Principals News

Dear Parents,

Over the weekend I came to the realisation that the end of the school year is fast approaching. I worked out that as of today, there are 34 school days remaining for our Prep to Year Five students and 32 days for our Year Six class of 2024. A bit daunting really! The last weeks of the school year are always very busy but incredibly rewarding and enjoyable for staff and students at St Mary’s. With upcoming events such as Grandparents Day, School Carols, Swimming programs and camps, it is a great time for staff to enjoy the company of the children and connect with families to celebrate a successful year. Next weekend will be a long weekend and I hope all families will take the opportunity to take a break over the long weekend and prepare themselves for a busy last part of the year.

Over the past few days, Year 12 students at various schools have finished school, and now start preparation for their exams in the coming weeks. It is such an exciting time to finish but also can be very stressful for many. I often think that this time of year is a good time to discuss what is important in education and the skills that children need to develop to have a happy and fulfilling life. Often these skills are very different to what a lot of people perceive as important. Around exam time my wife, Jacinta and I often talk about the merits of education and ATAR ENTER scores and the extent that Year 12 determines your child’s life and what they will do in the workplace in years to come. Our three children have all finished school and all performed very differently as far as ATAR ENTER scores.

As an educator I often think about what is important in education and what we do in education that is truly life lasting. When the Year 12 students receive their ENTER scores it is important for a day or two, as a way for direct entry into a course of their choice. Once they commence university, TAFE, or the workplace, these scores are forgotten. One must ask, are scores the most important aspect of an education?

As a father and educator, I see some other qualities that are more important for students to gain in their education that allow them to live a happy and successful lifestyle. These include qualities such as the ability to communicate effectively with others of all ages, empathy, tolerance, a sense of belonging, a strong value set, and the ability to determine right from wrong. Communication is the key to being involved in meaningful relationships and to succeed in employment. In fact, it is often the children who have strong personal or people skills that are the happiest and most successful. At St. Mary's, personal learning is an important part of the curriculum.

Children also need to be able to face disappointment throughout their lives at school and be able to deal with it. Unfortunately, the world isn’t always fair and sometimes things happen that seem harsh at the time. As a parent, you want to rush in and fix it for them but it isn’t always the right thing to do. It is during these times that children have the opportunity to step up, build resilience and make choices, as opposed to adults solving their problems. My advice to parents is simple - your role as a parent is to eventually make yourself redundant in so many ways. 

Often we hear in the media about “helicopter parents” or “lawnmower parents”. Such over-parenting or overprotecting can have negative effects on children. I would like to concentrate on the opposite of these parents. The involved parents. Involved parents have the following characteristics:

1. They know their children well and stay connected to them. They listen a lot.

2. They give their children space to grow, while monitoring what is happening to them.

3. They allow their children to make mistakes, suffer the consequences, and allow children to solve their problems.

I encourage all parents to be involved in their children’s lives and follow some of the following tips.

• As soon as your child is capable of doing something themselves, let them do it. Step back and your child will step up. Let your children learn from their mistakes.
• An assertive parent looks for how to help their child learn, not just keep them bump free and happy all the time. They see challenges from their child’s point of view and look for the potential upsides, not just the downsides. They are about nurturing resilience, not just nurturing.

As parents, we should celebrate when our children show independence.  We should celebrate the child that has the confidence to find their way, figure out who they are, and solve their problems while we support them on their journey.