Catholic School Parents Western Australia eNewsletter

Friends, as we begin term 2 our Catholic community is still mourning the loss of our beloved Pope Francis. The impact of his leadership, humility and love was clearly evident in the outpouring of grief that followed his passing, every corner of the world seemed to be shocked and touched by the news. In an age where so many demand recognition of authority and indulge in the trappings of power Francis showed us another path, a different way to view the humanity and beauty of everyone in society. This is by no means an easy road to walk, but as Francis demonstrated time and time again it is one that is of vital importance in our modern world where the poor and downtrodden are so often overlooked as we go about our busy lives. It is fitting that in the months ahead we will continue to celebrate the Jubilee year of Hope and as we do so let us remember to pray for Francis who brought so much hope to those who needed it most. May his soul and souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace.

I recently came across an article that highlighted a growing trend for families to volunteer together. Those interviewed spoke of the wonderful joy that came from working together to benefit local groups and the increased closeness of the family unit as a result of their efforts. As winter approaches and so many in our society are in need of support services, the demand for volunteers increases. Is this an area that you can help in? To start finding the right volunteer opportunities for your family, consider exploring local community boards, checking with schools for any community service initiatives, or browsing the websites of nearby nonprofit organisations. Your help will be greatly appreciated and remember that service is the greatest of gifts, it brings joy to both the giver and receiver.

I extend warm congratulations to Annette Morey on her appointment as Executive Director of Catholic Education WA. Annette has served as the CEWA representative on CSPWA and has always been a valuable contributor who recognises the key role parents play in the education of their children. Those of us who have had the privilege of serving with Annete have no doubt her appointment in an excellent decision and all of us at CSPWA look forward to continuing our close working relationship in her new role.

On behalf of everyone at CSPWA I wish you all the best, students, parents and school staff for Term 2. As we move through the first few weeks of the term let’s keep in mind that it is the Marian month and remembering the example of Pope Francis let us pray for the intersession of our Blessed Mother, to keep us safe, to allow us to see the many blessings that we so often take for granted and to continue to give us the opportunity to work together as family and community.

God Bless

Alan

The Bishops of Western Australia have announced the appointment of Annette Morey as Catholic Education WA Ltd’s (CEWA) new Executive Director.

Presently the Deputy Executive Director of CEWA, Annette is a distinguished, experienced and highly credentialed leader of faith and learning who has served Catholic education in Western Australia for 32 years. More recently, she was a leader within a number of Catholic school communities; Mater Dei College, Prendiville Catholic College and St Norbert College.

As Deputy Executive Director, Annette has actively contributed to the planning and implementation of Catholic Education Western Australia’s Strategic Initiatives 2030. In doing so, Annette has established close and robust professional relationships with key stakeholders, including the Bishops of Western Australia, Catholic school principals, the Minister for Education, and colleagues at the Department of Education, the Association of Independent Schools of Western Australia (AISWA) and Catholic School Parents WA.

Catholic Education WA is a  State-wide system of schools, colleges and early years learning and care facilities, spanning the Dioceses of Broome, Bunbury, and Geraldton, as well as in the Archdiocese of Perth.

Eva Skira, Chair of the Catholic Education Commission WA said:

“On behalf of the Catholic Education Commission of Western Australia we thank the Bishops for their appointment of Annette as the Executive Director of CEWA and look forward to continuing to work with her in her new role. We would also like to acknowledge and affirm our gratitude for the continued leadership, service and unwavering dedication of Wayne Bull in his commitment to Catholic education, as the appointment process took place. We look forward to celebrating Wayne’s service as Executive Director, and to acknowledging his 47-year commitment to Catholic education in Western Australia.”

Web Article

Catholic School Parents WA will be holding our Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 11^th June. During the AGM we are hoping to make amendments to our Constitution.

We are required by our Constitution to give our schools 28 days’ notice both of the AGM date and of any amendments to our Constitution.

To register your attandance at the AGM, please contact Jonelle at admin@csp.wa.edu.au

Please follow the link to find the relevant documentation.

https://www.csp.wa.edu.au/upcoming-events/updates-to-the-cspwa-constitution

Web Article

We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Justin Coulson, one of Australia’s most trusted parenting experts, will be presenting two insightful seminars covering the topics of 'Anxiety' and 'Parental Guidance.

Dr. Coulson, renowned for his work on parenting and emotional intelligence, will share practical strategies and research-backed insights to help navigate the challenges of raising children in today’s world.

Seminar 1: Anxious: Helping Your Child Navigate a World of Worry

It's heartbreaking to see our kids struggling with anxiety. The statistics paint a stark picture: anxiety disorders are on the rise, affecting approximately one in seven primary school children and one in four adolescents. We see our kids burdened by fears and worries, their confidence fading, and sometimes even experiencing panic attacks. As parents, we desperately want to help, but often feel lost or unsure of what to do.

This presentation offers a lifeline. We'll explore what anxiety looks like in children, and provide you with simple, practical strategies that are both clinically proven and easy to implement at home.

Empower yourself with the knowledge and tools to support your child's emotional wellbeing and help them build resilience in the face of anxiety.

This seminar will be held on Thursday, 29th May at 10.30am - 12pm.

"Anxiety" Justin Coulson Parent Session 10:30am

Seminar 2: Parental Guidance

What does it mean to be a good parent? Are you a good parent when your child is compliant, but a bad parent when they're not? What if they're perfect at age three and challenging at thirteen? And what if your child has additional needs?

Join Dr Justin for a practical presentation which draws on content from his new book, The Parenting Revolution, and incorporates up-to-the-minute research in parenting science as well as studies of childhood development.

Dr Justin Coulson will show you:

·how our children thrive when we understand and meet their basic psychological needs;

·how our job is not to fix our kids, but to create an environment that supports their growth and development; and

·how children flourish when we minimise control, but maximise our warmth and involvement, and establish healthy boundaries.

Not all children are the same, and Justin considers a range of circumstances that you or your child might be in - including children with non-typical development. His revolutionary approach and practical strategies will encourage you to change the way you parent forever.

This seminar will be held on Thursday, 29th May at 7pm-8.30pm.

"Parental Guidance" Justin Coulson Parent Session 7pm

These seminars are a fantastic opportunity to gain expert guidance and connect with other parents and educators. Don’t miss out!

Both seminars will be held at Ursula Frayne Catholic College, 15 Duncan Street, Victoria Park.

With many of our children and young people, particularly those in Year 10, starting to think about subject selection and career choices at the end of this semester, this website provides a raft of useful information for students and families alike. In recent times some research was conducted around where young people go to seek information and advice regarding careers and it was interesting to note that around 80% go to their parents first!

As parents, are we equipped to have these conversations? Schools do a great job in ensuring young people are made aware of the myriad of pathways but this website also assists parents to be part of the conversations.

The website also encourages having conversations much earlier that we currently do, helping to ensure children become aware of the very wide variety of occupations available to them. We encourage parents and carers to have a look and see how you can become effectively engaged in your child’s journey towards the workforce.

myfuture - Australia's National Career Information Service | myfuture

Nominations for the 2025 Awards of Excellence in Building Positive School Communities will open soon!

The awards are an integral part of work that CSPWA does in acknowledging and celebrating the amazing work that is carried out within our Catholic school communities. The awards celebrate those within our school communities who demonstrate positive outcomes for students, families, and the wider school community.

We have 5 categories open for nominations:

Parent Nomination

- works collaboratively with the principal and staff
- actively works for the benefit of the school, its parents and students
- promotes and affirms the work of the school in the education of the children
- creates opportunities in the school to build community

Parent Group Nomination

- works collaboratively with the principal and staff
- organises and/or promotes social initiatives to encourage community involvement
- promotes and affirms the work of the school in the education of the children
- takes time to listen to and support school requests
- provides good networking opportunities in the school to build positive school community

Principal Nomination

- works collaboratively with the school community
- actively engages with and supports parent group initiatives
- promotes and affirms the work of the parent group in their school
- takes time to listen to parent perspective
- supports the building of community and networking opportunities

Parish Nomination

- works collaboratively together for the benefit of both the school community and the parish
- actively engages with social initiatives
- promotes and affirms the work of the school and the parish
- provides good networking opportunities in the school and parish to build community

Agnes Weymouth Nomination

The Agnes Weymouth Award is awarded to any member/ team of the Catholic school, who consistently contributes to building a positive school community. Nominees could include, but are not limited to teachers, maintenance teams, administrative staff or those staff members who commit to extra-curricular activities.

The winners, as always, will be celebrated at a special event in Term 3.

The details of this event will be announced at the end of Volunteers week, Friday 25th May!

A huge thank you to all of the P&F committee members, parents and Principals who attended our induction sessions last term. We've had great feedback on the sessions and as a result of some of the questions raised, we have been developing a new resource on insurance for P&Fs. We have consulted with the Finance and Insurance teams at CEWA to ensure we include everything you need to know for when you hold a P&F event on and off school grounds.

If you were unable to attend an induction session, but would like some support with the operation of the Terms of Reference at your school, or some more detailed information about the P&F committee member roles, please contact our office as we may be able to attend one of your P&F meetings to assist you, or email you some resources to help. We also have a recording of our induction session on our website if you'd like to take a look: https://www.csp.wa.edu.au/parent-groups/2025-Parent-Induction-Presentation

In week 3 of this term, Siobhan and I will be heading to the Bunbury diocese to deliver an induction session at Bunbury Catholic College. This session is open to all P&F members and parents in the region and all are very welcome. We are taking RSVPs via this link: https://events.humanitix.com/bunbury-parent-induction-session.

This year, National Volunteer Week will take place between the 19th and 25th May, with the theme being "Connecting Communities." We have so many wonderful volunteers within our schools, who help to build positive school communities and this event is a great excuse to formally recognise and thank them. Volunteering WA offers some lovely ideas for meaningful ways to celebrate, including:

Organising a volunteer celebration event
Giving volunteers a shout out on social media
Creating a heartfelt thank you video
Sending personalised thank you messages
Offering small tokens of appreciation

Please tag Catholic School Parents WA in your 'Thank a Volunteer' events and posts as we would love to see what you have done at your schools.

As always, if you're needing any support or advice around P&F matters, please reach out to me via phone, 9338 9987 or email, support@csp.wa.edu.au, and I look forward to seeing those who can make it to one of our Dr Justin Coulson events on Thursday 29th May.

Catholic school families continue to benefit from MultiLit partnership

MultiLit is excited to announce the renewal of its national partnership with Catholic School Parents Australia (CSPA), ensuring that families in Catholic schools will continue to benefit from our evidence-based literacy programs through the MultiLit Literacy Centres.

Following a successful first year, this collaboration continues to empower parents to actively support their children’s learning with scientifically proven literacy support.

With 30 years of experience, MultiLit (Making Up For Lost Time In Literacy) has been dedicated to helping children build essential literacy skills. Our programs, grounded in the Science of Reading, have made a significant impact across Australia, New Zealand and Asia.

Andy Russell, General Manager of Literacy Services at MultiLit, highlighted the shared values around family engagement and education. “CSPA’s work in empowering parents aligns with our belief that family involvement is critical in improving literacy outcomes. We’re excited to continue providing meaningful support to families across the Catholic education system.”

CSPA Chair Andrea Obeyesekere also expressed enthusiasm for the continued collaboration. “This second year signals our ongoing commitment to ensuring Catholic school families can access high-quality literacy resources to support their children’s development.”

CSPA represents the parents and carers of over 800,000 students in Australia’s 1,760 Catholic schools, educating one in five Australian students. This partnership underscores the importance of family involvement in education and the positive impact it has on literacy outcomes.

Welcome to Term 2 2025