A recent survey completed by almost 700 parents around Australia found the education issues parents are most concerned about are:

• The quality of teachers (85%)
• Children’s well-being (78%)
• Provisions to help all children achieve their best (72%)
• Tailored teaching and learning for each student (65%)
• Young people being prepared for work (43%)
• The management of technology and cyber bullying (42%).

And when asked to name the single most important issue, children’s well-being came out on top.

Australian Parents Council president Shelley Hill said ‘Parents value good teaching and children’s well-being above all else. They know that these two things are the foundations of a good education. Quality teaching and happy children equal productive classrooms. Parents also want to see children treated as individuals and every child given opportunities.’

The survey also asked parents what factors had influenced their choice of school. Of those who had chosen a Catholic or Independent school for their children, 46% said religion or ethos was a deciding factor. Over 50% also said that best fit for their child, school culture, safety and well-being, location and reputation were important considerations.

By far the least important factor was NAPLAN scores, with only 5% of all parents saying this influenced their decision.

Asked about the potential impact of ‘higher than expected’ fees, 85% of parents with children in Catholic and Independent schools said they would struggle to pay and be forced to make ‘significant sacrifices’ to keep their children at their school of choice. In a worrying sign, 25% said they would have to move their children to different schools.

Ms Hill believes the non-government sector is more sensitive to funding changes than many people think and says parent concerns about the new federal funding arrangements and use of income tax data to assess parents’ capacity to contribute must be addressed:

‘The government needs to address all parent concerns and make information widely available to families. We are after all the biggest stakeholders in this debate, who ultimately foot the bill for our children’s education. Parents need to have confidence that the new system is going to be fair for everyone.’

When St Columba’s Memorial School in Yorketown applied for a PIE grant last year, it sparked a lot of discussion in the PIE grant selection panel. The P & F was only asking for $830 (funding per project can be up to $2500). It was estimating that about 150 children, family and community members would be involved. And the guest speaker was costed at $200 when often speaking fees are much, much higher. But there were many other worthy projects …

The project

In her submission, P & F President Kathleen Slade wrote:

The P & F has decided to put together a cookbook, our aim being to create a beautifully published recipe book that celebrates our primary industry heritage and features local food and recipes. The idea was borne out of the desire to shine a light on the brave, creative and successful food entrepreneurs in our district. We also feel that our children, the school community and others will benefit from education on this topic. It could spark new ideas and conversations about future career opportunities in our area.

As well as selling this book as a fundraiser, we intend to hold a book launch where we can continue to build strong connections between our children, the school community and our diverse and fascinating community and entrepreneurs.

It will be a community event. We will invite contributors to showcase the recipes, set up information stalls to help educate the parents, and our guest speaker who is a well-known chef will talk about the locally grown produce she uses in her kitchen. The aim is to bring the community together. We will be inviting all families, grandparents, local foodie heroes and the general public.

Describing her school community, Kathleen said ‘Our students come from as far as Port Turtin in the south and Curramulka in the north. One of our strengths in having a small community is that every student is known personally and cared for by every staff member. The school works in partnership with parents and the wider community, nurturing students to love learning and search for truth. Students work closely with the community, recycling and assisting the town’s Progress Association, participating in Art Shows, preparing displays for banks and the public, sharing in the Southern Yorke Peninsula School Choir, participating in the Southern Yorke Peninsula Interschool Sports and Catholic Interschool Athletics. We encourage a pursuit of excellence in academic learning and prepare students as future leaders. We celebrate students’ successes, encouraging them with challenges to greater endeavour’.

The value of the project

Pulling apart the value of the project, the PIE grant selection committee noted:

• Parents were not just ‘rubber-stamping’ the initiative, they were actively driving it (and the project’s success would depend on parent commitment).
• Only a small number of applications were focusing on school – parent/family – community engagement. Three-way relationships and partnerships are important for children’s education because they broaden children’s horizons, help to create networks and open up opportunities right now and into the future.
• It was linked to student learning, with students participating in the project.
• Recipes and cooking help children to develop their mathematics, numeracy and organisation skills. When cooking is shared it also helps with family communication, relationship and responsibility skills.
• It was an opportunity to highlight cultural heritage and geographic diversity through conversations and recipes, and to celebrate these aspects.
• It fitted the PIE grant conditions and specifications about allowable budget items.

What happened?

Not everything always goes to plan but it pretty well did. When St Columba’s Memorial School sent in its evaluation report. Kathleen wrote:

Combining with Christmas Carols the night was a mixture of entertainment provided by the children and speakers from our committee and our local Journalist, Jenny Oldland who also wrote the forward for the book. We had originally asked local chef and one of our main recipe contributors, Joanne Minks, to speak but unfortunately our dates weren’t in favour and she had to work.

We had over 80 recipes contributed from the school community, which also included old scholars.

Book contributors showcased their recipes and the Parents & Friends provided a light BBQ cooked by one of our sponsors. The evening was well attended and engaged our local community and showcased the welcoming nature of our school. It was a real positive note to end the school year on.

Our principal was very supportive. 

120 adults attended. Additional to parents/carers, the launch included parishioners, past students and local business owners who sponsored the book. It was fantastic for our community and very well received. Great to see new faces in the school.

84 students benefitted, plus younger siblings who are enrolled to attend our school in the future. The budget overrun was $36.50.

What next?

As to the future, Kathleen who is now the past president of the P & F said:

In a play on words generated from the title of the cookbook, Gathered & Grown, our P & F has initiated a monthly coffee morning for parents and carers. It’s the first Thursday of the month from 9am - 10am with a little community activity. The first meeting is on 11^th April and we are going to have coffee and ‘weed & seed’ our little community school garden.

We have been fortunate to receive another grant through the Federation and are re-launching our ‘Ready-Set-Go’ preschool program. With a new Principal, the new program is looking to accommodate parents with children aged 0 - 4 (pre kindy) We are excited about the possibilities and look forward to welcoming new families into our school.

Note: In a sign of committed ‘country enthusiasm and energy’ Kathleen, new president Robyn Clasohm, and their two two-year old boys are hitting the road to attend the Federation’s parent engagement forum for 2018-19 PIE grant recipients at The Monastery in Adelaide this week.

The Adelaide Catholic Archdiocese has released a new statement of commitment to safeguard children and young people.

Endorsed by Apostolic Administrator Bishop Greg O’Kelly in December last year, the launch of the statement was low-key, quite likely because news of Cardinal George Pell’s conviction for child sex offences had spread around the world just days before.

While the Australian media was banned until late February from reporting the Cardinal’s conviction, senior people in the Catholic Church were aware, as were other organisations and individuals who had closely followed the trial.

The Archdiocese’s new statement recognises children and young people as ‘our most precious and sacred citizens with a voice that must be heard, respected and valued’ and commits to strive ‘to enable and empower them to be part of the Kingdom of God as a safe and secure home’.

The supporting policy which guides parishes, schools and other Church agencies to develop safeguarding policies, procedures and practices has also been updated. This policy commits the Archdioces to eight principles:

1. The care, wellbeing and protection of children and young people through our pastoral care of all church members, our professional duty of care and legislative requirements.
2. Safeguarding as a shared responsibility.
3. Building an aware culture which promotes and maintains safe environments for all.
4. Open and transparent practices.
5. Planning for safe and supportive environments.
6. Delivering relevant safeguarding training and education programs.
7. Developing, implementing, monitoring and reviewing protective systems and safe practices which are both preventative and responsive.
8. Responding appropriately to disclosures of abuse and concerns of inappropriate behaviour towards children and young people.

These principles generally reflect the child safe standards the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has recommended all organisations concerned with children, including schools, should be required to implement.

The child safe standards more clearly state, however, that children must be able to express their views in decisions that affect them and be taken seriously, that families must be involved and informed, and that processes to respond to complaints about child abuse must be child focused.

April is National Autism Awareness month and is focused on the goal of improving the lives of all Australians on the autism spectrum and the families who love them.

The campaign #OurAutismCrew is encouraging everyone who makes up the autism community - people on the spectrum, their families and friends, educators, employers, health professionals - to share photos and stories in celebration of enriching and supportive relationships.

Follow the link below to submit your photo by 12th April.

This year NAPLAN will be completed via paper tests (14-16 May) and online tests (14-24 May). The extra days for NAPLAN Online testing is to give schools more flexibility for scheduling the tests. Students will all be assessed on the same literacy and numeracy curriculum content regardless of the test format being used.

The Australian Curriculum and Reporting Authority (ACARA) says many students prefer the online test versions but there are some points of confusion for parents and students including what’s different about the paper and online versions.

The online tests are created by tailored or adaptive testing. This means that students will be presented with sets of questions based on their performance as they move through the tests. Many of the questions are in the mid-range of complexity for students' particular year levels, but some may also be of higher or lower complexity.

Students who experience difficulty in the early stages of a test will receive questions of lower complexity that are more tailored to their performance. This means they will be less likely to become discouraged as they progress through the tests. Similarly, students who perform quite well in the early stages will receive more challenging questions as they progress through the test.

This year, more students with disabilities will also be able to complete their NAPLAN tests online because a wider range of ‘accessibility adjustments’ is now available. These adjustments include two types of alternative questions - audio and visual - which include colour themes. Where adjustments still can’t meet the online needs of students with disability, alternative paper tests (e.g. in large print and braille formats) are available.

Recent research conducted on ACARA's behalf shows that the majority of parents believe NAPLAN is valuable, particularly for the national snapshot it provides on their child’s progress in literacy and numeracy. On the whole, parents are also in support of the move to NAPLAN Online.

Also, last year, ACARA conducted a survey of 1,200 parents and 16 focus groups across Australia to get a picture of what parents think about NAPLAN in general and why it is moving online. This showed: 

• The majority of parents (three out of five) believe NAPLAN is valuable because it provides parents with a snapshot of their child’s progress. 
• Many parents are unfamiliar with the format and content of NAPLAN tests.
• Parental attitudes toward NAPLAN are influenced by the way in which the school positions the tests.
• Parents are generally accepting of the move to NAPLAN Online. The main reason for supporting the move is because it is seen as a natural progression.
• The majority of parents believe that moving NAPLAN online will improve NAPLAN and result in a more engaging experience for students.
• Parents with children who have already completed NAPLAN online have few concerns. While some said there were some issues with connectivity, online testing appears to have taken place with little impact on parents or students.

Despite these positive views, NAPLAN testing is a source of stress for some children and families.

How are NAPLAN results used?

• Students and parents can use individual results to discuss progress with teachers.
• Teachers use results to better identify students who would benefit from greater challenges or extra support.
• Schools use results to identify strengths and areas to improve in teaching programs, and to set goals in literacy and numeracy.
• School systems use results to review programs and support offered to schools.
• The community can see average school NAPLAN results at myschool.edu.au

In an important step forward, Catholic School Parents Australian (CSPA) was incorporated under the Quuensland Roman Catholic Church Act in January and recognised by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference as a Catholic private association of Christ’s Faithful in February. The Federation and other members of CSPA welcomed this news.

CSPA’s annual general meeting was held in Sydney on 23 February. Chair Karl Rodrigues praised CSPA members and staff saying he was in awe of the passion they bring to the relevance and advocacy of issues faced by parents with children in Catholic schools, and the importance of parent engagement in children’s education and social development. He noted that CSPA had been involved in various national policy reviews and consultations, and that the school funding debate had moved in a very positive direction for non-government schools once Dan Tehan was appointed federal Minister for Education and Training. Looking to the future, Karl said:

‘We will also be reviewing our standing and interactions in the broader context of national parent bodies. While we met with ministers and shadow ministers, our “recognition” as a “national peak parent body” was not questioned but it was also not made explicit. A stronger position with the Federal Government will be a continuing focus for myself and the council in the coming year.  

‘We understand that the upcoming federal election may take the mindshare of those on either side of the political aisle, however, CSPA will continue to work in a non-partisan way to be the national voice of parents with children in Catholic Schools, advance the work of the council, engage in further national parent engagement projects, collaborate with other catholic education organisations, action our council strategy and ensure transparent council operations adhering to our values and behaviours.’

Our president Kylie Ind will attend the next CSPA meeting in Brisbane on May 25-26. 

The last Plenary Council in Australia was held in 1937, one month before China and Japan became locked in a war that ultimately became World War II and didn't end until 1945. This Council was an exclusively male event with no lay or religious women present.

The 2020 Plenary Council will embrace the entire Catholic Church in Australia and reflect on the question 'What do you think God is asking of us in Australia at this time? 

President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, Archbishop Mark Coleridge said our Bishops had agreed that a Plenary Council was needed because 'we are at a time of profound cultural change ... not only in the wider community, but in the Church'. He said during the Plenary Council meetings next year, we will need to engage in critical discussions including about 'ordained ministry' and 'how we become a more missionary Church, and not a Church that is just retiring behind defensive walls'.

The process from here is as follows:

Ash Wednesday marked the close of the Listening and Dialogue stage, with over 68,000 people contributing to the conversations.

The Listening and Discernment stage will be launched at Pentecost (9 June). This will be framed by the key themes from the Listening and Diologue stage which will be identified using 'best-practice analysis methods'.

July will see the first meeting of various working groups and local group discernment beginning. The process will continue until April 2020 when the draft Plenary Council papers will be made available.

The opening session of the Plenary Council will be held in Adelaide in October 2020. The second session will be held in Sydney in May 2021.

Children and teenagers often get asked ‘What do you want to be when you grow up’?

For young children, the answer might be easy - I want to be a fireman, I want to be a princess, I want to fly planes.

It is often harder for teenagers as they connect the dots between subject choices, marks and jobs and hear statistics like 85% of the jobs that will exist in 2030 haven’t been invented yet.

When a UK charity recently invited primary school students around the world to draw the job they wanted to do and answer a few questions, over 20,000 pictures came flying in. Many showed boys and girls in gender-stereotyped roles.

The top choices for the 300+ New South Wales students who participated were much the same as those for students in other countries.

A celebrity sports career was high on the list for girls (13%) and boys (37%). So was teaching for girls (26%) and policing for boys (15%). Engineering didn’t make it into the girls’ Top 10 and science didn't really appeal to either boys and girls. Incredibly, the aspirations of 78% of the students focused on just five different jobs.

This is only a snapshot of Australian students, but it begs the question ‘Are the career aspirations of primary-aged children important?’ The Drawing the Future survey report says yes.

While children’s early career ideas may not be well formed or entirely realistic, their day-to-day life experiences often steer them ‘towards some possible futures and away from others’ by the age of eight. And they carry these views of their future into their teenage decision-making years.

The result is that many career options are ignored, not explored, and young people end up with less employment options in the fast-changing world of work.

Parents and extended family have a huge influence on younger children’s career aspirations, just as they do on older children’s actual career choices.

Career development for children of all ages is not about urging them to decide (or telling them) what they want to be. It is about:

• Broadening their horizons - helping them to ‘see the opportunities the world presents’
• Encouraging them to develop values and skills that are useful in different jobs (are transferable) and will help them succeed in life (respect, personal responsibility, organisation, problem-solving, persistence, critical thinking, getting on with others who are different; speaking and writing; science and maths)
• Role modelling these values and skills wherever you can
• Encouraging them to explore their interests and talents and develop new ones
• Encouraging them to keep subject and career options open for as long as possible
• Offering strong encouragement and support for them to stick with hard topics and challenging subjects – to do their best and not mentally ‘throw in the towel’ or blame teachers
• Showing faith in their ability to be successful
• Taking an interest in their school work and helping where you can (but not doing it for them)
• Doing some basic research to increase your own knowledge about jobs and how work is changing
• Helping them to learn about how work is changing, and new job and business opportunities that are being created
• Sharing information and stories about your workplaces and the tasks you like/don’t like in your job
• Supporting them in their thinking about career options without pushing the things you think would suit them.

Sometimes our children’s emotions can take us by surprise. Things that haven’t caused such a huge reaction in the past are suddenly difficult to handle. For instance, the fact that dad can't watch a sports match suddenly becomes a matter of life and death. Or when falling down this time, in this exact place, is the last straw when only minutes ago a harder fall meant little at all. Or an invitation to a birthday party doesn't come when apparently everyone else has got one.

When children express strong emotions like anger, annoyance, fear, hurt and sadness, it is easy for us to also get upset and to over-react rather than provide helpful reassurance.

Linda Knost, a mother of six and author of Two Thousand Kisses a Day: Gentle Parenting Through the Ages and Stages says 'When little people are overwhelmed by big emotions, it’s our job to share our calm, not join their chaos.'

These parenting phrases can help us to be an Emotion Coach for our children.

1. It is okay to be upset - it’s good to let it out.

The first thing we want to teach children about emotions is that the emotion is okay. It needs to be felt. It needs to be experienced. We need to acknowledge the emotion and to affirm how they are feeling. The emotion itself is not a bad thing.

2. I am here for you.

The best thing we can do when a child is expressing a distressing emotion is to stay with them. Sometimes you might hold or hug them. Sometimes this is not what they want. Being 'there for them' and showing patience is helpful.

3. It’s okay to feel how you feel. It is not okay to______.

Sometimes it is helpful (or necessary) to set some limits about how emotion should be expressed. The emotion doesn’t need to change. Rather, the way it is being expressed needs to. Use clear and simple statements like 'You look really angry. It is okay to be angry. It is not okay to hit. I will not let you hit' and 'I know you are sad that you didn't get invited. It's okay to be sad. (But) it's not okay to sulk and take it out on your sister'.

4. It’s okay to feel like this. But you know, how you feel right now won't last forever. It will pass. You will feel better!

In the 'moment' of a strong emotion, children can feel and act as if their world is ending (a bit like us sometimes!) because their emotions are big and overpowering. Remind them gently that their emotion will pass.

5. Let’s take a breath, a break, sit down, pause for a moment…

It’s hard to sit with an emotion and just live it. Hugging and holding and small words of re-asurance often do help. After a bit of time has passed, encouraging a child to breathe slowly in and out, in and out can also help and, indeed, will help you to be calm and think things through.

6. You are good and kind.

Being de-regulated is not being bad. Anger, frustration, sadness - none of these feelings are bad. It the things that we do - the choices we make - that are sometimes bad decisions. Switching your language to focus on the goodness in a child can make a positive difference to how they end up feeling and how they behave in the future. A practical example: 'You were angry. You didn’t mean those unkind words about your brother. Sometimes we say things we don’t mean when we are mad. You are a kind boy. What do you think will make your brother feel better?'

7. I’ll be over here when you need me.

It is important to acknowledge and affirm children's emotions, and to 'stay with them in the moment' to help them deal with their feelings. However we all know, too, that children sometimes escalate their emotions for attention and to see what effect this has. It is an escalated emotion when a child refuses a hug or comfort, and cries harder or engages in more inappropriate behaviour.

This is often a signal that a child needs some one-on-one time but the first step is for them to return to calm. If they are not ready to do this, leave them be but let them know when they are ready, you'll be there for them.

8. Let’s have a Do-over!

This is a simple idea. To put aside what's happened and start again on a good note.

9. What can we learn from this? What is the lesson in this?

Helping children to learn or see the lessons in their experiences is a good thing. This especially includes their experiences of, and reactions to, emotions. There are also many lessons to be learned from relationships, friendships, difficult social situations and things that don't go right. Encouraging children to talk about these things will support their emotional, intellectual and social development.

10. You’ll remember next time!

When children do something they shouldn’t do and you are correcting their behaviour, say in a warm tone of voice 'You’ll remember next time!' This communicates to a child that their failure today is not a permanent failure and they can change!

As we draw this term to a close, let us reflect on our Season of Lent.

Often childhood memories of giving up sugary items or sitting through weekly Stations of the Cross are our memories of Lent. 'Sacrifice', 'discipline' and 'self-denial' are words that encourage us to think that Lent is something to be endured rather than a time of grace and spiritual growth.

As we draw to a close for the final weeks of Lent, let us think of this Season as a second chance. We have been given six weeks to take a look at our lives and see if our values and priorities are in line with God's teachings. Many of us wander from this path set for us, however Lent becomes the time to do-over or to return to God. 

Instead of a written prayer, we leave you with a song. We take this moment to wish you all happy, hope filled and safe Easter.

Christ is Risen!

Alleluia!