Last Sunday’s Gospel…

The Prodigal Son tells the story of a young man who insulted and turned away from his father but was welcomed back again with joy, much to the confusion of the brother who stayed home and did all the right things. We learn a few lessons from this story. God’s love is not earned. We don’t get more love from God by trying to do the right thing. That shows something about us – how much we love Him and strive to be like Him. God’s love is given freely which is why He could welcome back the son who strayed. We are the same with our own children. Even though there are times we disagree with what they do, we love them all – whether they are the one who helps with chores around the house, or the one we constantly have to pick up after. We must also remember that just like a parent is at times the only person who can give a child what they most need, so too God is the only answer to our adult needs.

From the Principal...

Again, between Covid and the rain we have had to be flexible and I thank you once more for your patience and support. You will have read about how we are trying to run the students when we can for Cross Country, that school photos are different this year, that Bishop Brian couldn’t come to install Fr Henry officially, we couldn’t have Harmony Day outside and no doubt from your children that some of them are having a variety of teachers including Mrs Smith and me! She and I are actually enjoying being in classrooms but the admin work is piling up a bit. The Catholic Education Office has recognized the challenges schools are facing with replacing teachers and have put on hold for now all professional development that takes teachers off class. This support has been very much appreciated by principals and teachers especially in the Macarthur region. As a school we are doing very well thanks to the positive attitude of our students, supported by parents, and our staff who are changing roles and being adaptable. It is certainly a united effort and well worth it.

Harmony Day was again a wonderful celebration of all the different cultures we have at Holy Family. Year 5 students and teachers did a particularly good job with their displays in the hall where it was easy to see the enthusiasm and pride students had in their heritage. Curiosity about cultures other than their own was also very high and many are keen to travel and see the world.

I have been noticing a large number of students coming to school late each day. And thank you to the majority of you who are consistently punctual – we notice that too! I’m not speaking about the odd time something unexpected happens. That happens to everybody so please don’t worry about that. And we don’t punish any children for being late because we don’t know the reason, but need to do something about the consistently late. Punctuality is an important life skill. If you need us to help with routines or support you by rewarding punctuality because your children are being difficult at home, please make contact with your child’s teacher or Mrs Smith. We are here to help. Those first 10 minutes of the day set them up for success and the children get very embarrassed constantly walking in late. In many cases, just starting the usual morning routine 15 minutes earlier will get everyone here on time. 

I take this opportunity to wish you all a joyful and restful break from school and a very Happy Easter. Please stay safe, especially if you are travelling and I look forward to seeing you all in Term 2.

God Bless,

Michelle Rolfe

Principal

On Friday 21st March we celebrated National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence. The theme for 2022 is Kindness Culture. Each student created a kindness love heart and placed it on the wall. By building Kindness Culture together, we can promote inclusion, respect and community belonging for all students. 

Over the last fortnight students have been learning about the 4-Step Plan. The 4-Step Plan is used when students experience a problem behaviour or when they see another student experiencing problem behaviour. Your child is encouraged to use the 4 -Step Plan both in the classroom and on the playground when they encounter a problem. 

1. Ask the person to “STOP”. Tell them to stop doing what they’re doing and be assertive. 
2. Students then ‘Warn’ the person that if they continue doing what they’re doing then you will go and tell the teacher on duty.
3. Sometimes, even when children tell others to “stop”, problem behaviours can still continue. When this happens, students are to ‘WALK’ away from the individual.
4. If the student continues to behave inappropriately towards them students are ‘TELL’ to the teacher or adult on duty.

The 4-Step Plan can be used in a home environment as well. We encourage you to have a conversation with your child about the 4-Step Plan.

Uniform

Just a reminder that sport socks should be white and worn above the ankle. 

Regards,

Miss Alana Stroligo

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION REPORT with Mrs David

It is lovely to be coming to the end of a term full of celebrations and getting closer to what our religious and faith life was like before COVID 19 landed on Australian soil.

Stations of the Cross- Students only

Next Wednesday the whole school will participate in the Stations of the Cross outside. Each class has been given responsibility for setting up a Station to make it special for the school to visit and think about Jesus’ final moments before being crucified. We will share photos through Facebook of this special day. 

Project Compassion

You may have heard your child/ren at home talking about Project Compassion! During the season of Lent, we are encouraged to pray, fast and almsgive. As a Church community, we donate money to Caritas through Project Compassion. We will have our class boxes available for students to make donations until Friday.

Gospel Reading Response/ Reflection (from Liturgyhelp)

Holy Week is soon approaching. 

We  remember the life, Passion and Death of Jesus, These are some questions you may wish to ask your children:

Can you think of people who suffer?

When you see a cross what does it mean to you?

Do you think about Jesus’ suffering and death as well as his victory over death?

Why did Jesus suffer and die?

Jesus died and rose to save us and give us the promise of life with him forever.

We pray that the cross may be a sign of hope for all, especially those who are suffering and in need.

The date of Easter changes every year. This is because Easter falls on the first Sunday after the full moon following the March equinox (when the sun crosses the Earth’s equator).  However, this always occurs on or between 22nd March and 25th April.

Podcast: Ripples

Ripples is a PODCAST developed for staff and parents on-going spiritual formation. It seeks to offer a space where people can draw on the wisdom of a series of guest speakers and can experience some treasured stillness through meditation. See the link - you can either download the files as podcasts or listen to them directly from the website.

Catholic Diocese of Wollongong - Home - Don’t forget to check out the Diocese of Wollongong Facebook page!

We have been in touch with the School Photographer because we feel we need to make changes due to the large number of student absences at the moment (at least 20% of the school on any given day). A complete rescheduling is not possible this year so students will have their individual photo taken as usual this Friday and then these individual photos will be compiled to make the class photo. No group photos will be taken this year.  For any students absent this Friday, there is a back up day planned, so they can still have an individual photo and be part of the class photo. 

The two dates for school photos are:

Friday, April 1st (This Friday)
Friday, April 29th (First Friday of Term 2)

We are sure the photos will be lovely even though it won't be quite the same.

From the Counsellor:  There is a lot going on in the world at the moment from natural disasters in NSW and Queensland to war in the Ukraine.  It's normal to feel an emotional effect, particularly if loved ones have been affected and this happens for children as well.  Parents might feel unsure about how to support their children or how to have a conversation with their child about world events.  Please see below an article from Raising Children around supporting kids around distressing events.  If you notice your child is particularly distressed please feel you can reach out to the school for support.  

If you have questions or queries related to this topic, please feel free to get in contact.  There are also the resources of Parentline at 1300130052 and Catholiccare Wollongong at 02 4227 1122 #alwaysconnected.

Disaster news and distressing news events: supporting children 6-11 years

Disaster news, distressing news events and school-age children

School-age children hear and see TV, radio, social media and other media coverage of natural disasters and distressing news. This includes coverage of bushfires, floods, earthquakes, terrorism, wars, accidents, violent and sexual crime and more. They also hear adult conversations about disasters and other distressing news.

You might not be able to shield your child completely from disasters and distressing news. But talking with your child can help them understand and cope with these events.

• Children need to feel safe and secure to keep growing and developing well in the primary school years. You can create a sense of safety in your family by being warm, loving and responsive. This includes being available to talk about disaster news.

How media coverage of disasters and distressing news events affects school-age children

Children won’t always understand the news on the radio, TV and social media, but media coverage of disasters and other distressing news events can affect them.

For example, children might feel:

• frightened by what they see or hear
• upset by the stress or distress that adults around them are feeling
• worried that they or their families might get hurt
• overwhelmed by constant coverage – they might even think the disaster is happening over and over again.

Children are more likely to be affected by distressing news stories if:

• they’re close to the event – for example, if there’s a nearby bushfire, or if there has been an attack on a group that their family belongs to, like a religious group
• they’re personally affected by the event – for example, if a loved one is injured or dies, or if their home, school or community is damaged
• there’s a lot of coverage, especially if there’s graphic video content of the event, if video shows distressed people, pets and other animals, or if coverage includes emotional commentary
• the event reminds them of a distressing experience they’re had in the past
• they feel powerless – for example, if they feel they can’t influence adults to do something about climate change.

Children’s reactions to disaster news and distressing news events are also affected by:

• how big the event is
• how long the event goes on for
• how many people are affected.

But sometimes large-scale events and loss of life are harder for children to relate to than smaller events. For example, a child might be more upset about the death of a mother of young children than the deaths of thousands in a mudslide.

• Disaster news and distressing news events affect children of different ages in different ways. You can read more about helping young children cope with disaster news and helping teenagers cope with disaster news.

Talking with children about disaster news and distressing news events

Your child will cope better if they have accurate, age-appropriate information about disasters and other distressing events in the news. Your child also needs plenty of opportunities to ask questions and talk about feelings.

Here are some ideas for talking with school-age children about things like terrorism, natural disasters, violent crime, climate change and other disaster news and distressing events.

Make time to talk
Find the right time to talk with your child. If your child has heard distressing news at school, this might be when they get home. Or your child might want to talk at bedtime. It’s always best if you make plenty of time to talk and you give your child your full attention.

If the event has affected you too, try to choose a time when you’re feeling OK to talk too.

Acknowledge what has happened and find out what your child knows
It’s always best to acknowledge that a disaster or tragedy has happened. If you pretend that nothing has happened, your child could feel confused and unsafe. Your child might also worry about things by themselves.

It’s a good idea to start by asking your child what they know and whether they have any questions. For example, ‘On the news this morning, there was a report about a man with a gun in the city. Were people at school talking about that? What were they saying?’

Explain what has happened
Stick to the facts, reassure your child about what has happened, and try to give some context. Here are some examples of what you could say about different news events:

• ‘A man in the city attacked some people and unfortunately one person died. We’re not sure why the man tried to hurt people, but the police have arrested him. He’s locked up so he can’t hurt anyone else.’
• ‘It hasn’t rained in parts of Australia for a very long time, and lots of families are struggling to pay bills and look after their farms. This has made them sad and worried. This story was about some of these families.’
• ‘I heard you talking with your friends about how the earth is getting hotter. Climate change is a problem, and there are lots of very smart scientists working on it.’

Talk about feelings
Ask your child how they’re feeling and listen to what they say. Let your child know that it’s OK to feel worried, angry or sad, and that over time they’ll start to feel better. You can also ask your child what they need to feel better. It might reassure your child if you share your own feelings and explain what you’re doing to cope.

Here are some examples of how to talk about feelings and reassure children after different news events:

• ‘I feel really sad for the people whose homes have burned down in the bushfires. I’m going to take Pup for a walk and think about how I could help. Would you like to come?’
• ‘The story about the man who hurt those children is very upsetting. The man is locked away now, and good people are looking after the children. I’m trying to think about the good people.’
• ‘It’s really scary about the people with the hostages in the city. It’s good to remember that the police have lots of training to help them handle this situation. Let’s have a big hug to help us feel better.’

Keep making time to talk
Let your child know that you’re always available to talk. And when your child wants to talk, make sure that you stop everything so you can listen and respond. You might need to check in occasionally with your child if the event goes on for a long time.

If you encourage open conversations about disaster news and distressing news events, your child learns they can always talk to you. Your child will understand that you’ll be there to listen when something is worrying them.

• It’s important to monitor how much media coverage of disaster news and distressing news events both you and your child are seeing. It’s not helpful for anyone to watch distressing images over and over again. If you have the facts you need or you don’t need emergency alerts, it’s often best to switch off or switch to something else.

Discussing media coverage of disaster news and distressing new events

Major news events are often covered in children’s news programs like Behind The News. You could watch a program like this together and discuss it afterwards.

With older primary school-age children, you could talk about how rare events are considered more ‘newsworthy’ and that’s why they’re on the news. It’s also why we don’t hear about ordinary everyday events on the news.

You could also talk about differences your child has noticed in media coverage. For example, are some radio or TV news programs more fact based than others? Do some seem more interested in the most sensational parts of the event? Do some presenters calmly give you the facts, whereas others seem very emotional?

• It’s natural to feel upset about disasters, terrorism, war, accidents and violent crime. But your child will cope better if you’re coping. If you’re finding things difficult, there are many people you can talk to, including your GP. You can also call Lifeline on 131 114, or call a parenting helpline.

Resources: https://raisingchildren.net.au 

          https://www.abc.net.au/btn/ behind the news

https://www.ses.nsw.gov.au/for-schools/primary/childrens-activities/ SES activities for children

https://www.redcross.org.au/parents-teachers/ parent resources from the Australian Red Cross

2022