Parent Talk 2024 Issue 2

Welcome to Parent Talk

Dear Parents and Carers,

We hope you had a wonderful Easter and holiday break with your families and are enjoying Term 2.

Term 1 was busy for us as we set about ensuring the voices of Catholic school parents in NSW and ACT are heard in the education landscape in 2024 and that we are fulfilling our mission to provide leadership, advocacy and support.  

We worked with Catholic Schools NSW in Term 1, kicking off with our Term 1 Roundtable Discussion on 12 February, and enjoying the breakfast and speeches at the annual CSNSW International Women's Day breakfast on 8 March. We provided a strong voice for parents at the CSNSW Connected Catholic Communities on 12 and 13 March. Also on 13 March I attended the Term 1 CSNSW Sport Reference Group to represent parents and carers, and the Chair of CCSP, Anne Fehon, and I attended the 2024 CSNSW Board Stakeholders Day, Angel Place, on 17 April. 

Chair Anne Fehon and I attended the Catholic School Parents Australia meeting in Canberra on 24 and 25 February. CSPA is the national body representing and advocating for Catholic school parents.

On 14 and 15 March we had our CCSP Term 1 meetings at the Novotel International Airport Sydney, where we had a great turnout of parent representatives at both our Committee and Council meetings. Three of our diocesan Directors of Schools spoke to us about how they are engaging parents and families in their diocese – thank you again to Christina Trimble (Bathurst Diocese), Peter Hill (Wollongong Diocese) and Jack de Groot (Parramatta Diocese) for taking the time to speak to us.

Anne and I were very pleased to be invited to attend the Diocesan Directors Meeting at Sydney Catholic Schools on 19 March.

Other meetings the Chair and I participated in to represent CCSP included the 22 March meeting of the National Ethics Network, a working group on religious freedom, and a NSW Curriculum Reform Parent Roundtable run by NESA, where we were provided with updates on key milestones and activities regarding the new curriculum. I also attended the NESA Disability Education Forum Meeting to present parents’ points of view in regards to disability education on 30 April 2024.

Record numbers of parents registered for our Term 2 eSafety Commission webinar on the evening of 26 March which was called ‘Understanding parental controls to safeguard your child (primary)’. Thank you to all who came along and we hope you found it informative.

On 3 April the Executive Officer and I went to the CSNSW CPSA Swimming, Sydney Aquatic Centre, where it was so lovely to catch up with parents and carers. We talked to lots of wonderful, dedicated families who had brought their children to swim from all over the state. We understand and appreciate how hard mums and dads and carers work to get children to these events. We handed out free coffees from CCSP to keep them going through the day! See the pics below.

The Chair and I joined the ANZELA Panel on 10 April to give a parents’ perspective about communications with their children’s school at their session about Conflict, Communication and Criticism:  Dealing with difficult behaviour of parents and school visitors.

At our Term 1 meeting with Deputy Premier Prue Car, Minister for Education and Early Learning and her Education Advisor, 11 April, at the Minister’s Office, we discussed the Disability Royal Commission’s Recommendation about phasing out and ending special/segregated education, state funding and locations for new preschools that may impact Catholic school enrolments, and the problems of lack of allied health services for families, especially in rural and regional areas.

We would like to thank all of you who responded to our annual Term 1 parents and carers survey, where we asked you about how you partner with your child’s school, how you support your child’s learning and how we can support you by providing professional learning that will help you in your parenting. The top five subjects were:

The survey closed on 22 March and we were thrilled to receive 350+ responses and we will be taking this data on board to plan our professional learning program for parents. We sent a copy of our 2024 Family Diary as a thank-you gift to the first 100 participants. Thank you again! We were pleased to hear back from the Tupou Family: 

Hi there,

We received our Family Diary 2024 in the mail this week, we absolutely love it! Thank you so much for this beautiful diary! I love everything about it, 'The Word' the facts about saints, teaching families how to pray etc. Will these be on sale for 2025? We are very appreciative of this perfect gift for our family!

Tupou Family

We love giving gifts away and we were pleased to send out 5 sets of adult/child CCSP aprons – as worn by food writer Jane de Graaff and Cath in our Food for Families videos (see later in this edition) – as well as 10 beautiful Jane de Graaff kitchen linen sets that included an apron, tote bag, oven mitt, tea towels and fridge magnet. These were posted out in March to 15 lucky subscribers.

At the end of last year we wrote a letter of thanks to CSNSW and CRMNA on behalf of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families who wanted to express their gratitude for the wonderful experiences their children enjoy at our Catholic schools. Our Aboriginal parent rep from Wollongong Diocese, Cherrylle Nau, spoke proudly about her grandson Kalan’s HSC Aboriginal Studies success story - you can watch Kalan's video below.

As Mother’s Day approaches, I have been reflecting on the role of mothers and the gift of responsibility we have received to nurture, guide, shape and mould our children’s hearts and minds. You can read the article in this edition.

We hope you enjoy this second issue of Parent Talk for 2024. And please, if you have any suggestions or feedback about what you’d like included in these newsletter just let us know.

Thanks and God bless.

Cath

Cath Garrett-Jones
Executive Director, CCSP

The Gift of Mothering

By Cath Garrett-Jones

My beautiful mother, Kathleen, entered eternal life on 5 November 2023. It seems like so much time has passed since then, not the few months it has been.

I think often about Mum. I know she isn’t far away – I often hear her voice when I speak with my children. I remembered an article I wrote and published in the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle magazine Aurora in June 2018. Much of what I wrote is still very relevant; however, my daughters, now in their 20s and 30s, have life paths of their own. My husband and I reflect often about the way we managed different challenges over the years. The approach we had with them turned out to serve us well – but it was challenging. In my heart I felt we were doing what we were meant to do – set loving boundaries to help shape their characters, always with an explanation and loads of conversation.

I have shared an extract from this article in the hope it provides you with some comfort and encouragement as you navigate the parenting path.

I remember seeing a scene in a movie some time ago where one of the characters, a mother, said to a group of teenage girls as she was serving them mocktails, 'I’m a cool mum.' She was telling them the drinks didn’t contain alcohol, but if they wanted to drink, she preferred they did it in the house.

Seriously? I wondered about the parents of this group of girls and what their views on this would be. What did this mother think a 'cool mum' actually was?

It seemed to me this mother wanted to be friends with her daughter and with her daughter’s friends.

My husband and I have three daughters. I don’t need to be their friend – I’m their mother and that trumps being their friend.

We have been gifted the responsibility of nurturing, guiding, shaping and moulding their hearts and minds.

When we bring these children into the world, we all have an idea of the sort of people we hope they become. We want them to be caring, to be compassionate, sensitive to the needs of others, to be persistent, accept disappointment and to understand the value of hard work and the joy it can bring.

It goes without saying that as parents, we also feel a deep yearning to protect our children from some of the challenges life throws at them. We may feel a desire to step in when things are getting a little tough and smooth the path ahead for them.

When our children were very young, my husband worked long hours. I was at home in the evening, having taught through the day, doing the after-school routine, mealtime, bath, homework, reading and bedtime before I settled in to prepare round two dinner for my husband and me. I sat with our children while they ate, talking about the events of the day and guiding them along. Routines were tight, predictable ... and tiring. Setting boundaries and sticking to them means you will undoubtedly come into conflict with your children. It’s hard – really hard sometimes. I know that many of you are doing exactly the same thing. What I did was not unique and I offer my love, praise and support to all of you. Some days are overwhelming and you are 'wonderfolk' – parents and carers doing your best to grow your children. That’s where 'the tribe' can help. Your tribe might be your mother, grandmother, friend, child’s teacher, GP, counsellor ... anyone you trust who provides good and safe advice. If you don’t feel you have a tribe, look at our page of support resources and make contact:

My husband and I look back now as our children have reached adulthood and are making decisions for themselves. We are proud of the young women they have become and the values they live daily. We relish times when we are all at the table together but we grieve the absence of grandparents who helped shape them too.

As I write this, Mother’s Day is approaching. My own mother is the strongest woman I know. Tenderly firm and lovingly fair. Always with the kettle at the ready and a cup of tea poured. She was the leader of my tribe.

To my Mum, thank you. You are eternally missed and lovingly remembered. You passed on to me the gift of mothering. Your grandchildren thank you for it.

I also want to acknowledge our parents and carers and all friends of CCSP who remember their loved ones who have entered eternal life. We pray as a community, with gratitude and thanks for their presence in our life and the gifts they shared with love.

May you all experience the joy of our Father who loves us tenderly and unconditionally.

Our Catholic Faith: A Handbook for Parents and Families of Students in NSW/ACT Catholic Schools

We are giving away 100 copies of CCSP's brand new 'Our Catholic Faith' guide for parents and carers! 

Why this handbook? We wanted to provide parents and carers with an introductory guide to the Catholic faith to try to answer some of the questions people might have. As a parent or carer of a student at a Catholic school, you will hear your child talk about things like ‘Pancake Tuesday’ and ‘the Sign of the Cross’ and ‘Mass’ and ‘Lent’ and ‘Advent’, and you may be invited to attend liturgies such as Mass and other events at the school. If you’re not Catholic or you’re Catholic but don’t really know much about it, you may be nervous about attending events at the school. But all parents and families are always welcome and are encouraged to enjoy belonging to their school’s faith community!

Catholic schools recognise and support parents in their primary role as educators of their children particularly with regards to the religious development and pastoral care of their children.

This handbook includes a foreword by His Grace, Archbishop Anthony Fisher, to whom we express our sincere gratitude, and contains easy-to-read information about:

• Catholicism and Catholic Schools: What Catholics Believe, What Catholics Do, Faith Formation in Schools for Students and Families
• Liturgy including the Mass: Entering and Leaving the Church, The Word of God: The Holy Bible, What Happens at Mass, Who’s Who at Mass, The Key Moments of Mass, The Seven Sacraments of the Church
• The Catholic Calendar: Liturgical Seasons, Timeline of Key Dates for 2024, Lent, Easter, Advent, Christmas
• Praying and Prayers: Prayers Said at Mass, Traditional Prayers, Prayers for Meetings, Prayers for Families to Say at Home, Aboriginal Prayers
• Catholic A–Z: A quick and easy reference to lots of Catholic words and phrases

We know you'll love having this informative guide on hand. Just click the link below to enter your name, postal address and a contact number and we'll send the first 100 entries a copy of this beautiful handbook when they're printed.

NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into the Equality Legislation Amendment (LGBTIQA+) Bill 2023

On Wednesday morning, 1 May, Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP appeared before a NSW Parliamentary inquiry considering the Equality Legislation Amendment (LGBTIQA+) Bill 2023.

Following is an extract from his newsletter, with a call to action, that was published on Friday 3 May.

An interesting morning in parliament

Unfortunately, the Equality Legislation Amendment (LGBTIQA+) Bill 2023 carries with it a troubling anti-religious undercurrent, because it seeks to remove the few existing protections for religious institutions contained within our laws. It would also allow prostitutes to solicit for customers outside churches and schools, and give people the ability to change their sex on their birth certificate simply by filling out a form. Not only does this place 'women only' spaces at risk, it has a significant impact on religious communities that still say biological sex is important for schooling, for marriage and ordination.

It also places vulnerable groups at risk, particularly in its push for commercial surrogacy and the ability for children to undergo life-altering medical treatments without parental consent.

As I began to share our concerns with the parliamentary committee, I was interrupted by some people who were sitting quietly until I began speaking, and then began a profanity-laden tirade, seemingly objecting to my appearance before the committee.

The pair were escorted out and I was able to complete my opening statement, a copy of which you can read below. It is sad, but unfortunately not surprising, that there is a growing number within our community who do not think people of faith should be able to express our faith in public.

In another recent example, the Australian Bureau of Statistics is planning to change the religion question in the 2026 Census, making it more difficult to answer. Instead of the current system, which asks, 'What is the person's religion?' and provides a list of options from which to select, the ABS proposes asking, 'Does the person have a religion?' and requires the respondent to either tick 'no' or write in their answer.

While it seems like a small change, it creates a bias for a choice of 'no religion,' removes consistency of responses and makes it harder for recently arrived migrants to understand. 

The end result will be a reduction in the number of people who provide their religious affiliation.

Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB, President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, has written eloquently about the risks of this change and I commend his comments, published yesterday in The Australian, to your attention. 

The protection of our religious freedoms into the future will depend on us being counted accurately now.

It is important you contact your federal MP and ask them to make sure we are counted fairly. You can find their details here.

While it seems that the challenges facing the space of religion in the public square are never-ending, please know that your Bishops are doing our best to represent you before our decision-makers.

Please pray for us and for the upholding of religious freedom in this great country. Know of my prayers for you as well.

You can read Archbishop Fisher’s Opening Statement here: Opening statement by Most Rev. Anthony Fisher OP to the Committee on Community Services re the Equality Legislation Amendment (LGBTIQA+) Bill - Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney (sydneycatholic.org)

The committee report will be delivered Monday 3 June 2024.

If you would like to receive Archbishop Anthony's Newsletter please click the link below.

Food for Families: Delicious Discount Dinners

Watch our videos with easy and tasty recipes and top tips for busy families from food writer and TV cooking presenter Jane de Graaff

The Council of Catholic Schools Parents NSW/ACT’s Executive Director, Cath Garrett-Jones, got together with food writer and TV presenter Jane de Graaff to make some great shopping and cooking videos for parents and families that are loaded with tips on making fun, family-friendly meals on a budget.

Go to the link below to watch the videos and download the recipes and top tips sheets!

SMASHED DUMPLINGS

Dumpling ingredients

• 500 grams mince (from sausages if that’s what you have)
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced
• 1 packet of wonton/gyoza/dumpling wrappers
• ½ cup of coriander, removed from stalks
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon ginger paste
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

To serve (optional)

• sesame seeds, to garnish
• chilli sauce and soy sauce
• crushed peanuts
• cooked rice

Method

1. Reserve a handful each of the finely chopped coriander and spring onions for garnish. Mix all the rest of the dumpling ingredients – except the wonton wrappers – together and knead it with your hands to really combine.
2. Place a wonton wrapper in the palm of your hand and smear 1 tablespoon of filling over one side of it. Repeat with all the wrappers until all filling is used.
3. Heat some oil in a large, flat, non-stick frying pan or hot plate. Place the dumpling meat side down onto the hot surface and cook until the meat is browned. Flip and cook the dumpling wrapper side. Add a tiny splash of water to the hot pan if you like at this stage – it will steam the wrappers a little and it will boil off. Remove the dumplings from the pan and repeat with the rest of the dumplings until all are cooked.
4. Serve with bowls of rice so that when people dress the dumplings with the garnishes and sauce and fold them in half like mini tacos, any extra bits will fall onto the rice to season it. Dress with reserved herbs and serving items.

2023 Roger O'Sullivan Awards: St Mary's Star of the Sea, Milton: Our Kitchen Garden

Third Place: St Mary’s Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School, Milton, Diocese of Wollongong

Our Kitchen Garden

In this edition we feature the third placegetters in our Roger O'Sullivan Awards, which celebrate school and family partnerships in communities.

The ‘Our Kitchen Garden’ Project at St Mary's Star of the Sea, Milton, is a school community initiative that allows parents, staff, students and the local Indigenous community to walk and learn together. The garden was initially a way of reconnecting and regenerating the community after the ravages of the Black Summer Bushfires.

Thanks to the unwavering dedication of the parents as collaborative partners, the project is a shared vision to create an environment where students learn lifelong skills including planting and harvesting food, sustainable practices, and the value of cooking homegrown food. Local Indigenous elders have helped to develop an understanding of the importance of respecting native plants and sustainable practices.

The project operates by integrating gardening and cooking experiences into the school curriculum, allowing students to learn about nutrition, gardening, and culinary skills in a practical and hands-on manner, with a particular interest in using local native culinary plants which have been used by the local indigenous community for thousands of years. Parents play a pivotal role by volunteering their time, expertise, and resources to support and enrich these experiences for the students.

Congratulations to the whole community. The award money will be spent on the garden, including installing an automatic watering system, equipment and supplies, gardening workshops for parent volunteers and an open day for the community.

Our Kitchen Garden

Register Now for the Term 2 eSafety Commission Cybersafety Webinar

Our next free webinar about cybersafety for parents and carers is the first of our 'lunch and learn' sessions. Sit down with a sandwich with us at 12.30pm  on Thursday 23 May for half an hour to find out about 'Wellbeing and digital technologies'. This event is most suitable for parents and carers of secondary students.

Looking After Children Online

What to Do If You See Distressing Content Online

Online spaces should be safe for everyone, but you may sometimes come across content that is distressing – especially if it shows extreme violence or acts of terrorism. 

eSafety has a fact sheet you can download that tells you how to report inappropriate or harmful content. Download the information below: 

Roblox Warning

In an article published in the Sydney Morning Herald at the end of last year ('Roblox used by extremists to recruit children, police warn, 3 December 2023, SMH), the Australian Federal Police issued a warning about Roblox, a virtual universe gaming platform where users can program games for others to play. Extremists are recruiting children as young as 12 on popular chat and online forums, with a rising number of children being investigated for radicalised ideologies. For example, recently, users hosted virtual pro-Palestine and pro-Israel gatherins and rallies, with players attacking others with opposing views.  You can read more about Roblox here:

New Resources from Our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Committee

Our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Committee has recently published some revised and new resources for families and schools that are available to download from the CCSP website:

This 8-page brochure is for parents and families who may be thinking about choosing a Catholic school for their children.

This brochure talks about the importance of attendance and good routines to help kids get to school on time all the time and has some great 'getting kids to school' tips for parents and carers.

A great 1-page poster that students can use to write their exams, assignments and study periods on.

Deadly Science

Providing science, technology, engineering and maths resources to Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander learners in Australia

The deadly team at Deadly Science are doing great work taking science to students in regional and remote areas. 

Deadly Science works with schools to run sessions, publishes books on STEM, and provides resources and equipment to schools as well as lesson plans and projects.  For example, Corey Tutt OAM, founder of Deadly Science, and his crew raised funds for 100 Microscopy Kits to be sent out to Indigenous learner classrooms across Australia!

If you have a budding scientist in the family, ask your school about partnering with Deadly Science by booking a Deadly Learners session.  Find out more on the website:

Around the Dioceses

Archdiocese of Canberra-Goulburn

Merici College, ACT, was proud to host two family engagement events in Term 1. 

The Merici College Community Welcome BBQ brought together new and returning families to the school to ease the transition for new students and families and foster connections with college staff and fellow community members.

The International Women’s Day Soiree 2024 theme was 'Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress', aimed at tackling economic disempowerment. Parents and friends and members of the wider community supported this special celebration. The college was honoured to welcome Heidi Yates as guest speaker. Heidi, a Merici parent and member of the Merici College Community Council, is a dedicated human rights lawyer and activist whose efforts have positively impacted the lives of vulnerable individuals in the local community. Thank you to all those who attended.

Diocese of Lismore

50 days of Kinder Celebration at St Francis Xavier, Woolgoolga

The Kinder students and their families enjoyed a wide variety of 50-themed writing and counting activities. By far the highlight was purchasing 50 cents worth of mixed lollies! It was a wonderful time, not only to commemorate all the growth and learning of Term 1 but also to foster connections among our Kinder families, highlighting the importance of collaboration between home and school.

Diocese of Bathurst

Easter Art Award 2024

On Tuesday 9 April, Bathurst Diocese held their annual Holy Week and Easter Art Storytelling Award Ceremony and Art Exhibition. The morning commenced with a liturgy led by Bishop Michael McKenna and student representatives. Students from Years 9 and 10 from seven schools across the diocese presented artworks for consideration by the judges. The student artworks highlighted a broad range of artistic interests and a varied connection to Scripture. 

The quality of artwork was strong across all entrants. Congratulations to those who were awarded prizes. Following are the first place winning artworks for Years 9 and 10.

Sydney Catholic Schools

Lent and Holy Week in Sydney Catholic Schools

During Lent Family Educators from Sydney Catholic Schools organised various activities to connect students and their families to the season of Lent and the most sacred week of the Catholic calendar, Holy Week. Some initiatives included Parent Lenten prayer groups, personal Lenten calendars, and Stations of the Cross pilgrimages attended by hundreds of parents.

Several Family Educators hosted comedian and author Anthony Salame at their schools for a book reading for students and parents of his work The Messiah’s Donkey. It tells the story of Holy Week from the point of view of Zeke, a humble donkey down on his luck who is chosen to carry Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.

The story was also told after Sunday Mass at St Jerome’s, Punchbowl where 150 children and their parents gathered for a book reading at the parish hall. At St Michael's Daceyville, over 100 parents and staff were delighted by the first-ever live rendition of Anthony's book performed by students.  The entire school at various points participated in the performance making this a very moving and memorable Holy Week for Anthony Salame, students, staff, and parents.

The Effects on Mental Health of a Phone-Based Childhood

The Anxious Generation: How the great rewiring of childhood is causing an epidemic of mental illness

By Jonathan Haidt

The author of this book, Jonathan Haidt, is a New York University professor of ethical leadership who researches social psychology and morality. Parents and carers, especially those struggling with managing their children's addiction to their phones, may like to read his latest book, The Anxious Generation, which is an investigation into the collapse of youth mental health and a plan for a healthier, freer childhood.

Have smartphones caused the tsunami of anxiety and depression in gen Z around the world, by granting them 'continuous access to social media, online video games, and other internet-based activities'? 

'Parents are fed up with what childhood has become. Many are tired of having daily arguments about technologies that were designed to grab hold of their children’s attention and not let go. But the phone-based childhood is not inevitable.'

In this  book, Haidt explores the digital destruction of childhood around the world - the move from a play-based childhood to a phone-based childhood - then offers suggestions for how parents and schools can implement smartphone rules and give kids their childhood back.

Available from all good book stores and online.

Mindful Parenting Booklet

A Bringing Up Great Kids Resource

Parents and carers will love this booklet, which is filled with ideas and strategies to support you to be mindful and reflective in your parenting. Hopefully, it offers you some ways to understand how you are parenting in the middle of all these demands.

Published by the Australian Childhood Foundation. 

Download the PDF: 

Catholic Schools Information 2024

Catholic Schools Week

Find out what's happening at schools near you during Catholic Schools Week this year. Download this handy booklet published by The Catholic Weekly. 

Catholic Schools Guide

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