Assistant Principal

Catholic Schools Week

For more than 200 years, Catholic families have had access to places where their children could learn, feel safe and grow in their faith. These very first schools were often run by dedicated sisters, brothers and priests who worked hard to teach children and support families. While many things in Catholic education have changed, the dual purpose of high-quality, holistic academic education alongside the faith-based formation of students has not. 

This week, we celebrate Catholic Schools Week, with all schools that are part of the Archdiocese of Sydney. We also celebrate our school community of St Margaret Mary’s where we give thanks for those who have come before us and celebrate those in our school community today.

We look forward to sharing with you this week the many ways we CELEBRATE our Catholic Community!

Risk Taking & Education

Did you know that risk-taking plays an important role in children’s learning and wellbeing? Don’t get me wrong, when we talk about risk-taking in the education world, we mean ‘safe, educational risk-taking’ not recklessness or dangerous behaviours.

Positive risk‑taking isn’t about unsafe or reckless behaviour. It refers to safe challenges that help children stretch themselves such as trying a new activity, speaking up, attempting something they might not get right the first time, or exploring physical play that builds capability. These experiences help children develop resilience, courage, creativity and independence. In education, this is known as “pedagogical risk‑taking,” where children, teachers and parents all engage in actions that involve uncertainty but offer meaningful learning.

As parents, we want our children to be confident, resilient people and sometimes, our natural instincts are to protect our children from any sort of discomfort. However, unfortunately, it can actually be this ‘protection’ that holds our students back. Some research is actually showing that Australians are among the most risk‑averse in the developed world and it is the aversion to safe risk-taking that may also be contributing to rising anxiety in children and teens.

Here at STMM, we encourage pedagogical risk-taking in all that we do. Firstly, we try to foster a growth mindset with our students where mistakes are celebrated as learning opportunities. Secondly, educators allow students to use scaffolding and prompts so that they can access challenging tasks that encourage grit and determination. Finally, our teachers here at STMM model risk-taking themselves when they try new ideas, advocate for students, or step outside their own comfort zones.

As parents, how can you help? You can…

• Encourage your child to do things outside their comfort zone - Try out for a team or have a go at something new.

   

• Gradually expose your child to new or daunting challenges - a little bit of exposure that builds up gradually can help bridge the gap for your child and build confidence.

   

• Celebrate mistakes and ensure that your child knows that ‘growth only begins where comfort ends’.

Staff Development Day 30 March - Please complete this form for all Expressions of Interest for child minding services on this day.