Developing Self-esteem in our Children

Self-esteem is often referred to as: self-confidence, self- respect, self-assurance, self-reliance, pride, independence, dignity or faith in oneself. No matter what its name is, if, as a parent or teacher, you are not tailoring all your thoughts, words and actions towards its growth in children, then you are failing in your duty as a responsible adult. Self-esteem is vitally important to the wellbeing of all people no matter their age, but often when it exists in a secure and stable world, protected from negative experience, it can be counter-productive.

True self-esteem is never developed in an enclosed space, for in such an environment it will never develop its true resilience, the ability to bounce back from disappointment and even failure. Children need to be exposed to the constancy of life where there are ‘ups’ and ’downs’ and they need to hear the word ‘NO’ in response to some of their requests.

To learn how to handle setbacks, not always getting your own way: even feelings of depression are important to healthy serf-esteem. We want to develop a realistic attitude to life where highs and lows are recognised as part of existence.

From L Burke writings

Pope Francis said that recognizing one’s own frailty allows for the possibility for growth in faith in the face of life’s challenges.

“If we think about it, we grow not so much on the basis of our successes and things we have, but above all in moments of struggle and fragility. There, in need, we mature; there we open our hearts to God, to others, to the meaning of life,” he said. “When we feel small in the face of a problem, small in front of a cross, an illness, when we experience fatigue and loneliness, let us not be discouraged. The mask of superficiality is falling away and our radical frailty is re-emerging: it is our common base, our treasure, because with God frailty is not an obstacle but an opportunity.”

WELCOME BACK

Welcome back to second semester. Whilst the mornings have been cold, the classrooms are warm and the learning spaces are fitting environments for our students.

We look forward to working together with our families during Semester Two.

MRS BROOK

Mrs Bianca Brook has enjoyed her time in Europe and UK over the past 3 weeks. She and her husband Peter had difficulty with their return flights which has resulted in Mrs Brook not being able to return to school until Wednesday. Ms Cindy Smith was teaching 3/4 yesterday and Ms Chris Marshall is teaching 3/4 today. We look forward to hearing all about Mrs Brook’s adventures.

LEARNING CONVERSATIONS Tuesday July 18

Thank you to those parents who have made a time to meet with your child and their teacher today to discuss learning goals. These meetings are a very important connection between school and home where both teacher and parent can learn about their child’s progress.

This term our learning conversations run from 11.30am until 4.30pm. Mrs Brook will make an alternate time when she arrives back at school.

ENROLMENTS

Enrolment applications are now due for students beginning in Foundation in 2024. Please ensure that you return the paperwork as soon as possible so that the admin staff can process each enrolment.

REVIEW

Next Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday we will welcome the National School Improvement Review Team to our school. This team consisting of Ron Bamford from ACER, Paul Bissinella and Minda van Eyk both from CES, will meet with staff, students and parents over the 3 days to glean information about how St Mary’s is meeting the learning needs of our students. On Thursday the team will meet with leadership and staff to report on their findings, to give commendations and recommendations. This feedback will be a valuable tool for our school in developing our School Improvement plan for the next 5 years.

P & F HOT LUNCH

The next ‘hot lunch’ of mini cheeseburgers will be next Friday July 28.

Your order will need to be in by Tuesday July 25. No late orders will be taken.

SACRAMENTAL MASS

On Sunday August 6th our Sacramental candidates will celebrate the Sacraments of Confirmation and First Eucharist. There will be a One Parish Mass at 10.30am in the School Hall. We will need to spend some time in the hall clearing some excess furniture and resources.

EXCURSION

The whole school excursion is on Friday August 11th. Students will be visiting the Melbourne Aquarium and the Melbourne Museum and the learning activities are an important part of our Science and Cross Curriculum and will enhance the follow up work completed back at school.

Excursions are days of ‘Learning by Doing’ and they promote engagement, build confidence and teamwork and create connection. All students are expected to attend the excursion.

PUPIL FREE DAY

Our next pupil free day is on Friday August 18th when staff will participate in a Catholic Identity Reflection Day in Moama. This day will be facilitated by Kylie Smith.

Enjoy the next two weeks and stay warm.

Kind regards

Catherine Fraser

Principal

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