Dear Parents,

In line with the Diocese of Sale Catholic Education Limited (DOSCEL) School Improvement Framework our school will be going through a school and Victorian Registration and Qualification Authority (VRQA) review during the 2023 school year. The review process is aimed to support each school to identify its priorities for the next four-year period.

An important part of this process is gaining an understanding of parents’ perceptions of their child’s experience of school. To do this I am seeking your assistance by completing two surveys which will give our school data to consider when making decisions for the next four-year period.

Survey 1 | Insight SRC (schools are limited to 60 families)

This survey looks at how we can plan programs and activities to improve your child’s experience at school. A random selection of 60 families would have received an envelope in their child’s bag tonight labelled INSIGHT SRC, Parent School Improvement Survey. We ask if you received one of these envelopes if you could please follow the instructions and complete the survey.

Survey 2 | Catholic Identity Religious Education Survey (Open to all families)

This survey is open to all families and looks particularly at the lens of parents’ perceptions of the Catholic Identity and Religious Education of our school. The survey can be completed at the following link.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdzhUXp_7ZYzfkShLaiorVO-z1fu20rnOnlPKBMj-xJQUSG6g/viewform?usp=sf_link

Both of these surveys take approximately 20-30 minutes to complete, are anonymous and close on Friday 19 th May. We would greatly appreciate your support.

Youth Mental Health | School TV

Parents and carers play a crucial role in their children's mental health. As a result, staying informed on the current state of youth mental health is vital, as it not only affects individuals, but also families and communities. According to recent research, the frequency of mental health disorders among young people is increasing, with anxiety, depression, and self-harm being among the most common
challenges.

One of the reasons being attributed to this rise is the heightened stress and anxiety that many young people face in todays society. Academic success, social media, and family issues are all influencing factors. Many young people are still suffering the long-term consequences of the pandemic, such as social isolation, uncertainty, and loss.

Parents can play an important role in their childrens mental health. Creating a safe and open environment for your children to talk about their emotions, thoughts, and feelings is vital. Encouraging healthy habits like regular exercise, a balanced diet, and proper sleep can help reduce their stress levels and boost your childs overall mental health. There are also many resources and services available to children, adolescents, and their families, such as mental health organisations, support lines, and of course, mental health professionals. It is important to remember that seeking help is a show of strength, not weakness, and that early intervention is critical in addressing young peoples mental health difficulties.

This edition of SchoolTV, discusses some of the major mental health issues affecting young people and how to support a child experiencing them. We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this month’s edition. Here is the link to this months edition.

https://stangelawarragul.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/state-youth-mental-health

Our School TV Wellbeing resource is available to parents at all times and can be found through our school website under the Student Wellbeing Tab. It has many resources on a wide variety of topics that students face in today’s society. We highly recommend that you take the time and have a look.

As a Catholic School, we commit to those in need by making a positive difference in the world through a vision of peace, justice and compassion locally and globally. Every year our school endeavours to support a variety of Catholic causes and organisations by building awareness, raising funds and making donations. 

This Term, during the colder months, our social justice initiative will be to support St Vincent de Paul’s Winter Appeal, with all items donated to our local community. 

Students are encouraged to donate non-perishable items such as rice, pasta, dried noodles, or canned foods and to leave these items in the donation baskets in their classroom. 

Our students all participated with great determination and persistence at our school Cross Country on Monday and it was wonderful to see so many spectators supporting our school. Thank you to Mrs Jacqui Dennis for her organisation of this extra-curricular school event.

It was rewarding to see our school expectations of being Safe, Respectful, Inclusive and Persistent being shown by the way the students interacted and supported each other.

1st | Red House & Yellow House

2nd | Blue House 

3rd | Green House 

Mother’s Day (or special person) Classroom Activities & Morning Tea

9:15am - 10:00am | Activities
10:00am – 10:30am | Morning Tea (Mum's only to attend) 
Morning Tea & Tea/Coffee provided
Siblings welcome to attend 

Mother's Day Stall 

Each student will have the opportunity to purchase a gift for their Mum or special person. The students will visit the stall in their class groups from 11.30am.
Gifts range from $1.00 to $6.00.
Students will have a $10.00 limit, please ensure money is in a named envelope or zip lock bag.

King’s Birthday 

Christmas, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day, Australia Day, Labour Day, Easter, Queen’s Birthday (from this year “King’s Birthday” – still second Monday of June), Cup Day and so it goes. Australians are familiar with this pattern of, mostly secular, celebrations. 

We generally know what they are about and we anticipate aspects of the seasons; we have regional and family traditions for these times and plan our activities accordingly; we live the pattern. 

Of much longer pedigree is the seasonal cycle of Church feasts and memorials lived by Christians. 

Year upon year we commemorate the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ following a pattern which is part of Christian DNA. Celebration of Jesus’ birth is now five months behind us and this Sunday, observance of his passion, death and resurrection is six weeks ago. 

Now, in this post-Easter season, we are coming to the end of Christ’s physical, resurrected presence with us, and so Church focus turns to engagement in our world. Messy, threatening, challenging - the world has ever been thus. We Christians though, see a world of hope and potential. Our readings from Acts and from Peter acquaint us with the first disciples evangelising their neighbours and with early Christians courageously living exemplary lives (Acts 8/ 1 Pet 3). Jesus exhorts us in the gospel, to hold steady in our love for him and for his Father. He promises us the reinforcement of the Holy Spirit. (Jn 14:15-21) 

Christian engagement in 2023 realities can be confronting but at the same time exciting. We need to be in our public space, whatever that might be, eagerly anticipating the Spirit’s support. “Differences between persons and communities can sometimes prove uncomfortable, but the Holy Spirit, who is the source of that diversity, can bring forth something good from all things and turn it into an attractive means of evangelisation” (Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium 131). As we look towards the Ascension of the Lord and Pentecost in coming Sundays, we are exemplars of Christian hope in a world in need of hope. 

Deacon Mark Kelly