A Word from the Principal

Welcome back to Term 2. The autumn leaves and darker evenings are a gentle reminder that we are heading into winter.  I hope families were able to enjoy the time over the Easter period to focus on each other and regenerate and relax. Mothers Day is upon us and I wish all our Mothers a truly blessed and wonderful day. May the sun greet you with warmth and your children remind you of how precious your gift is.

During the Easter break, I took the opportunity to touch base with family and also to catch up on the pile of “must read” books beside my bed.  First off the mark was a book entitled “The Bonsai Student” by Judith Locke. This is the second book in the series which looks at the research around what is commonly referred to as “helicopter parenting” and “lawn mowing” parenting.  In this book, Dr Locke applies the terminology to teaching staff as well.  Dr Locke acknowledges that these forms of parenting and teaching come from the desire to protect our children/students from disappointment and from trouble. She writes to inform school staff on strategies to support students to face risks.  One of the many skills we need in the workforce and adult life is that of taking risks. All our decisions, sometimes the most important ones, have an element of risk involved. Whether or not we make the right decision isn’t the issue (although we all like to make the right decision), the issue is what happens when we make the wrong decision.  Children whose teachers and parents take the risk away from them are less resilient as adults. They are less likely to own their own behaviour and have increased levels of anxiety.  Dr Locke acknowledges that parents, and teachers, are just trying to protect their children/students. However, taking away risks, particularly academic and behavior risks, does NOT empower the child. In fact, it has the opposite effect to what parents and teachers are trying to achieve. By making the decisions for our children, they never learn that it is okay to make the wrong decision and when faced with a tough decision there are significant increases in anxiety and stress. 

When reading this book, I was struck again at how important the working relationship between the school and the parent is.  There are so many elements to a child’s life that impacts on their confidence and assurance, not just praise when we get it right but praise when we get it wrong too. This book, The Bonsai Student, focuses on children's school experience and gives parents and teachers useful and realistic strategies to ensure children develop confidence, capability and independence in their studies to give them the best chance of future success and satisfaction in their work and personal lives. It is well worth a read.

Enrolment interviews for new students are underway again and this part of my job is one I really enjoy. Meeting new students and their parents, talking about what makes them happy and what is so wonderful about our College, is a gift that I experience during these moments. I often talk to the parents about the partnership that is involved in education, how teachers work with students to develop the foundations that parents provide. The foundations are rich and varied and for staff there is a wonderful element of uniqueness and individuality that we discover when we get to know our students.

Parent Bodies

The meeting of the two, parents and College, is what makes the journey at Mount Carmel, so positive. There are a number of parent bodies that support the work we do on a daily basis, let me outline them for you.

Macro level advocacy - the Tasmanian Catholic School Parents Council  is a representative council made up of parent representatives from each of the Catholic Schools in Tasmania. It is linked to the Catholic School Parents Australia and is a means to provide advocacy and support to parents of students in Catholic Schools.  Our parent representative on this council is Dr Stuart Thickett and through Stuart, the College is a part of the wider group. If you have an area within Catholic Education that you would like to advocate for, or have any queries about this council, Stuart can be contacted via email.

The College has a Board, which is made up of both parent representatives and community representatives. The Board functions to provide the College and myself, with strategic direction. It is the business of the Board, that the College comply with all requirements.  The Board has the following members:

• Parish Priest - Fr Shammi Perari
• Board Chair - David Ronaldson (Parent Representative)
• Deputy Chair - Yvonne Chaperon (Community Representative - President of the Alumnae)
• Treasurer - Kurt Stephens (Parent Representative)
• Catherine Vickers (Parent Representative)
• Robert Gard - Community Representative (Old Scholar)
• Charmaine Stanton - Community Representative (Past Parent)
• Kerrie Loveluck - Business Manager

The College also has a small group of parents who meets each term to discuss hospitality. The focus of these meetings is the reaching out to welcome new parents and existing parents.  Their work can be seen at events like the Autumn Concert (nibbles, coffee, tea and wine); the new families orientation evening, Arts Festival and College Musical. On occasion, they will take the opportunity to raise funds in order to continue to offer the hospitality. The work of these parents is truly a gift to the College and I thank them for their ongoing support. If you are interested in joining this group of volunteers please get in touch via email or through their Facebook page.

Upcoming Dates

There are a number of date claims that, as parents, you might be interested in:

May 6 and 11: Secondary Learning Conferences

At the May 11 session of Learning Conferences, a video booth will be set up. This year Catholic Education celebrates 200 years and the Diocese would like to create a video montage of parents/students and their reflections. If you would like to provide input to the reflection “Our daughter's Catholic Education is important because…….” drop into the Dance Studio between 3.30pm and 5.00pm and Gary Hoggard will record the message. If you cannot make the evening but would like to contribute, please call Gary on 6216 7929 to discuss this.

June 8: Keeping Safe in Cyberspace Parent Information Evening held at St Mary's College Nagle Centre, commencing at 5.45pm. Details on how to book will be in the next edition of The View.

June 24 - 26: College Musical: Don't Stop Believin' - a fun and fantastic evening of entertainment.

Thought of the week

Parent involvement in education is like the frosting on a cupcake, it makes it complete and oh so sweet.

Prayer for Mother's Day

Mother….

You filled my days with rainbow lights,

Fairytales and sweet dream nights,

A kiss to wipe away my tears,

Gingerbread to ease my fears.

You gave the gift of life to me

And then in love, you set me free.

I thank you for your tender care,

For deep warm hugs and being there.

I hope that when you think of me

A part of you

You’ll always see.

~ Anon.