CSPV developing valued partnerships to support you as parents of children in Catholic schools

One of the three pillars we explore as part of our strategic direction is in the area of partnerships. We know that the learning journey is one that can't be achieved alone and partnering with parents, organisations and education decision makers is critical to our work in advocating on behalf of Catholic school parents across Victoria.

It's important for CSPV to engage with partners who value the voice of parents and who are supportive of the unique role that parents have in their child's education.

At our recent planning meeting we began exploring who our partners are and why, who we could partner with to provide support and resources to families and what unique value we can provide in the partnership.

There are various relationships we are forming to continue to build the capacity of CSPV to deliver resources, information, opportunities and support for parents of children in Catholic schools. The following information outlines several of these partners we are currently colloborating with to benefit parents:

Family Wellbeing; SchoolTV

SchoolTV is a unique digital platform that has been designed to support schools and empower parents by providing them with the tools to deal with the challenges of raising happy, confident and resilient young people.  

Developed in partnership with leading youth psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Gregg, this comprehensive resource focuses on addressing key wellbeing issues and features interviews with leading experts from across the country. 

SchoolTV currently works alongside Catholic schools in the diocese of Brisbane, Sale, Armidale, Broken Bay, Wagga Wagga and Townsville. The resources are provided via an online, subscription based portal for parents to support their children's wellbeing. 

SchoolTV is a school subscription based portal providing 10 new wellbeing topics every year, featuring interviews with leading experts. Subscribed schools also have access to a comprehensive library of over 60+ topics, special reports and additional resources from the top wellbeing organisations in the country. Each topic is supported by surveys and polls. SchoolTV takes the work out of sourcing wellbeing content to share with school communities.

To begin our partnership journey, CSPV have collaborated with SchoolTV to provide four videos and other resources such as quizzes, articles and fact sheets for parents on the following topics:

These video interviews are normally found on the portal that a school would provide for parents but we wanted to provide you with a sneak preview of the type of resource that can support you as you navigate parenting your children through their learning journey.

Please click on the link below to watch an introductory video from Dr Michael Carr Gregg and our Executive Officer Rachel Saliba and to access the free resources:

Please also complete the survey at the bottom of the website page so we can understand your most challenging needs at this time.

Child Safety; Lifesaving Victoria

As we approach the school holidays, it's important to remember that if you are holidaying near any waterways, whether it's the beach, rivers or even creeks or dams, it is essential for adults and children to understand water safety.

CSPV have partnered with Catholic Education Commission of Victoria (CECV) and Lifesaving Victoria to bring you helpful resources that support you to engage in child safety conversations with your children about water safety and swimming.

Swim City is a game developed for primary aged students to educate them on water safety and staying safe around different waterways. Perhaps you could play the game with your child and have conversations about what they are learning. This is engagement in learning and provides you with an understanding of water safety at the same time. What we want to avoid is for children to have a fear of water. Equipping them with knowledge of different waterways and which are safe to swim in and what they need to be aware of means they will be well informed in how to stay safe and swim safely once they become adults. 

There are many parents who invest time and money into swimming lessons in their local community and who value the importance of the lessons their children are learning, not only in how to swim but also how to be safe and understand water in all its' forms. This is an option for some parents but not all parents who may not have the finances or the time to send their children to swimming schools. 

The Victorian government has recognised that this is the case with 50% of students not having achieved the Victorian Water Safety Certificate by the time they leave Year 6 and have therefore provided funding for a school vouchers program to encourage families to enrol your children in swimming programs in your local area.

Please see our article in this newsletter for more information on the school vouchers program.

CSPV's partnership with Lifesaving Victoria is very exciting as we are planning to develop resources and information webinars for parents to advocate for child safety around water. To do this effectively, we invite you to share your feedback on what support you need as parents to support your child with water safety education alongside your school.

Click here for the quick survey to give your valued feedback so we can provide resources that suit your needs.

Family Wellbeing and Relationships; Catholic Care Victoria

For the past few years CSPV has been sharing the resources and family support programs provided by Catholic Care Victoria. We have also been collaborating with Catholic Care for ideas for Family Week fundraising and resources for schools to encourage support for the great work of Catholic Care and for families in need in our communities. 

This year we hope to continue to work alongside the organisation to develop new projects and resources to support and strengthen relationships between home and school. 

Families are at the centre of our school communities and we know that children thrive in their learning when they are supported by a loving family.

CatholicCare Victoria believe that building strong family relationships is the key to building healthy, resilient communities.

Strong families give children the foundation they need to grow, and the support they need to face challenges and setbacks not only now, but into the future.

“Family is where we first experience love and care; where we learn to grow and thrive; and where we have the opportunity to form our strongest and most supportive connections,” says Agnes Sheehan, CEO CatholicCare Victoria.

“Within the family we learn the value of forgiveness and starting over, of trying, failing and being supported to try again.”

So how can parents and families build strong family relationships?

Click on the link below for the full interview with two of the CatholicCare Victoria Family Relationship Practitioners in Bendigo, Julia Feiss and Lisa Castles, on five important elements for creating strong families.