2024 Term 3 Week 8

Dear Parents & Caregivers,

I hope you are all travelling well.  Hopefully you are managing to find some time to stop and enjoy the simple things in life.  I am very much looking forward to a weekend filled with footy finals, cooking sausages at our P&F Bunnings Sausage Sizzle and spending time with people who are important to me.

It’s funny how things happen.  A friend of mine who is also a Principal recently sent me this quote.  This quote seems very pertinent for schools.  No matter how full-on life becomes and how hard we push, it is important that we find time to stop and rest.   Like so many I find myself trying to push the envelope and find more hours in the day.  Last week I had an impromptu chat with Mrs Keddie and Ms Zurzolo (I can sense they love my impromptu chats!).  What was meant to be a 5-minute chat turned into an hour and a half discussion on how we can become better leaders and teachers for the students in our care.  I left the discussion feeling extremely blessed to be working with such dedicated and enthusiastic leaders at Matthew Gibney.

Then there was the recent Father’s Day Breakfast organised by our wonderful P&F, something that they ran with such enthusiasm.  Seeing the kids and their dads, as well as the staff and volunteers making this beautiful experience for our kids was inspiring to see and again, done with such enthusiasm.

That word, enthusiasm.  What does it mean?  According to Mrs Google, enthusiasm comes from the Latin word, ‘entheos’ which translates to having God within. Therefore, enthusiasm is to have God within us.  What an inspiration it is to know that when we choose to do something with enthusiasm, we have God driving us from within.  Bishop Matthew Gibney was an enthusiastic person who spread the word of God through his drive for Catholic education in Western Australia.  What a great example for all of us here at MGCPS to follow.

It is also important to remember that our enthusiasm can influence and inspire those around us.  Our children here at MGCPS work extremely hard each and every day with such a positive attitude.  Not only that, when I am out on duty, I get to see firsthand examples of our students looking out and caring for each other.  These are the attitudes and behaviours that we as parents and staff must continue to model to our children as they learn by the examples we set.  It is affirming to know our community is doing a great job at this.

With the busyness of this term there may be times where you find it difficult to be enthusiastic.  If we didn’t, we wouldn’t be human.  We must, however, make a regular conscious effort to slow down, find some quiet time and enjoy the simple things in life.  Make this a goal for the next week.  It will make your world awesome, trust me!!

In the months ahead there will be an increasing focus on the importance of adequate funding for Catholic schools from the State Government, particularly with an impending State election. Western Australia is the only state in Australia that does not provide Capital Grant assistance to non-government schools, hence new buildings and infrastructure projects such as our new toilet block, rely far more on direct input from parents.  I wonder what Bishop Matthew Gibney would think about all of this!

Catholic Education has been part of the Western Australian community for over 180 years with 1 in 5 children being educated in a Catholic school. (82 000 children across the State in 162 schools, including 7 locations in the Kimberley region where we are the sole education provider).

Catholic schools welcome children from diverse abilities, backgrounds, faiths and cultures. We educate over 7000 children with a disability and nearly 4000 First Nations students.

“To ensure equity for our students and fairness for our parents, Catholic Education Western Australia seeks a commitment from the Government of Western Australia for an annual capital grant of 25 million dollars for Catholic schools and an injection of funds to support capital works in the Kimberley region where CEWA is the sole provider of education.” (CEWA)

We remain grateful for the support of our parents and community in upholding the strengths and attributes of what we know is a great Catholic school and hope that the message of supporting quality Catholic education is reinforced throughout the wider community.

Parish News

There are a number of important celebrations coming up at our St Francis of Assisi Parish.

The Feast of St Francis will be celebrated on Sunday, 6^th October.  Mass will be presided by Bishop Don Sproxton.  We hope to see many of our students and families attend this special celebration.

The opening and blessing of the new Parish Centre will be celebrated on Sunday, 24^th November, the Feast of Christ the King.  We are so pleased to have Archbishop Costello preside Mass on that day and open and bless the new Parish Centre.  That day will also mark the official retirement of Father Joseph, our current Parish Priest.  Again, we hope that we will have a big turnout to wish Father Joseph for the next stage of his life.

Behaviour Management Guidelines and Procedures

At MGCPS, we aim to provide our students with a safe environment that supports their growth academically and as a person.  As a staff, we have recently started unpacking how we are responsible both individually and collectively for creating this environment and providing consistency for our students, especially in dealing with unproductive behaviours.  Working in partnership with parents will provide our students with a smooth transition from home to school each day.  All parents will advocate for their child, this is what we do as parents.  As the Principal, I must advocate for all students and the promotion of a safe, inclusive and productive learning environment based on our Catholic values and pastoral care.  Because of this, I hold very high expectations for our students and staff in the environment we want to create here at MGCPS.

Our goal is to review our current school procedures around student engagement and behaviour management to create clear guidelines for students and parents as to what is expected each day at MGCPS and more importantly, how we deal with unproductive behaviours that promote student accountability, working in partnership with families, and further growth and learning for them through restorative practices and conversations with staff.

We thank you for your ongoing support in this.

CEWA Child Safe Framework

One of the elements of our CEWA Child Safe Framework is Culture.  This element highlights that all members of the school community share responsibility for, and actively promote an environment that prioritises the best interests of children and young people.

What does this look like?

All members of our school community (parents, teachers and students):

• Prioritise the best interests of children in all decision making
• Feel confident starting conversations about any concerns or worries, and know how to do this
• Are invited to participate in the development, implementation and evaluation of child safe policies and procedures in our school

Indigenous Literacy Day

This Wednesday we celebrated Indigenous Literacy Day.  The theme for this year’s Indigenous Literacy Day was ‘Be A Proud Voice for Country’.

At MGCPS, our students participated in the day by watching a film that took them into three Aboriginal Communities to learn about their unique stories, languages and cultures.

As a school, we also donated to the Indigenous Literacy Foundation which directly goes towards purchasing books for remote communities.

Once again, thank you all for contributing to our community.  This place truly is special because of the people here.  Enjoy the weekend and week ahead.

Goodness your way.

Clint

Good News Week Year 3

Our Year 3 students are preparing to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This week they participated in a workshop to support their understanding of the importance of Reconciliation; asking God for forgiveness when they have sinned to repair their relationship with God. Students took part in a fun day filled with activities, dancing and games. Please keep the Year 3 students in your prayers as they continue to prepare for their special day in Week 10.

When Your Child Has a Bad Day

When our children come home from school and tell us they’ve had a “bad day”, we immediately want to fix it and make them feel better.

Often we spot it before they’ve told us  – their shoulders are hunched, they’re walking slowly or dragging their feet, they have a scowl on their face, you can pick up that vibe.

As connected and loving parents we often jump to thoughts like “did he fail the maths test?”, “is that kid picking on her again?”, “why isn’t the teacher doing more?”. We are already flooded with a barrage of negative emotions before our child has hopped into the car.

You are a parent who cares deeply, and you are tuned into how your child might be feeling. However, here’s where this might not be helpful.

Your child is also highly in tune with your energetic state, and without us realising it, they will mirror what we are putting out to the world. If we are anxious, their anxiety will be amplified, if we are angry, they will also feel angry (or feel guilty of causing that anger).

Instead, if we are conscious of our mental state, and meet their ‘bad day’ with calmness and acceptance, they can rely on you for grounding them and providing guidance.

Allow your child to have their feelings  – remember all emotions are okay! Acknowledge what they are feeling, while remembering that a bad day can feel so much better with a listening (not solving) ear, a hug, a kiss, a joke and the realisation that you are not on your own.

Give your child a chance to exercise their ‘resilience muscles’ with your calm empathy.

Please see the link below for a great handout with some ways we can respond to our child’s “bad day” that helps them reflect, and still show our support.

Things to tell your child when they are having a bad day

Bunning Sausage Sizzle

Please support our wonderful P&F who are providing the Midland Bunnings Sausage Sizzle this Saturday 7th September.

Making Jesus Real – The Value of RESPECT

This fortnight, our focus has been on respect – respect for God, self and others.  Respect is one of the key values of our Student Code of Conduct.

The Gospel story of the poor widow, illustrates how she gave her best to God.  She showed God the utmost respect by not holding back, and giving with a generous heart.

Christians recognise that respect needs to start with respect for ourselves.  Having self-respect means being able to celebrate our gifts and talents, looking after ourselves and the bodies that God has given us.

Respect in our school community is about understanding that we respect others – everyone is special, we are all made in the image of God.  Respect is about treating each other with politeness and courtesy, and recognising that everyone’s contribution is important and that everyone’s feelings should be considered.