The independent judging panel was extremely impressed with the standard of the entries and the range of school–home partnership initiatives they showcase.

The 2024 Roger O’Sullivan Award recipients were as follows:

1st Place: St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Eugowra

The judges voted unanimously on St Joseph's, Eugowra, because of the way the school consulted with families and because Homework Club assists parents and kids to improve children’s outcomes – wellbeing, physical and academic.

ABOUT THE HOMEWORK CLUB

'After the devastating flooding event in 2022, parents and students were consulted on ways the school community could best provide support to them as they navigated post-recovery challenges. In response, an after school Homework Club program was initiated. This program runs four days each week during the school term from Monday to Thursday, 3-5.30pm. It encompasses a core academic component as well as physical activities, games and socializing. Its implementation has had a profound impact on our students and whole school community, and family engagement has been remarkable.'

2nd Place: St Cecilia’s Catholic Primary School, Wyong

St Cecilia's Catholic Primary in Wyong came in second with their project 'Parent & Teacher Collaboration to Strengthen our Children’s Social and Emotional Learning'.

ABOUT THE PROJECT

'Our project, now in its second year, focuses on the implementation of the Second Step, Positive Partnerships program, which explicitly teaches Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) skills. This research-based curriculum, proven in classrooms, supports the creation of a safe and nurturing learning environment within our school. A key aspect of the program is its collaborative nature, built on strong partnerships between families, the school, and, when applicable, the broader community.

Through regular home connection tasks, we actively engage parents in the SEL development of their children, creating opportunities for meaningful dialogue on skills learned in weekly lessons. The skills within the program focus on Skills for Learning (regulation skills), Empathy, Emotion Management and Problem Solving. The weekly collaboration with parents helps us to reinforce and apply SEL skills, set and work on shared goals and ensure that the social-emotional development of children is nurtured both at school and home. By fostering open communication through weekly newsletters, home learning tasks, parent goal setting meetings and involving caregivers in this journey, we are working together to cultivate an inclusive environment where each child is supported holistically.

This partnership strengthens the sense of community and promotes the wellbeing and success of all our students at home and in school.'

3rd Place: St Paul’s Parish Primary School, Moss Vale

Third place was St Paul's Parish Primary School, Moss Vale, for their 'Cultural Story Sharing Morning Tea' initiative.

'Cultural Story Sharing Morning Tea was initiated by the Student Wellbeing Officer in response to important needs identified by the School Principal and was created in a small regional area with significant lack of services to support families moving from overseas who have little to no local connections. The morning tea involves a family from a particular country sharing their culture through food which fosters relationships with other school community families and giving them a sense of belonging and inclusiveness, a way of celebrating and sharing their culture. 

Visitors are invited to deliver valuable information and connect with families. A local pop-in centre manager presented a gentle approach to supporting women experiencing domestic violence, the school counsellor has attended to meet new families and provide relevant support material, CatholicCare provide information about services both local and external, the Parish Priest attended to meet families, school staff present cultural storytelling and literature in the vernacular and various languages through a tour of the EALD section in the school library, local parishioners come along as a way to connect and share, and the school principal attends to support the school and community wellbeing connection.'