Be safe, Be respectful, Be responsible, Be resilient, Be ready

Letter from the Principal

Dear Parents

Well, the students have certainly had a great start to the year, the atmosphere around the school is great and it has been wonderful to see the students eagerly engaging in their class activities and happily playing together. I'm sure you will agree that the teachers have done a wonderful job setting up their classrooms in preparation for the start of the year.

One of the big things we like to concentrate on at school each year is helping the children understand how we learn from our mistakes.

Before Albert Einstein eventually made the first successful light bulb, he made several thousand unsuccessful ones. When asked about his many failures, he is said to have replied, “I have not failed. I’ve discovered ten thousand ways which do not work.” Failure is often the forerunner to success; without errors being made, much of our modern knowledge and way of living would not exist. Mistakes of themselves are not bad, they are part of the way in which we learn, grow and mature. Mistakes should be regarded as experiences, which give us information from which we can learn and make improved decisions – provided we don't take them too seriously. Likewise, we can only learn from a mistake if we take ownership of it and admit that we made it. As soon as we start to blame other people for what occurred, we begin to distance ourselves from any beneficial outcome. Accepting responsibility makes learning possible and though we can’t change mistakes, we can, if necessary, change how we respond to them.

When our children make mistakes, we should avoid belittling them and making a big deal out of their mistake. Instead, much can be gained if we discuss with them what went wrong and how, in the future, they might be able to avoid the same thing going wrong again. They need to be assured that mistakes can be fixed and that these mistakes can be used as a way of learning how to find better ways to be successful.

Similar to adults, children need to take responsibility for their mistakes and we deprive them of this opportunity, if we remove the burden of responsibility from them by accepting their responsibility as our own. Our children will never learn about consequences, if there never are any. If we have a gentle guiding hand to offer our children to help fix their mistakes and solve their problems, we will give them skills that will make them happy and enable them to grow to be productive and responsible young people. Children learn by example, so, if we as parents can demonstrate the proper responses to mistakes, our children will be able to model their own behaviour and expectations, after our own.

Peace & best wishes

Cathy

SCHOOL ADVISORY COMMITTEE (SAC)

We are hoping to start our School Advisory Committee in 2020. The responsibilities of the SAC are to:

Promote the ethos of the Catholic School

Provide feedback on and review school policies

Plan for the future of the school and its ability to accommodate future enrolments

Provide advice on budget planning and financial related matters

Contribute to the selection process of the school Principal

Promote child safety

To be eligible to be on the committee all members of the SAC must hold a current Working With Children Check or a current Victorian Institute of Teaching registration

The group will meet at least 5 times per year

If you would like to be nominated for a position on the committee please see Alison for a nomination form. From this group, an exec will be formed which will provide support to the principal and the School Advisory Committee

Child Safety

School Carpark - Please reverse into the car spaces provided when dropping off and picking up your child and ensure that your children DO NOT walk/ride/scoot through the carpark, they should be walking around. The children's safety is our priority at all times. Please use the gravel path and the pedestrian access if riding, scootering, skating or walking. Do not come through the carpark.

All parents are required to sign the Code of Conduct. This is available from the office if you would like a copy.

ALL VISITORS AND PARENTS MUST report to the office before entering the school grounds. Keeping our children & staff safe is a priority. Below are some points to remember.

Schools are not public places
The safety of students and staff
Potential risks posed by visitors
What suitability checks may be needed
The school’s policies and procedures in relation to child safety and the implementation of the Child Safe Standards
The processes for identifying and reporting alleged misconduct of employees, volunteers and contractors.

With this direction, it is imperative that we are vigilant in all aspects of keeping the school safe for all.

Every person coming into our school must have a Working With Children Check, this is to ensure that our children are safe all of the time. Please ensure you have your volunteer working with children check. The volunteer check is free and can be obtained online or through the post office.

OLSS Cowes Newsletter

Be safe, Be respectful, Be responsible, Be resilient, Be ready

Issue 1 · 07 Feb 2020

In this issue