Dear Members of the St Raphael's school community,

Unfortunately, we enter another week of lockdown with no end in sight as to when the current restrictions will be lifted or eased. It is a difficult time where we are once again faced with so much uncertainty. We have to put our faith in the medical experts, politicians, decision-makers and most importantly, in our God that everything will be OK and we will return to a sense of normality in the not too distant future. The school is fully aware of the impact that this current lockdown is having on everyone in our community. We have not received any additional information as to when the children will be able to return to on-site school.

I continue to thank all parents for your ongoing support and dedication by ensuring that your children continue to be engaged in online learning. We appreciate the difficulties involved in keeping the children enthusiastic about online learning and the lack of social connection with their peers. The staff are all committed to engaging your children in the best possible way and we thank the parents who have sent us some uplifting and positive messages of support for the work that the staff are all trying to do for your children during this time.

Since receiving your feedback in the recent Remote Online Parent Survey, we trust that the newly introduced timetable structures and initiatives have been well received by the children and provided them with additional support. As always, we are happy to receive additional feedback on any areas for improvement or how we can best support you and your children throughout this challenging time.

Father's Day

William Shakespeare said, “It is a wise father that knows his child.”

This Sunday we celebrate Father’s Day and the contribution that fathers and father figures make to the lives of their children. This day celebrates fatherhood and male parenting. Fathers’ Day is a day of honouring fatherhood and paternal bonds, as well as the influence of fathers in society.

Unfortunately, we will once again be celebrating Father's Day in lockdown. No matter what you do to celebrate your father this year, let us all reflect on the importance of fathers in our lives. If your father is still alive, you will hopefully let them know you love them no matter what. If your father is no longer alive, you will want to remember them with your fondest of memories.

However you celebrate Father's Day this year, the love you have for your father will be there. And for those who do not have a father in their lives, perhaps your mother or a significant person in your life is who you will honour this Father’s Day.

Happy Father's Day to all of the fathers in our school community this Sunday.

Homeschooling Article

Memo to parents and carers on homeschooling: ‘Don’t panic, and don’t feel guilty'

I recently read an article that I would like to share from The Guardian, Memo to parents and carers on homeschooling: ‘Don’t panic and don’t feel guilty’.

Dr Pasi Sahlberg is featured in this article and is the deputy director of UNSW’s Gonski Institute for Education. He is the former director-general of the Finnish education system and is widely recognised as one of the world's preeminent educational leaders. Pasi has connected with our school and expressed interest in visiting to see the innovative work that we are doing at St Raphael's. Unfortunately, lockdown restrictions over the last 18 moths have prevented him from visiting our school.

As we enter another week of remote online home learning I think it is a timely article to reflect on the impact on our children’s mental health over learning. There are some things parents and carers can do to support the well-being of students who are isolated from their classrooms.

“One of the things that parents and adults can do – and this includes all aged kids, teenagers and everyone – is to go and play with them,” says Sahlberg.

It sounds naive, says Sahlberg, but while play is a powerful means of learning, particularly for younger children, play can also offer all children and adults a way out of “this horrible situation” and be empowering for adults.

“There are five key areas of wellbeing – and this goes for adults as well: it’s about play, it’s about getting outside, it’s about exercising, it’s about socialising and it’s about monitoring engagement for news,” says Dr Brunker.

This means not having news on as background, and having age-appropriate discussions about what is happening in the world. It means accepting that children may have more screen time, that playing video games online with friends is good socialisation for older teens, setting up Zoom playdates for younger children where a parent might facilitate an activity while the other parents work. Encouraging independent tasks – like setting a Lego challenge where a child might work on something in the late morning with a big reveal at lunch – can benefit both children and the adults around them who need uninterrupted time to work.

But, supporting wellbeing also means letting something go. In Sahlberg’s house, it is accepting that neither adult will do a full day’s work, and neither child is expected to complete all of theirs.

“We’ve got to accept that not everything will get done,” says Brunker. “We’ve got to accept there will be distractions and ebbs and flows in motivation. We’ve got to accept they need time off, and some kids are going to need to say ‘You know what? I’m not looking at schooling today.’ And that’s OK.”

Vaccination News

With the recent news regarding the possible vaccination of primary school-aged children we will not be making any decisions on this matter until we receive the appropriate expert medical advice and directives. I would also like to reassure parents that before any decisions are made we will be consulting parents on this sensitive matter.

National Child Protection Week

This year’s National Child Protection Week will take place from Sunday 5 September to Saturday 11 September. National Child Protection Week raises awareness about the community’s collective responsibility for the care, safety and wellbeing of children and young people. For Catholic schools, this provides an opportunity to emphasise their strong commitment to the safety and wellbeing of young people in their care, and the important role they play in creating nurturing environments at school, online, at home and in the community.

Key resources are available to promote conversations and activities among students, staff and families.

The resources developed by the National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN) include posters and tip sheets, brochures and the National Child Protection Week 2021 webinar program.

The eSafety Commissioner has also developed a series of activities for people of all ages to get involved during National Child Protection Week, including tips for staying safe online during the COVID-19 pandemic, online safety resources and training for teachers, schools and communities and advice for parents and carers to help children have safe experiences online.

Attached are the posters and tip sheets.

Please find a link to a series of free webinars: https://www.napcan.org.au/ncpw-webinars-2021/

School Fees Due

A final reminder that the 2021 school fees are due by the end of this term, Friday 17th September. If you are currently experiencing financial difficulties then please contact me to arrange alternative payment arrangements.

SPICE

St Raphael's Playgroup