Welcome to the final edition of our Catholic School Parents Victoria newsletter for this year. CSPV have been very busy liaising with our key stakeholders and representing our families across the three pillars of our organisation - Partnerships, Advocacy and Communication. 

I have been nominated in the role of Chair to once again represent parents of children in Catholic schools in 2020. I am looking forward to the continued growth of CSPV and in meeting and leading new parents who join our team.

Under the pillar of partnerships, CSPV recently accepted an exciting opportunity to co-opt a parent representative to sit on a Governance Steering Committee for the Archdiocese of Melbourne schools as they prepare to move to a company structure. Mrs Tracy Connors, a former parent member delegate and Deputy Chair of CSPV will be the parent representative for Melbourne Catholic schools.

This follows the recent establishment of diocesan companies in both the Sale and Ballarat Diocese. This invitation recognises our expanding influence and network of key stakeholders and provides an opportunity for Catholic school parent leadership in providing parent perspective in the planning of Governance of Catholic schools.      

Click here to visit the Governance Melbourne Website for more information https://governance.melbourne/

In our ongoing commitment to parent engagement in child safety, Our Executive Officer Rachel Saliba met with the newly formed VIT Community Expectations Advisory Committee to discuss working with children check changes, parent engagement in child safety and the VIT Teacher Code of Conduct.   

Our September Council meeting was held in the Diocese of Sale at St Francis Xavier College Beaconsfield. Our ongoing commitment to connect with our main key stakeholders, parents of children in Catholic schools, resulted in an invitation to parents of the Sale diocese to join us for a community conversation following our meeting.

We invited parents of Catholic school children to provide feedback on our various advocacy themes (parent engagement in curriculum, child safety, wellbeing and Catholic community) and to explore their thoughts on parent leadership in Catholic education. Forums like these are critical for CSPV to gain a parents' perspective so we can provide an evidence-based approach to advocacy campaigns. CSPV hope to hold more of these forums throughout Victoria in2020 as we rotate our Council meetings throughout each Diocese in the future.  

For more information and a summary of CSPV advocacy campaigns, click on the link below:

Click here to download the CSPV advocacy campaign update

Click here to download the CSPV advocacy campaign update 114.33 KB

CSPV are continuing to conduct an operational and governance review of internal systems. Earlier this year we established a Governance and Finance Sub-Committee to explore explore areas of our Constitution including governance practices and the financial structure of CSPV. These regular reviews are valuable in order to have the best possible systems in place for CSPV and provide both sustainable and modernised Governance and Finance plans for the future.  

CSPV continue to work in partnership with education leaders and are very excited to announce the recent appointment of the first co-opted Principal representative from the Victorian Association of Catholic Primary Principals. Michael Bourne has volunteered to sit in this role and attended his first meeting with us on 16th November.

CSPV recently also appointed a new Administration/Marketing Officer, Julia McCarthy who is also a Catholic school parent in the Southern region of Melbourne. 

Both bring vibrant energy and fresh perspectives to our organisation, welcome Michael and Julia! 

At CSPV we believe in and are committed to the gospel values of respect, honesty, justice, compassion, mercy, hospitality and community. These underpin our operations, relationships and communication strategies.

• Northern region of the Archdiocese of Melbourne (1 vacancy)
• Diocese of Sale (2 vacancies)
• Diocese of Sandhurst (2 vacancies in 2020)
• Diocese of Ballarat (1 vacancy)

Until next time,
Rod Lewis
Chairperson, CSPV.

STEAM Showcase Day

In August this year Catholic School Parents Victoria fulfilled one of the purposes of our organisation in promoting Catholic education as a first choice for parents.

CSPV were involved in assisting to organise a showcase day for Catholic primary and secondary schools to showcase their learning in Science, Technology, Engineering Design, Arts and Mathematics. While it would have been wonderful to see more parents attend the day, CSPV were able to learn so much about the amazing work our teachers and leaders are doing with the students in preparing them for real life.

We were so impressed with the students and their work but what stood out for us most was how much our teachers care for the students. Many of the students had travelled from various towns in the State and teachers were right there with them, supporting them as they presented their ideas in our first ever Snapper Tank competition. Teachers and leaders were also there to support the secondary students as they performed and showcased their work. We believe this is what sets our schools apart from others, the pastoral care and genuine interest in seeing students achieve and encouraging them to be their best selves.

Throughout the day we filmed many of the students sharing what they believe the best part of being in a Catholic community is. Most of the responses were centred around how pastoral care and genuinely caring for others is integrated throughout the curriculum and the culture of each school, particularly for STEM and design thinking students who are designing solutions for real world problems.

Many students on the day demonstrated projects that expressed their concern for problems in their own schools, centred around the environment and sustainability projects, using project based, design and future focussed thinking and learning about the challenges they see in the world around them. They are being encouraged through their learning, not only to care for the environment but also caring for others less fortunate than themselves. 

Some of the feedback we received from the students, teachers and leaders as well as parents included the fact that faith-based education in 21^st century in Catholic schools looks beyond just learning the gospel and explores integrating faith into learning throughout the curriculum.

Catholic schools build on the values and morals that are at the heart of what each school does and continuous reflection on those genuine values develops a culture of common understanding of how we need to be as good citizens of the world.

Students expressed an owning and understanding of their learning agenda, being critical thinkers in a contemporary learning environment, using faith, values and beliefs and feeling very safe in being surrounded by people who share the same values. 

Catholic education is a story of welcome, inclusion and belonging to a community, all of which underpin an education in our schools. Pastoral care and discipline bring all of the elements together under domain of this is who we are and this is what guides us in our daily lives.

Many schools also shared that they have opportunities for immersive learning experiences in foreign as well as Indigenous communities where they can see the challenges and use their learning experiences to design real life projects that can make a difference for others.

When we think of Catholic education we know that our children are being nurtured, alongside us as their parents and partners in education to form the whole person, to support them to become complete people who are spiritual, self-reflective and able to navigate the world around them, be aware and care for others in the community.

We will soon be posting more fantastic videos to hear more from the schools who attended the showcase day on our website. We’d love to hear more great news stories from your school to share. We believe in our students and in our schools to provide a great education and we will continue to promote Catholic education as a first choice for families.

STEM MAD Exhibition

As Executive Officer and a parent of children in Catholic school I had the pleasure of attending the recent STEM MAD exhibition held at Catholic Leadership Centre in East Melbourne.

The quality of work and presentations by the students on the day is a reflection of the quality of teaching and learning about STEM in our Catholic primary and secondary schools. 

Shelley Waldon, STEM Leader from Catholic Education Melbourne, is the driving force behind STEM MAD and the rapid growth of STEM achievements in our Catholic schools. This exhibition was a culmination of the exciting work of the students, led by passionate teachers, who are really encouraging and inspiring the following skills in students to develop some truly creative and innovative ideas;

• creative and critical thinking - now known as 'design thinking'
• project management
• research
• identifying the needs of people and the environment and designing projects to 'make a difference.'
• empathy and awareness
• innovation and entrepreneurial thinking
• perseverance and resilience

The photos above provide an insight into some of the ideas presented on the day and I must say the most inspiring ideas were those that were heart-centred, making a difference to the wellbeing and experiences of people in our world who are truly in need. The future nurturing and care of people and the planet are in good hands!

New apps parents should be aware of  

Since the introduction of mobile phones to children it seems that sharing apps have been developed at a rapid rate with more of them popping up all the time. We now know that many children are not only being influenced online but some of the behaviour is impacting their wellbeing. 

Sometimes it can be hard to keep track of what is safe and what is helpful for learning when children are using their phones constantly and as a parent you may be unaware of what they are viewing or using.

In this article by Martine Oglethorpe of the Modern Parent, she explores the newest app we should be aware of - Tellonym. Other apps she highlights are Omegle, Yolo, Ask.Fm, Qooh.me, Yik Yak and Sarahah.

In the article, Martine explains, "When educating parents about the new apps making their way onto the devices of young people, I always stress that it is not simply the app itself that makes something dangerous, but it’s the behaviour of those using the app that determines its safety and whether one’s experiences on the app are positive."

The role of parents in providing positive examples and having conversations with our children about responsible use of apps and what children should be aware of, are critical. With so much content being available and children's frequent use of phones, it's not always possible to supervise our children's every move online. It is, however, imperative they understand the risks and what red flags to look for.

Having conversations about taking responsibility and sharing any concerns they have, rather than laying down the law and banning mobile phones is more beneficial for children. Through calm conversations, they learn the right and wrong way to behave online. The way children socialise now is often online so with a healthy balance of online and offline interactions, they become more self aware and understand they can come to you if they have any concerns.

Sharing family photos safely online

There are many parents who love to share photos of their children online or share family holiday photos for relatives and friends. But how do we really know who is seeing the photos and what we are exposing our children to?

Want to share holiday pictures with friends online, but keep them private from strangers? From cloud drives to social network options, messenger apps and new platforms, here's how to privately share photos online.

In this article by Victoria McIntosh, she shares some tips on how to keep your images more private online so there is no danger of strangers viewing your private photos.

Some tips include:

• Setting up a shared cloud folder
• Setting up closed or secret Facebook groups
• Using privacy settings
• Using private photo sharing apps
• Using private texts offline

If privacy is of major concern to you, you can also avoid posting photos online altogether and perhaps organise a slideshow for family and friends to share photos the old fashioned way!

Office of the esafety Commissioner - resources for parents

There really is no shortage of information and resources for parents about how to manage social media usage and how to have conversations with children about online behaviour and responsibilities.

The Office of the esafety Commissioner website has a huge section for parents with many topics explored including:

• Basic online safety
• Creating good habits
• How to tell if your child is old enough to be online
• Having difficult conversations with your child
• How much time to allow your child to be online
• Online safety guide available for download in different languages

News from ACARA - Australian Curriculum and Assessment Authority

Have you ever wondered how your child's learning is assessed? In the third of a series of 'Fanning the flames of wonder' videos from the Australian Curriculum and Assessment Authority, CEO David Carvalho explains what assessment means and how it is linked with NAPLAN and other tests. Click on the video below to learn more about how learning is assessed in schools across Australia.

To subscribe to the parent newsletter, click on the link below.

NAPLAN update

Parent engagement in child safety

In October 2019, we attended the first official meeting of the VIT Community Expectations Advisory Committee. We discussed the topic of parent engagement in child safety with conversation on topics such as:

• Lack of parent knowledge around the child safe standards, processes for reporting etc
• Understanding the difference between misconduct and reportable conduct
• Increasing awareness about what each organisation does, and where to refer complaints or concerns about matters that occur within a school context
• Raising parent awareness of their role as volunteers in schools and the community
• Questions for parents to ask organisations in their local communities about how they implement the child safe standards and create child safe organisations for their children
• Questions for parents to ask their children to empower them, to make them feel safe, and to encourage them to seek help.

Many of these topics will be explored further by CSPV along with other key stakeholders to establish further information and resources for parents. CSPV will be involved in reviewing draft resources in January 2020.

Following the meeting, CSPV parent member delegates provided feedback on several mock cases to provide a parent perspective in VIT management of teacher misconduct or reportable conduct.

Changes to the way VIT registers and regulates teachers

Another topic discussed included recent changes to the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 and the Working with Children Act 2005 that commenced on 1 September 2019.

These changes seek to improve information sharing between VIT and Working With Children Check Victoria, and to create greater alignment between how the organisations assess whether a person is suitable to work with children. 

One of the reasons for the changes is that  all registered teachers are exempt from requiring a Working with Children (WWC) Check. This includes all registered teachers and all registered early childhood teachers (ECTs). This means that all registered teachers can rely on their teacher registration to engage in other child related work such as tutoring or volunteering at sporting or community clubs or associations.

It therefore becomes important for the two organisations to share information with one another, particularly if one of the organisations decide that the person is no longer suitable to work with children.

For example, if Working with Children Check Victoria issue a person with a negative notice (meaning that they are not suitable to work with children), the VIT must refuse to register the person as a teacher. If they are already registered as a teacher, the VIT must cancel their registration.

Similarly, if VIT suspend or cancel the registration of a teacher for disciplinary reasons, they share this information with Working with Children Check Victoria so that Working with Children Check Victoria can also take this into account and take appropriate action.

Another significant change is the new terminology that will be used by the VIT to assess whether a person can be registered or continue to be registered as a teacher or early childhood teacher. New categories include:

• Category A Offences – these are the most serious offences such as sexual offences committed by an adult against children. In circumstances where a person has been charged or found guilty of these offences, the VIT must refuse their application for registration as a teacher. If they are already registered as a teacher, VIT must suspend their registration if they have been charged with a category A offence. If the person is found guilty of a category A offence, the VIT must cancel their registration and they are disqualified from ever being registered as a teacher in Victoria..
• Category B Offences – these are also serious offences and can include other sexual offences, and certain violent and drug related offences. In these cases the VIT must refuse registration if it considers that the person is an unjustifiable risk to children. It also has the discretion to suspend the registration of a teacher if they have been charged of these offences. ,In cases where the person has been found guilty of these offences, VIT may refer the matter to a formal hearing to assess whether the person is fit to be a teacher.
• Category C conduct – these include indictable offences, and other conduct such as disciplinary action taken by the employer of a teacher. In these cases, the VIT may refuse to register the person as a teacher if their ability to teach in a school / early childhood service is likely to be affected because of the conduct engaged in; or if it is not in the public interest to allow the person to teach because of the conduct that they engaged in. .
• Information sheets about these changes are available on the VIT website.

These meetings highlight the importance of communication and information sharing with parents and an understanding of the role that VIT has to ensure child safety is priority when it comes to the registration of teachers each year.

CSPV acknowledge VIT for their transparency with parents and for putting children's safety first. CSPV support the work of VIT and value the partnership we have established over many years being involved in consultation with the organisation.

CSPV is currently reviewing the Victorian Teaching Profession Code of Conduct and invite anyone interested in providing feedback for this via CSPV to contact our Executive Officer, Rachel Saliba at executive@cspv.catholic.edu.au. Information about the Code of Conduct can be found at https://www.vit.vic.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/95703/Discussion-paper-professional-boundaries-workshop.pdf

VIT has recently released their Annual Report. Click on the link below to download.

How do we encourage boys to continue to engage in reading in the teenage years?

In our ongoing campaign for parent engagement in curriculum our focus this year has been on literacy. The article below, written by Renae Bishop, CEM Project Officer – Learning Innovation, CEM VCE English Network Coordinator, Catholic Education Melbourne explores the gender gaps in learning, particularly in reading.

Addressing gender gaps through student engagement

Context

As many countries, including Australia, work towards gender parity, some gaps are closing, but new ones continue to emerge. For example, while many boys achieve brilliant results at school, on average their results are lower than results for girls.

State, national and international data reveal a decline in engagement and attainment levels in school for boys compared to girls.

Boys are falling behind in reading, have lower university attendance rates than girls and their lead in maths is shrinking.

The OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) reveals that young men on average are significantly more likely than young women to be less engaged with school and have lower academic achievement.

An OECD report titled The ABC of Gender Equality in Education: Aptitude, behaviour, confidence cautions that we need to consider ways that ensure both genders are able to realise their potential. They note that the underachievement of young men, in particular, has severe consequences not only for their own futures but for societies as a whole (OECD 2015).

While the under-performance of boys is particularly acute in literacy, it also manifests elsewhere in the curriculum. PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) results indicate that boys on average are more likely than girls to perform below the baseline level of proficiency in all three of the subjects that are tested in PISA: reading, mathematics and science. Our own national literacy data reveal that the literacy gap emerges early. So how do we ensure that both boys and girls are motivated to read?

Choice helps develop a willingness to read

Some boys are voracious readers of fiction, devouring series upon series of a range of genres, including adventure, science fiction and fantasy. Yet we also know that many boys enjoy reading nonfiction more than fiction.

Those of you old enough to remember the days of library cards may also remember the Annual Guinness Book of Records publications. These books were well digested and almost exclusively by boys.

Boys love facts

They love reading about facts. They love sharing facts. Many boys read information texts to gain knowledge but often struggle with the prevalence and prominence of fiction in the primary classroom. The OECD report notes that many boys find school out of sync with their interests and preferences and, as a result, they often feel unmotivated to work in school (OECD 2015).

As a Catholic sector we aspire to equality of attainment, with a commitment to honouring ‘equitable access and opportunity for all’ (Horizons of Hope: Vision and Context, p. 6). Equality of opportunity is central to the vision and context of our education framework, Horizons of Hope. We strive to establish rich personalised learning environments and employ student-centred learning approaches that enable each and every learner to experience success.

The Horizons of Hope aspiration for curriculum design is to meaningfully and purposefully interpret the formal curricula to suit each learner and their local context (Horizons of Hope: Curriculum in a Catholic School, p. 2).

Our challenge is to honour this vision and address this growing gap by prioritising time to discuss how to develop learning environments, pedagogical practices and curricula that continue to relate to, and engage the interests and dispositions of teenage boys, as well as teenage girls, so that all students may have the opportunity to fulfil their potential.

What does the data tell us?

The 2018 NAPLAN National Report, published by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), revealed the following trends:
• Year 9 girls have a higher mean reading score than boys.
• There are more girls in the top two bands for Year 9 reading compared to boys.
• There are more boys in the bottom bands for Year 9 reading compared to girls.
• Year 9 girls have a higher mean writing score than boys.
• There are more girls in the top two bands for Year 9 Writing.
• There are more boys in the bottom bands for Year 9 Writing.

This under-performance continues in the senior years at VCE English and for the past few years boys have consistently had higher percentages of grades under C and lower percentages of grades above C+ in the VCE English results, compared to girls. Last year more than a third of boys in the state received a grade of C or below in the VCE English Examination compared to 25.6 per cent of girls (VCAA Graded Assessment Data Report for 2018).

If ‘aptitude knows no gender’, then as educators we must provide equal opportunities for boys and girls in our classrooms to be engaged.

How we can help - parents and teachers in partnership

To ensure the best outcomes for all students, it is imperative that teachers are aware of how boys and girls learn best and that we develop teaching methods that accommodate both genders. The OECD report identifies some of the clear behavioural differences between boys and girls, and acknowledges that educationalists are only just starting to focus on boys’ under-performance.

Here are some recommendations adapted from the OECD report to encourage higher attainment in reading for boys:

1. Encourage students to read what they want.

Boys are less likely than girls to read for enjoyment and less likely to read fiction. So, where possible, offer texts that appeal to boys’ interests. Reading anything encourages the habit of reading. So teachers should ensure there is scope on the yearly booklists for both genders to find texts that are interesting and appealing. For boys generally, this might be non-fiction, or real-life stories, coming-of-age stories, adventure or quest stories. Stories involving challenge and risk are also appealing to boys. For girls generally, this might be historical fiction, relationship or friendship–based narratives, fantasy or mystery novels. Of course, these are generalisations only, and teachers should always take into account the interests of their individual cohorts when selecting texts.

2. Boys may need more encouragement than girls to read.

Any efforts by the school to promote reading should take into account not just differences in students' reading abilities, but differences in their reading preferences. Let students choose topics that appeal to them and ensure there are male and female role models who are modelling reading and talking about what they read. For co-ed schools, consider the option of running single-gender classes in English and other core subjects to optimise learning outcomes. Some of the top-performing co-ed schools in the state already do this.

3. Be wary of punitive approaches to poor behaviour, results or efforts.

Neither gender responds well to shaming. Avoid putting them in a situation where they will lose face in front of their peers (or siblings). Have individual conversations, away from peers and siblings. For boys in particular, shame can quickly turn to anger, and once angry, they find it difficult to return to their learning.

4. Value and respect the particular strengths of each gender.

For example, risk-taking is valued in labour markets and boys excel at this. The OECD report suggests that introducing risk-taking into school work would help girls to address and acquire this skill and also engage many boys more effectively.

5. Allow some competition in the classroom.

Boys respond more to competitive high-stakes environments than girls. They can often be less motivated than girls for class assignments and more motivated for tests, so encourage a mix of both to support both genders.

NAPLAN results in Victoria

Results have emerged this week that indicate "an outstanding result" in reading in Victoria. The Department of Education and Training media release stated, "..the proportion of Victorian high performers in the top two proficiency levels in reading has jumped 40 per cent since the previous report in 2015, from 10 per cent to 14 per cent. Victoria also remained steady in science performing above the OECD average, while most other states declined."

"The report also showed that student performance in maths has declined across Australia and across the world. However, as ACER has confirmed, Victoria still outperformed the majority of other Australian jurisdictions and had the lowest level of decline of all states and territories."

Despite this result, there is still room for improvement and we shouldn't become complacent when it comes to continuing to support our children to read. CSPV are currently undertaking a project to promote parent engagement in reading for primary school students which will be presented in 2020.

Source:https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/victorian-students-excel-in-reading/

CSPV will explore maths and literacy further through the advocacy area of parent engagement in curriculum during 2020.

The CEM VCE English Network, exploring engagement through text selection

The Catholic Education VCE English Network began in 2017, and involves 58 Catholic secondary schools. As a community of English teachers, we meet to collectively navigate the VCE English Course. But before we can examine how best to structure an essay, or how best to prepare students to respond to examination questions, we must first discuss how to engage them.

This year we started a discussion about texts and engagement and what texts might generate high engagement with different cohorts. This has led to some of our schools working together to share strategies and approaches. Teachers at CBC St Kilda have shared their experiences with engaging boys in the School Practice section of this edition.

The commitment, passion and sheer determination of the teachers in our CEM VCE English Network to push for a conversation about engagement and text selection, and to keep striving for the best opportunities and outcomes for both genders in our schools, are a credit to our sector. The conversation has started. Let’s keep it going.

Renae Bishop can be contacted at 9267 0228 or rbishop@cem.edu.au.

In 2017 Catholic School Parents Australia embarked on a project along with the Federal Department of Education and Training, ARACY (Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth), and University of Southern Queensland to research parent and Principal views of parent engagement in schools across Australia. Following the research, in 2018 various members of Catholic School Parents Australia began designing and writing content for what is now a national research based parent engagement toolkit title 'Gearing Up for Parent Engagement', available for all schools and parents across Australia.

The toolkit focusses on transition to primary and secondary school and provides reseources for parents, teachers and principals to encourage parent engagement during transition and beyond, beginning with the development of positive relationships between parents and teachers.

Above: (Back left): Wayne Crase (Catholic School Parents QLD and CSPA), Peter Grace (Council of Catholic School Parents NSW and CSPA), Christine Wanjura (Catholic School Parents Archdiocese Canberra/Goulburn and CSPA), Federal Minister for Education Dan Tehan, (Front from left): Carmel Nash (Catholic School Parents QLD and CSPA), Selina Walker (Catholic School Parents Archdiocese Canberra/Goulburn), Siobhan Allen (Catholic School Parents WA and CSPA), Jacinta Collins (National Catholic Education Commission), Rachel Saliba (Catholic School Parents Victoria and CSPA).

In September this year, we were excited to be a part of the launch at Parliament House in Canberra. The federal education Minister, Dan Tehan officially launched the toolkit and the website and resources were finally available.

During the launch, Education Minister Dan Tehan stated, “Parents should take an active role in their child’s education. These Toolkits help parents navigate some of the tricky junctures in a child’s journey though the school years. When parents and teachers have a health, engaged relationships, our students benefit.” 

CSPA deputy chair Ms Carmel Nash said, “this important resource was essential for families and schools to help them make the transition into primary and secondary schools a great experience for children, young people and their families”.

We invite you to explore the toolkit website and share with parents and staff in your school community.

This week a new report was released by the Australian Government Department of Education and Training and ARACY - Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth. The report, titled "Just say you're proud of me - Parent Engagement and Doing Well at School" explores parent engagement from a student's perspective. The report provides a unique insight into the benefits and challenges of engaging parents in their child's learning journey at secondary level.

The students provided insight into the tensions between asserting their independence while still deeply wanting and needing the support and guidance of their parents in their education and decisions about the future.

Parents of children in secondary schools are often seeking ways to engage with their children's learning but are often placed in the position of overseer, thinking that checking up on their children is supporting them rather than checking in and truly understanding what their role is in supporting their children through the secondary years. 

The Executive report concluded that, "...for most students, support from their parents and families is a key factor in them doing well at school and is an important foundation for their future. Students recognised the vital role that their parents and families play in their lives. Most students we consulted acknowledged that their parents and families care for them and are invested in their success at school in a way that is different to their teachers and friends."

The most interesting insight is the difference between how students view "doing well" at school to their parent's view. Most students believe doing well means doing their best, establishing and maintaining friendships, developing life skills, and doing well in extra-curricular activities.

The students highight that the pressure to "do well" is causing many of them to feel anxious and it is having an impact on their mental health and wellbeing.

Reference: "Please Just Say You're Proud of Me - Perspectives of young people on parent engagement and doing well at school, ARACY." https://www.aracy.org.au/publications-resources/categories?id=6

New resource for schools to engage parents in dialogue - Voices and Visions

Throughout 2019 CSPV have been discussing ways in which parents can be more engaged in their Catholic community. When parents make an informed choice to send their child to a Catholic school, there is more to our schools than just buildings and saying goodbye at the school gate.

One of the things that sets Catholic schools apart, is the sense of community and belonging and the Catholic values imparted to students as they learn the most important part of being part of a Catholic community is caring for others.

There are many ways that parents can engage in Catholic community. They may choose to involve themselves in the many volunteer opportunities available or attend events and activities run by the school when they are able to.

Another aspect of parent engagement in Catholic community is the engagement in the faith formation and learning our children undertake through religious education. Whilst CSPV acknowledge and recognise the diverse nature of families in our schools, there are ways that parents can be encouraged to be more involved in the learning of their children through dialogue and being invited as members of their community to understand the values of the school and the teaching of Catholic tradition.

CSPV has been discussing how to encourage more parents to engage in the faith formation of their child and we have discovered a new resource that may assist schools to engage in dialogue with families. 'Voices and Visions - Catholic Schools in Conversation,' is a beautifully designed and written resource, developed by La Salle Academy at the Australian Catholic University to encourage dialogue in schools.

What does RE look like in Catholic schools?

Join our friendly team at Catholic School Parents as a member delegate to contribute as a parent/carer leader in Catholic Education.