Dear Parents/Carers,

We were excited to welcome Year 8 families to join us last week for a BBQ breakfast after having being reduced to virtual communications with our families for so long. Students enjoyed having their parents on site at the Pear Tree Café, some for the first time since COVID limited visitors to the College. Thank you to nearly 50 parents who attended the breakfast. We look forward to welcoming Year 7 families for a similar breakfast later this year.

Fortunately, we enjoyed a beautiful spring morning with our Year 8 families and look forward to more spring weather in coming weeks. I know that many of us are ready to leave wintry weather behind and take advantage of the balmy days that lie ahead.

Thank you to our Mater Dei families for your wonderful support during these last weeks when staff resources have been stretched thinly due to staff illness. With limited casual teacher availability, we are particularly grateful to have CANVAS in place as our Learning Management System so that learning can continue if regular teachers are absent.

The last edition of the newsletter included an article from Schools TV called Building Belonging Post Pandemic that focused on life in post COVID times. We are certainly mindful that COVID has changed the ways in which we have communicated and learned within our community. It is important to recognise that not all changes forced upon us were bad or limiting and in fact, some have resulted in positive change and more flexible approaches. In consultation with the College Council, the Leadership Team will begin a process of consultation so that we can review our experiences during and after COVID to assist with planning and prioritising across all key areas of College life. Parents, students and staff will all have a voice in this process over the coming months.

We are moving closer to the last week of Term 3, which is traditionally our week of farewells to Year 12, with their livestreamed Liturgy/Awards Ceremony and Final Assembly planned. A special part of this assembly is the handing on of College Banners to the incoming student leaders for 2023. We are looking forward to having Year 12 parents present on site for these special celebrations.

Year 12 Exit Survey

Year 12 students completed the survey on Tuesday morning. Thank you to parents/carers who have completed the online survey. A reminder that it closes on Monday, 12 September.

RUOK Day 8 September and Child Protection Week 4 -10 September

Both RUOK Day today and Child Protection Week provide us all with a reminder about the importance of safety and wellbeing for the young people in our care. As well as focusing on their safety, there is an even more pressing need for us to collectively monitor, support and care for our young people as we emerge from these COVID times. The following information is a timely reminder of our responsibilities:

Young people’s mental health is influenced by many factors. Throughout anybody’s life course there are a range of influences and events – both positive and negative – that impact an individual’s mental health. These influences and events are known as risk and protective factors.

Risk factors increase the likelihood that children will experience mental health problems, and protective factors decrease the likelihood even when risk factors are present.

What are Mental Health Risk Factors?

Risk factors for young people’s mental health and wellbeing increase the likelihood of mental health issues developing during childhood and beyond. These include internal (biological and psychological), family or environmental characteristics, and experiences that challenge social and emotional wellbeing.

Protective Factors for Young People’s Mental Health

Protective factors decrease the likelihood of mental health issues and build and maintain resilience, even when risk factors are present. Enhancing individual, family and environmental protective factors means children are less likely to be vulnerable because they receive the acceptance, warmth and support required for learning, social and emotional development, and resilience.

What we can do is focus our effort and attention on protective factors. For example, we might seek to improve our physical health, we can be more active in our community, put time into our relationships and practice mindfulness to increase our emotional competence. When we increase our own protective factors, we will then be able to help those in our families, College and communities increase their protective factors and strive for better wellbeing.

We place a high priority on student safety and wellbeing and I remind families that our College Counsellor, House Leaders and other specialist staff are all available to assist students who are in need of wellbeing support. We are acutely aware that this continues to be an emerging need for families and encourage you to reach out.

At the College, the “Reset and Return Room” is a quiet space in the administration area for students who are feeling distracted from their learning or emotionally vulnerable. Students who access the space are encouraged to restore and reset their focus and to allow them to return to learning in the classroom. The “Reset and Return” Room offers the opportunity to move beyond a focus on being “OK”, offering students expert assistance from our College Wellbeing Team and strategies to facilitate their re-engagement with learning.

Commencement of Term 4

There is no Staff Professional Learning Day to begin Term 4. Students and Staff return on Monday, 10 October.

Prayers Please

Please keep all our students and families in your prayers, especially those battling serious illness and loss. In a special way please pray for our Year 12 students as they complete their last weeks of study prior to the upcoming HSC examinations and our Music students as they sit their performance exam next Tuesday. We also pray for Year 11 as they undertake their End of Course examinations. We thank God for the recent arrivals of Saskia, a daughter for Andrew and Katie Geurtsen and Thelma, a daughter for Scott and Prue McAuliffe.

Mrs Val Thomas | Principal

"Mater Dei Matters"

Issue 14 · 08 Sep 2022

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