From the Principal Week 9
Dear Parents and Carers,
In schools we are always talking with the children about Respect – Respect for Self, Respect for Others, Respect for Our Belongings and Respect for Our Surroundings.
Respect is one of the most important virtues a child can have. Teaching children how to respect others will ensure they develop positive relationships with their family, friends and teachers throughout their life. Respect can be taught in many ways, but ultimately it’s about ensuring children lead a happy life and treat other people kindly.
Below are some of the most important traits a child can gain from learning the virtue of respect.
Good manners
Teaching children good manners might seem difficult, especially at a young age. However, good manners stem from respect. Saying a simple “please” and “thank you” can go a long way and, with practice, these gestures can become natural to a child. By practicing manners, a child will learn that all relationships benefit from give and take.
Tolerance
A child is bound to face conflict throughout their life. While they might not always agree or understand what’s being said or done, teaching them respect will ensure they do their best to address conflict in a productive way. Teaching a child respect will allow them to communicate in a way that is effective and also will encourage them to take responsibility for their own mistakes, and better tolerate the mistakes of others.
Listening
Listening is an important part of having a productive or positive conversation. Learning how to communicate effectively means knowing how to listen, and this can be taught by understanding the importance of respect. We need to show a child how to listen intently, not interrupt and take their turn in order to help them better engage conversationally with others. This will also help the child to better understand rules and avoid conflicts.
Open-minded
Teaching children respect ensures they will get to know a person before making a snap judgement. This behaviour will help them throughout their entire life, and ensures they treat everyone with kindness. As well, for some children, diversity is a hard concept to understand. However, teaching children respect at an early age ensures they accept everyone for who they are.
For all children, learning respect takes time, but it’s never too early to start practicing this essential life skill. Ultimately, teaching children respect will help them to create more positive relationships with their family and friends.
It is also vital that we teach children respect for their belongings and surroundings. So often at the end of a session, end of a break or end of a day we find the children’s personal belongings scattered around the classroom and playground. Many have the expectation that someone will pick it up and return it to them. Likewise they will leave rubbish behind for someone else to take care of. We must work with our students to value their belongings and surroundings, by teaching them to be independent, responsible and respectful of what they have.
Thank you for your ongoing care and partnership in your child’s learning.
God bless.
Rachel Smith
Principal
Principal’s Notes
Holidays and Absences
If your family is going away on holidays early, please ensure you have provided a note to your child’s classroom teacher prior to leaving. Notes are a legal requirement for our class rolls and must be provided for all absences. We appreciate your support with this.
School Uniform
A reminder that Summer Uniform commences in Term 4, so please check the wardrobe and visit the Clothing Pool, Savvy and Lowes if any items are needed. We will have the usual transition period early in Term 4 to cater for the unpredictable weather.
Safety In and Around the School Grounds
I am asking for all our drivers to be careful and alert when driving along the roads around our school and in our school carpark, particularly at pick up time. It is difficult when cars are parked in the carpark and try to reverse into the traffic at pick up time. Please be mindful of the flow of the traffic and give way to the oncoming traffic. If we are all aware of the traffic, the parked cars and remember to stick to the school zone and car park speed limits we should all continue to remain safe getting to and from school. Thank you for your assistance with this.
COVID Update
The restrictions regarding parents in the school remains in place. Catholic Education provide regular updates and the school will advise when there are changes.
National Day of Mourning Public Holiday
As per the announcement made by Prime Minister Albanese, Thursday 22nd September has been gazetted as a one-off public holiday a National Day of Mourning for the death of Queen Elizabeth II. All CECG schools will be closed on this day. Business will return to normal for all CECG schools Friday 23rd September.
Leaving St Clare of Assisi
Don’t forget to let us know if you are planning to leave St Clare of Assisi at the end of the year. (Year 6 exempt of course!) Please use the link below. We will soon commence the process of planning enrolments and class numbers for next year.