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Dear Parents, Carers and the St Joseph’s Community,
There are some things that are within our control, and then there are others that are not. At the moment, I know that there seems to be just so much more that is outside our control, and this is difficult. However, please take time to consider all that has been achieved in the past 5 weeks… You have collected your children from school on Thursday afternoon 12 August, and then set about becoming stand-in teachers yourselves, while continuing to work and maintain the important ‘normal’ family routines. This is at the same time as being concerned about your own health and safety, and that of everyone around you, at a time when we are all too aware of just how serious the current situation is. It is now wonder that we are all feeling a little frazzled!
Yet, if you can take just a moment to allow yourself to recognise how well you all have done, then I am hopeful that the prospect of a further 4 weeks of lockdown and remote learning won’t seem quite as daunting. Or maybe a little less daunting at least! It is difficult news that we will in fact start Term 4 still in lockdown and continuing remote learning. However, I do want to acknowledge and thank you all for the support and energy over the past 5 weeks. I hope that the term break comes at the right time to allow you and your families a chance to stop a little and recover.
Please see below some great advice and support from our School and Family Counsellor, Kerry Marshall, that may give you some reassurance at this time.
From the Counsellor
Hello St Joseph’s parents!
How are you going? Have you stopped to check in with yourself today?
As if parenting wasn’t challenging enough, the universe has thrown in a pandemic and an extended lock down! At times like these it’s easy to get stressed and anxious. As parents, it's so important to manage your own wellbeing so you can avoid parenting from overwhelming fear or stress.
What do Counsellors recommend when it looks like things are going from bad to worse?
We recommend checking in with yourself every morning (and in the evening too).
Acknowledge this is really tough (it is)! We are all feeling a bit wobbly, and some will be feeling really wobbly. Just know that this is ok.
And if you are feeling a bit too stressed, ask yourself ‘What have I done in the past that helps when I feel overwhelmed?’ Do those things. Schedule in some extra fun, exercise, connection or other healthy stress busters as you need.
So how do we parent our kids well during tough times? Firstly, by looking after yourself so you are in a good space to care for your children.
Some other tips that might help….
- Ditch unrealistic expectations.
- Allow yourself to grieve the old normal.
- Focus on what you can do and what is in your control.
- Keep a structure/routine in your day as best you can.
- Set a few simple daily goals for yourself and tick them off as you do them. For example, complete a few tasks, go for a walk, cook a nice meal, call a friend - getting a few things done and acknowledging it gives our brain a boost of dopamine - raising our spirits!
- Get good sleep.
- Eat healthily so your immune system is in good shape.
- Stay connected.
- Limit the amount of news you are exposed to (but do keep up to date with reputable updates from government health websites).
- Try mindfulness (get present) - this calms the brain and helps you come back to the here and now, rather than worrying about ‘what ifs’. Some sites you might like:
- Look at this as an opportunity to strengthen and sweeten your family relationships.
- Remember our wonderful doctors and health experts are working hard to keep people healthy.
For more ideas there are some great parenting and kids resources online, such as:
- From ‘Emerging Minds’ -Supporting Children’s Mental Health during a Pandemic toolkit
- Kids Helpline, which supports parents and children
If you are concerned about how your child is going you are welcome to make contact with me during the school term via email at kerry.marshall@catholiccare.cg.org.au and I will get in touch. If you need help in the school holidays, you can contact Parentline ACT on 6287 3833 (9am - 4pm Monday to Friday) or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 or talk to a CatholicCare Canberra and Goulburn counsellor on 6162 6100
Cool Kids
There are also some upcoming programs, Cool Kids, that parents may be interested in registering for. Please see the links below to the age-based programs.
Take care.
Kerry Marshall, School Counsellor - CatholicCare.
Plans for 2022
As we start to consider what lies ahead, we also turn our attention to the new school year. If your child / family will be leaving St Joseph’s at the end of 2021, please inform the school as soon as possible. Our current Year 6 families do not need to inform the school. We will begin planning classes for 2022 in the first half of Term 4, and knowing of any movements assist with this process.
Thank you to all parents for the support that you give to the school, particularly at this challenging time.
Stay safe and go gently.
Yours in Christ,
Cameron Tarrant
Principal
Dear Families,
Can you believe we’re at the end of Term 3? What a crazy term this has been. We are all missing you here at Camp Australia and hope you are all staying safe and well in these difficult times. We sure do hope to see all your happy faces soon!
With the holidays coming up, here at Camp Australia, we will still be operating as per usual while having COVID safety measures in place.
Please don’t be afraid to give me a call if you have any questions.
From all of us here at Camp Australia, have a safe and wonderful holidays and lets bring on term 4!
Thanks,
Danielle Sawell
Service Manager Camp Australia
St Joseph's Primary School
Congratulations to the Week 9 award recipients.
The awards for the previous week during remote learning are published in the newsletter. The awards for the current week are announced in the Monday morning message.
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Foundation Red |
Sebastian B For building his confidence to answer questions during our class Teams meetings. |
Kaley A For continuing to work hard on her writing and persevering at tricky tasks during remote learning. |
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Foundation White |
Hannah P For her creativity with watercolours when completing remote learning tasks. |
Tom D For his positivity in all aspects of home learning and applying creativity to all set tasks. |
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1 Teal |
Ivy E For applying her best effort to her writing tasks and doing quality work. |
Ivy S For completing all tasks with enthusiasm and being a positive participant in Teams meetings. |
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1 Purple |
Enoch A For his awesome work in maths and an enthusiastic weather report recording. |
Tilly M For presenting great work during remote learning, especially her detailed Aboriginal Seasons poster. |
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2 Yellow |
Phoebe G For wonderful fluent and expressive reading. |
Vairaj B For excellent application to Remote Learning Activities. |
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2 Magenta |
Fergus M For the fantastic effort you are putting into the Literacy Daily Reviews - keep up the awesome work. |
Mae T The amazing effort and thoughtfulness you are putting into the presentation of your work. Keep up the fantastic work. |
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3 Black |
Clementine S For using the Seed of Being to complete all remote learning tasks to the best of her ability. |
Anna S For using the Seed of Collaborating to be an active contributor during class Teams meetings. |
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3 Navy |
Maddison D For using the Seed of Collaborating to make a demonstration video of our musical dance for all of Year 3 to follow along to. |
Sophia R For using the Seed of Being to practise persistence and resilience during remote learning. |
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4 Green |
Callum A Using the Seed of Learning to stay focused during remote learning tasks and produce high quality work. |
Kayla N Using the Seed of Learning to complete work to a high standard and for always giving 100%. |
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4 Gold |
Olivia Davenport For showing initiative when completing her online learning independently and assisting her peers. |
Lachlan Sill For displaying his best work in his online learning tasks. |
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5 Orange |
Hamish E For completing remote learning tasks with enthusiasm and striving to earn Banqer dollars each week. |
Antonija K For her dedication to remote learning tasks and completing all work to a high standard. |
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5 Blue |
Odette Strachan For completing a well researched information report on the Northern White Rhino |
Hudson Warren For completing his research task on the Black Footed Ferret to a high standard. |
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6 Silver |
Roshni N For her courage and maturity when writing about difficult and sensitive topics in her information text. |
Hamish D For his attention to detail when researching and learning about the Ngunnawal people. |
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6 Lime |
Lachlan D For his effort towards the information text writing piece on dinosaurs. |
Celeste P For her detailed circuit design in science. |
Happy birthday to these students who celebrated their birthday this week.
| Kathrine M |
| Ajmer S |
| Amani N |
| Chase S |
Happy birthday to these students who will celebrate their birthdays during the school break.
| Nova S |
| Cooper D |
| Joshua O |
| Jasmeen |
| Milli C |
| Patrick M |
| Hannah P |
| Toby S |
