Welcome to the first edition of ParentTalk for 2023.

I hope the beginning of the school year has been smooth for you, and your children are settling well into the new school year. School staff have been busy preparing for their return, and I encourage you to take time to engage with your child’s school through their communication channels including their social media sites, newsletter and website.

When you know what is happening in your child’s school, you are better prepared to support them in their learning.

I had the pleasure of attending the St Joseph’s Parish Coraki 100^th Centenary celebrations on Sunday 12 February. What a vibrant, welcoming parish community. St Joseph’s Primary school provided a beautiful welcome and morning tea following Mass that was celebrated by Bishop Gregory Homeming. It was lovely to see many ex-students viewing the Yarning Circle – a beautiful space that is a focal point of the school and sharing stories and memories.

CCSP is looking forward to a packed year of activities and events with something for everyone! We are keen to hear from you too, so; I am seeking your help to compete the survey in this newsletter so we can support parents and carers across NSW and the ACT to better engage with their child’s school as well as build capacity amongst our families in their role as primary educators of their children.

I am writing this newsletter while taking a short break with my husband and adult children who have travelled some distance to gather, enjoying quiet time and shared meals - such simple joys that we are grateful for given unfolding global tragedies.

Let us continue to keep in our prayers those families impacted by flooding, many still struggling with accommodation as well as those impacted by grief, worry and anxiety.

Finally, please also keep in your prayers all those impacted by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.

Stay safe, take care of yourselves and each other my friends,

Catherine Garrett-Jones

Executive Director CCSP

We hope all students, families, teachers and support staff are settling well into the school year. 

Dr Andrew Watson, Diocese of Wagga Wagga was out and about visiting schools at the start of Term One 2023. We hope all students, families, teachers and support staff are settling well into the school year. 

Ross Fox Director, Catholic Education,  Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn speaking with Principals, Teachers and Support Staff at the 2023 Faith in Learning Day. During the day Sarah Rose, Family Engagement Officer, spoke about the importance of School and Home Partnerships, Selina Walker and Katrina Cambridge did a joint presentation about Engaging our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and families. Sarah, Selina and Katrina are CCSP representatives. 

  

ChatGPT is an Artifical Intelligence (AI) language model that provides instant, human-like responses to questions and requests.

Since access to ChatGPT was made widely available in November 2022 there has been considerable debate about whether the technology should be permitted to used in the classroom or for homework. Many articles have been written about the topic. Brett Henebery has written a very informative article published 1 Feb 2023 The Educator How schools can strike the right balance with ChatGPT. Professor Matt Bower, Interim Dean of Macquarie University's School of Education and a specialist in using technology in learning said that 

"Critical Thinking must come first"

Teachers can help students to develop the critical thinking cababilities to evalue AI output, and the values to use it in ethical and purposeful ways. 

“For instance, students should be encouraged to clearly acknowledge how they have used AI to derive their solutions, and be thinking about how they can use AI for greater good,” he said.

Pasi Sahberg, Professor of Education at the Southeren Cross University's Facility of Education says that while some school systems have already blocked students’ access to ChatGPT at school, many teachers and principals celebrate its potential to transform teaching and learning in school to something better.

Some schools have banned the use of the technology while others such as Loreto Normanhurst believe the technology could be a tool to assist education. Natasha Bita, Education Editor The Australian, interviewed Loreto Normanhurst Director of Learning Kieryn Bateman, who said the chatbot could be used to teach students to analyse and verify information. 

"We need to respond with curiosity and a critical mindset to determine how to harness these tools for greater learning."

The technology is available and easily accessible. We asked ChatGPT what about cheating at school? The bot responded. ChatGPT is not a reliable source for cheating on school work. Students should always complete their own work and use ChatGPT as a tool for learning and understanding not cheating. Cheating goes against academic integrity and can have serious consequences. 

CCSP suggests that if you have any concerns about the impact the technology may have on your child's education that you speak with their teacher. 

CCSP invites NSW/ACT parents, carers and staff to attend a FREE webinar to assist you to support children in your care.

Dr Justin Coulson is the co-host and parenting expert on Channel 9's Parental Guidance. 

Wednesday 29 March 7.00pm

Register here

To continue assisting families of children who attend Catholic Schools in NSW/ACT in 2023 CCSP will host more webinars and education sessions.  We need your help to decide what are the topics that you most want to learn about.

Would you complete this short anonymous online survey. This will assist CCSP to organise webinars on topics that interest you, at a time that is most convenient for your family. 

Please complete the survey by Monday 27 March to give CCSP time to plan webinars and events for the remainder of 2023.

"What happens in the first weeks of school will not determine your child’s success in life. Your child will continue to build skills over the year and over their whole school experience.

Learning is ongoing, not a one-off

There will be some children starting school who can read, some who will know letters and sounds, and others who are just beginning in this area. Schools will be aware of this (and realistically, children do not need to be fluent readers at five or six).

Traditional thinking has been that all children should be able to do certain things before starting school, with a focus on “school readiness”. But this has been replaced with a new focus on schools being ready for all students, regardless of their diverse skills.

As parents, this is one key way we can support our children. Research shows family engagement with teachers helps children learn and build confidence.

This means talking to the teacher about your child’s strengths and interests, but also outlining areas where they may need help. In suggesting this, launching into this discussion at drop-off on the first day might not be ideal. Instead, email the front office to set up a time or schedule an early parent-teacher meeting to talk." wrote Kate Highfield, Senior Lecturer, Deputy Head of School (ACT and regional NSW), Australian Catholic University in The Conversation 30 January 2023.

The Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) has compiled credible research about the benefits of family engagement for learning. Family Engagement in Primary Schools and Family Engagement in Secondary Schools.

There are also checklists to assist schools to implement family engagement strategies. 

Catholic Schools Parents Australia Gearing Up for Parent Engagement website has videos and artcles to assist families and schools improve family engagement in their school.

Whether it is your first or sixth child, having a child start school it is a new experience for you and your child. To assist your child transition to school, Catholic Schools NSW (CSNSW) has created videos to assist your family.

The 10 videos were filmed across NSW Catholic schools and early learning centres.

The videos build on knowledge that:

• Children thrive when families and educators work together in partnership to support young children’s learning.
• An effective transition to school is based on belonging & identity, emotions & adjustment and relationships & continuity.

Watch a video here.

In addition there are a series of numeracy and literacy activities for families.

Regular attendance at school contributes to learning growth.

Catholic Schools Office, Diocese of Lismore has produced a fact sheet to remind parents and carers about the importance of regular, punctual school attendance. CCSP thanks the diocese of Lismore Catholic School Office for sharing with CCSP.

Download the flyer here.

Getting a good night’s sleep is important for children’s learning and development. When young people don’t get enough sleep, it can impact their mood, school performance, health, and behaviour.

Generation Next have listed some hints that may assist all families have a sound nights sleep. These include: 

• setting a regular bedtime and waking up time
• creating a safe, comfortable sleeping environment (cool, quiet, dark, screen-free)
• following a regular bedtime routine that is calm and sleep-inducing
• avoiding caffeine, electronic devices and excitement before bed
• encouraging physical activity during the day
• avoiding exercise one hour before bed.

You can read the article here.

By observing the 40 days of Lent, Christians remember Jesus Christ's sacrifice and withdrawal into the desert for 40 days.

Lent is a time when we fast, pray and give to others. Ash Wednesday 22 February is the beginning of Lent. During Ash Wednesday services a priest or minister will make the sign of the cross with ashes on a worshipper's forehead as a reminder of their need to turn away from sin and be reconciled with God. The ashes are typically made from the burned palm branches from the previous year's Palm Sunday celebration, which symbolizes the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem before his crucifixion. Catholics do not eat meat on Ash Wednesday and Friday's during Lent. 

A useful resource Special Times in the Church Year has been developed by The Lismore Catholic Schools Parent Assembly. The leaflet contains links to activities for younger and teenage children that families can do together during Lent.

Thursday 16 March is the anniversary of the signing of the Close the Gap Statement of Intent on Indigenous health equality.   

In 2008, the Federal Government and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health leaders signed a statement of intent in the Great Hall of Parliament House to work together to achieve equality of health and life expectancy between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians by the year 2030. You can read more about the day on the ANTaR -a non political non government organisation- site here.

There are several vouchers available for parents and carers to assist families with school aged children. 

The Premier's Back to School NSW Vouchers program provides 3 x $50 vouchers, totalling $150 for each eligible student.

The vouchers can be used:

• towards the cost of school uniforms, shoes, bags, technology, textbooks and other eligible expenses
• before 30 June 2023.
• to apply click here

The $100 Creative Kids voucher may be used with a registered activity provider for registration, participation and tuition costs for a range of creative activities, including arts, drama, dance, digital design, coding, and music lessons. For more information Click here for more information and to apply for the voucher.

The Active Kids $100 voucher is for parents and carers of school-enrolled children to use towards sport and active recreation costs each year. Voucher 1 is valid January to December and Voucher 2 is valid July to December. For more information click here.

The $100 First Lap voucher is for children aged 3 to 6 years who are not enrolled in school. The voucher can be used for a structured swimming lesson program with an approved First Lap provider. The voucher is valid until 30 June 2023. Details of the First Lap program

CCSP thanks the NSW Government for creating these programs and suggests families use the vouchers to help reduce their living costs.   

A free 1 hour webinar to introduce parents and carers to the myfuture career information service. The government funded informative website is free for users.

This webinar will be an introduction/refresher to the myfuture career information service. The presenter will demonstrate how the platform can be a useful tool in career and transition planning, highlighting resources that are most relevant to your child/ren. This will include reference to myfuture’s psychometric career interest test (My career profile), the occupation and course information, videos, pathway infographics, and resources mapped to the Australian Curriculum Work Studies sub-strands. This webinar aims to provide attendees with confidence to support their child/ren with their career exploration. 

Wednesday 08 March 2023, 1:00pm – 2:00pm (AEDT)

Register here.

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Look for the drop down menu to chose your preferred language. 

For 25 years, Australian Catholics has been helping bring faith to life in Catholic schools and parish communities through print and online resources. 

Their print publication and online resources explore Catholicism in today’s world, helping schools deepen and extend their faith formation activities.

• The focus in the magazine is on meeting students where they're at in their faith journey, and giving them freedom to explore issues ask questions related to faith and justice.

• Many of the articles in each edition are contributed by their young writers community, the Spring edition is planned and written by a team of guest editors from Catholic schools across the country. 

The week-long  internship program (8 to 12 May 2023) is a valuable opportunity for students  to engage with media industry leaders, build a greater understanding of the media, and produce an edition of the largest circulating Catholic print publication in the country.

The internship program will again be delivered online, making it accessible to a diverse range of students. It is completed during school time and as such must be done so with the blessing of the applicants’ parents and school.

Successful applicants form the guest editorial team for the Spring edition of Australian Catholics and work with staff to plan, workshop, and write articles for that edition.

Applications for this year’s program close 5 pm on Friday, 17 March 2022. For more information click here.