Jodie McLeod

Hello All,

As we approach the end of school year, we acknowledge the incredible work school leaders, educators, school communities, families and most importantly, our students, have applied to get through the extended lockdown and home learning.

Schools adapted once again to various online delivery of learning and the importance of relationships was heightened. There were many challenges faced by families, students and schools – but collectively we have made it through to see the return to face-to-face learning and schools open once again. In this newsletter we acknowledge the leaders of our school communities, the principals, who went above and beyond to ensure our communities stayed positive and full of hope during what has been yet another challenging year for everyone.

As the gates of many schools opened and classrooms filled with students, we encourage all families to work alongside your school community to support your children’s transition back to school. We encourage you to reconnect with teachers and other families and engage in conversations to support children as they adapt to life at school once again.

There has been much discussion, online and offline about the new TV show Parental Guidance. It highlights that there are many parenting approaches as each family and each child is different. What this program also highlights is the reminder to reach out for information and support as we tackle the best way to support our children.

I recently attended an online summit, Miss Connection hosted by Dr Justin Coulson. There were a variety of speakers sharing information about specific topics such as dealing with anxiety, body image, screens, puberty etc. You can read more about this in the newsletter. There are so many resources available to parents that I encourage you to reach out and utilise what you need.

Our role at CSPV is to also provide opportunity for parents of Catholic students to come together, so I hope you are using the resources on our website and encourage you to let us know what you may need from us. Early next year you will receive a survey requesting your feedback on what is most important for you as parents of children in Catholic schools. We are also currently reviewing our website and will be seeking input from you on what you would like to see on the site.

Last year we sent out a survey to gather feedback on the parent experience during remote learning. We had an amazing response from nearly 500 parents and we are sending this out once again to gather your feedback on what has been perhaps a slightly different experience this year. A link is included in this newsletter so we encourage you to complete the survey and share with other parents in your school community. 

It has been wonderful to welcome new members to CSPV that each bring with them their experiences and insights. As we move into 2022, we encourage you to speak with your school principal about nominating a parent representative for your school. Further information about options to be involved with CSPV are included in our CSPV Introduction Booklet. Click on the link below to download your copy.

Parent representatives provide a wonderful connection between CSPV and your school and provide a range of opportunities and topics throughout the year for you to engage with and share with other parents. To truly represent parents of Catholic students we seek more involvement from parents to ensure we are providing a true representation of issues, concerns and experiences across the varied needs of parents in each diocese across Victoria. 

The work of CSPV this year is summarised in our Annual Report that you can download by clicking the link below. The Annual Report provides you with an overview of our key advocacy focus areas and how we have provided opportunities for parents to engage in webinars and respond to key issues in education this year.

I have completed a full circle in Catholic Education this year with my oldest daughter graduating from Year 12. We have experienced first-hand the impact of Catholic Education and are grateful for the opportunities provided. I will continue to be an advocate for parents in Catholic schools. Our schools are special places, full of wonderful experiences for our students, our families, and our communities where everyone is working together to build those relationships.

I take this opportunity to thank our Executive Officer Rachel Saliba and Catholic Education Commission of Victoria representative for CSPV, Chris Lennon for their support throughout the year. I would like to wish our new Chair, Matthew Williams all the best in his new role with CSPV following his appointment at the CSPV AGM on Saturday 27th November.

Thankyou also to the CSPV Council members, past and present and the many parent representatives that have and will continue to support the work of CSPV.

I wish you all a wonderful Christmas with loved ones. May you have a blessed and safe Christmas, with best wishes for the new year.

Take care,
Jodie McLeod
Chairperson