President's Welcome
And just like that, school is back and the break – however long or short it was- is over and we are back into the swing of the school year. I do hope you managed to have some down time to enjoy with your children knowing that the year ahead will be filled with new and exciting things to come. Whether you have children starting brand new in kindergarten, their final year in Year 12 or somewhere in between, the year promises to be a journey of discovery for both our child/ren and we parents.
No matter how experienced or indeed inexperienced we are at schooling, one thing is for certain, that no child’s experiences are exactly the same as another’s and it is with this in mind that I encourage all parents to see the beginning of the school year as a relatively new beginning for each of your children – no matter how many parent information evenings you have attended previously, this is the first time this child of yours is experiencing this year with this cohort of peers and this teacher. I speak from my experience of having had four of my own children attend 14 years of schooling each … somewhere relatively early (thank goodness!) I realised that I indeed didn’t know everything that was going to happen in the coming year and that each of my children’s experiences was somewhat different as the presentation of the curriculum was changed up from teacher to teacher and due to the differences in children, what and how they learned influenced the outcomes.
Please make the time to check out the Catholic School Parents Australia (CSPA) website and avail yourself of the opportunities there with the Gearing up for Parent Engagement in Student Learning toolkit. This has been developed for families and schools to help make the transition into primary and secondary school a great experience for children and young people. The information will assist the unique relationship between parent and child to flourish into a meaningful partnership between home and school towards improving the learning and wellbeing of students.
I encourage you to be involved in your school’s parent groups in whatever capacity you are able. Whether your school has the traditional P&F association, ‘Friends of …’ groups or the like, these groups give life to the school in a unique way and the community which grows from these groups is like no other; they benefit your children, the school and indeed some of the unforeseen benefits to us can be long-lasting friendships (even when you’re not looking for more!) that well outlast the years the children are at school.
2024 certainly is an exciting year for us here at CSPWA with the celebration of our 70th anniversary. There will be plenty more information coming forth around our conference in June which is shaping up to be fabulous including the dinner to be held in a rooftop ballroom with some of the best views around! Stay tuned …
The office staff have hit the ground running at the beginning of term and is gearing up for the Induction evening for all office bearers to be held 21 February at our offices in Inglewood. Please see further in the newsletter for details for registration of attendance.
Please enjoy the Welcome to the new school Year gatherings your parent groups are hosting, the school community is made up of so many families that together make your children’s schools the wonderful places they are.
We look forward to seeing the many and varied ideas for fundraising and community building you all come up with this year! As always, please remember that the staff of CSPWA is available for advice, support, reassurance and guidance. Our focus is firmly on advocacy and support for and with parents to make stronger communities in which our children will thrive and prosper.
We look forward to partnering with you enabling you to work in partnership with your schools.
Warm regards
Marina