Principal's Message
Wayne Wood
Principal
To our St Mary’s Community
When asked what traits parents want for their teenagers to have now and as adults, the answer is most often “to be responsible”. Even in a school setting, we hear so much about developing “responsible learners”. With this, I thought it is worth focusing on the word “responsible” and examine what this means for us as parents/carers and teachers.
What we understand is that as children learn and develop, they want and need responsibility. It is an important part of their growth and development. But it can be hard for us to let go. The science of knowing when children are ready for more responsibility is not so easily cracked. Further to this, is that when we are dealing with large numbers in a school, it is even more difficult to apply an exact science to every student.
Research tells us that independence starts developing when you choose to stop actively controlling your child’s life. Instead, you give your child more autonomy and responsibility for their actions in some areas. You might not like all their choices or the results, however learning to be independent and responsible helps your child develop skills for life.
During the teenage years, children’s need for responsibility and autonomy gets stronger – it’s an important part of their path to young adulthood. To become capable adults, teenagers need to learn to make good decisions on their own.
The process of helping children take responsibility and make decisions is a key task for parents. You have an important role to play in training and supporting your child to be ready for more responsibility. This means you need to plan when and in what areas to let your child start making decisions.
How quickly you hand over responsibility to your teenager is up to you. It depends on many factors, including your own comfort level, your family and cultural traditions, and your child’s maturity.
Ideally, you and your child should both feel comfortable with the shift of responsibility and the pace of change. Too much or too soon might leave you both feeling overwhelmed. Too little or too slow might end up with your child feeling impatient or rebellious.
Everyone is different. You might need to experiment to work out when and in what areas your child is ready for more responsibility.
A good way to start is to use family meetings to give your child a real voice in important decisions. This helps your child feel valued. It’s also a good way for you to learn more about their level of maturity and how they deal with choices.
“The way we talk to our children becomes their inner voice” (anonymous)
JOINING THE COLLEGE BOARD
Each year, our advisory College Board seeks new members to replace those who have completed their term of office. If Board membership is something you’d like to know more about, or are already interested in, we’d love to hear from you. Please contact us on 07 4044 4207 for more information or to leave your expression of interest.
Why do we have a Board?
Board members have the opportunity to provide the Principal with feedback, information and advice on a variety of topics regarding all aspects of the College. It is important that Board membership includes representation from a variety of sources including families, community members, professionals, clergy and College leaders.
What do the meetings involve?
Board members meet in the College Conference Room once a month (generally the 4th Tuesday but excluding December and January) from 5:30pm until 7:00pm over a provided supper. The meeting commences with a Gospel reading and moves into the discussion of matters including building and grounds, policies, uniforms, curriculum, etc. The meeting style is friendly and inclusive and new members are encouraged to ask and learn about the topics under discussion.
What does the Board hope to achieve?
The Board is advisory only, members are not responsible for decision making. Board members have the opportunity to provide the Principal with input from a broader area of the community, to assist with the important decisions made in the running of the College.
If you have read this far and have an interest in nominating for Board membership, we look forward to hearing from you.
God Bless
Wayne Wood