Dear Parents & Carers 

Over the years I have often written about the various roles parents undertake to prepare their children for the vigours of secondary school life and beyond. One of the roles is that we need to increasingly make ourselves become a little less redundant each year, because believe me one of the rewards of perseverance, consistent & fair consequences, wisely choosing when and where to intervene, especially in the teenage years, is…they leave. This may sound a little harsh but it’s not like you want them to leave (well …there are moments!) but the satisfaction gained from witnessing in a very short period of time a person who relied upon their parents for every single thing from basic survival needs to formal attire, evolve into a confident, independent and happy young adult, is certainly worth the effort and the odd heart wrenching decision. 

Now that we have reached the halfway mark of the term, it is common to see kids start to fade a little. Homework seems to go on forever, school projects suddenly become the spark of family disputes, friendships at school may be tested and feelings may take a few hits from comments that at the beginning of the term were easily dismissed or ignored, but now with tolerance levels getting low, kids tend to take things a little more personally. This is a time too when parents and teachers need to heighten those tolerance levels in order to maintain peace and harmony. 

One of the difficulties faced by young children, is the ability to know the difference between telling tales and reporting incidents which teachers need to know about. Generally, kids in Prep to Year 2 will tell you everything. However, depending on the maturity level of students as they get older, they begin to understand the difference. For some kids, peer influence is a major contributor in regard to their willingness to “dob” on their mates or not. Consequently, while kids are trying to work all this out, there will be times when reportable incidents go “un-reported”. A good rule of thumb to use is that if you feel physically or emotionally hurt by actions or words of others then it is a reportable incident. Alternatively, if you were able to handle it at the time with learnt protective behaviour strategies then involving others may only lead to escalating or fanning the flames of the issue.  

It is important to acknowledge children’s feelings but as adults we need to be aware of not becoming too involved in an issue that should belong to them.  The key is to place things in context. Is it an overreaction of something minor due to tiredness, stress etc.? Is it attention seeking behaviour or is it a real concern? Definitely not an easy task for parents to do but assisting kids to resolve their own disputes is a wonderful life lesson and a stressbuster for parents. This is a BIG FAMILY strategy. If you had more than 4 kids, you would be too busy to respond to children’s tales of the less than serious variety. Here are some responses to try when a child comes to you with a tale or story about the dastardly, terrible things that may have occurred at school or between siblings: 

The Disaster Scale: 

“Where does this fit on the disaster scale from 1 to 10?”  

Kids can easily blow issues out of proportion so that a child taking a siblings’ sock is suddenly two rungs above a violent hurricane and losing socks is suddenly the worst thing that can happen. The Disaster Scale helps kids gain a little perspective.   

Invite them to solve the issue themselves:

“Can you handle this yourself? Is this something you can deal with? 

 You’ll never know if you don’t give them a go! Put the issue back on the kids to resolve. It’s not that you don’t want to help but really some things don’t need your help!   

 The shock tactic:

“What would you like me to do about this?”  

This is my favourite response as it puts the onus back on to the child. Be prepared for surprises though as some kids just want you to send their siblings away to boarding school!  

Problem-ownership: 

“Does this problem really involve you?” 

Some children just love to get involved in disputes that don’t involve them but they love to get a certain ‘sibling into trouble’. Don’t be drawn into such disputes or else you will soon be doing the ‘sibling dance’ with them, with the ‘tell taler’ taking the lead.  

 Put them in the same boat: 

“I’ll listen to both of you when you can tell me the same story.”  

This is the first step in the conflict resolution cycle. If two children have a tale of woe get them to agree on the story they tell. This is usually enough to resolve the dispute.   

 The pen and paper approach:  

“Can you write down what happened?"  

Give one child a pen and the other a piece of paper and invite them to write down exactly what happened. A considered written response will be taken very seriously by parents. 

Of course, no single strategy will work overnight and like us every child, teenager and young adults even the confident ones, will have their ups and downs. It’s the strategies and support they receive along the way that will ultimately see them through the so called tough times. Parenting is extremely hard work and at times the hardest decisions, even though they might not be the most popular decisions are the best for children in the long term. Becoming increasingly redundant as parents is not an easy path but it is one of life’s necessities for parents and their children.   

School Fees

Term Two’s school fee and levy invoices were emailed to all families a couple of weeks ago. Please double check your emails including you spam or junk mail just in case it has landed in either of those folders. If you have not received an invoice for Term Two, please contact the school office asap so we can identify the glitch and reissue the invoice.  

My sincere appreciation is extended to all families who continue to honour their financial obligation to the school. Timely payment allows the school to continue to provide the best possible resources for all the kids who attend. It would be most helpful if all outstanding school fees could be paid by the end of this month. Thank you for your continued support. 

Athletics Carnival

I am really looking forward to next week’s athletics events. These days are always very enjoyable, that’s if the weather remains above freezing point! The kids are certainly excited and ready for some friendly competition between the sports houses. A big thank you to Mrs Salisbury and teaching staff for their time in providing additional coaching sessions in the lead up to the carnival. My appreciation also to Mrs Salisbury for her tremendous efforts in organizing the carnival.  

For all information you need to know about the upcoming Athletics carnivals please refer to the P.E. section of the newsletter. The carnival is run over three separate days and parents are most welcome to attend. 

Day 1. Monday 31st May (O’Quinn St.) Grades 3-6 All track events, long & high jump 

Day 2. Tuesday 1st June (O’Quinn St.) Grades 4-6 Discus & shot put  

Day 3. Thursday 3rd June (School oval) Prep to Year 2 sprint races 

Family Bush Dance 

Just in case you missed the communication sent home last week, the P&F are organising a Family Bush Dance on Friday 11th June here in the hall from 5:00pm to 9:00pm. Tickets are only $5 per person (4yrs & under are free), however we need to cap the numbers to 300 people, so to avoid disappointment jump on to https://www.trybooking.com/BRKKD to purchase your tickets. Please refer to the attached flyer in this newsletter for further details. Should be a great family night out.  

A reminder that the girls have only two options when wearing the formal winter uniform – navy blue tights or long navy blue socks. Boys also have two options – long navy blue slacks (not tracksuit pants) or their usual navy blue dress shorts with long navy blue socks.  

School Traffic Zone 

Just a friendly reminder to be forever mindful of the 40 km speed zone when driving around the school precinct. Also, remember to use the left in left out rule when accessing the main carpark or the Church carpark. If drivers follow this course of direction, traffic flow is far safer and more efficient. Signs have been positioned to remind drivers of correct direction of travel in and out of the carparks. Patient and considerate driving and parking practices around the school saves lives.  

Principal Performance Review

Catholic School Principals are required to undergo an individual performance review every four to five years. As this is my 10th year at Lourdes, I’m up for another review. I thank all staff and parents who took the opportunity to provide feedback to me via the recent survey that was sent to all families. Your words of affirmation and support were overwhelming and most rewarding to read. Your recommendations for areas to work on over the next few years has provided me with additional direction for the future. A review panel will be visiting the school on Tuesday 8th June to interview all staff and a random selection of parents, students and parish staff. Feedback from these interviews will provide further support to the continuous improvement of my role as Principal.    

Major Building Project Update

An invite for tenders was issued last month. Quotes from the shortlisted tenders are due by the end of next week and a final decision on the successful tender will be made the week following. Commencement date for construction still remains at the beginning of the September school holidays. Further information regarding the project and images of what it will look like will hopefully be available by the end of term. These plans, drawing etc, will be included in upcoming newsletters and hard copies displayed around the school for your perusal. Information regarding the relocation of certain classes and changes to the school routine will be provided early Term 3. In the meantime, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the upcoming project.  

Thanks for reading……Chris