Principal’s Report – Issue 15

Dear Parents

Activity Overload

Of recent times an element of monotonous certainty might have made its way into the lives of our children. Their day can suffer from overload where they go from school to training, to music lessons, to a quick meal, then homework and often times, over seven days a week. Of course, organised activities can offer a host of benefits for children. They can foster social skills and provide opportunities for play and exercise. They can teach sportsmanship, self-discipline and conflict resolution. They can promote cultural enrichment.

However, children’s activities should be scheduled in moderation according to pay, temperament, ability and interests. Our children should never be involved in a multitude of activities because it boosts our self-esteem or simply because we had to do them when we were children, or, we missed out as children, so our children will “do it all”.

We do harm to our children when we over complicate childhood. Children should be allowed to be children. Childhood is the preparation, not a full performance. Children need space in which to grow, to learn and to develop. The value of true play, which fosters fantasy and imagination, has been diminished in our society needs to be re-emphasised. Children in need time for personal expression.

It is interesting, that just as adults often feel stressed and burned out by work overload, so do many children. Besides, could too much activity be replacing intimate family time or taking away time used to relax and unwind; Early Christian practices such as family prayer and church attendance are being overrun. Too much activity can cause family life to suffer; meals are missed, and families might eat dinner together far less than is good for the well-being of the family; vital communication time is lost.

Sometimes parents might wish that they had the wisdom of King Solomon. However, it is saying that “Wisdom is the quality keeps you from getting into situations where you need it.” Perhaps that’s a thought we might all keep in the background mind as we start to enter our children’s – and our – activities onto the calendar. After all, childhood is for children and it needs to have a sense of fun and spontaneity.

Lord, Thank you for the gift of your life given to me and my children.

Prompt me to always follow time for the enjoyment of the wonderful and varied expressions of nature

And the enjoyment of just being alone with my own thoughts.

May my children have the same enjoyment. Amen.

School Rules

Our Pastoral Care philosophy is based on our School Vision, Mission and Values and we believe that all people can live in love and harmony with each other. Our Catholic School is, in essence, the face of Jesus for the whole community. The life of every human person is seen to have a God given value and meaning which is enhanced in our school community in an atmosphere permeated with the Gospel values of freedom and love.

Our school is a place where every individual is welcomed, cherished, respected and valued. Our Catholic ethos ensures that a Christ-centred approach is at the heart of all we do. We live and learn within a community that is caring, loving, compassionate and forgiving. Meaningful relationships form the basis of all our interactions.

We respond by promoting attitudes which foster:

Love, joy, curiosity and challenge of learning.
Connectedness, belonging and inclusion for all.
Responsibility for one’s own learning and behaviour.
Acceptance and honouring of differences.
Perseverance and self-discipline.
A contribution to the wider community.

We have an expectation that everyone:

Respects each person’s dignity and self-worth.
Develops a positive relationship with all people.
Treats each other with kindness and respect.
Takes responsibility for their own feelings. Use “I” statements and refrain from blaming.
Listens with eyes, ears and heart. Ensure all our children are heard, welcomed, understood, given creative opportunities, recognized and treated as individuals.
Communicates positively, honestly, directly and gives constructive feedback.
Ensures all children belong to the community, are loved and supported and have opportunity for the development of positive self-esteem.

LifeLink Day

This year LifeLink Day is held on Wednesday 6 June. Archbishop Costelloe has invited representatives from every primary school to join him at Newman College Auditorium for the launch of LifeLink 2018. All schools have been asked to bring cards they have created and then to present them as a powerful and visual demonstration of our young people joining together to help people in need. These cards will then be distributed to Infant Jesus Parish to be handed out to the parishioners on the Parish launch of LifeLink Day.

Our school has decided to celebrate LifeLink Day also on Wednesday 6 June. This year for LifeLink Day, we will be holding a free dress day, with a coin donation. The children from Pre-Primary to Year Six will be allowed to wear a shirt in the colours or red, white or blue – which represent the colours of LifeLink.

Money raised on this day will go towards the many charitable works of the many LifeLink Organisations of the Catholic Church – supporting over 34 000 Western Australians annually.

CyberSpace ~ Are we there with our Children?

The term “Generation Gap” was used during the 60’s and 70’s to describe the separation that was occurring between the older generation and the emerging generation. Rapid cultural changes in fashion, music and politics had occurred more so then, than in previous times and created a clear distinction between generations.

Today, we are experiencing another generation gap; this time it’s a technology gap between parents and their children. Technology is evolving at a relentless pace and children are usually the first to take up anything that is new, whether it is internet, mobile phones, web cameras, digital cameras or the latest online games. They are often more skilled and informed than their parents and many of us struggle to keep abreast of the latest internet games and social networking sites our children are involved in.

As parents, we might be aware of our children’s ability to master new technologies and even be tempted to boast about how “tech-savvy” our children are. However, we all need to be aware that our children are as vulnerable to harm and violence in cyberspace as they are in the physical world.

This means that protecting our children in cyberspace is just as important as protecting them in other environments. Just because they are at home inside our house, no longer means they are safe.

Unsupervised access of cyberspace can expose our children to materials that are psychologically harmful, to on-line grooming when a child’s trust is gained so as to draw them into a situation which could be harmful to them, and to harassment and bullying.

Chat-rooms and instant messenger services allow for users to remain anonymous and so children can be totally unaware of the true identity of a person with whom they might be communicating. Online games engaged in excessively, can inhibit the development of social skills and lessen interest in stimulating activities like reading and sport.

Parent Presentation: Cyber-Safety

To assist our parents with these challenges we have organised Mr Paul Litherland, renowned cyber-safety speaker and owner of Surf Online Safe. He will be presenting two workshops, one for parents and one for our Year Five and Six students. The parent workshop will be held on the 20 June at 6.30pm in the School Hall.

Paul will share his experiences as a WA Police Officer in the Technology Crime Investigation Unit and speak about the need for students and parents to remember the impact of their digital footprint, maintain levels of privacy when using apps and apply methods to remain safe in an online environment.

Paul’s parent presentations will cover a wide range of topics and will last between 1 to 1.5hours depending on questions. Subjects covered may include:

Cyber Bullying – Legislation surrounding this and how it is affecting our children.
Digital Citizenship – Where our children are going online, the Apps they are using and the information they are sharing.
Online Footprint – How easy it is to find children online and what they can do to minimise their risk.
Social Networking & Networking in general – How the systems work and how to overcome their reach.
Online Gaming and Website Use – Risks and uses.
Tips & Tricks – How to keep an eye on your children through software and hardware. Easy instructions on what we can do to keep them safe.

Celebrating Western Australia

Next week, Monday 4 June is a Public Holiday in Western Australia to recognise and celebrate WA Day.

What is WA Day?

WA Day takes place on the first Monday in June each year.
It’s a day to celebrate all Western Australians, who have made, and continue to make, Western Australia their home.
It’s a day for each of us to reflect and celebrate all the great things about our people, our lifestyle, our culture and our potential.

What is the history of WA Day?

Prior to 2012, the first Monday in June was known as Foundation Day.
In April 2012 Foundation Day was formally changed to WA Day following bipartisan political support in the Western Australian Parliament.
The legislation emphasised that the new ‘State Day’ was to be inclusive of all people no matter how long they have called themselves Western Australians.

What happens on the WA Day long weekend in June?

Every year the WA Day long weekend commences with the Western Australian of the Year Awards presentation on the Friday night.
Over the WA Day long weekend, everyone can join in celebrating all that makes our state great by attending the free WA Day Festival events held in metropolitan and regional areas state-wide.
Find out what’s in store at each of the event locations around the state checking out the WA Day Festival page on this website.

SEQTA Engage

As parents are aware, there has been a few issues with SEQTA Engage this week. But these issues have now been rectified. Parents are asked to please follow the link sent to you via SEQTA Engage to complete your registration. We thank you for your patience.

Faction Cross Country Carnival

Our Faction Cross Country Carnival will be held on Friday 15 June at Lightning Park, Noranda commencing approximately at 9.30am. More information has been sent home this week.

School Fees

Thank you to the many parents who have made the effort to pay their school fees early this term. This term’s accounts have been sent and all families are asked to pay these accounts as soon as possible. If any families are experiencing difficulty paying their fees, they are asked to contact the office (Irene Baginski) to make an appointment with Mr Hille.

Three-Year-Old Program 2019

The Three-Year-Old Kindergarten at Infant Jesus School is an educational program for Pre-Kindergarten children. The program at the school is very much play-based and helps the children develop independence and creativity by offering interesting and fun activities, that are developmentally appropriate, in a semi- structured form. The program follows a routine similar to Kindergarten where the children are in the care of a teacher and a teacher assistant for the duration of the session, but parent help is encouraged.

Who May Attend the Program?

The 2019 program is offered to children who will have turned THREE by 30 June 2019 and plan to continue attending Infant Jesus School in 2019 and beyond. Regulations prevent us from taking children until they have turned three years of age. Please note that enrolment at the Infant Jesus School Three-Year-Old program does not guarantee a place in the Four-Year-Old Kindergarten Program. Interviews will be conducted for both places.

Interested parents are asked to contact Mrs Cheryl Macpherson at the school office for enrolment forms for 2019 Three-Year-Old program.

Wise and Witty Words

Parenting is never easy… but it can be inspiring. Here are some wise words that may make you smile.

If I had my child to raise all over again,

I’d build self-esteem first, and the house later.

I’d finger-paint more and point the finger less.

I would do less correcting and more connecting.

I’d take my eyes off my watch and watch with my eyes.

I’d take more hikes and fly more kites.

I’d stop playing serious, and seriously play.

I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars.

I’d do more hugging and less tugging.

Diane Loomans

The problem with being a parent is that by the time you are experienced, you are usually unemployed. Unknown

There are two lasting bequests we can give our children. One is roots. The other is wings. Hodding Carter, Jr.

“A father is someone who plays with you even though he has friends of his own to play with.” Unknown

“Your children need your presence more than your presents.”Jesse Jackson

It’s not what you do for children, it’s what you do with them that counts.” Australian parent of seven children

“Kids can walk around trouble if they have some place to walk to and someone to walk with.” McLaughlin

“All feelings are acceptable. Certain actions must be limited.” Faber & Mazlich

“Don’t drive your kids, inspire them.” Ian Grant

Prayer for the Week

As the children in Year 6 continue their journey of faith we recognise and remember it is the Spirit that is alive in our hearts and lives today. The following prayer focuses on the Spirit and its many special gifts.

Give us Wisdom – make us wise so that we can learn from our mistakes and help other people.

Give us Counsel – to guide our thoughts and be someone to lean on in times of need.

Give us Reverence – so that we may show you how we love you.

Give us Guidance – so that our thoughts may be guided by you.

Give us Understanding – enlighten us so that we may understand people better and not get angry with them.

Give us Knowledge – to inspire us so that we may learn more about our faith, our world and ourselves.

Give us Wonder – so that we may respect what the Creator put here and love it even more.

Give us Courage – to strengthen us so that we may stand up for what is right and achieve our goals without hurting others.

Let us use these gifts so that we can become more like Jesus.

Did you know?

A rodent’s teeth never stop growing.
The penguin is the only bird that can swim, but cannot fly.
Children born in the month of May are on the average 200 grams heavier at birth than children born in any other month,
Only female mosquitoes bite.

Thought for the Week

Our faith should be our steering wheel, not our spare tyre.

Kind regards