Principal's News
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
‘In times of Disorder and deconstruction, we long for Reorder on a personal level and a community level. There is a tendency to —to be made new and whole again to the way that we once knew, or are familiar with.’
Richard Rohr.
Centre for Action and Contemplation
This is where we are all at now.
Again and again in the past months, we have been challenged by confronting the volatility and uncertainty of Covid. I know that we have all been stretched in different ways to adapt to a different way of being. It is not easy and has tested our patience and resolve.
At the moment it is a process of taking it a week and a day at a time. If we try to project too far into the year this can cause us to become anxious. As a school we will continue to reflect and make adaptations and endeavour to try and meet the needs of our children. This is no simple task. The feedback we received in the past week was very affirming of what we are doing as an educational community. The landscape has changed and what we once thought the way teaching and learning was delivered, has had a reset and in some ways a rebirth.
It is interesting that the parent suggestions for us to consider are definitely not at all the same! The remote learning platform to which the teachers are deeply invested in, is excellent as you indicated on the feedback forms. This is an endurance race and I can only acknowledge them for what they are doing. Their professionalism, knowledge and understanding of the teaching craft is designed to ensure they have an understanding of how they consistently reflect and plan in their teams for each child. Can I remind parents that comparisons between other schools are not helpful? We are not them and they are not us. I can tell you that what they are doing is outstanding.
This morning I looked over the shoulder of Mrs Ferrari in a Google meet with three little Year 3 girls and it was good to see their faces and smiles. Let’s keep the smiles and contact going even though it is across the screen.
I will leave you with this comment by
Sir Ken Robinson, a renowned international educationalist who passed away this week.
“teaching is an art form, not a delivery system”
St James Remote Learning feedback
Thank you for the feedback you submitted in the past week, for the questions that were provided to you through a Google doc.
1. What positive developments have you seen in your child throughout this Remote Learning time?
2. What positive changes have you seen in your child(ren) from the first to the second period of Remote Learning?
3. How have you supported your child's well being during Remote Learning?
4. What have you as a parent gained from this time?
5. What would be some further adjustments that we could consider as a school?
It was great to receive the information about the above questions and we have included the theme of the responses for you to read.
How lucky are we!
As we approach Book Week (31st August - 4th September), it is important to know that in our midst we have a former 2017- 2019 Judge of the Children Book Council of Australia Book of the Year awards. Mandy Cooper. With her good friend Ann Nicola, you should see the way the Learning Resource space is being transformed with new shelving, new books, displays etc. They are very excited and looking forward to seeing the expressions on the children’s faces when we do return to school.
The theme this year is 'Curious Creatures, Wild Minds’. Book Week is a time when we celebrate the brilliant books that are published in Australia.
This week, instead of my challenge on the St James facebook page, there will be reading of one of the Picture Books of the Year.
This is for YOU
Don’t miss out
Thursday 3rd September 4pm
Managing Stress and Fatigue
The TREAT ‘Rest and Recovery’ sessions are specifically designed to help reduce cognitive and physical fatigue, stress and emotional exhaustion. These sessions are based on research and health education to deliver simple practical tools to help cope with modern day stress and challenges. Treat was nominated Finalist for the Victorian Healthcare Awards in 2017 and The Alfred Health Innovation Award 2017.
Treat recently won the People's Choice Award for the Health Roundtable BEYOND2019 Shark Tank .
Jo is a hospital and university trained registered nurse and mindfulness facilitator and has regularly delivered TREAT sessions to staff at Alfred Health since 2014. Jo is currently studying a post graduate degree in counselling and research. She is also a busy mother of three teenage girls, so fully understands the demands of modern working and home life.
“I’ve been a part of face to face Treat sessions, used the app and now experienced Treat over Zoom. Feeling connected to others and yourself in 2020 is no small feat; Treat does this and so much more. I can’t emphasise the value of these sessions enough. Highly recommend!” Social Worker, Alfred Health, July 2020.
Mums, Dads and Caregivers, this is for you. To support our families, can I invite you to register for this great opportunity to help us through the Covid period. For an hour last Monday, our staff experienced the chance to unwind and give back to their bodies with Jo Gibbs. Jo has also conducted a similar session with the teachers and staff of our Catholic schools in the Brighton/Hampton cluster.
Please register via Operoo (previously known as CareMonkey). Once we receive all registrations from parents, a link will be forwarded for the online session.
Reminder from the Parents Association to acknowledge all our wonderful Dads.
‘Could we please ask all Class reps to please send a friendly reminder to your year level teams that the Fathers' Day photos are due at the latest by Sunday night 30 August’.
We want everyone to be included, and to spread some real joy for Father's Day, so would appreciate it if you can help with the reminder!’
School Fees.
A reminder to parents that if you have overdue fees please submit the figure on your fee invoice. Earlier this year (March 28) the following correspondence was sent to you.
‘If you are experiencing difficulties at this time, I encourage you to contact me principal@stjamesbrighton.catholic.edu.au to alert me of your changed circumstances and we will endeavour to work with you over the coming weeks.’
We ask that families who are still able to meet their fee obligation, continue to do so.
Health Care Card
If your family circumstances have changed and you hold a Centrelink or a Pensioner Concession or would now qualify, you may be eligible for assistance. Please contact the school office for further information.
Condolences
Please remember in your prayers Barb Nimorakiotakis and her family. Barbara’s Dad passed away last week
Regards,
Brendan Flanagan
Principal