Dear Parents and Carers

I hope Term 3 is going well for you and your children. It’s always a busy term for students and parents, with lots of exciting events for primary schools such as NAIDOC Week, Book Week and excursions. In secondary schools, Year 10 students are choosing subjects, and HSC students are doing trials and prepping for the HSC. In this article, you’ll find some helpful links for you and your HSC student that offer tips, strategies and sound advice on looking after physical and mental health as students approach the exams. 

Around our dioceses, school communities gathered for NAIDOC Week, with Mass and ceremonies to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Have a look at some beautiful photographs from Wollongong, Bathurst, and Canberra and Goulburn dioceses here.

We are excited to announce that the 2023 Roger O’Sullivan Award is open for entries from Catholic schools. CCSP provides this annual grant of $5000 to a school to continue a school-parent partnership project. Find out more here on our website: https://www.ccsp.catholic.edu.au/ros-entry-details. We can’t wait to see your entries and find out how your school has bridged the gap between home and school, and enhanced student outcomes in faith development, learning and wellbeing of students.

This term, Wayne Davie, Chair CCSP, and I have been meeting with directors of dioceses about the data received in the recent Catholic School Parents Australia Student Wellbeing and Learning survey, talking them through the feedback provided and highlighting any issues that were identified. Wayne also attended a Pre-EMM Consultation with Deputy Premier, The Hon. Prue Car MP at her offices.

In June, I met with Archbishop Fisher to talk about the work of the CCSP and the important of parental engagement in education. I also met with delegates visiting Sydney from the Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association, who promote equity of access to education for all students who live in rural and remote Australia.

In July, I have been working on a submission with CSNSW on the National School Reform Agreement Discussion paper. On 6 July, I attended the Teacher Education Conference at ACU and delivered a presentation to final year teaching students about the importance of working collaboratively with families and building positive relationships that support best outcomes for students.

On 17 July, I had the pleasure of attending ‘Learning for Justice – Empowering through Education’ in the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle. This event aimed to empower individuals through education, focusing on the Voice to Parliament referendum and featured various sessions about the issues faced by indigenous Australians, including a presentation by Indigenous leader Noel Pearson.

The next eSafety/CCSP webinar on Tuesday 15 August at 7.30pm is an important one for secondary students and their parents to attend, as it’s all about consent, respectful relationships and sharing nude images online. Find out how to register here. We look forward to seeing you online.

This term we are making progress with drafting the 2024–2026 CCSP Strategic Plan after consulting with parents and carers, diocesan directors, principals and clergy. Thank you for those of you who provided valuable feedback which will inform our direction for the next three years and beyond. The plan will be finalised at our upcoming annual combined meeting, where we look forward to bringing together the Council and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Committee members. The Chair will present the 2022 Annual Report, and we have some interesting expert speakers coming to present to the group. We are grateful to Headmaster Michael Blake and the staff of St Joseph’s College, Hunters Hill, who will be kindly providing us with the use of their facilities for this 2-day event.

Lastly, I was delighted to attend a P & F Association meeting at Our Lady of the Rosary, Waitara on 13 June. How lovely it was to meet the many parents and carers who attended the meeting, the beautiful community feel that enveloped the meeting and the strong sense of a supportive community where all are welcomed. I presented on the work of the CCSP, parents as first educators of their children, and the importance of appropriate parent engagement. Since the end of the Covid lockdowns, schools and parents have been trying to reconnect, and it’s taking time and effort to re-establish parent–school relationships, for schools to bring families into schools for community events, and for parents to have a voice in school decision-making. But it’s worth it! Speak to any parents who were engaged with their children’s school and education, and they will recognise how this benefited their child in terms of academic outcomes, wellbeing and successful relationships.

I hope you enjoy this edition of Parent Talk. Take care and God bless.

Catherine Garrett-Jones
Executive Director CCSP