Parent Talk 2024 Issue 3

Welcome to Parent Talk

Dear Parents and Carers

I hope everyone is keeping well and warm in Term 3. It’s certainly been a challenging time for many families with flu and Covid and all the usual colds and coughs doing the rounds. Term 3 can be a busy one and can be a difficult time for teachers and parents to keep students engaged and get through the necessary work. Secondary schools are especially busy, with Year 10 students choosing subjects and Trial Examinations for Years 12s. In this article, you’ll find some helpful information for you and your HSC student with tips, strategies and sound advice on looking after physical and mental health as students approach the exams. 

At CCSP we had a busy time in Term 2 and these first few weeks of Term 3 as we went about advocating for and supporting our Catholic school families. Here are just a few of the ways we have been working to ensure our Catholic school parents and carers have a voice in the education landscape.

In Term 2, Executive Officer Jenny Scepanovic and I met with members of the Isolated Children’s Parents Association when they visited Sydney on 7 May. We discussed issues that are relevant to all our rural and remote students and ways we can join forces to advocate on families’ behalf.

One of our goals this year is to focus on Reconciliation and cultural awareness for all our Council members. To this end, we met with Sharon Cooke, CSNSW Aboriginal Education Manager, on 9 May, to discuss our Reconciliation Action Plan and decide on training for our Council members.

On 13 May, I attended a CSNSW event presenting Tom Bennett on ‘Reclaiming our classrooms from disruption’. Tom spoke about how a disruptive classroom means less learning for students and a more challenging workplace for teachers. Raising educational outcomes and ensuring all children have an equal shot at school starts with well-run and orderly classes. He talked about how teachers can better run the room in Australian schools and how can parents help promote positive behaviours of their children.

Our Term Roundtable Discussion with CSNSW also occurred on 13 May, and other meetings and events I attended with CSNSW included Catholic Secondary Schools Reference Group Meeting #2 on 16 May, CSNSW Sport Reference Group on 21 June, CSNSW Connected Catholic Communities workshop on 26 June, and the CSNSW Law Symposium on 15 July.

On 18 May we published a new booklet called Our Catholic Faith: A Handbook for Parents and Families of Students in NSW/ACT Catholic Schools. It has been very well received and we’ve had many requests for copies from schools. You can download a copy from our website - https://www.ccsp.catholic.edu.au/our-catholic-faith-handbook - and contact us on office@ccsp.catholic.edu.au if you would like to find out about printing hard copies.

CCSP Chair Anne Fehon attended the Brother John Taylor Memorial Prize Ceremony at NSW Parliament House on 23 May on behalf of CCSP. This prize is presented each year to a student or students who have overcome significant hardship to achieve academic excellence in their HSC. 

Our Term 2 eSafety Commissioner free webinar was our first ‘lunch and learn’ event, on 23 May, and was on ‘Wellbeing and digital technologies’. Thank you to all who attended and we hope you found this information session useful.

On a national level, I am part of Catholic School Parents Australia’s Political Action Working Party, and attended the second meeting on 27 May. This group includes members from all states and is working to prepare for the next election to ensure Catholic school parent voices are heard.

On 31 May, CCSP was pleased to host the inaugural Executive Officers Meeting at CSNSW’s MacKillop Boardroom. The CCSP EOs from all dioceses who work in family engagement met to discuss their roles, their diocese’s parent group model, and common goals.

On Wednesday 5 June 2024 CCSP headed out to Horsley Park for the NSWCCC & NSWCPS Cross Country 2024 at Sydney International Equestrian Centre. We warmed up our parents and carers with free coffees! We know how hard parents and carers work to get kids to these events and we salute you! 

On 12 June, I had the pleasure of attending a Parent Engagement Group meeting at Catherine McAuley Catholic College, Medowie, with family engagement officer Steve Batchelor from Diocese of Parramatta. We are very grateful to Principal Scott Donohoe for his hospitality. 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.

Our Term 2 meetings were held online on 13 and 14 June.  As well as our usual general business, we enjoyed updates from two of our diocesan directors, Paula Leadbitter from Wilcannia-Forbes and Danny Casey from Catholic Schools Broken Bay, on how their dioceses are strengthening partnerships with families, communities and stakeholders to achieve strategic goals. We thank them most sincerely for their time and commitment to engaging with families.

Executive Officer Jenny Scepanovic and I met with Chris Owen from Catholic Employee Relations to review our updated policy suite on 19 June, as we are working to ensure our governance and policies are up to date. We hope to have the new policy and induction manual for Councillors ready to sign off on at our Term 4 meeting. 

Jenny Scepanovic attended the CSNSW Early Learning Symposium on 20 June on behalf of CCSP, which was a day of of interesting, intelligent and inspiring speakers including Danielle Cronin, Deputy CEO of CSNSW, Justin Coulson, psychologist and parenting expert from Happy Families, Professor Sharon Goldfeld, Director of the Centre for Community Child Health at the Royal Children's, and Dr Jackie Amos from Centacare. 

We met with Edward Rice Education Australia Principals at an early meeting at Waverley College on 25 June to tell them about CCSP and the work we do for our families, and also listen to their concerns and issues.

On 2 July CCSP attended a stakeholder meeting with the CEO of NESA to discuss issues relevant to parents and carers of students in Catholic schools from access to resources to teacher training and the support we can offer.

It was a privilege to attend the CSNSW Retreat at Mary McKillop Place, where I joined with diocesan directors and bishops on 8 and 9 July. During this retreat, we focused on the CSNSW Five Year Review and the key elements of Catholic education.

As part of my work advocating for our Catholic families, I met with Hon. Kate Washington MP, my local Member and Minister for Families and Communities, and for Disability Inclusion, on 12 July to discuss the Equality bill, costs incurred by Catholic dioceses when they build or renovate new schools, and the NSW Braille and Large Print library. Regarding the latter, students enrolled in Catholic schools are unable to access the Braille and Large Print Library resources apart from existing electronic files. This then requires additional expense and resource duplication to have the books printed. We have met with the Minister for Education and Early Learning, the Hon. Prue Car MP, as well as the Minister for Disability Inclusion, the Hon. Kate Washington MP, on behalf of families who have a child with vision impairment in Catholic schools to allow access to these resources. We will keep you posted.

In Term 3, Chair Anne Fehon and Executive Officer Jenny Scepanovic were delighted to attend ICPA’s annual conference and dinner on 24 and 25 July. The ‘sequins and sparkles’ themed dinner was well attended and they listened to very enjoyable speakers including Hon. Prue Car, MP, Deputy Premier, and Isaac from St Ignatius, Riverview, who spoke about life at boarding school and opportunities and challenges for students from rural and remote areas.

As part of my ongoing professional learning around family engagement, I was accepted into and attended Harvard University in Boston for a course from 22–25 July called Family Engagement in Education: Creating Effective Home and School Partnerships.

I am grateful to CCSP who paid the course cost, as well as Dr Anne Ryan and Danielle Cronin Dep. CEO CSNSW, who attended also to make up our team of three.

The course required us to develop an Opportunity Plan for our setting with the purpose of exploring strategies and mechanisms to enhance and strengthen our work in engaging families. Ongoing work is required now we have returned to finalise and embed this plan.

On 26 July, we met with Eileen McLaughlin, Superintendent of Catholic Schools, Archdiocese of Boston; Dr Melodie Wyttenbach, Executive Director of the Roche Center for Catholic Education and faculty member for the Lynch School of Education and Human Development at Boston College; as well as Mary E. Walsh, Executive Director of the Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College. Each of these meetings was a great opportunity to learn about the wonderful work being done to advance family engagement as well as provide us with 'food for thought' and inspiration in our context.

On 1 August I met with Archbishop Fisher to talk about the work of the CCSP and the importance of parental engagement in education. And on 2 August I met with the folk from Beyond to find out what this careers platform can offer students and parents.

Phew!

Looking ahead, our Term 3 Combined Meeting will be held in the Catholic Education Offices of Canberra-Goulburn this year on 29 and 30 August, and we look forward to gathering together members of the Council and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Committee for Mass, meetings and dinner, and identifying ways we can support families around issues that are affecting our schools and families.

The Chair and I met with Prue Car on 7 August this term to discuss issues affecting our parents and carers, and are hoping to schedule time to catch up with Minister Jason Clare this semester also, ensuring that we keep our politicians up to date with what our Catholic school parents are experiencing.

We are also looking forward to catching up with Taliese Pickavance, who is our 2024 Teacher Education Scholarship recipient, on 15 August. CCSP has provided a scholarship to a pre-service teacher at Australian Catholic University (ACU). The scholarship acts as an incentive to further their understanding and subsequent application of parent engagement in their teaching role. More to come about Taliese in our next edition.

We have some excellent professional learning opportunities and fun family events coming up that we hope you’ll join us for. Find out more and how to register for these free online events in the articles below.

• 20 August: eSafety Commissioner free cybersafety webinar ‘Consent and online boundaries: how to support your primary-aged child’
• 4 September: Indigenous Literacy Day free online literacy event for families Anita Heiss Reads Bidhi Galing (Big Rain)
• 11 September: Breaking Point free webinar, with Dr Justin Coulson

We are excited to announce that the 2024 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 in the article in this edition of Parent Talk or 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.

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

Catherine Garrett-Jones
Executive Director CCSP

Anita Heiss Reads Bidhi Galing: Brought to you by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Committee

Register now to attend this free event online and receive your copy of Bidhi Galing!

Don’t miss this special online reading event to support your child’s literacy skills!

Wednesday 4 September

7pm – 7.30pm

CCSP’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Committee are excited to invite all families who have children enrolled in Catholic schools across NSW and the ACT to join us online with best-selling author Anita Heiss, who will read her book Bidhi Galing (Big Rain).

We have a limited number of copies of the book to post out to people who register early! Get in quick for your copy of Bidhi Galing so you can read along with Anita on the night!

Click the link we'll send you the day before, and sit down with the family, ready to listen to Anita read her book! Primary school students aged 7–12 will love Bidhi Galing, which tells the story of the Great Flood of Gundagai in 1852 and the Wiradyuri heroes Yarri and Jacky Jacky who paddled bark canoes through raging floodwaters, risking their lives to save countless others.

Anita Heiss is a proud member of the Wiradjuri nation of central New South Wales, but was born in Gadigal country and has spent much of her life on Dharawal land near La Perouse. She is one of Australia’s most prolific and well-known authors publishing across genres including non-fiction, historical fiction, commercial fiction, and children’s novels.

Download the flyer here to share with your school communities: 

Roger O'Sullivan Award 2024: For Family, School and Community Partnerships for Learning

Apply for the Council of Catholic School Parents NSW/ACT 2024 Roger O’Sullivan Award for the opportunity to receive a $5000 grant for your school!

• Has your school community implemented an initiative that focuses on family, school and community collaboration?
• Does your initiative focus on faith formation, the school curriculum, student wellbeing, or any combination of the three?
• Has your initiative made a real difference for the students, staff and families in your community?

The Roger O’Sullivan Award is an annual grant offered to a NSW/ACT Catholic school that can show exemplary practice in family, school and community partnerships.

Apply now and tell us about how your school has bridged the gap between home and school, and enhanced student outcomes in faith development, learning and wellbeing of students.

Your school could be awarded first place and receive $5000 to continue your partnership-focused initiative!

How to Apply

1. Go to the CCSP website to download the 2024 ROS Award Submission Form.
2. Complete the Submission Form by responding to six criteria about your school’s initiative.
3. Complete the online web form and declarations and upload your Submission Form and supporting files.

Applications close at 5pm on Monday 14 October 2024

2023 Annual Report Published

We are pleased to advise that our 2023 Annual Report has now been published and is available to view or download on our website. 

Thank you to all our parent reps and executive officers who contributed to this publication and our dioceses for the wonderful photos of families and students.

2025 CCSP Conference: Give Us Your Thoughts

Next year is a big one for CCSP - it's our 30-year anniversary plus the 20th anniversary of the first meeting of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Committee! We will be holding a weekend conference to celebrate, and we wanted to find out from you, our parents and carers, what format you would prefer - a one-day conference on the Saturday or the Sunday with a mass and dinner the night before, or a two-day conference over Saturday and Sunday. The conference will be held in Sydney, but will be a low-cost event for parents and carers to attend as we understand that you will need to take time out from your families, travel and perhaps organise accommodation. Complete the form to let us know your thoughts. Thank you!

A Message from Dallas McInerney, CEO of Catholic Schools NSW

Catholic education has served the people of NSW for over 200 years, providing generations with spiritual, moral, and intellectual formation. As our funding report released early this year demonstrates, we deliver a significant financial benefit to society, saving taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars each year in NSW alone.

Despite this, our sector continues to face challenges, be it religious freedom, government funding, or general misunderstandings about the role and importance of Catholic Education.

Please see below a short video from CSNSW to engage our stakeholders.

Dallas McInerney

Our Quest for Hope Booklet: Families, Schools and Faith

The National Catholic Education Commission invites all Catholic school communities to reflect on and share this document as a resource for evaluating current practice.

The document may also assist Catholic school communities to bring renewed vitality to our commitment to supporting families to nurture the precious gift of faith in a world yearning for the hope that Jesus can bring.

Read the paper here https://bit.ly/3RDJqqf

The paper focuses on enhancing the partnership between schools and families, as together with the parish they support children and young people in exploring their faith. It is a resource for the evaluation of current practice and the discovery of imaginative responses and new opportunities for school communities.

New NSW Curriculum K-12

The new PDHPE 7–10 Syllabus has been released.

Schools can plan and prepare to teach the new syllabus from 2024. The new syllabus will be implemented in NSW schools in 2027.

Download the fact sheet: https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:AP:6e769913-77c5-4156-ad74-3ba244056ef4

The syllabus is available on the NSW Curriculum.

Key features

• The NSW Government is continuing its delivery of an evidence-based world class curriculum with a new PDHPE syllabus for Years 7 to 10.
• Content is clearer and has been streamlined, allowing teachers to focus on essential learning.
• Strengthened age-appropriate consent and respectful relationships content will empower students to keep themselves safe.
• Greater focus on student safety in online and offline environments will help students develop the social and emotional skills that support their wellbeing.
• The syllabus will be available on the NSW Curriculum, allowing parents and carers to easily access content and  a parent guide so they can support their child’s learning.
• Life Skills outcomes and content (7–10) provide access for students with intellectual disability.

More resources will be made available over time including an online, accredited professional development on NESA’s online learning hub.

HSC Study Guide and Exam Timetable

The HSC Study Guide is out now with all the essential information and resources students need to confidently tackle their final exams!

This year’s guide is packed with advice from expert teachers who have marked the HSC, tips from past students, and helpful suggestions for setting up a great study routine. There’s also advice from the experts at ReachOut on how students and their families can look after their wellbeing in the lead-up to exams.

Find out more here: https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/hsc-study-guide-2024-20240709-p5js85.html

The NSW Education Standards Authority announced in May that students can access their personalised 2024 HSC exam timetable via Students Online (https://studentsonline.nesa.nsw.edu.au/), and schools can access their cohort timetables at Schools Online. 

HSC written exams will start on Tuesday 15 October, with English paper 1 and finish with Geography on Friday 8 November
2024. Languages and practical exam timetables are already available.

You can download a copy of the complete 2024 HSC exam timetable here:

Staying Safe Online: Stop It At The Start Tool

New website sheds light on harmful online voices

Parents can now get an insight into the misogynistic content flooding their teenagers’ social media feeds under the latest push to tackle gender-based violence.

The Albanese Government has launched a new tool that exposes adults to the harmful online voices polluting the minds of young boys.

The ‘Algorithm of Disrespect’ website simulates the average young Australian’s social media feed, giving parents and carers an insight into the misogynistic content and language that is served up daily.

Parents will also be able to access guides to help them discuss the content with their children.

The tool is part of the next phase of ‘Stop it at the Start’, a long-running campaign that aims to educate adults to help stamp out the attitudes that lead to male violence.

The Algorithm of DisrespectTM is an educational tool simulating the average young person's online experience, following the journey of a boy named James. It is designed to reveal and educate adults on the new, hidden forms of disrespect. Everything you’ll see is based on the type of content being served to young people on a daily basis, and has been recreated using actors. 

Be warned: The simulations contains references to oppressive views, hateful language, sexism, misogyny, coercive control and abuse, which some may find distressing. It represents the online disrespect and violence-supportive attitudes that young people are currently being served. 

Go to the website: https://www.respect.gov.au/algorithm-disrespect-text-version

Around the Dioceses

Diocese of Wilcannia-Forbes

Catholic Schools Week in May was a wonderful celebration of the incredible schools across Wilcannia-Forbes Diocese! One family united in a shared mission.

Open classrooms play an important part in family engagement opportunities in Wilcannia-Forbes. Families enjoyed seeing the learning and engaging with their child’s teachers and school community during Catholic Schools Week at St Mary’s Parish School, Warren; St Laurence’s, Forbes; and St Joseph’s Parish School, Peak Hill.

Archdiocese of Canberra-Goulburn

Canberra-Goulburn were pleased in Term 2 to have successfully transitioned all 56 schools to the new parent body model and are proud to say that all now have a new School Community Council Executive. This was after a long review and consultation process and was rolled out as a collaboration between Governance and Family Engagement.

Diocese of Lismore

On 27 May, Mt St Patrick's Primary School hosted Angela Lockwood, who presented 'Parenting in the Age of Distraction'. Parents gathered at school at 6pm for light refreshments followed by Angela’s workshop. Angela is an enthusiastic and engaging speaker who spoke about:

• Technology and its impact on childhood development
• Cultivating focus in kids.
• Nurturing healthy habits.
• Parental distraction and behaviour modelling.
• Practical parenting strategies to raise resilient, confident and connected kids.

This was a practical and engaging workshop designed specifically for parents of school-aged children, providing a supportive space for parents to gain insights, share experiences, and develop a personalised toolkit for raising resilient, focused, and emotionally connected children in today's digital and distracting age.

Archdiocese of Sydney

Sydney Catholic Schools hosted a range of family-oriented events in Term 2 including:

• Jason Evert ‘Parenting for Love’ event Canterbury Leagues Club 20th May 2024,  600 people in attendance.
• ‘Way of the Cross’ walks during Lent. Aerotropolis, Southwest, Sutherland Shire and Horsley Networks of Family Educators (FE), average 200 people in attendance.
• ‘Paint & Sip’ Mother’s Nights. Ashfield-Sydney Olympic Park, Botany-Randwick FE Networks, 150 in attendance.
• Parent Weekend Retreat at Mittagong, Ryde FE Network, 40 parents.
• ‘Let’s Talk Motherhood’ St Jerome’s Punchbowl, 100 people in attendance.

New Resources from CSPA for Schools

Catholic School Parents Australia (CSPA) recently announced that a new suite of resources is now available on the Gearing Up for Parent Engagement website. Australian Government funding assisted a dedicated CSPA project team to develop six Video-Workshops and Facilitator Guides - three for primary and three for secondary schools.

Hear useful and at times challenging comment from such specialists as Andrew Fuller, Prof John Hattie, Prof Donna Cross & Dr John Edwards - as well as other valuable research findings from around the world. A local facilitator is instructed via the guides on how to lead principals, school staff and families through a series of video-workshops to explore many aspects of engaging families in learning and wellbeing. You are encouraged to use the many practical ideas on the website to develop a better understanding of how to grow the partnership between home and school to benefit all within the school community. A major focus of these new resources is to build capacity in both families and school staff to work in partnership. This website invites you to access the information on-line or you might wish to download each of the resources. These new family engagement resources can be found at: https://cspa.schoolzineplus.com/parent-engagement-workshops

Parenting for Character by Dr Andrew Mullins

Equipping Your Child for Life

In this book, author, educator and international speaker Dr Andrew Mullins says:

Character equals good habits. If you are systematic and persevering in sculpting good habits of thinking and acting in your child, you will have a happy child and a happy adult. You must carve these habits from the living rock of a deep and loving respect for others. With such habits your child will thrive in adult life. Parenting is less about looking after the
now, and more about preparing children to take control of their own future lives and to connect with others in lifelong relationships.

Parents and carers  will love this guide to bringing up resilient children who have integrity and a strong moral compass. The book is in four parts:

• Part 1: Parenting foundations
• Part 2: Good habits – the building blocks of character
• Part 3: Forging good habits
• Part 4: Raising teenagers with strength of character

It offers sound advice on teaching right from wrong, leading by example, role modelling good habits, nurturing spirituality, ensuring quality family time, and having a united parent front. Available from parousiamedia.com.

Dr Andy Mullins was Headmaster of Redfield and Wollemi Colleges in Sydney.  In his position as headmaster of Redfield College, Sydney, he developed a strong policy of involving parents in the process of reflecting desirable values to young people. He is the author of Parenting for Character (2nd Ed, Parousia 2020) and Parenting for Faith (Scepter, 2022), and is now the director of Drummond Study Centre in Melbourne.

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!

In this edition's video, Jane and Cath talk up meat-free meals! 

Meat-free meals aren’t ‘just for vegetarians’ – they’re a great way to balance health, flavour and budget, and knowing how to cook using pantry staples is great for when you can’t get to the shops. Plant and vegetable-based meals are good for you, plus they’re a lot cheaper to prepare than meat-heavy meals! Sometimes all it takes is a little inspiration to really get the most out of your meat-free meals. Jane and Cath cook up a delicious meat-free meal of Sticky Tofu Bites that will change how you feel about tofu!

STICKY TOFU BITES

Ingredients

• 1 x block firm tofu, pressed dry with paper towel
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• ¼ cup rice bran oil, to fry

Sauce

• ¼ cup light soy sauce
• 2 teaspoon sugar or honey
• 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• diced chilli and spring onion to garnish
• sesame seeds, to garnish

Method:

1. Mix sauce ingredients and set aside.
2. Drain and dry your tofu and break it into rough-edged bite-sized pieces.
3. Mix cornflour and white pepper in a flat bowl and then roll pieces of the tofu in it to cover. Shake off excess.
4. Heat rice bran oil in a large, flat frying pan and fry tofu pieces until crispy and browned.
5. Add sauce into the pan and reduce the heat. It will sizzle and start to thicken quickly, so toss the tofu to coat it.
6. Serve tofu sprinkled with chilli, spring onion and sesame seeds, with a side of rice or steamed greens.

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