Thrive & Flourish
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
Harmony Day – 21st March, 2024.
This week is known as Harmony Week in Australia. Specifically, Thursday 21st March is Harmony Day.
Harmony Day is a celebration of our Cultural diversity – a day of cultural respect for everyone who calls Australia home. Held every year in March, Harmony Day coincides with the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Our diversity makes Australia a great place to live. Orange has been the Harmony Week colour since the first event was held in 1999.
As a school, we will celebrate Harmony Day by making it the focus of classroom prayer to start the day and to discuss why it is important to be respectful of all cultures that make Australia a great country in which to live.
Australia is one of the most successful multicultural countries in the world and we should celebrate this and work to maintain it.
The Best Questions to Ask Your Child/ren About Their Day at School
Get a sense of your child's life at school by asking questions that elicit more than a one-word response.
One of the wonderful things about sending our kids to school is that they get to experience a whole world outside their life at home. Their experiences are educational, of course, but also social. They are experiencing what it’s like to be a part of their school’s culture, to make friends, to connect with teachers, and to change and grow as people.
As parents, we want our children to have these experiences on their own and in their own ways, but we also want as much information as possible about what goes on during their time away from us. We want to know the joys they experienced and the new things they learned.
The trick is to ask about things that are specific, but still open-ended. Move beyond answers that start and finish with "fine" and "nothing" by asking your kids to describe his/her world. It's also great to start the conversation with an anecdote from your own day. Try one of these conversation-starters:
1. Tell me about the best part of your day.
2. What was the hardest thing you had to do today?
3. Did any of your classmates do anything funny?
4. Tell me about what you read in class.
5. Who did you play with today? What did you play?
6. Do you think math [or any subject] is too easy or too hard?
7. What's the biggest difference between this year and last year?
8. What rules are different at school than our rules at home? Do you think they're fair? If there was a problem, how did you solve it?
9. Who did you sit with at lunch?
10. Can you show me something you learned (or did) today?
After a busy day at school, children tend to need some ‘down-time’ and might find it difficult to go into a lot of detail about their day. After an opportunity to unwind, your child/ren might be ready to share more about what their day has entailed.
At Sacred Heart, most students come to school regularly and as a result are learning new skills socially, academically and emotionally. This is an expectation and a right that we would like to see enacted for every student.
We know that coming to school on time every day is a necessary condition for learning to occur. Students who attend school every day benefit from all of the support and teacher assistance that is available, and are much more likely to go ahead in their learning.
Being ready to begin the day's learning with the rest of the class is also very important and we ask for your support in ensuring that students are in their classes by the beginning of day bell. Being prepared for the day, and starting with peers, encourages a great day of learning and helps with organisational details of the day.
Parents/guardians are responsible for making sure that all children attend school every day unless they are too unwell, in which case the school must be advised. If families are going to be away for an extended period, (eg: family holiday), we ask that prior notice is given to the school, so that if parents wish, a learning program can be put in place for their children.
We thank you for your support with this.
Wellbeing Support
Wellbeing support can be accessed in the following ways:
- Any staff member can arrange for a referral to Student Wellbeing if they have concerns about a student’s wellbeing.
- Parents can also request support for their child/ren by contacting a member of the wellbeing team at school.
We welcome any emails or calls if families wish to seek support and can be contacted via email at any time or a phone call to school.
Email:
Tony McDonald: tmcdonald@shtatura.catholic.edu.au
Felicity Bryant: fbryant@shtatura.catholic.edu.au
Deb Turvey: dturvey@shtatura.catholic.edu.au
At times, a student may be referred to an external support service. We also respect the fact that some students and parents may prefer to seek professional support independent from the school setting. In such cases, Sacred Heart values working collaboratively with external support services. We encourage parents/carers to communicate with the school if there is a significant issue affecting their child’s wellbeing.
If ever you need help sorting out personal or family issues, give CatholicCare Victoria a call. They offer many services to all members of our community – ALL FREE.
Have a great fortnight everyone.
