off your backside and trying to make a dollar or two.

Sometimes, as parents, we need to step back and let kids use their initiative instead of micromanaging, rather than worrying about the risks.

Leadership for kids takes many forms.

Our job is to recognise leadership when we see it and allow kids the opportunity to test themselves, build their capacities and their resilience.

Leadership Development Strategy: Ask your child if there’s a project that they’d like to do. If so, work with them to make it happen.

7. Explore Where Their Leadership Thrives

“Cometh the environment, cometh the leader.”

As a teacher, I took many classes away on school camp, and I was always amazed at how the most unlikely students would step up as leaders. Many times, I saw a quiet student in the classroom become the most capable student leader when on camp.

When the situation suited, the leader emerged.

The same phenomenon happened on the sporting field. So often, kids who hold back in the classroom step up and become influential leaders in sport because they’ve found an environment that suits their strengths and personality.

As a parent, offer a variety of experiences in different environments to help your child discover their true leadership direction.

Have a great fortnight

Jo Flynn