Principal's Report
Leadership in Action
Dear Parents,
The role of leadership, no matter the context, and the challenges it poses has been the topic of considerable debate for many across the years. The leadership role of parents in their family situation is likewise more difficult than it appears to be. The degree of difficulty depends somewhat on the style of leadership we choose to use and our reason for choosing that particular style.
If we choose to use an autocratic style, where we totally dominate and use the benefit of our adulthood to impose our will on our children, then, we will be in for a power struggle and will have to use threats, fear and punishment to achieve what we want. Unfortunately, our children will probably feel unsafe, unloved and untrusting of us. Our very strict rules and suffocating structures will cause our children to yearn for freedom, to be rid of us and our heavy-handed style of parenting.
If we choose the opposite extreme and choose to use a permissive style and choose to be physically or emotionally absent, don’t set limits, be afraid to say “no” and never hold our children accountable, then, we will reign over chaos. Our children will think they have the right to do anything they like and, because they don’t respect us, they won’t respect other forms of authority. Unfortunately, our children will probably be perplexed by life, lack motivation to achieve because they have never known structure in their lives, and will find themselves easy prey for people who do not have their best interests at heart; they too, will live in fear and feel unloved.
If we choose to be in the middle of these two styles, we will be choosing an authoritative-democratic style. This style is based on respect, love and trust, where positive communication and cooperation are enjoyed on a daily basis. Our children will probably feel safe, loved and accepted yet free to be who they are. If we are pro-active and foresee problems before they can fully emerge, if we can welcome opinions and offer choices while not guaranteeing that our children will always get what they want, then, our children will be confident, able to think for themselves and able to make decisions that have a positive outcome. If our leadership has a confidence about it, it will inspire our children to take up the leadership role in their own lives.
Our leadership style is of vital importance to our children because, for better or worse, parenting styles tend to repeat from one generation to the next. The good news is that everyone has the capacity to develop good parenting skills and to be aware not to repeat patterns that expose children to negative and destructive experiences. Our children will feel loved and secure, if the way we go about living our lives and engaging with our children is in a positive, friendly yet firm manner.
Our children will sense a comfortable and uplifting atmosphere and environment that allows them to be relaxed and optimistic about life. Our children might even agree with the comment,
“Your actions speak so loudly, I can’t even hear
what you are saying.”
Author unknown.
Jesus, our leader, with the guidance of the Spirit within us, may we bring a spirit of joy, generosity and enthusiasm to the leadership role we have as parents. May our children learn about you by the way we lead our lives.
Amen.
Letter from the Executive Director CEWA
Monday Morning Assembly
Each Monday morning, we will gather as a school to welcome the new week.
This very short assembly provides a wonderful opportunity for me as the principal to meet with all the students (Years 1 -6) and share any important messages for the week as well as discuss areas of focus for our school. More importantly, it provides us with the opportunity to pray together as a community. At these assemblies, we will also recognise children who are celebrating their birthday for the week.
Parent Information Evening
It was fantastic to see so many parents attend the Parent Information Evening on Tuesday. The opportunity for parents to come together to initially hear about the Vision and Focus for 2017, and then to be informed by their child’s class teacher about some key aspects of the particular year level is most valuable. In talking with parents over the course of the evening there was a real sense of positivity and excitement. Many thanks to the teachers and staff for their efforts in conducting these evenings.
Prayer
Dear God,
Bless this school which we have built for the education of our young people.
Bless our students and teachers, our parents, employees
and all who promote sound education in our community.
May our children grow in wisdom, age and grace
before You and all Your people.
May this school always be a home of truth and wisdom,
of faith and good will toward all.
Through the prayers of
Our Lady, St Dominic and the Infant Jesus,
may this school help our community
and build Your kingdom of justice, light and peace.
Amen
School Board
Our first Board meeting will be held next Monday 13 February evening.
The 2017 School Board consists of the following members of our community:
- Principal Paul Hille
- Parish Priest Fr Sunny
- Board Chairperson Mr Ric Olivieri
- Vice Chairperson Mrs Min DeLeo
- Secretary Mrs Jessica Musca
- Treasurer Mr Sam Modica
- P&F Rep Mrs Hein Trang
- Parish Rep Mrs Nevellene Linquist
- Ex officio (observer) Ms Clare Moffat
- Ex officio (observer) Mr Frank Colangelo
I look forward to working alongside the members of the School Board to ensure that our children are the recipients of the best Catholic education we are able to possibly give. I realise that it is not always easy to find time in the busyness of our lives, but our children certainly deserve, and will benefit from, whatever time and support we are able to give.
I look forward to a very productive year with the Board working with the Leadership Team, P&F Association, and staff in promoting our goal of ‘Expect Great Things’ in all areas of our school.
Infant Jesus School Code of Conduct
As discussed on Tuesday evening, the school now has a Code of Conduct that all members of the Infant Jesus School community need to adhere to. Parents would have received an abridged version of this. The complete Code of Conduct for parents is attached to the newsletter and published on the school website
You can now follow us on Twitter
Join the conversation, Spread the good news about our WONDERFUL school.
Visitors – Sign -In
Schools have a ‘duty of care’ to students, staff, parents and visitors on the site. To fulfil our ‘duty of care’ to everyone on the school site, all visitors to the school are required to sign in at the front office. This includes parent helpers.
Although this procedure may appear a burden it will ensure that the school can account for all individuals in the event of an emergency and it will help us increase our ability to protect any student, staff or parent on the site. The sign-in book is situated in the front office.
Health Care Card
A reminder to all Health Care Card (HCC) holders the final date for HCC applications is 1st March. If you are a Health Care Card holder you will need to reapply for the discounts to be applied in 2017.
Please note that the HCC discount applies to the HCC holder only. The discount is applied to the tuition fee component of the composite school fees. All other fees are payable.
Infant Jesus Family
Our Prayers and thoughts are with the Miraudo family (Joseph 5B) in the sad loss of their beloved Grandmother last week. May she rest in peace forever.
Did you Know
- A single drop of water contains one hundred billion billion atoms (Who counted them??)
- Dreamt is the only English word that ends in the letters "mt"!
- 111,111 x 111,111 = 12345654321
- Your foot and your forearm are the same length
Thought for the Week
Happiness cannot be travelled to, owned, earned or worn. It is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love grace and gratitude.
Denis Waitley
May the week ahead be filled with many blessings
Best Wishes
Paul Hille
Principal