CSPV is excited to announce a series of Connect Webinars next month to explore with parents what we've learned during remote learning. Please save the dates in your calendars for these two very important webinars with experts in parent engagement exploring how to leverage what you now know and continue to engage in your child's learning. 

About the speakers

Rachel Saliba is a Catholic school parent of three secondary aged children and is the Executive Officer of CSPV. Rachel also runs a consultancy and coaching business, Practically Learning, to continue developing parent and teacher capacity to work in partnership to support children to thrive. Rachel is also a coach and an author of a book written for parents, ‘Staying Connected – Guiding and supporting children on their learning journey’.

Jodie McLeod is a Catholic school parent of two children and is the Deputy Chair of CSPV. Jodie also works as Community Development Manager at St Aloysius College in North Melbourne, a Catholic girls College. She is passionate about parent engagement and supporting families to engage in the learning of their children, supporting Catholic communities to help families become empowered to advocate for themselves.

Anne T Henderson is a senior consultant with the Community Organizing and Engagement Program at the Annenberg Institute for School Reform. Her specialty is the relationship between families and schools, and its impact on students’ success in school and through life. Anne is also Vice Chair of NAFSCE (National Association for Family, School and Community Engagement).

Anne has written many reader-friendly articles, reports, and books including Beyond the Bake Sale: The Essential Guide to Family-School Partnerships, A New Wave of Evidence: The Impact of School, Family and Community Connections on Student Achievement, and Family-School-Community Partnerships 2.0: Collaborative Strategies to Advance Student Learning.

Dr Debbie Pushor is a Professor in the Department of Curriculum Studies at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada. In her program of research, Debbie has engaged in narrative inquiries into parent knowledge and into parent engagement and leadership.

Debbie teaches pre-service teachers and has presented her research throughout the US, Canada and in Australia, more recently as a guest of CSPV touring around Victoria to present to many parents, teachers, principals and system leaders. Debbie has published two books, ‘Living as Mapmakers – Charting a course with children guided by parent knowledge’ and ‘Portals of Promise – Transforming Beliefs and Practices Through a Curriculum of Parents’ and continues to promote parent engagement as an essential element of school improvement and teacher training.

As we continue to navigate the realities of lock down with even tighter restrictions and challenges, it's important to focus on our children's wellbeing. It's been particularly tough for children to be away from their friends during the past two terms of school. It's really critical, therefore that both schooling online and learning at home has a focus on providing safety, a sense of community and maintaining friendships where possible.

Many families are connecting via online meet ups, social media and some children are even talking with their friends on the phone! 

Through our CSPV 'You're Not Alone' campaign we've been sharing many resources and information on Facebook and LinkedIn and via our website.

During first stage restrictions, CSPV partnered with CatholicCare to share the resources and support available through their counselling and financial assistance services. These are still available and families are encouraged to reach out for support to access these services. 

Compassionate support

We know that many families and individuals are experiencing challenging and stressful circumstances as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. So we're here to help.

When you or a loved one is going through a tough time, it can be difficult to know what to do next. If you find yourself feeling sad, worried or stuck, it’s okay to ask for help.

Mental health issues, stressful or traumatic events, and relationship problems are just some of the reasons why someone may seek support from a professional counsellor.

To understand the parent perspective through their remote learning experience, CSPV provided a survey specifically designed by parents for parents with questions parents wanted to be asked. 

CSPV have received an overwhelming number of responses and great feedback to ensure we are able to take parent voice and perspective to future discussions and forums about what we've learned during remote learning and what parents would like to see continue for the improvement of parent engagement in student learning.

The responses from parents have been mostly positive with many saying they have learned so much from the experience, both in what their children are learning at school, the language of learning and a new found understanding of what teachers do for their children.

Here are some quotes from parents when asked what they found most helpful during remote learning at home and what they'd like to see continue:

"I think having more time speaking to the teachers so parents are more aware of the struggles there children are having. It enabled me to work on these areas. It has made such a difference to my child and their focus on school and consistently doing their best work."

"Teachers should always update parents on weekly basis what kids are going to be learning on the following week and so forth.. Parents should have a copy of the learning plan in hand same as the teachers.. So at home parents know on which day, which part they’re learning according to the learning plan..At home it’s an opportunity for parents to ask questions about what they have learnt and teach them a bit more about it if they find some tasks are hard.."

"Regular feedback on my child's progress. I also liked knowing what they were learning as it gave opportunities for us to discuss current learning topics in real life situations."

"An app that allows parents to see what work has been completed daily and grades would be appreciated. I’d like if my child has a maths assessment. I’d like to know the subject and the grade. Any key marking assessments I’d like to be more informed on exactly what is being taught."

"Knowing how the children were learning." 

"Now that we are unable to go on to school premises and chat with staff, it has been great to stay connected with them via online class platforms every now and then."

"Continuous communication is the key to success." 

"Seesaw was great to share what my son is doing at home and what I am trying to do to assist the teacher with my child’s education. Teachers need to increase parental engagement in the school and support parents to involve themselves in their child’s learning."

"I’d go back to remote learning in a heartbeat. We loved it as a family, and we enjoyed the time together and getting to know where the kids were at with their education. I was disappointed in the school reports that the hard work the kids and the parents did wasn’t acknowledged. It was certainly difficult managing full time work and the kids education but I think as a family unit we were successful."

"Communicating with parents about the children’s various ways of learning and trying to extend these at home and school. Communicate with parents on a regular basis about where the children are at, so we can work on things at home if the students are struggling at school and not wait till the end of term if there is an issue with any learning."   

"Few dot points a week to help parents know what they are learning in class (easier to keep child up to date if they miss a day due to illness)."

"I'd like it if they could send home more games for us to play over the weekend, or even ideas of games that will help with the children's learning. This experience made me realise how little I know about what they're learning in class, and how I can foster their learning from home."

There are many more insights to be shared from the feedback provided by parents and CSPV will be sharing these through a series of webinars and through a report that summarises the research.

You may also order a copy of the survey report by clicking on the link below.

“Catholic educators see learning as a journey of endless possibilities, where students are energised to seek meaning and explore questions about the world around them.” Horizons of Hope, 2016

STEM MAD does digital in 2020

Each year students in Catholic schools across Melbourne participate in the STEM MAD competition and exhibition. This year, due to schools now being in lockdown for the second time, the showcase of STEM MAD will be online. This is a great opportunity for students to share their work with other students and for parents to gain a unique insight into the amazing, talented students in our Catholic schools.

The Showcase will take place online on Tuesday 27 October 2020 with schools being invited to join in virtually and take part in exciting challenge activities during the day, be in the running for prizes, hear from the award sponsors and be inspired by keynote speakers.

Many students will currently be working on their projects that make a difference in the lives of others. They are encouraged to use their creative design and critical thinking skills, technology, maths and science to create ideas that are well planned and executed to make a difference for people in need.

These projects are extremely important for students in developing these skills that will see them move into this type of work in their future employment. 

The skills they learn through their participation include:

* Design process

* Links to the curriculum across the STEM disciplines and capabilities

* Innovative application of scientific and mathematical concepts

* Engineering and communication principles

* Catholic distinction of Making a Difference to others and the environment.

What is STEM Education?

STEM education is a multidisciplinary approach to teaching the subject areas and skills of science, technology, engineering and mathematics that places learning in real-world contexts. It can increase student engagement and develop 21st century skills of problem-solving, creative thinking, critical analysis, collaboration and evidence-informed decision-making.

What does the MAD mean in STEM MAD?

Making A Difference is the aim of these projects as they align with the Catholic mission of loving and caring for people and our environment and the challenges we face in our world today. In the words of St Mary Mackillop, "seeing a need and doing something about it."

When 21st century designers and creators are developing ideas, there is an end goal or outcome to be achieved. Students learn how to plan their projects with an outcome in mind - primarily the brief is to make a difference in the lives of others by creating a product, service or solution to a human or environmental problem. 

We can't wait to see the great ideas showcased at the STEM MAD Showcase Day online. 

Why is science so important?

Last week during National Science Week, CSPV shared a number of resources through our social media to encourage parents to engage children in science. Science is responsible for so many aspects of our lives, not least in the research currently being undertaken into developing a vaccine for Coronavirus. 

Through learning STEM methodologies at school, children are learning the various aspects involved in developing science projects from concept ideas to completion. While participating in these projects they are also learning a multidisciplinary approach of literacy, numeracy, creative and critical thinkings skills along with maths, scicence and technology. 

There are so many exciting things happening in the world of science right now that you can engage in conversations with your children at home. Through conversations and helping children see learning in context between home and school, you are inadvertently encouraging them to engage and get excited about learning science. 

Here are just a few to get you started:

Did you know we have our very own Australian Space Agency in South Australia? What about the excitement of the recent launch of SpaceX Rocket in Florida in the US (The Falcon Heavy) into space?
Every day there is a constant focus on the weather and weather patterns, climate change, new discoveries and inventions, continuing to understand the human brain and how we behave and the list goes on.

There are so many resources online to explore but here are just a few you can engage with at home:

The SpaceX Rocket Launch

DIY Science Activities

Australian Space Agency Resources and Activities

Spotlight on Space Careers

Swift Playground - Coding

During this year CSPV have been sourcing relevant information and resources for parents for the 'You're Not Alone' Campaign. It has been important to keep parents informed of the support available for families, particularly as the pandemic continues to dominate our lives.

Parenting is both challenging and rewarding at the best of times but during this year it has taken many families to another level. Your family has had to adjust to learning at home, being together all the time, day in and day out and not really having a break. You have been able to spend quality time together but there is no denying, it can be testing and it is easy to lose patience when we are under pressure with work and juggling other worries or concerns.

There is also the added daily expectation of learning at home where you are effectively trying to distinguish between your role as parent and as facilitator of learning. 

The Victorian Government has funded a parenting program to enable Victorian parents to access via an online toolkit of self paced lessons and resources. The easy to follow modules are suitable for parents of toddlers, primary aged and secondary children and explore various topics related to behavioural development, managing challenges and taking care of yourself as a parent.

Supporting you on your journey as parents and in learning at home is a priority for CSPV and we welcome any further feedback on what you are needing to support your family at this time. 

If you're concerned about the mental health of your teenage child, you're not alone. Join Dr Lyn O'Grady for this important free webinar on Thursday 10th September at 7pm for parents who are concerned for their children.

Dr. Lyn O’Grady has counselled children, adolescents and their families for 20+ years, and authored a recently published book for parents of teenagers titled “Keeping our Kids Alive, Parenting a Suicidal Young Person”. During this webinar, Dr O'Grady will explore practical ways to look after your teenagers’ wellbeing and mental health. Click on the link below to register for the webinar.

During school closures it is easy to lose touch with our school communities in the way we would normally be engaging. It's really changed the way we are now focussed on our family as community and as we know, parent engagement begins in the home as we interact and learn from each other as a family.

While at home it's a perfect opportunity to explore your role as a family who is engaged in a Catholic learning community. Reflecting on what this means for you as family. What rituals and routines do you have as a family to share, to reflect on your experiences each day. Do you take time out to pray together or to be still in your own company, to share in a meal or to talk with each other about how you are feeling?

As parent leaders in your own homes you have the opportunity to create your own rituals and traditions, just as these exist in Catholic parishes and learning communities. There are also opportunities to continue to connect with other families from your school, to ensure your children's friendships continue to thrive, to reach out to others who may be struggling or to reach out yourselves to know you're not alone. Maybe you'd like to send some support to the teachers at your school and let them know they are doing a great job with your children. We'd love to hear your stories if you have some to share. Email Rachel at executive@cspv.catholic.edu.au.

Perhaps until recently, you were attending Mass and you'd like to continue a routine of attending a mass ceremony online with your family each week. Technology is enabling us to continue to build Catholic Community in so many ways. Many schools are holding events, movie nights, reading together and other gatherings online to continue to build community so that when children return, there is a sense of beloning and being together through all life's challenges and supporting each other through difficult times. It is quite amazing what humans do and how we come together when faced with challenges. Let's continue this and support each other.

What does it mean for you to be engaged in Catholic Community during these times?

National Child Protection Week

This week is National Child Protection Week - Putting Children First, highlighting the importance of ensuring we always put the protection of children first and not become complacent in making sure children are safe no matter where they are. As parents we are responsible for ensuring our children are safe in their home, in the community and to understand how they are safe at school and when learning online.

As members of a Catholic learning community we also need to look out for other children and make sure we don't turn a blind eye to any red flags. 

CSPV will soon update parents with further information about reporting any child safety concerns and we encourage you to be informed of the policies available on your school website or seek further information from your school.

What is Catholic Education doing to keep children safe?

Executive Director of the Catholic Education Melbourne, Jim Miles said in a statement today, ‘The care, safety and wellbeing of children and young people is a central and fundamental responsibility of Catholic education,’ 

‘This commitment to young people is, and must be, at the heart of Catholic schools, inspired by the gospel message of love and justice and the Church’s core teaching on the inherent dignity of all people,’ he said.

‘Catholic education has done much to strengthen its environment of wellbeing and protection and remains committed to continuous improvement and review of its policies and procedures.

‘Child Protection Week provides an important opportunity for Catholic schools to re-affirm their commitment to cultures that not only keep children safe and nurture their wellbeing, but also foster their agency and development.

Child Safety Online

Now more than ever it's critical for children to be supervised as they spend more time online, whether it be for home learning or in their leisure time. As parents it can be difficult to fully supervise and know what children are doing online, especially when you are trying to juggle working from home and supporting their learning concurrently. 

The Office of the eSafety Commissioner continues to develop great resources for parents to access to ensure children are safe online. 

During National Child Protection Week there are several webinars coming up that you may be interested in viewing related to online safety for children.

These live webinars explore the latest research and they are a great way to learn how you can help your child develop the skills to be safer online. 

All sessions are delivered by eSafety expert educators.

How to have tricky conversations

This article from the esafety Commissioner explores tackling subjects with your child about online safety issues that may be difficult to talk about. 

Perhaps your child has been bullied online, sent or received an intimate image, or come across pornography online. Conversations about experiences like these can be difficult.  

Click on the link below for the full article in how to manage these conversations:

(Source: Media release from Minister James Merlino, Victorian Department of Education and Training)

An independent review of NAPLAN commissioned by Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and the ACT is recommending an overhaul of the national standardised assessment to ensure that it meets the needs of schools, parents and students now and into the future.

The report was presented at the recent Education Council meeting of state, territory and federal ministers and will now be considered and brought back to a future meeting for a decision on the recommendations.

The Review, conducted by Emeritus Professor Barry McGaw, Emeritus Professor Bill Louden, and Professor Claire Wyatt-Smith, considered standardised assessment practices across the world, the uses of NAPLAN data, and the content and delivery of the assessment itself.

These recommendations address longstanding criticisms and concerns with NAPLAN and provide a blueprint for high-quality online national standardised assessment fit for the 21^st century. 

The NAPLAN Review Final Report released today recommends that:

• The current testing of students in Year 9 should move to Year 10 to enable greater engagement and to provide students with a more accurate indicator of learning achievement prior to their commencement of senior secondary education.  This will also give secondary schools much more flexibility in how they structure their year 9 programs.
• The test should be brought forward from May to as early as possible in the year, so that results can be used more productively by schools and teachers. Students and teachers should also get results within one week of the test. This will help schools avoid feeling the need to ‘teach to the test’ each year.
• The tests should move beyond literacy and numeracy to include a new assessment of critical and creative thinking in STEM. This would replace the current NAP Science Literacy test conducted every three years. Critical and creative thinking is widely regarded as a key skill for the contemporary workforce. Assessment of critical and creative thinking in this way would place Australia as a world leader.
• Substantial changes should be made to the writing assessment to address long-standing criticisms that the current approach merely encourages formulaic responses.
• National standardised tests should continue as universal, rather than sample, tests because of the valuable information they provide to schools, as well as students and parents.
• The new test will be called Australian National Standardised Assessments (ANSA), to reflect the significant redevelopment of the national standardised assessment.  

The report’s recommendations reflect the widely held views of educators that substantial reforms are needed to ensure standardised testing remains a source of important and relevant information on learning progress.

CSPV will meet with the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority next week and will raise any questions about the report.

If you would like CSPV to raise any questions from your parent perspective, please feel free to email your questions to executive@cspv.catholic.edu.au.

In case you missed it, a webinar was held recently to inform and answer questions from parents about Vocational Education and Training. This webinar provides useful information to guide children during their education pathways journey. Supported by the National Careers Institute.

Catholic School Parents Australia launched a fresh and functional new website on Saturday, at the August meeting of CSPA Council.

Amidst a virtual celebration, CSPA Chair Karl Rodrigues deleted the red ribbon as the new website went live. “I would like to thank those who have contributed to the generation of our new website, it is appealing, colourful, informative and easy to navigate”, Mr Rodrigues said.

CSPA’s key partners were also impressed with the new website and shared the following. The National Catholic Education Executive Director Jacinta Collins noted, “CSPA’s new website provides a valuable platform for families and equips them with information on Catholic education, school funding, parent engagement materials and educational resources so they can play an active role in their children’s learning.”

“We know that when parents are actively involved in their children’s education, children are more engaged in their learning, achieve better outcomes and stay in school longer,” Ms Collins said.

Greg Cantor, Australian Catholic Superannuation CEO stated, “I congratulate CSPA on this fresh and functional website and encourage all current and prospective parents of children in Catholic education to utilise the many resources available to you in staying up-to-date and informed.” “Digital engagement has never been as important as it has been in recent times during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Mr Cantor concluded.

Hugh Easton, State Manager Qld of Catholic Church Insurance commented, “CCI would like to congratulate Catholic School Parents Australia on the launch of their new website. CCI is proud to support the work of CSPA as the national body representing and advocating for the parents of Catholic school students across Australia. We are sure that the new website will provide the Catholic education community with key information and resources for many years to come.”

Mr Rodrigues concluded, “At times such as these, it gives CSPA the opportunity to thank our wonderful partners, the National Catholic Education Commission, the Australian Catholic Superannuation and Retirement Fund and Catholic Church Insurance. It is through their generous support and the support of our member parent bodies that the vital advocacy and representational work of CSPA is made possible.”

CSPA developed a national toolkit which launched this time last year in Canberra with the Minister for Education, Dan Tehan officially launching the toolkit for parents and principals to support parent engagement in transitions of students. CSPA are about to add new case studies to the toolkit and explore further ways to build on the information and resources available for schools and parents to access, particularly in light of what we have learned during remote learning about the opportunities for furthering parent engagement in learning when students return to the classroom.

The Gearing up for Parent Engagement in Student Learning toolkit has been developed for families and schools to help make the transition into primary and secondary school a great experience for children and young people.

This information will assist the unique relationship between parent and child to flourish into a meaningful partnership between home and school towards improving the learning and wellbeing of students.

How are you connecting with CSPV and how are we connecting with you as parents of children in Catholic schools?

There are various ways we are connecting with you through this newsletter, social media, through webinars and in future podcasts, as well as through surveys to gather your feedback on key issues in education. You can continue to connect with us through the following mediums:

Social Media

CSPV now has a Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn page to share information daily and weekly that is relevant to Catholic school parents. Throughout the pandemic, we've been able to keep our Catholic school parent followers up to date with the latest announcements from the government and from Catholic education authorities as we have direct access to the latest information made available.

If you're not yet connected or following our pages, click on the links below:

Register a CSPV parent representative

CSPV has engaged principals to register a parent representative to connect and liaise with CSPV. This is not a CSPV membership position but a representative allocated in every school to liaise with CSPV and receive information that will require input and feedback.

To register a parent representative at your Catholic school, the principal of the school must complete the following registration and nominate a suitable parent to be their school representative:

Please click on the link below to complete the online registration form via the link provided to nominate a parent representative from your school to be the liaison/connection with CSPV.

Please click on the following link for further information about this request and the parent representative role: CSPV Parent Representative Description.pdf

Subscribe to CSPV newsletter

CSPV provides a newsletter every term to explore the four key areas of advocacy and provide an update on our work with parents, principals, system leaders and government. The newsletter is sent to all of our subscribers which includes all schools across the state of Victoria. 

CSPV welcomes article contributions to the newsletter, especially from parents of children in Catholic schools who are invited to share stories of experiences on their Catholic school journey.