February 2019

NEWSLETTER ARTICLES

Parent Talk – February 2019

Hello and welcome to the February 2019 edition of Parent Talk! We hope your family has had a great start to the new school year.

At CCSP, we are always looking for ways to connect with families. Hopefully you find these articles useful and they give you some practical ideas about how to better engage in your child’s learning and helpful information about their development.

Please feel free to forward this newsletter to any other parents at school or they can subscribe on this page.

We also welcome any suggestions or ideas for future articles. Is there a particular topic or issue you would like to know more about? Please share it with us and we will endeavour to shed some light on it for you. You might even find yourself in an interesting conversation with other parents at school about parent engagement or parenting in general and if you think it would make for an interesting article, please just let us know by emailing melanie.berenger@ccsp.catholic.edu.au.

My child doesn’t seem to be settling into Kindy – what should I do?

Thirteen years – that’s quite an educational journey! We mostly think of school as a journey our children take, but it’s one that parents take with them. It can be an emotional journey for parents at times, especially at the very beginning when our little ones start Kindergarten. Naturally, we want our children to have the best start to school and we want everything to be as smooth as possible. The best thing you can do to help ensure your child transitions well is to advise the school as soon as possible of any additional support they need or any areas of concern such as, if your child suffers with anxiety. It is also important to inform the school of any changes at home that might affect your child’s behaviour or attitude at school. Together with the school, you can then proactively develop strategies to manage these concerns.

CCSP has some helpful information on how to help your child settle in and when to take action.

Tackling Year 7 pressure points

High school is very different from primary school and for many children, leaving the protected environment of primary school can be a bit overwhelming. But, it’s also the natural next step in your child’s life and unless you plan for them to spend the rest of their lives in Year 6, they will get there and learn to enjoy and become comfortable in their new school environment with your support.

CCSP has identified a few of the Year 7 pressure points for children and provides tips for parents on how you can best support your child as they learn to adapt to their new school.

It’s an election year – here’s what you need to know

The NSW State Election is just around the corner and the Federal election will follow closely behind. Education can often be used as a political football whether we are in an election year or not, so it’s worthwhile for Catholic school parents to be informed of issues affecting Catholic education and to share this information with those who are in, or could be in, decision-making positions, such as candidates and local Ministers.

CCSP will be hosting Facebook Live events with the current NSW Minister for Education, Rob Stokes, and the Shadow Minister, Jihad Dib. We encourage you to gather with other parents in your school community to watch the 10-minute interviews and find out what they have to say about Catholic education in NSW, now and in the future. We will provide more information via Facebook and Twitter, so stay tuned.

CCSP is also in the process of developing a suite of materials for parents to download on Catholic education to ensure you can help to promote the value of Catholic education in Australia and impress upon others in your community the important role that Catholic education plays in Australia’s education and social landscape. These materials will be made available via our website in the coming weeks.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest.

Do smartphones have a place in school? The verdict is in

In June 2018, the NSW Government called for an Independent Review into the non-educational use of mobile devices in NSW schools. The Review was led by Dr Michael Carr-Gregg and it was informed by public consultation which included written submissions from organisations such as CCSP, as well as teachers, experts, education stakeholders, students and parents.

On 13 December 2018, the NSW government announced that in response to the recommendations made by the review team, the use of mobile devices during school hours will be restricted in NSW public primary schools from 2019. NSW public high schools can opt into this restriction or pursue the approach that best suits their circumstances and the needs of their diverse communities. Some students with disability rely on the use of a mobile device and may be exempt from the restriction.

Why the restriction?

In the report, the review team notes the report from the eSafety Commissioner, that one in four students under the age of 12 are being stalked, harassed and abused online. A total of 24 per cent of those aged 8 to 12 received unwanted contact from strangers online last year and this rose to nearly half of all 13 to 17-year-olds (42 per cent).

Given that many children have a mobile phone when traveling to and from school, the review team recommends that the NSW Government resource facilities to ensure the safe storage of children’s mobile devices in government primary schools during school hours. The review team recommends that, where a parent wishes their child to take a smartphone to and from a primary school, they should opt either to purchase a ‘dumb’ phone or other device without internet access or a camera, or alternatively use parental controls to deactivate the camera and internet functionality on an existing ‘smart’ device.

Prior to the review, most primary schools had restricted the use of mobile devices during school hours. The report supported this practice and recommended that all NSW primary schools restrict the use of mobile phones during school hours.

The majority of Catholic primary schools currently do not allow for mobile devices to be used for non-educational purposes during school hours. Catholic schools have their own policies on the use of mobile devices for educational purposes and this may vary from diocese to diocese. If you’re unsure of your school’s policy on the use of mobile devices, speak to your school office.

At home, families have different rules and approaches when it comes to their children’s use of devices. The Office of the eSafety Commissioner has some excellent resources to help ensure your child has safe and enjoyable online experiences.

“Time is short, get amongst it and take your kids with you”

As parents, it can be difficult at times to determine where the line is between walking beside them and walking in front of them. When we walk beside them, we act as a source of support and guidance while giving them the freedom to step outside their comfort zones, to make their own mistakes and to learn from them – essentially giving them the life experiences and skills they need to build resilience. When we walk in front of them, we deny them the opportunities they need to problem-solve, make decisions and face adversity – it’s the overprotective parent in all of us who sometimes cannot help but to cross that line sometimes.

Raising children in 2019 is quite different from generations before – we are living in an increasingly risk-averse society where everything from cyberbullying to road accidents have the potential to hurt them. But despite raising digital natives, children today still learn and thrive when they try new things and problem-solve and one way that parents can foster these skills is through adventurous play.

Australian of the Year, cave diver Richard Harris, said the need for adventure resides in all of us and calls on parents to give their children the freedom they need to find their own boundaries. He says that outdoor activities promote physical and mental wellbeing and it’s critical that kids can test their own limits.

Kidsafe NSW has some interesting information about the benefits of adventurous play.

Are you “engaged” or “involved” in your child’s education? Yes, there is a difference!

Raising children in a two-income household is the norm for families in 2019. The reality is that both parents are often working to make ends meet and you simply can’t be in two places at once. So, while you’ll be able to squeeze in a guest day at school here or an awards ceremony there, schools are very busy places with lots happening and you are going to be absent for many school events throughout your child’s life. And that’s OK.

You might wish you could be the parent who volunteers to help with class excursions or in the uniform shop, but this type of school involvement, while beneficial for your child’s school and greatly appreciated, has a limited impact on your child’s educational outcomes.

The parent factor in education can be easily overlooked – we often think that once our kids start primary school our role as educators ceases to exist. But research tells us that parents have an incredibly important role to play in their children’s education.

True parent engagement, which does have a positive impact on educational outcomes, is all about how you support your child’s education at home and it is about the relationship you have with your child’s school.

• Have you set up a quiet and appropriate place for them to study and do their homework?
• Do you monitor their use of devices and encourage some device free time?
• Do you sit down together at the dinner table and talk about your day?
• Do you read the newsletter and know what’s happening at school?
• Do you read together at night?
• Do you make sure they get enough sleep so they wake up ready and excited for a day of learning?
• Most importantly, how do you influence your child’s attitude towards school and education?

These are the things that have a positive effect on your child’s education and academic performance.

Get active and creative in 2019!

Have you redeemed your $100 creative kids voucher and your $100 active kids voucher for 2019?

Many parents and carers enrol their children in after school activities such as dancing, music, gymnastics, scouts and swimming, just to name a few. Some children are enrolled in multiple activities which can be quite costly for families.

Through the NSW Active Kids and Creative Kids programs, families can now apply for a $100 voucher through each program – one $100 voucher to help cover the cost of sport, fitness and active recreation activities and another $100 voucher to help cover the cost of creative and cultural recreational activities.

It’s easy to register. The vouchers can be used any time during the calendar year for a child enrolled in school. The vouchers can only be redeemed with registered providers. Visit Service NSW for more information.

Reading, reading, reading – how you can develop your child’s love of reading

We actively encourage our children to run, jump, play and move to stay fit, healthy and strong. Well, reading is fitness for the mind. It's the running, jumping and moving of the intellectual and academic world and we should encourage our children to read daily getting them and keeping them fit for learning.

Most importantly, reading provides mental stimulation, requiring the brain to work to decode abstract symbols, synthesise the ideas and make meaning while providing a sense of relaxation and escape. And if you join a library you get all this brain exercise for free!

If your child is struggling to learn to read, be determined to expose them to the written word through sharing books with them, reading to them and of course audio books. Talk to them about the reading, the new words and the old words used differently. Talk to them about the story, the knowledge, the characters and the plot. Talk to them about what you liked and didn't like in a book and why. Let them see you sit and read for the quiet solitude that it offers, the entry into another world.

In the OECD’s 2012 PISA Report “Let's Read Them a Story! The Parent Factor in Education”, results from PISA tell us that while most parents are often excited about their child’s first day of school and dedicate time to preparing them for the start of their educational journey, such as buying uniforms and other equipment, most parents do not spend enough time thinking about an even more important school accessory: developing a habit of reading. According to PISA:

During their first year in school, around a quarter of children, on average, do not have someone in the household who reads to them regularly; and, as they struggle to make their way through reading their first words and sentences, only around 40% of young children will look up from their first book and see their parents enjoying a book of their own. Since parents are a child’s most important role models, it is crucial that parents show their children the value of reading by reading with their children when they are young and demonstrating positive attitudes towards reading.

The Parent Hub website has some useful tips on reading for primary school children.

The ABC also has useful tips on how to encourage your child to develop positive reading habits

In secondary school, students are required to read novels as part of their learning. But encouraging young people to go beyond the mandatory reading requirements and to read for pleasure is critical at this stage. The Conversation has advice for parents and teachers about how to encourage regular reading in your teenager.

Schoolzine

Schoolzine is proud to be a digital partner and supporter of Council of Catholic School Parents.

Schoolzine has been an industry leader in digital school communications for 14 years. They are dedicated to customer service, product development and understanding the school landscape that keeps them at the top of the industry. Schoolzine’s Parent Engagement Platform consists of 3 packages, an eNewsletter, Mobile App and Website offering. Purchased separately or together, they guarantee each package will make engaging with parents easy and even enjoyable for a school of any size. Schoolzine addresses the need for media-rich, interactive content that engages parents.